EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jun-2026 04:16 ET (23-Jun-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)

12-Feb-2026

Young carers falling behind by end of primary school

Anglia Ruskin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research has found that children with caring responsibilities are 35% less likely than their peers to reach the expected standard for reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school.

Journal: International Journal of Educational Research

12-Feb-2026

Addictive digital habits in early adolescence linked to mental health struggles, study finds

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research following US adolescents ages 11–12 shows that problematic use of mobile phones, social media, and video games was associated with higher risks of mental health problems, sleep disturbance, and suicidal behaviors one year later. The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals that the links between problematic screen use and mental health are stronger than those previously reported for overall screen time and highlights the risks of addictive use.

Journal: American Journal of Preventive Medicine

12-Feb-2026

Rich medieval Danes bought graves ‘closer to God’ despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists studying social exclusion based on illness in medieval Denmark expected to find that people with chronic diseases, especially leprosy — a heavily stigmatized disease that Christianity associated with sin — would be barred from burial in prominent, prestigious graves. However, they found that these higher-status burial places were still open to leprosy or tuberculosis patients, despite the social stigma. This suggests that medieval communities may have treated severely ill people with more compassion than traditional portrayals, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, suggest.

Journal: Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology
Funder: National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, American-Scandinavian Foundation, Velux

11-Feb-2026

Brexpiprazole as an adjunct therapy for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Meijo University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cognitive impairment, including decreased attention and memory, remains one of the most disabling aspects of schizophrenia, affecting social life of patients. However, no effective treatment has yet been established for it. Now, researchers have investigated the effect of adding brexpiprazole on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. The findings revealed that patients with schizophrenia receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole showed a meaningful improvement in information processing speed, without worsening psychiatric symptoms.