EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Dec-2025 11:11 ET (30-Dec-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

How are coastal New Jersey communities communicating hazards of climate change?

Drexel University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Recent climate-related crises — from severe storms and flooding to extreme heat — have raised new questions about how local governments communicate the risk of these crises and what they are doing to keep their citizens safe. To better understand what this communication looks like at local level, and the factors that may be shaping it, researchers from Drexel University analyzed climate resilience planning information available on the public-facing websites of 24 coastal communities in New Jersey that are contending with the effects of sea level rise. Their report, recently published in the Journal of Extreme Events, found wide variation in the number and extent of mitigation actions taken and how the websites describe causes of coastal hazards — for example, only half of the communities are acknowledging sea level rise as a contributing factor to these hazards.

Journal: Journal of Extreme Events
Funder: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Demographic data supporting FDA authorization of AI devices for Alzheimer disease and related dementias

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Transparency of evidence supporting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization of artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning -based devices for Alzheimer disease and related dementias was limited, precluding effective evaluation of training and validation dataset representativeness. Disease status (i.e., dementia type and distribution), age, and sex were reported for fewer than half of devices, while race and ethnicity data were rarely disclosed, raising uncertainty about real-world generalizability and clinical accuracy in intended populations.

Journal: JAMA

Hardly any social skills in educational programs for young children

Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Early childhood education programs neglect social skills that are important for living and working together. This is shown by a study involving the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Luxembourg, which examined educational policy guidelines in more than 50 countries worldwide. The importance of children's socio-economic circumstances for educational success also plays only a subordinate role in the programs.

Journal: PLOS One

Prevalence and related factors of antenatal depression in 11 provinces and cities of China: a 100,000 population-based study

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study addresses the critical gap in epidemiological data on antenatal depression in China, a condition that profoundly impacts maternal and infant health. Conducted as a cross-sectional survey from December 2019 to March 2023, the research enrolled 100,200 pregnant women across 27 hospitals in 11 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous areas. Late-pregnancy depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). This survey reveals that the overall prevalence of possible depression (EPDS >9) was 25.8%, and probable depression (EPDS >12) was 11.4%, with significant regional variation (highest in North China, lowest in East China). Young maternal age, low education levels, low family income, unemployment, living alone, unmarried/divorced status, unintended pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, insufficient social support, tobacco/alcohol use, and poor sleep quality were identified as risk factors for antenatal depression. Notably, family support, particularly from partners, emerges as a pivotal intervention target for reducing antenatal depression risk.

Journal: Science Bulletin

Stepping for digital rewards

Osaka Metropolitan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A researcher at Osaka Metropolitan University investigated the active travel effects of an mHealth app that incentivizes daily walking. The results revealed that the mHealth app’s incentives to exchange train tickets increased users’ daily walking steps by 626.2 steps/day for five months.

Journal: Journal of Transport & Health
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Female pilots perform better under pressure, study finds

University of Waterloo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A University of Waterloo study found that female pilots made fewer flight control errors than their male counterparts in high-stress situations, despite showing similar visual attention and experience. The research, led by postdoctoral fellow Naila Ayala, suggests women may exhibit stronger decision-making and control under pressure, with implications for pilot training and evaluation.

Debunking a life-threatening myth: "Tongue swallowing prevention" maneuvers delay CPR and might contribute to brain injury or death for collapsed athletes

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Despite widespread public health efforts, the dangerous myth of "prevention of tongue swallowing" continues to persist during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). New research in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, exposes the mainstream and social media’s detrimental role in perpetuating this misconception, which often leads to critical delays in proper CPR for collapsed athletes.

Journal: Canadian Journal of Cardiology