Psychology News and Research

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Psychology is the study of human mental functions, behavior and processes.

Children's sexuality linked to genetic influences: Study

Previous research has found that children raised in homes without a biological father have sex earlier than children raised in traditional nuclear families. Now a new study that used a novel and complex design to investigate why this is so challenges a popular explanation of the reasons.

15 Sep 2009

Elsevier launches new web platform

Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the launch of a new web platform, Elsevier Mental Health (www.elseviermentalhealth.com).

15 Sep 2009

Death stench is a warning sign to prevent diseases

The smell of recent death or injury that repels living relatives of insects has been identified as a truly ancient signal that functions to avoid disease or predators, biologists have discovered.

14 Sep 2009

Care Support of America on overlooked healthcare issues in eldercare and family caregiving

As healthcare reform is being debated in Congress and on Main Street, vital and practical issues in eldercare and family caregiving are being overlooked. Some 30 million U.S. baby boomers are family caregivers for their aging parents, trying to keep their parents safe at home and helping them navigate the complexities of Medicare and manage an advancing illness. If they had their say, most elderly people would prefer to age in their own homes.

11 Sep 2009

Sleep improves memory

Sleep may reduce mistakes in memory, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at Michigan State University.

11 Sep 2009

Better use of quality-of-care ratings can lead to greater consumer control

A hospital pneumonia survival rate of 93 percent may sound good, but knowing that it's actually merely "fair" can help people pick a better hospital, according to new research. A "good" survival rate would be from 95 percent to 98 percent, medical experts say.

11 Sep 2009

Social identity has a positive impact on health and well-being

The quality of a person's social life could have an even greater impact than diet and exercise on their health and well-being. There is growing evidence that being a member of a social group can significantly reduce the risk of conditions like stroke, dementia and even the common cold.

11 Sep 2009

Depression and substance dependency may be more common among people

The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe.

10 Sep 2009

Season's Practice launches women health and wellness solutions in Northeast Ohio

Season's Practice has opened its doors to women in Northeast Ohio who are seeking alternative health and wellness solutions to improve their overall health and well-being.

10 Sep 2009

New protocol to tackle postpartum depression

Up to 80 percent of women experience depressive symptoms postpartum, with one in eight reporting the emergence of major depression within weeks of delivery.

10 Sep 2009

DaVita offers individualized treatment options for students with kidney disease

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), supports dialysis patients' education by offering individualized treatment options based on optimal patient care standards and social circumstances.

10 Sep 2009

Psychological suffering crosses species lines, according to a study

A recent study documents the severe emotional trauma chimpanzees suffer as a result of laboratory use and confinement. Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees was published in the September issue, Vol. 45 (5), of the American Psychological Association journal Developmental Psychology.

9 Sep 2009

Mentally ill smokers also benefit from treatment, says research paper

People with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the heaviest smokers in the country, but their doctors are afraid to ask them to quit. They assume that if their patients try to quit smoking, their mental disorders will get worse.

9 Sep 2009

Gabapentin improves sleep quality in menopausal women

Gabapentin, a drug initially used to treat seizures, improves sleep quality in menopausal women with hot flashes, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report online and in the September issue of the Journal of Women's Health.

9 Sep 2009

Connecting to people increases self-acceptance and helps in overcoming shame

Shame is a common reaction when someone feels that they have fallen below social norms or their own standards. From being intoxicated in front of one's peers and superiors to failing an important test at school or being rejected at the school dance, shame can be an internal alarm that ensures that we know when we are at risk of finding ourselves outside the lines of societal acceptance and desirability.

9 Sep 2009

Tel Aviv University biologist discusses about human fertility

About 10% of all couples hoping for a baby have fertility problems. Environmentalists say pollution is to blame and psychiatrists point to our stressful lifestyles, but evolutionary biologist Dr. Oren Hasson of Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology offers a different take. The reproductive organs of men and women are currently involved in an evolutionary arms race, he reports in a new study. And the fight isn't over yet.

8 Sep 2009

Prevalence of cortical gray matter atrophy may be overestimated in healthy aging brain

The belief that healthy older brains are substantially smaller than younger brains may stem from studies that did not screen out people whose undetected, slowly developing brain disease was killing off cells in key areas, according to new research. As a result, previous findings may have overestimated atrophy and underestimated normal size for the older brain.

8 Sep 2009

Prevention system brings down rate of binge drinking among eighth-grade students

Rates of binge drinking were 37 percent lower among eighth-grade students in communities in seven states that used a prevention system designed to reduce drug use and delinquent behavior compared to teenagers in communities that did not use the system.

8 Sep 2009

Cancer drug could restore memory deficits in Alzheimer's patients

A drug now used to treat cancer may also be able to restore memory deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center, which appeared in the September issue of The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: Volume 18:1.

7 Sep 2009

Conference on neurophysiological and psychological basis of human subjective experience

In this conference, world renowned scholars and researchers from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and ethics will discuss the neurophysiological and psychological basis of human subjective experience, the phenomenological and spiritual characteristics of these domains, and how these may interact in the process of practical reasoning and moral decision making.

5 Sep 2009