Mind Matters — Gleanings from Psychological Research

Did you know that the rate of prescription painkiller abuse among American adolescents has become the second-most common type of illegal drug use after marijuana? In fact, such abuse is 40% higher than in previous generations. The trend for abuse of drugs such as Vicodin, Valium, and Oxycontin exists for both genders and across all racial and ethnic groups (Journal of Adolescent Health, October, 16, 2012).

That is one factoid gleaned from Amy Novotny’s In Brief column in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology. Here are a few more of the research findings she has reported on in her columns:

• African American women abused as children have a greater propensity to contract adult-onset asthma than those who were not abused (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, December 7, 2012).
• Counterintuitive as some may think, researchers found a positive correlation between personal wellbeing and spending on others. The Gallup World Poll from 2006-2008 questioned people in 136 countries and found that in 120 countries, people generally felt better giving to others rather than spending money on themselves (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, February 18, 2013).
• Children who have suffered concussions may have brain changes that persist for months despite the resolution of the original symptoms. In one study, even though cognitive deficits that were evident immediately after an injury had improved months later, the structural changes to the brain, as seen in imagery, remained (Journal of Neuroscience, December 17, 2012).
• At Columbia University, researchers studied the data of 260 male Vietnam veterans who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Men younger than 25 when deployed to Vietnam were more likely to develop PTSD than those who were in their 30s or 40s when deployed. PTSD was also exacerbated by past history, such as having been abused as a child or a family history of substance abuse (Clinical Psychological Science, February 15, 2013).

Stay tuned for more updates on psychological/scientific research across the world.