U.S. mothers are struggling with both their mental and physical health, a new study says. The percentage of mothers who report excellent mental health dropped 12 points between 2016 and 2023, from 38% to 26%, researchers reported today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Mothers reporting excellent physical health dropped by four points, from 28% to 24%,…  read on >  read on >

The first day of preschool can be tough — lots of new faces, unfamiliar sounds and the sudden goodbye to Mom or Dad can be overwhelming. But what if something as simple as the ceiling could make it a little easier? New research suggests that reducing noise in preschool classrooms can help calm children and…  read on >  read on >

Women are 10 times more likely to develop postpartum psychosis if they have a sister who experienced the condition after an earlier pregnancy, a new study says. Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious mental illness that causes severe mood swings, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and thoughts of self-harm among new mothers. If left untreated, the…  read on >  read on >

Social media does indeed appear to be making kids more prone to depression, a new study says. Preteens are more likely to develop symptoms of depression as their use of social media increases, researchers reported May 21 in JAMA Network Open. Depression symptoms increased 35% as kids’ average social media use rose from seven minutes…  read on >  read on >

Cyberbullying is widespread among U.S. teens and is linked to post-traumatic stress symptoms in middle- and high-school students, a new study says. Nearly 9 of 10 teenagers have experienced cyberbullying, according to the study’s survey of nearly 2,700 U.S. middle- and high-school students.  And results show that even subtle forms of cyberbullying can cause psychological…  read on >  read on >

There’s no link between the COVID-19 vaccine and miscarriage, a new study says. COVID poses significant risks to pregnant women, including preterm birth, maternal death and need for ICU care for either mother or baby following delivery, researchers said. But vaccination rates among pregnant women remain low, due in part to misinformation about the vaccine’s…  read on >  read on >

Exercise and sports appear to help kids avoid mental health problems as they grow into young adults, a new study says. Young children who participated in sports teams and physical education classes were less likely to develop problems like depression, anxiety and addiction as they aged into teenagers, researchers reported May 13 in the British…  read on >  read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help prevent breast cancers that develop between routine mammograms, by catching ones that trained radiologists would overlook, a new study says. Incorporating AI into mammography could help reduce the number of interval breast cancers by 30%, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Interval breast cancers are…  read on >  read on >