Theatre professor and psychology faculty expand research on drawing and anxiety
Sep 6, 2023
For the past six years, Bill Doan’s research and creative work has focused on how drawing can be a tool for managing mental health. He is now involved in a joint-funded project that is taking that work to a new level by measuring individuals’ physiological responses while drawing. Doan, professor…
New EIC podcast on mental health screenings for adolescents in schools
Nov 2, 2022
This month's Evidence-to-Impact Podcast episode discusses mental health screenings for adolescents in the K-12 school system. We spoke to Deepa Sekhar, MD, associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the College of Medicine and executive director of Penn State PRO Wellness; Perri Rosen,…
Social Support Protected Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Aug 4, 2022
By Jennifer Kowalkowski and Danielle C. Rhubart, The Pennsylvania State University Social support can protect mental health from the stressors of life during times of widespread crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from a national survey collected in early-2021, Jennifer Kowalkowski [SMM1…
Podcast episode discusses college students and mental health
Jun 24, 2022
The Social Science Research Institute’s Evidence-to-Impact Podcast returns for a third season with its eighteenth episode, “The Perfect Storm: College Students, Mental Health, and the Sense of Belonging on Campus.” The podcast’s moderator, Michael Donovan, the associate director of the Evidence-to-…
Unemployment associated with worse mental and physical health later in life
Jun 23, 2022
When and how often a person experiences unemployment in their 20s, 30s and 40s has serious implications for their health later in life, which could be in part due to a lack of access to health care while unemployed, according to new research. The researchers found that people who had little…
Socializing may improve older adults' cognitive function in daily life
Sep 15, 2021
Socializing with others is important for mental health and well-being, and it may help improve cognition, as well — especially for older adults, according to new research. In a study led by Ruixue Zhaoyang, assistant research professor of the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State, the researchers…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of isolated patients
Jun 11, 2020
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Even with well-established protocols and familiarity, infection isolation protocols may cause significant issues for patients,…News Topics: COVID-19Mental Health
Penn State's Project ECHO awarded $1.5M to address substance abuse
Nov 22, 2019
Project ECHO at Penn State College of Medicine will use a $1.5 million federal grant to address underage drinking and opioid use in 10 rural counties in central Pennsylvania. The five-year grant was awarded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Blair, Bradford,…
Personality traits may predict problems with problem-solving in older adults
Nov 19, 2019
People often blame poor genetics or lack of mental stimulation for cognitive decline with aging. While those can play a role, new research suggests that certain personality and temperament traits in older adults can cause personal problem-solving skills and can impact everyday cognitive functioning…
2019 Bennett Lecture discusses how mindfulness can help treat people living with addiction
Oct 27, 2019
Mindfulness was the topic at hand for this year’s Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science, held on Oct. 15 in 110 Henderson Building. The Bennett Lecture is an annual fall eventhosted by the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. This year’s speaker, Katie Witkiewitz, professor of psychology…
2019 Bennett Lecture to focus on mindfulness-based Interventions for addiction
Oct 10, 2019
On Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., Katie Witkiewitz, psychology professor at the University of New Mexico, will present the 2019 Bennett Lecture in Prevention Science, "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Addiction: Making a Better Band-Aid," in 110 Henderson Building. The event is free and open to the public…
People with anxiety may strategically choose worrying over relaxing
Oct 1, 2019
Relaxing is supposed to be good for the body and soul, but people with anxiety may actively resist relaxation and continue worrying to avoid a large jump in anxiety if something bad does happen, according to Penn State research. In a new study, the researchers found that people who were more…
Professor contributes to federal report on child and youth mental health
Sep 24, 2019
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for a comprehensive national agenda to improve mental, emotional and behavioral health in children and youth. Jennifer Frank, assistant professor of education, senior research associate with the Edna Bennett…
Suicide and self-harm risk is nearly triple in people with restless leg syndrome
Aug 26, 2019
Restless legs syndrome was associated with a nearly tripled risk of suicide and self-harm in a new study led by Penn State researchers. Using Big Data, the researchers found that people with restless legs syndrome (RLS) had a 2.7-fold higher risk of suicide or self-harm, even when the researchers…
Marijuana policies are changing, but they are not always based on scientific knowledge
Jul 8, 2019
By Diana H. Fishbein, Elizabeth Long and Sharon Kingston, opinion contributor for The Hill Misconceptions regarding marijuana distort perceptions about its hazards and benefits. While marijuana remains on schedule 1 of the federal Controlled Substances Act, a number of state-level laws are changing…
Community-Engaged Research Day fosters collaborative partnerships
Jul 2, 2019
Community leaders and scientists shared breakfast and sought solutions to problems like opioids, obesity and depression June 6 at the Community-Engaged Research Day. The Community-Engaged Research Core of Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute hosted the event at Dixon University…
For many, friends and family, not doctors, serve as a gateway to opioid misuse
Jun 4, 2019
In a common narrative of the path to opioid misuse, people become addicted to painkillers after a doctor prescribed them pills to treat an injury and then, later, switch to harder drugs, such as heroin. However, nonmedical opioid users were more likely to say they began abusing opioids after…
Penn State researcher explores mental health and the LGBT community
May 29, 2019
With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Penn State researcher and assistant professor Britney Wardecker stresses the importance of not only raising general awareness of mental health but also recognizing how different groups are affected by mental health issues in unique ways. Wardecker’s…
Everyday stress may boost blood vessel dysfunction in people with depression
May 8, 2019
Long-term stress has been linked with cardiovascular disease, but for people with depression, researchers say small, everyday stressors may be enough to diminish blood vessel function in otherwise healthy adults. A team of researchers led by Penn State found that among adults with depression, those…
2019 Lecture on Compassion to focus on cultivating mental health
Mar 11, 2019
The importance of promoting mental health and well-being among women, children and families will be the topic of the fourth annual Lecture on Compassion. Sona Dimidjian, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will discuss “Expanding Compassion: Reflections…News Topics: Mental HealthLecture
Active-duty service members' children to benefit from new partnership
Jan 31, 2019
Proactively identifying and addressing behavioral threats among students has long been a challenge for many school districts. If teachers, administrators, staff and fellow students can identify and safely report risky behavior, researchers hope that shooting tragedies like those that occurred at…
Poor mental health days may cost the economy billions of dollars
Jul 20, 2018
Poor mental health ranks as one of the costliest forms of sickness for U.S. workers and may sap billions of dollars from the country's income growth, according to a team of researchers. In an analysis of economic and demographic data from 2008 to 2014, the researchers found that a single extra poor…News Topics: Mental HealthEconomics
Harsh parenting linked with poor school performance in kids with ADHD
Jan 25, 2018
The way parents interact with their kids may affect how well children with certain behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — ADHD — perform in school, according to researchers. The researchers studied the associations between the parenting practices of mothers and fathers…