Women and their drink
A new research shows that college women are more likely to drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis than are college men. But, there’s good reason for that difference. Women don’t metabolise alcohol in the same way as men, and lesser amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of breast cancer and liver disease in women. “College women adopt a drinking style that will cause toxicity soon. Overall, women drink less than men do, but they don’t seem to know how much less they should be drinking in a week,” explained Bettina Hoeppner, lead study author and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.
Bullied child more prone to crime
Do teen bullies are more likely to be criminals when they're adults, a new study finds. UT Dallas researchers analysed several decades of data collected from more than 400 men in Britain. All of them had similar working-class backgrounds and most came from two-parent families. They were followed until they were in their mid-50s. Nearly half of the men who said they were bullies during their teen years engaged in some form of criminal activity — such as theft, burglary and assault — when they were adults, according to the study in a recent issue of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Risk factors for being a teen bully also predicted criminal activity as an adult. These factors included poor school performance, impulsivity, poor parental supervision, family disruption and poor living conditions.
Sexual orientation matters
Although being openly gay appears to affect a male actor’s masculinity ratings, it does not affect views on his performance, according to a new study. Researchers from Clemson University in South Carolina found that an actor who is “out” can be convincing when playing a heterosexual role, despite stereotypes about homosexuals. The study, published recently in Psychology of Popular Media Culture, was conducted in the wake of news columns that maintained that knowing someone is gay will bias perceptions of his or her performance in a heterosexual role. The researchers questioned roughly 400 college students about a male actor’s fictional Facebook page, featuring photos and information about his sexual orientation.
Disorder epidemic
As many as one in five American children under the age of 17 has a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to a new federal report. The report represents the government’s first comprehensive look at mental disorders in children. It focusses on diagnoses in six areas: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral or conduct disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, substance abuse, and Tourette syndrome. The most common mental disorder among children aged three through 17 is ADHD.
Heart issues
Among young heart attack victims, women often have more medical issues, more chest pain and worse quality of life before the event than men, a new study reveals. The researchers, from the Yale School of Medicine, said young women also tend to have worse mental health with more physical limitations prior to their heart attacks. The findings could help explain why young women often have worse outcomes than their male peers after a heart attack. The study involved nearly 3,000 women and men, aged 18 to 55, who participated in an international study of heart attack patients. The researchers questioned the participants to assess their chest pain and quality of life before their heart attack.