Trauma and kids: The role of the early childhood teacher

November 12, 2019

Science Daily/University of South Australia

New research has explored the growing uncertainty faced by children aged 0-8 years in disaster zones, such as bushfires, finding that early childhood teachers hold a vital role in supporting children dealing with trauma.

As catastrophic bushfires continue to rage across New South Wales and Queensland, thousands of people are reeling from the devastation. It's a shocking start to Australia's fire season, but beyond the physical damage, the emotional scars persist, especially for Australia's youngest citizens.

Now, in new research from the University of South Australia, researchers have explored the growing uncertainty faced by children aged 0-8 years in disaster zones, finding that early childhood teachers hold a vital role in supporting children dealing with trauma.

Globally, nearly 535 million children -- nearly one in four -- live in countries that affected by conflict or disaster, with hundreds more displaced as they seek safe refuge overseas. Today, many families and children are integrated into Australian schools, bringing with them many experiences of personal trauma.

Lead researcher, Professor Marjory Ebbeck, says we must not underestimate the role that an early childhood teacher plays in securing the emotional development of a child.

"Teachers hold a unique place for a young child. Outside their family, they're one of the most trusted and familiar faces who, in their role as a teacher, provide a welcoming and secure environment for the child to learn and develop," Prof Ebbeck says.

"When young children are confronted by trauma -- whether through natural disasters such as Australia's bushfires, or humanmade disasters such as conflicts in the Middle East ¬¬- they carry all their worries, confusion and emotions with them, and that's where teachers need to be prepared.

"Unfortunately, despite the push from international agencies to include the needs of children in disaster preparation and risk reduction strategies, few have filtered down into education programs, which means there are still large gaps in the system."

Right now, many early childhood teachers will be caring for young children who have lost their homes and precious possessions due to the fires across NSW and Queensland. No doubt, these teachers are doing everything they can to support their students, but as Prof Ebbeck says, they may not have the the right training to be successful.

In lieu of a child-specific national disaster strategy, Prof Ebbeck says there are many things teachers in childcare, preschool or early primary school can do to prepare.

"Helping a child through an emergency or trauma requires a holistic approach that not only encompasses socio-emotional development but also practical strategies, both pre, during and post emergency," Prof Ebbeck says.

"Educating children about emergencies is essential and teachers should involve their class in practice sessions so that in the event of a real emergency, children will know what to do. It's important for children to have confidence in their teachers' ability to keep them safe.

"Part of this is about being aware of what's happening in the world -- teachers can use current events to educate children in their environmental studies classes.

"Safety of children and teachers is always paramount. It's critical that teachers know their school's emergency plan, evacuation procedures, and understand how they should respond in specific events, such as bushfires.

"Of course, communication is vital. Keeping parents informed about what their children are learning is important, especially in the case of a real emergency. It also helps create a circle of trust between parents, children and teachers."

Today, with more than 600 schools and colleges closing their doors today due to bushfires in NSW and Queensland, Prof Ebbeck says teachers should be prepared to support children who may have suffered.

"There are several strategies teachers can use to help children reintegrate into the school environment," Prof Ebbeck says.

"We recommend:

·      Checking in with the child's parents -- make sure they have enough of the essentials -- food, clothing, and somewhere to stay.

·      Making sure your classroom is safe, both physically and emotionally -- familiar and welcoming surroundings create a sense of security and belonging for children.

·      Listening to children -- don't avoid difficult questions. Children are curious and need to work through their worries and concerns.

·      Delivering consistent and predictable routines -- children love routines. Having a safe, predictable environment creates stability and security.

·      Checking in on friendships -- make sure the child is still engaging with their peers and friendships helps them build confidence, and well-being.

·      Providing opportunities for expression -- dramatic play and artwork enable children to freely express and explore their feelings.

·      Maintaining trust- building secure relationships are essential. A trusting, caring environment provides the best basis to build self-esteem and resilience.

"There's no doubt the role of the teacher is complex, especially when their students and community are confronted by trauma or disaster.

"And, while we cannot prevent disasters from happening, understanding more about what teachers can do to prepare for and respond to an emergency situation, can certainly help."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191112110229.htm

Associations between childhood maltreatment and offending behaviors later in life

November 11, 2019

Science Daily/BMC (BioMed Central)

Children who experience maltreatment, such as neglect or physical or sexual abuse, are more likely to engage in delinquent and offending behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Corresponding author Hannah Lantos, a youth development expert at Child Trends, a non-profit research organization in Bethesda, Maryland, USA said: "Maltreatment and experiences of violence have been shown to impact children's wellbeing long into the future, and there is a risk of a link between experiences of maltreatment and engagement in delinquent behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Our research suggests that many young people involved in the juvenile justice system are struggling with the effects of trauma and earlier maltreatment, and that we should provide support for youth who have experienced maltreatment to engage in more pro-social behaviors."

'Delinquent behavior' refers to behaviors in young people under the age of 18 that would constitute criminal offenses if committed by adults, such as damaging another person's property or stealing, shooting or stabbing someone, using a threatening weapon to get something from someone or being in a fight.

To examine if and how the relationship between these behaviors and childhood maltreatment varied by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, the authors used data on 10,613 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Add Health includes a nationally representative sample of US adolescents who were in grades 7-12 in the 1994-95 school year who have been followed for the two and a half decades since then.

Dr. Lantos' co-author Andra Wilkinson, a youth health expert at Child Trends and the principal investigator on the project, said: "Most of the previous research in this space used child welfare or juvenile justice data, involvement in both systems is patterned by race/ethnicity. By using a large, nationally representative sample, we are getting a more objective look at the association, among a more diverse sample, over a longer developmental period of time."

The authors found that over three-fourths of the included participants (77%) reported experiencing at least one type of maltreatment in childhood. Nearly one-third of all included participants (32.5%) reported committing nonviolent offenses and 30% had committed violent offenses during adolescence.

Compared to those who did not report experiencing maltreatment, adolescents who experienced maltreatment were more likely to engage in violent behaviors and showed a faster increase in the amount of non-violent offending during early adolescence. Non-violent offending peaked in the later teenage years for all teenagers but the increase was steeper and the peak higher when the frequency of maltreatment was higher.

Among children who experienced maltreatment, males showed a significantly higher frequency of non-violent offending behaviors than females. The authors found no differences in association between maltreatment and violent or nonviolent offending behaviors by either race/ethnicity or sexual orientation.

The authors noted: "This lack of difference indicates that there is not one particular race or sexual orientation for whom maltreatment is associated with more subsequent offending, violent or nonviolent, a finding that contradicts previous research that found a linkage by race. That the association is stronger for males also challenges the notion that boys are inherently more prone to risk behaviors. This may suggest that boys are more prone to externalize following experiences of maltreatment and that appropriate supports could decrease the risk of negative behaviors."

The authors caution that, because the respondents included in this study are now in their late 30s and early 40s, their experiences of maltreatment happened some time ago. Relationships between maltreatment and offending behaviors may differ in young people who experience maltreatment today. Exploring links between specific types and frequencies of maltreatment and subsequent offending, which was not done in this study, may be an important next step in understanding whether certain types of maltreatment have a stronger relationship with certain types of offending.

Hannah Lantos said: "Our findings reinforce the need to reexamine areas where inequalities in the trajectory from maltreatment to juvenile delinquency and offending persist. Adding to our knowledge of the relationship between maltreatment and offending behaviors may help identify opportunities to support young people and may inform improvements in juvenile and adult justice systems."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191111204732.htm

Late talkers twice as likely to have severe, frequent temper tantrums

Important to intervene early in toddlers' development to mitigate later mental health, language disorder risk

November 11, 2019

Science Daily/Northwestern University

Toddler speech delays and temper tantrums have long been assumed to go hand in hand, but no large-scale research had successfully backed up that assumption with data.

Until now.

A new, 2,000-participant study from Northwestern University found that toddlers with fewer spoken words have more frequent and severe temper tantrums than their peers with typical language skills.

It is the first study to link toddlers' delayed vocabulary with severe temper tantrums, including children as young as 12 months old, which is much younger than many clinicians typically believe problematic behavior can be identified.

"We totally expect toddlers to have temper tantrums if they're tired or frustrated, and most parents know a tantrum when they see it," said co-principal investigator Elizabeth Norton, an assistant professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern. "But not many parents know that certain kinds of frequent or severe tantrums can indicate risk for later mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression ADHD and behavior problems."

Similarly, both irritability and language delays are risk factors for later language and learning disorders, Norton said. About 40% of delayed talkers will go on to have persistent language problems that can affect their academic performance, Norton said. This is why assessing both language and mental health risk in tandem may accelerate earlier identification and intervention for early childhood disorders because children with this "double whammy" are likely to be higher risk.

The study was published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

"We knew from many other studies in older children that language problems and mental health problems occur together more frequently than would be expected, but we didn't know how early this relationship began," said Norton, also the director of the Language, Education and Reading Neuroscience (LEARN) Lab and a leader in the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci) at Northwestern.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 nationally representative parents who had a toddler between the ages of 12 and 38 months. Parents answered questions about their children's number of spoken words and their tantrum behaviors, such as how often their child has a tantrum when they are tired versus when they are having fun.

In the study, a toddler is considered to be a "late talker" if they have fewer than 50 words or aren't putting words together by age 2. Late talkers are predisposed to have severe and/or frequent temper tantrums at nearly double the rate of their peers with typical language skills, the study found. The scientists categorize tantrums as "severe" if the toddler is regularly doing things like holding their breath, hitting or kicking during a tantrum. Toddlers who have these kinds of tantrums on a daily basis or more may need help promoting their self-control skills.

"All these behaviors must be understood within developmental context," said co-principal investigator Lauren Wakschlag, professor and vice chair in the department of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the DevSci director.

"Parents should not overreact just because the child next door has more words or because their child had a day from 'The Wild Things' with many out-of-control tantrums," Wakschlag said. "The key reliable indicators of concern in both these domains is a persistent pattern of problems and/or delays. When these go hand in hand, they exacerbate each other and increase risk, partly because these problems interfere with healthy interactions with those around them."

The survey is the first phase of a bigger ongoing research project at Northwestern University called "When to Worry," which is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The next phase, currently in progress, includes a follow-up study of approximately 500 toddlers in Chicagoland who are typically developing and also those who are exhibiting irritable behavior and/or speech delays. The study will examine brain and behavioral development to pinpoint those indicators that will help distinguish transient delays from the onset of problems.

Parents and their toddlers will meet with the Northwestern scientists annually until children are 4.5 years old. It is unusual for these different disciplines (e.g. speech pathology and mental health) to come together like this to focus on the "whole child," Wakschlag said.

"Our DevSci Institute is specifically designed to push academics out of their traditional silos so that they can work most effectively to solve real-world problems using all the tools at hand," Wakschlag said.

"We want to take all the pieces of information we get about development and put them together to form a toolkit that pediatricians or even parents can use to understand when to worry about a given child, and know what is developmentally expected versus not, so that children can get intervention early, when it is most effective," Norton said. Brittany Manning, a Ph.D. student in Norton's lab, is the paper's first author. The study question came in part from Manning's work as a speech-language pathologist.

"I've had many conversations with parents and clinicians about concerning temper tantrums and late talking, but there was no research data on the topic I could point them to," Manning said.

Parents who have a toddler between the ages of 21 and 29 months old who is exhibiting speech delays may be eligible to be part of the When to Worry study. Read more information at the When to Worry study website.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191111133322.htm

Brains of girls and boys are similar, producing equal math ability

November 8, 2019

Science Daily/Carnegie Mellon University

New research comprehensively examined the brain development of young boys and girls. Their research shows no gender difference in brain function or math ability.

In 1992, Teen Talk Barbie was released with the controversial voice fragment, "Math class is hard." While the toy's release met with public backlash, this underlying assumption persists, propagating the myth that women do not thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) fields due to biological deficiencies in math aptitude.

Jessica Cantlon at Carnegie Mellon University led a research team that comprehensively examined the brain development of young boys and girls. Their research shows no gender difference in brain function or math ability. The results of this research are available online in the November 8 issue of the journal Science of Learning.

"Science doesn't align with folk beliefs," said Cantlon, the Ronald J. and Mary Ann Zdrojkowski Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and senior author on the paper. "We see that children's brains function similarly regardless of their gender so hopefully we can recalibrate expectations of what children can achieve in mathematics."

Cantlon and her team conducted the first neuroimaging study to evaluate biological gender differences in math aptitude of young children.

Her team used functional MRI to measure the brain activity in 104 young children (3- to 10-years-old; 55 girls) while watching an educational video covering early math topics, like counting and addition. The researchers compared scans from the boys and girls to evaluate brain similarity. In addition, the team examined brain maturity by comparing the children's scans to those taken from a group of adults (63 adults; 25 women) who watched the same math videos.

After numerous statistical comparisons, Cantlon and her team found no difference in the brain development of girls and boys. In addition, the researchers found no difference in how boys and girls processed math skills and were equally engaged while watching the educational videos. Finally, boys' and girls' brain maturity were statistically equivalent when compared to either men or women in the adult group.

"It's not just that boys and girls are using the math network in the same ways but that similarities were evident across the entire brain," said Alyssa Kersey, postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Psychology, University of Chicago and first author on the paper. "This is an important reminder that humans are more similar to each other than we are different."

The researchers also compared the results of the Test of Early Mathematics Ability, a standardized test for 3- to 8-year-old children, from 97 participants (50 girls) to gauge the rate of math development. They found that math ability was equivalent among the children and did not show a difference in gender or with age. Nor did the team find a gender difference between math ability and brain maturity.

This study builds on the team's previous work that found equivalent behavioral performance on a range of mathematics tests between young boys and girls.

Cantlon said she thinks society and culture likely are steering girls and young women away from math and STEM fields. Previous studies show that families spend more time with young boys in play that involves spatial cognition. Many teachers also preferentially spend more time with boys during math class, predicting later math achievement. Finally, children often pick up on cues from their parent's expectations for math abilities.

"Typical socialization can exacerbate small differences between boys and girls that can snowball into how we treat them in science and math," Cantlon said. "We need to be cognizant of these origins to ensure we aren't the ones causing the gender inequities."

This project is focused on early childhood development using a limited set of math tasks. Cantlon wants to continue this work using a broader array of math skills, such as spatial processing and memory, and follow the children over many years.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191108074852.htm

School-based sleep program may benefit adolescents

November 6, 2019

Science Daily/Wiley

A recent study uncovered potential long-term benefits of a school-based sleep education program for adolescents.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Sleep Research, included 3,622 adolescents, 286 in the intervention group and 3336 in the control group. Data were collected before the intervention and at a one-year follow-up.

The intervention consisted of five sessions, 50-60 minutes, once per week for six to seven weeks and was scheduled as part of students' school curriculum. Investigators divided participants into three groups according to baseline sleep duration: insufficient (less than seven hours), borderline (seven to eight hours) and adequate (more than eight hours). Adolescents in the intervention group were approximately two times less likely to report insufficient sleep at follow-up compared with controls. Sleep knowledge improved significantly in the intervention group but there were no changes in emotional sleep hygiene (such as bedtime worry) and perceived stress. Surprisingly, technology use increased and behavioral sleep hygiene worsened (for example, performing activities in bed that keep you awake) in the intervention group.

"These results are promising and mean that we might be able to prevent the development of sleep problems in youths," said lead author Serena V. Bauducco, PhD, of Örebro University, in Sweden. "More work needs to be done, however: we need to replicate these results and to understand what works. Therefore, we encourage future sleep intervention studies to investigate long-term outcomes -- after one year or even longer -- and to look for mechanisms of change."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191106085433.htm

Only half of US children get enough sleep during the week

October 25, 2019

Science Daily/American Academy of Pediatrics

Only 48% of school age children in the United States get 9 hours of sleep most weeknights, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans. Those who do, the study suggests, are significantly more likely to show a positive outlook toward school and other signs of "childhood flourishing," a measure of behavioral and social well-being.

An abstract of the study, "Sounding the Alarm on the Importance of Sleep: The Positive Impact of Sufficient Sleep on Childhood Flourishing," will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

"Chronic sleep loss is a serious public health problem among children," said abstract author Hoi See Tsao, MD, FAAP. "Insufficient sleep among adolescent, for example, is associated with physical and mental health consequences including increased risk of depression and obesity and negative effects on mood, attention and academic performance."

"As healthcare providers, we want every child to reach his or her full potential, Dr. Tsao said. "Our research shows that children who get enough sleep are more likely to demonstrate measures of childhood flourishing in comparison to children with insufficient sleep."

Researchers analyzed responses from parents and caregivers of 49,050 children ranging in age from 6-17 years old in the combined 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health. They answered questions on how many hours of sleep a randomly selected child in their household slept on an average weeknight. For the study, sufficient sleep was defined as sleeping greater than or equal to 9 hours on an average weeknight.

For individual flourishing markers, the caregiver was asked if the child showed interest and curiosity in learning new things; cared about doing well in school; did required homework; worked to finish tasks started and stayed calm and in control when faced with a challenge. Prior research suggests that the more flourishing markers children have, the more likely they are to have healthy behaviors and fewer risky behaviors. A combined flourishing measure was created to identify children for whom caregivers felt met all five individual flourishing markers.

The researchers found that sufficient sleep, reported in 47.6% of the 6 to 17-year-old children, was positively associated with several individual flourishing markers, as well as the combined childhood flourishing measure. Compared with children who did not get 9 hours of sleep most weeknights, those who did had 44% increased odds of showing interest and curiosity in learning new things, 33% increased odds of doing all required homework; 28% increased odds of caring about doing well in school; 14% increased odds of working to finish tasks started, and 12% increased odds of demonstrating the combined flourishing measure.

The analysis adjusted for age, federal poverty level, time spent in front of a television, time spent with computers, cell phones, video games and other electronic devices, adverse childhood experiences (including abuse, neglect and other potentially traumatic experiences) and mental health conditions.

The researchers also identified risk factors associated with insufficient sleep, which included lower levels of parental or caregiver education, children living in families at lower federal poverty levels, increased duration of digital media usage, increased number of adverse childhood experiences and the presence of mental health conditions.

Dr. Tsao said the study reinforces the importance of increasing efforts to help children get the recommended amount of sleep for their age. She said efforts should especially focus on digital media usage, bedtime routines, the length of the school day and school start times.

"Interventions like these may help children demonstrate more measures of childhood flourishing, enhance their development and give them brighter futures," she said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025075604.htm

Young moms more likely to have kids with ADHD

Genetic links confirmed

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/University of South Australia

Young mothers have a greater chance of having a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to new research from the University of South Australia.

Published in Nature's Scientific Reports, the research explored the genetic relationship between female reproductive traits and key psychiatric disorders, finding that the genetic risk of ADHD in children was strongly associated with early maternal age at first birth, particular for women younger than 20.

In Australia, ADHD affects one in 20 people. ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which impacts a person's ability to exert age-appropriate self-control. Characterised by persistent patterns of inattentive, impulsive, and sometimes hyperactive behaviour, individuals find it hard to focus, concentrate, and regulate their emotions.

Using genetic data of 220,685 women via the UK Biobank, the study examined genetic correlations between five female reproductive traits (age at first birth, age at first sexual intercourse, age at first occurrence of menstruation, age at menopause, and number of live births) and six common psychiatric disorders (ADHD, autism, eating disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia).

UniSA researcher, Associate Professor Hong Lee says the findings could help improve reproductive health in women and deliver better outcomes for their children.

"Young mums can have it tough, especially as they're adjusting to becoming a parent while they're still young themselves," Assoc Prof Lee says.

"By understanding the links between becoming a mother at a young age and having a child with ADHD, we're able to better educate and support families sooner.

"The approach is twofold. Firstly, we're able to inform young women about the high genetic risk of having a child with ADHD if they give birth at a young age. This may caution and prevent them from giving birth at an immature age, which not only improves their reproductive health but also the maternal environment for their baby.

"Secondly, we're able to educate young mothers about the features of ADHD, such as impulsivity and inattentive behaviours, which may help mothers better recognise the condition in their child and seek treatment sooner than later.

"ADHD is treatable, but early diagnosis and interventions are key to a successful outcome."

Assoc Prof Lee says while the findings are significant, there are some latent complexities.

"It's important to understand that while there is a clear genetic link between ADHD and young mothers, this is not necessarily a causal relationship.

"ADHD is a highly heritable disorder which means that a young mother may also have the genes affecting ADHD risk which is then inherited by her child.

"Knowing a woman has a genetic predisposition for ADHD can be recorded in her family medical history then used to monitor her health and the health of her offspring. In this way, we're able to ensure both mother and baby receive the support and help they need."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024115020.htm

Schools have critical role to play in supporting adolescents fleeing armed conflict

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Education is known to be highly important for migrant children, yet relatively little is known about the diversity of associated school-based programs and their likely value in supporting the mental health of children. A scoping review was conducted of 20 school-based programs aimed at improving the mental health of adolescent forced migrants in high-income countries. Findings showed school-based interventions have great potential for preventing adverse mental health outcomes among children affected by conflict and displacement.

Communities in high income countries around the world continue to receive record-setting numbers of newcomers fleeing armed conflict. Although education is known to be highly important for refugee and migrant children, relatively little is known about the diversity of associated school-based programs and their likely value in supporting the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the children living in high income countries. A scoping review co-authored by Michael Wessells, PhD, Mailman School professor in Population and Family Health's Program on Forced Migration and Health, reviewed 20 school-based programs aimed at improving the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants in high-income countries from 2000 to 2019. Wessells and colleagues found school-based interventions have great potential for preventing adverse mental health outcomes among girls and boys affected by armed conflict and displacement.

The findings are published online in Social Science & Medicine.

 "Our review showed that despite recurring challenges, many girls and boys manage to adjust to their new lives," noted Wessells. "Up to now, there was little discussion in the literature on how school-based programs for refugees and immigrants actually achieve holistic support for refugee and migrant children and how they enable educators, children, and families to navigate the social and cultural complexities associated with children's and families' movement to high income countries."

The review was conducted to provide a more comprehensive picture of current school-based approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescent forced migrants.

Among the findings:

·      Four programs (20%) offered educational and career supports, including mentoring and tutoring.

·      Nine programs (45%) used group activities to build social skills and support.

·      Seven programs (35%) reportedly included specialized therapy.

·      Although the reviewed programs focused centrally on serving students, 40% also engaged parents in program activities.

"These programs showcase the abilities of schools to identify and monitor student needs, provide or connect with holistic supports for refugee and migrant adolescents, and contribute to continuity of care," said Wessells, who noted that partnerships were central to most elements of the programs reviewed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024115024.htm

Coping with Chronic Pain

Contributed by Jackie Waters

Living with chronic pain can drain you physically and emotionally. It’s normal to experience frustration when you’re unable to do the things you used to do. Aching muscles, sore joints, and fatigue are just a few of the symptoms chronic pain sufferers deal with on a daily basis. Whether you have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, or any other disease that causes pain, you know that such a condition transforms your life into a day-to-day battle. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, read these tips to help you cope.

What Is Chronic Pain?

 Chronic pain is any pain that lasts more than six months. People can experience chronic pain for a number of reasons. It may be triggered by an injury or even a sickness. Often, there is no apparent cause for the pain. In the past, doctors thought pain was always the result of a disease or undiagnosed injury. As a result, doctors concentrated on treating the cause of the pain. They believed curing the cause would automatically eliminate the problem. If the patient wasn’t cured, doctors sometimes told patients that they were imagining their pain. Fortunately, today’s medical professionals realize that chronic pain is a disease and not some phantom pain inside a patient’s head.

Over-the-Counter and Prescription Painkillers

 In the past, traditional methods of treating chronic pain typically included over-the-counter and prescription painkillers. But the negatives far outweigh the positives. Using prescription painkillers can lead to liver failure and stomach ulcers. And it’s easy to become addicted to painkillers as well. Doctors now recognize that alternative treatments help reduce the symptoms associated with chronic pain. Even better, these alternative treatments don’t lead to addiction or other negative effects.

Give Your Body a Rest at Home

 It’s okay to take breaks to help relieve chronic pain. While you rest, let others help you get things done. Ask a friend or family member to run an errand for you. Another option to consider is calling a professional on occasion to take care of a home project, like doing yard work or cleaning the house. You can find a service within your budget by searching online. If you absolutely need to do your own cleaning, look for a vacuum that’s lightweight and easily maneuvered so you don’t strain yourself.

Exercise

 If you want to treat chronic pain using natural methods, incorporate exercise into your daily life. When you are physically active, the body releases natural hormones called endorphins that work as natural painkillers. Endorphins affect brain receptors, changing the way we perceive pain.

Before you begin an exercise regimen, discuss your plans with your physician. As long as your doctor says it’s okay, start a gradual exercise routine. Do easy stretches each day. If you find your joints are sore and tight, try taking a warm bath or shower before beginning your workout. Yoga, tai chi and Pilates are all gentle forms of exercise that help some chronic pain sufferers. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with good, old-fashioned walking!

Combine a Balanced Diet with Natural Supplements

 Incorporating more vegetables and whole, clean foods into your diet makes you healthier. A healthy diet can help reduce inflammation in your body, which is linked to chronic pain. Additionally, probiotic foods and supplements can help your body and mind become healthier by boosting the immune system, aiding in digestion, and increasing emotional health. Probiotics contain good strains of microbes that work in your gut, and since around 95 percent of all your microbes are in your gut, it’s especially important to take care of it. 

Acupuncture and Other Natural Therapies

Some people with chronic pain experience relief through acupuncture. It’s an ancient Chinese healing method where tiny, thin needles are inserted into specific parts of the body to relieve pain and stimulate healing. Other natural therapies may include massage or relaxation therapy. Some pain sufferers benefit from guided imagery, when a trained professional teaches you to focus your mind on specific images so you’re not concentrating on the pain you feel.

Just because you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition doesn’t mean you need to give up on an active lifestyle. Talk with your physician and devise a strategy to combat your chronic pain. As you incorporate lifestyle changes and investigate various therapies and treatments, you just might find the right combination that will help you alleviate your pain triggers and place you on the road to a happier, pain-free life.

Babies understand counting years earlier than believed

October 24, 2019

Science Daily/Johns Hopkins University

Babies who are years away from being able to say "one," "two," and "three" actually already have a sense of what counting means, Johns Hopkins University researchers have discovered.

The findings reveal that very early on, years earlier than previously believed, babies who hear counting realize that it's about quantity.

"Although they are years away from understanding the exact meanings of number words, babies are already in the business of recognizing that counting is about number," said senior author Lisa Feigenson, a cognitive scientist at Johns Hopkins who specializes in the development of numeric ability in children. "Research like ours shows that babies actually have a pretty sophisticated understanding of the world -- they're already trying to make sense of what adults around them are saying, and that includes this domain of counting and numbers."

The findings are newly published in Developmental Science.

Most children don't understand the full meaning of number words until they're about four years old. That's surprising, Feigenson said, considering how much counting young children are exposed to.

"We buy counting books for babies and we count aloud with toddlers. All of that raises the question: Are kids really clueless about what counting means until they're in the preschool years?"

To find out, Feigenson and first author Jenny Wang, a former graduate student at Johns Hopkins who is slated to become an assistant professor at Rutgers University, worked with 14 and 18-month-old infants. The babies watched as toys, little dogs or cars, were hidden in a box that they couldn't see inside of, but could reach into.

Sometimes the researchers counted each toy aloud as they dropped them into the box, saying, "Look! One, two, three, four -- four dogs!" Other times the researchers simply dropped each toy into the box, saying, "This, this, this and this -- these dogs."

Without counting, the babies had a hard time remembering that the box held four things. They tended to become distracted after the researchers pulled just one out -- as if there was nothing else to see. But when the toys were counted, the babies clearly expected more than one to be pulled from the box. They didn't remember the exact but they did remember the approximate number.

"When we counted the toys for the babies before we hid them, the babies were much better at remembering how many toys there were," Wang said. "As a researcher these results were really surprising. And our results are the first to show that very young infants have a sense that when other people are counting it is tied to the rough dimension of quantity in the world."

The team is now conducting several follow-up studies, trying to determine if early counting practice leads to later number skills land if English-speaking babies react to counting in a foreign language.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191024075018.htm

Overall time on social media is not related to teen anxiety and depression

Eight-year study shows screen time isn't the problem

October 22, 2019

Science Daily/Brigham Young University

The amount of time teenagers spend on social networking sites has risen 62.5 percent since 2012 and continues to grow. Just last year, the average time teenagers spent on social media was estimated as 2.6 hours per day. Critics have claimed that more screen time is increasing depression and anxiety in teenagers.

However, new research led by Sarah Coyne, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University, found that the amount of time spent on social media is not directly increasing anxiety or depression in teenagers.

"We spent eight years trying to really understand the relationship between time spent on social media and depression for developing teenagers," Coyne said about her study published in Computers in Human Behavior. "If they increased their social media time, would it make them more depressed? Also, if they decreased their social media time, were they less depressed? The answer is no. We found that time spent on social media was not what was impacting anxiety or depression."

Mental health is a multi-process syndrome where no one stressor is likely the cause of depression or anxiety. This study shows that it is not merely the amount of time spent on social media that's leading to an increase in depression or anxiety among adolescents.

"It's not just the amount of time that is important for most kids. For example, two teenagers could use social media for exactly the same amount of time but may have vastly different outcomes as a result of the way they are using it," Coyne said.

The goal of this study is to help society as a whole move beyond the screen time debate and instead to examine the context and content surrounding social media use.

Coyne has three suggestions to use social media in healthier ways.

Be an active user instead of a passive user. Instead of just scrolling, actively comment, post and like other content.

Limit social media use at least an hour before falling asleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the most protective factors for mental health.

Be intentional. Look at your motivations for engaging with social media in the first place.

"If you get on specifically to seek out information or to connect with others, that can have a more positive effect than getting on just because you're bored," Coyne said.

In an effort to understand teenagers' mental health and their social media use, researchers worked with 500 youth between the ages of 13 and 20 who completed once-yearly questionnaires over an eight-year span. Social media use was measured by asking participants how much time they spent on social networking sites on a typical day. To measure depression and anxiety, participants responded to questions with different scales to indicate depressive symptoms and anxiety levels. These results were then analyzed on an individual level to see if there was a strong correlation between the two variables.

At age 13, adolescents reported an average social networking use of 31-60 minutes per day. These average levels increased steadily so that by young adulthood, they were reporting upwards of two hours per day. This increase of social networking, though, did not predict future mental health. That is, adolescents' increases in social networking beyond their typical levels did not predict changes in anxiety or depression one year later.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191022174406.htm

Factors that predict obesity by adolescence revealed

October 16, 2019

Science Daily/Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

Three simple factors that predict whether a healthy weight child will be overweight or obese by adolescence have been revealed in a new study led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI).

The research shows three factors -- a child's and mother's Body Mass Index (BMI) and the mother's education level -- predict the onset or resolution of weight problems by adolescence, especially from age 6-7 years onwards.

Each one-unit higher BMI when the child is aged 6-7 years increased the odds at 14-15 years of developing weight problems by three-fold and halved the odds of resolution.

Similarly, every one-unit increase in the mother's BMI when the child is aged 6-7 years increased the odds at 14-15 years of developing weight problems by 5 per cent and decreased the odds of resolution by about 10 per cent.

Mothers having a university degree was associated with lower odds of a child being overweight and obese at ages 2-5 years and higher odds of resolving obesity issues by adolescence.

Study author MCRI's Dr Kate Lycett said the prevalence of being overweight/obese at the age of 14-15 years was 13 per cent among children with none of these three risk factors at age 6-7 years, compared with 71 per cent among those with all risk factors.

Dr Lycett said identifying these three factors may help clinicians predict which children will develop and resolve excess weight with about 70 per cent accuracy.

"In the case of BMI, it is an objective measure that is easily measured and reflects diet and exercise choices, but is free from the challenges of assessing physical activity and diet in a standard clinical appointment such as recall bias," she said.

The findings, published in the latest edition of the International Journal of Obesity, also found children who are overweight or obese at 2-5 years have a low chance of resolving their weight problems by adolescence when these three risk factors are present.

Data was sourced from 3469 participants at birth and 3276 participants at kinder from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The child's height and weight were measured every two years.

Dr Lycett said until now most studies have overlooked the important questions around which children are likely to become overweight/obese and how it be resolved.

"Because clinicians haven't been able to tell which children will grow up to become teens with excess weight, it's been hard to target interventions for those most at risk," she said.

"The consequences of this are dire, with childhood obesity predicting premature death and being implicated in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer."

The study examined how combinations of 25 potential short clinical markers such as time breastfeeding and amount of outdoor activity at various ages predict weight issues, as well as resolution, by ages 10-11 and 14-15 years.

Intriguingly, short questions about poor diet, low physical activity and other common lifestyle factors were not predictive of weight outcomes.

Lead author Professor Markus Juonala, from the University of Turku in Finland, said a simple risk score, which would be easily available to child health clinicians, could help target treatment or prevention.

"Combining data on these three easily obtainable risk factors may help clinicians make appropriate decisions targeting care to those most at risk of adolescent obesity," he said.

"The benefits of removing a focus on those unlikely to need clinical interventions for obesity has largely been ignored, despite an increasing policy emphasis on avoiding wasteful or unnecessary health care."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191016094911.htm

Early reading in Spanish helps children learn to read English

October 15, 2019

Science Daily/University of Delaware

A new study has found that children who had strong early reading skills in their native Spanish language when they entered kindergarten experienced greater growth in their ability to read English from kindergarten through fourth grade.

Importantly, when the researchers factored in how well the students spoke English, it turned out that native language reading skills mattered more -- even at kindergarten entry -- to the students' growth across time. Plainly stated: children who had stronger Spanish reading skills upon entering kindergarten did better across time, even than their Spanish-speaking peers who were more fluent in speaking English but less proficient in reading Spanish.

In teasing apart the data, the University of Delaware's Steven Amendum and his fellow researchers discovered a telling detail when they compared students who had strong Spanish reading skills but spoke less English to their bilingual peers who had fewer Spanish reading skills but spoke more English. The data showed that the students who entered kindergarten with weaker Spanish reading skills increasingly lagged behind their peers in their ability to read English. And, this finding held true across time, even though these students initially exhibited a stronger ability to speak English.

"This suggests that well-developed Spanish reading proficiency early on likely plays a greater role in English reading development than a student's proficiency in speaking English," said Amendum, an associate professor of literacy education in UD's College of Education and Human Development.

For parents, the message is simple: read to your children in whatever is your best language. The skills they learn from reading with you will translate in the classroom no matter what language you use.

While much research exists on the English reading achievements of Spanish-speaking bilingual students, few studies have explored what contributes to these outcomes.

Latino children from Spanish-speaking homes are the most rapidly expanding segment of school-age population in the United States, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Today, students of Latino descent constitute nearly 78% of English learners enrolled in U.S. schools.

For bilingual students in the early elementary grades, learning to read in a new language involves processing the language twice, in both the native and the new language. According to Amendum, the researchers' findings support the idea that knowledge students have in a first language can help them learn a second language. This is known as cross-language transfer.

Since 2014, Amendum has worked with Delaware teachers on instructional techniques to leverage Spanish to assist children in learning English. One way to do this is by helping these young students understand English-Spanish cognates -- words that look similar or have similar meaning across both languages, such as family and familia, elephant and elefante, or ocean and océano.

Similarly, he said, fostering a child's decoding skills can help them make connections and understand the similarities and differences in the sounds different letters make in each language, leading to greater reading fluency and growth later on.

"Even early skills like being able to hear sounds in words transfer easily across languages, so, if a child can segment the sounds in the word 'sol,' then the process is the same if someone asks what sounds the child hears in the word 'top,'" said Amendum.

For the sample of children studied, Amendum said he was surprised by how clear the importance of native Spanish reading was, and that it showed up so early -- developmentally -- at kindergarten entry. "Many studies have shown cross-language transfer but not necessarily at such an early age, and we are not aware of any studies that have shown how that influence lasts across such a long learning spectrum," he said.

Further, while Amendum agrees that measuring students' English language proficiency is vital, he believes it should be done as in concert with, not at the expense of, children and families growing in their native language.

"We can't ignore native language," Amendum said. "Helping kids become bilingual and biliterate is always a great long-term outcome for kids. We want to support a child's native early reading and language skills, and to help teachers and families understand how they can use a first language to help students learn a second language, while continuing to develop their native language."

The data set used in the study was part of a nationally representative sample from the National Center for Education Statistics that followed a cohort of children from kindergarten through fourth grade. Results from the study are particularly compelling, Amendum said, because while smaller study results can be unique to a particular region, this study shows that the findings can apply across the country, regardless of geography.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015131430.htm

Physical activity in lessons improves students' attainment

October 15, 2019

Science Daily/University College London

Students who take part in physical exercises like star jumps or running on the spot during school lessons do better in tests than peers who stick to sedentary learning, according to a UCL-led study.

The meta-analysis of 42 studies around the world, published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, aimed to assess the benefits of incorporating physical activity in academic lessons. This approach has been adopted by schools seeking to increase activity levels among students without reducing academic teaching time.

Typical activities include using movement to signify whether a fact is true or false, or jumping on the spot a certain number of times to answer a maths question.

The study concluded that incorporating physical activity had a large, significant effect on educational outcomes during the lesson, assessed through tests or by observing pupils' attention to a given task, and a smaller effect on overall educational outcomes, as well as increasing the students' overall levels of physical activity.

Lead author Dr Emma Norris (UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) said: "Physical activity is good for children's health, and the biggest contributor of sedentary time in children's lives is the seven or eight hours a day they spend in classrooms.

"Our study shows that physically active lessons are a useful addition to the curriculum. They can create a memorable learning experience, helping children to learn more effectively."

Co-author Dr Tommy van Steen (Leiden University, The Netherlands), added: "These improvements in physical activity levels and educational outcomes are the result of quite basic physical exercises. Teachers can easily incorporate these physical active lessons in the existing curriculum to improve the learning experience of students."

Researchers looked at data from 12,663 students aged between three and 14. Nearly half of the studies took place in the United States, with seven conducted in Australia, five in the UK, four in the Netherlands and one in China, Croatia, Ireland, Israel, Portugal and Sweden.

In one of the 42 studies analysed, eight- and nine-year-olds simulated travelling the world by running on the spot in between answering questions relating to different countries. The research team, also led by Dr Norris at UCL, concluded that the children were more active and more focused on the task than peers in a control group, following teachers' instructions more closely.

In another study in the Netherlands, primary school children who took part in physically active lessons three times a week over two years made significantly better progress in spelling and mathematics than their peers -- equating to four months of extra learning gains.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191015192938.htm

Early-and-regular cannabis use by youth is associated with alteration in brain circuits that support cognitive control

June 20, 2019

Science Daily/Elsevier

The development of neural circuits in youth, at a particularly important time in their lives, can be heavily influenced by external factors -- specifically the frequent and regular use of cannabis. A new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports that alterations in cognitive control -- an ensemble of processes by which the mind governs, regulates and guides behaviors, impulses, and decision-making based on goals are directly affected.

The researchers found that these brain alterations were less intense in individuals who recently stopped using cannabis, which may suggest that the effects of cannabis are more robust in recent users. Additional findings from the study also suggest greater and more persistent alterations in individuals who initiated cannabis use earlier, while the brain is still developing.

"Most adults with problematic substance use now were most likely having problems with drugs and alcohol in adolescence, a developmental period during which the neural circuits underlying cognitive control processes continue to mature," said lead author Marilyn Cyr, PhD. "As such, the adolescent brain may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of substance use, particularly cannabis -- the most commonly used recreational drug by teenagers worldwide," added the postdoctoral scientist in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York.

The findings are based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired from 28 adolescents and young adults (aged 14-23 years) with significant cannabis use and 32 age and sex-matched non-using healthy controls. Participants were scanned during their performance of a Simon Spatial Incompatibility Task, a cognitive control task that requires resolving cognitive conflict to respond accurately.

Compared to their healthy counterparts, the adolescents and young adults with significant cannabis use showed reduced activation in the frontostriatal circuits that support cognitive control and conflict resolution.

The authors also examined the degree to which fluctuations in activity in relation to conflict resolution is synchronized across the different regions comprised in this frontostriatal circuit (that is, to what extent are regions functionally connected with each other). Although circuit connectivity did not differ between cannabis-using and non-using youth, the research team found an association between how early individuals began regularly using cannabis and the extent to which frontostriatal regions were disrupted, suggesting that earlier chronic use may have a larger impact on circuit development than use of later onset.

"The present findings support the mission of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, a longitudinal study aimed at understanding the developmental trajectory of brain circuits in relation to cannabis use," said Dr. Cyr. "In addition, these findings are a first step towards identifying brain-based targets for early interventions that reduce addiction behaviors by enhancing self-regulatory capacity.

"Given that substance use and relapse rates are associated with control processes, interventions based on neural stimulation, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and behavioral interventions, such as cognitive training, that specifically target the brain circuits underlying these control processes may be helpful as adjunct intervention strategies to complement standard treatment programs for cannabis use disorder."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190620104858.htm

Real risks associated with cannabis exposure during pregnancy

January 17, 2020

Science Daily/University of Western Ontario

A new study from researchers at Western University and Queen's University definitively shows that regular exposure to THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, during pregnancy has significant impact on placental and fetal development. With more than a year since the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, the effects of its use during pregnancy are only now beginning to be understood.

The study, published today in Scientific Reports, uses a rat model and human placental cells to show that maternal exposure to THC during pregnancy has a measurable impact on both the development of the organs of the fetus and the gene expression that is essential to placental function.

The researchers demonstrated in a rat model that regular exposure to a low-dose of THC that mimics daily use of cannabis during pregnancy led to a reduction in birth weight of 8 per cent and decreased brain and liver growth by more than 20 per cent.

"This data supports clinical studies that suggest cannabis use during pregnancy it is associated with low birth weight babies. Clinical data is complicated because it is confounded by other factors such as socioeconomic status," said Dan Hardy, PhD, Associate Professor at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and co-author on the paper. "This is the first study to definitively support the fact that THC alone has a direct impact on placental and fetal growth."

The research team was also able to characterize how THC prevents oxygen and nutrients from crossing the placenta into the developing fetus. By studying human placental cells, the researchers found that exposure to THC caused a decrease in a glucose transporter called GLUT-1. This indicates that the THC is preventing the placental transfer of glucose, a key nutrient, from the mother to the fetus. They also found a reduction in placental vasculature in the rat model suggesting reduced blood flow from the mother to the fetus.

The researchers say both of those factors are likely contributing to the growth restriction that they observed in the offspring.

The researchers point out that there are currently no clear guidelines from Health Canada on the use of cannabis in pregnancy and some studies have shown that up to one in five women are using cannabis during pregnancy to prevent morning sickness, for anxiety or for social reasons.

"Marjiuana has been legalized in Canada and in many states in the US, however, its use during pregnancy has not been well studied up until this point. This study is important to support clinicians in communicating the very real risks associated with cannabis use during pregnancy," said David Natale, PhD, Associate Professor at Queen's and co-author on the paper.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200117104756.htm

Focus on opioids and cannabis in chronic pain media coverage

January 17, 2020

Science Daily/University of Otago

New Zealand media reports on chronic pain are focusing on treatments involving opioids and cannabis at the expense of best practice non-drug treatments, researchers have found.

Chronic pain, defined as persistent or recurring pain present for more than three months, is the leading cause of disability worldwide and affects one in five New Zealanders.

The researchers analysed 240 news articles on chronic pain published in the New Zealand news media between January 2015 and June 2019. Their report is published in the latest issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Lead author Dr Hemakumar Devan, a Postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research at the University of Otago, Wellington's School of Physiotherapy, says few of the news stories included information about non-pharmaceutical treatments for chronic pain, despite these being the preferred option for most chronic pain conditions.

"Pharmacological strategies are only recommended for some chronic pain conditions, such as cancer pain and neuropathic pain. For other pain conditions, drug treatments are recommended to be used with care and caution because of potential side effects and limited long-term effectiveness."

He says media coverage of pharmaceutical treatments for chronic pain focused almost entirely on opioid-based painkillers and cannabis. Stories on opioids mentioned their ineffectiveness in treating chronic pain and their potential for dependence and addiction, while reports about medicinal cannabis portrayed it as an effective and safe treatment with minimal side effects. This was despite the lack of scientific evidence to support its long-term use for chronic pain.

"The personal experience stories about cannabis focused on its positive effects and fewer side effects compared to opioid-based analgesics. There is, however, limited evidence to suggest cannabis as a substitute for opioids and a lack of high-quality evidence to support the use of cannabis for chronic pain.

"There was no reporting on the potential adverse effects of medicinal cannabis use, such as cognitive deficits, dependency and mood changes, which could particularly affect young people."

The researchers also found media coverage was dominated by the struggle associated with living in chronic pain, with little attention given to the resources available to support people to manage pain successfully and live a meaningful life.

"Non-drug based self-management strategies, which include exercise, relaxation and cognitive behavioural treatments, are a key component of managing chronic pain and are proven to be effective in the long term."

Dr Devan says the difficulties faced by patients in accessing pain services because of the lack of trained multidisciplinary health professionals, and inequities in terms of access for Māori and Pasifika, were accurately reflected by the media coverage.

The researchers found the level of media interest in chronic pain had increased in recent years.

"We expect this will continue to rise, with chronic pain becoming increasingly relevant in the lead up to New Zealand's 2020 cannabis referendum; and as the number of people living with chronic pain increases as the population ages."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200117094323.htm

Impaired driving -- even once the high wears off

January 14, 2020

Science Daily/McLean Hospital

A study by McLean Hospital's Mary Kathryn Dahlgren, PhD, Staci Gruber, PhD, and their team from McLean's Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core and the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program, has found that recreational cannabis use affects driving ability even when users are not intoxicated by marijuana.

Published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal, the study "Recreational Cannabis Use Impairs Driving Performance in the Absence of Acute Intoxication," finds that in addition to chronic, heavy, recreational cannabis use being associated with poorer driving performance in non-intoxicated individuals compared to non-users, the researchers linked earlier onset of marijuana use (under age 16) to worse performance.

Recreational cannabis use has expanded across the United States in the last several decades and so has public concern about the substance's impact on activities that present safety issues.

While several studies have examined the direct effect of cannabis intoxication on driving, no other studies until now have examined the effects on driving in heavy marijuana users who are not high.

Senior author Gruber, along with Dahlgren, used a customized driving simulator to assess the potential impact of cannabis use on driving performance. At the time of study, marijuana users had not used for at least 12 hours and were not intoxicated.

Overall, heavy marijuana users demonstrated poorer driving performance as compared to non-users. For example, in the simulated driving exercise, marijuana users hit more pedestrians, exceeded the speed limit more often, made fewer stops at red lights, and made more center line crossings.

Gruber, who is among the world's foremost experts in the cognitive effects of marijuana, said the idea that differences can be detected in sober cannabis users may be surprising to the public.

"People who use cannabis don't necessarily assume that they may drive differently, even when they're not high," she said. "We're not suggesting that everyone who uses cannabis will demonstrate impaired driving, but it's interesting that in a sample of non-intoxicated participants, there are still differences in those who use cannabis relative to those who don't."

When researchers divided the marijuana users into groups based on when they started using cannabis, they found that significant driving impairment was detected and completely localized to those who began using marijuana regularly before age 16.

"It didn't surprise us that performance differences on the driving simulator were primarily seen in the early onset group," Dahlgren said. "Research has consistently shown that early substance use, including the use of cannabis, is associated with poorer cognitive performance."

She added, "What was interesting was when we examined impulsivity in our analyses, most of the differences we saw between cannabis users and healthy controls went away, suggesting that impulsivity may play a role in performance differences."

States where marijuana has been legalized have seen growing public concern that more individuals will drive while intoxicated. But since performance issues can occur even in people who aren't high, Gruber said the public needs to rethink the ways it understands impairment.

"There's been a lot of interest in how we can more readily and accurately identify cannabis intoxication at the roadside, but the truth of the matter is that it is critical to assess impairment, regardless of the source or cause," she said. "It's important to be mindful that whether someone is acutely intoxicated, or a heavy recreational cannabis user who's not intoxicated, there may be an impact on driving, but certainly not everyone demonstrates impairment simply as a function of exposure to cannabis. This is especially important to keep in mind given increasing numbers of medical cannabis patients who differ from recreational users with regard to product choice and goal of use."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114123521.htm

College students use more marijuana in states where it's legal, but they binge drink less

January 13, 2020

Science Daily/Oregon State University

Marijuana use among college students has been trending upward for years, but in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, use has jumped even higher.

An Oregon State University study published today in Addiction shows that in states where marijuana was legalized by 2018, both occasional and frequent use among college students has continued to rise beyond the first year of legalization, suggesting an ongoing trend rather than a brief period of experimentation.

Overall, students in states with legal marijuana were 18% more likely to have used marijuana in the past 30 days than students in states that had not legalized the drug. They were also 17% more likely to have engaged in frequent use, defined as using marijuana on at least 20 of the past 30 days.

The differences between states with and without legalization escalated over time: Six years after legalization in early-adopting states, students were 46% more likely to have used marijuana than their peers in non-legalized states.

Between 2012 and 2018, overall usage rates increased from 14% to 17% in non-legalized states, but shot up from 21% to 34% in the earliest states to legalize the drug. Similar trends appeared in states that legalized marijuana more recently.

Conducted by Harold Bae from OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences and David Kerr from OSU's College of Liberal Arts, this is the first study of college students to look broadly at multiple states that have legalized recreational marijuana and to go beyond the first year following legalization.

It includes data from seven states and 135 colleges where marijuana was legalized by 2018 and from 41 states and 454 colleges where recreational use was not legal.

That scope allowed Bae and Kerr to examine trends in the earliest adopting states as well as more recent adopters -- though, the data for the study is stripped of state- and college-identifying information, so does not speak specifically to any one state or institution.

The data comes from the National College Health Assessment survey from 2008 to 2018, which asks about a wide range of health behaviors including drug and alcohol use and is administered anonymously to encourage students to respond more honestly. More than 850,000 students participated.

Looking at specific demographics, researchers found that the effect was stronger among older students ages 21-26 than minors ages 18-20; older students were 23% more likely to report having used marijuana than their peers in non-legalized states. The effect was also stronger among female students and among students living in off-campus housing, possibly because universities adhere to federal drug laws that still classify marijuana as an illegal substance.

"It's easy to look at the findings and think, 'Yeah, of course rates would increase,'" Kerr said. "But we need to quantify the effects these policy changes are having."

Furthermore, he said, researchers are not finding increases in adolescents' marijuana use following legalization. "So it is surprising and important that these young adults are sensitive to this law. And it's not explained by legal age, because minors changed too."

A recent companion study published in Addictive Behaviors in November by OSU doctoral candidate Zoe Alley along with Kerr and Bae examined the relationship between recreational marijuana legalization and college students' use of other substances.

Using the same dataset, they found that after legalization, students ages 21 and older showed a greater drop in binge drinking than their peers in states where marijuana was not legal. Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks in a single sitting within the previous two weeks.

Researchers have not yet tested any hypotheses as to why binge drinking fell, but they have some ideas.

An outside study previously found that illegal marijuana use decreases sharply when people hit 21 -- where there is a sharp increase in alcohol use.

"When you're under 21, all substances are equally illegal," Alley said. "In most states, once you reach 21, a barrier that was in the way of using alcohol is gone, while it's intact for marijuana use. But when marijuana is legal, this dynamic is changed."

Binge drinking has been on the decline among college students in recent years, but dropped more in states that legalized marijuana than in states that did not.

"So in these two studies we saw changes after legalization that really differed by substance," Kerr said. "For marijuana we saw state-specific increases that went beyond the nationwide increases, whereas binge drinking was the opposite: a greater decrease in the context of nationwide decreases."

The magnitude of effect was much larger with marijuana than with any of the other substances, Bae added. "So the changes following recreational marijuana legalization were quite specific to cannabis use."

Future research is needed to see how those trends hold up over time, as additional states legalize marijuana and existing states continue to tweak their current policies, the researchers said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200113131637.htm

Study reveals increased cannabis use in individuals with depression

December 9, 2019

Science Daily/Wiley

New findings reveal the prevalence of cannabis, or marijuana, use in the United States increased from 2005 to 2017 among persons with and without depression and was approximately twice as common among those with depression in 2017.

The prevalence of cannabis, or marijuana, use in the United States increased from 2005 to 2017 among persons with and without depression and was approximately twice as common among those with depression in 2017. The findings, which are published in Addiction, come from a survey-based study of 728,691 persons aged 12 years or older.

"Perception of great risk associated with regular cannabis use was significantly lower among those with depression in 2017, compared with those without depression, and from 2005 to 2017 the perception of risk declined more rapidly among those with depression. At the same time, the rate of increase in cannabis use has increased more rapidly among those with depression," said corresponding author Renee Goodwin, PhD, MPH, of Columbia University and The City University of New York.

The prevalence of past 30-day cannabis use among those with depression who perceived no risk associated with regular cannabis use was much higher than that among those who perceived significant risk associated with use (38.6% versus 1.6%, respectively).

Certain groups appeared more vulnerable to use. For instance, nearly one third of young adults (29.7%) aged 18-25 with depression reported past 30-day use.

In 2017, the prevalence of past month cannabis use was 18.9% among those with depression and 8.7% among those without depression. Daily cannabis use was common among 6.7% of those with depression and among 2.9% of those without.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191209131956.htm