news 2021

A University of Birmingham-led study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses including mental ill-health and heart conditions if they have a GP-inputted medical history of periodontal (gum) disease. Experts carried out a first of its kind study of the GP records of 64,379 patients who had a GP-inputted recorded history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis (the condition that occurs if gum disease is left untreated and can lead to tooth loss).

Extremely concerning levels of psychological distress are reported in results from a longitudinal study of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce during COVID-19 led by the University of Warwick. The findings could help how staff are supported in healthcare services now and in future. The results from surveys of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce taken at three time points during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 have found concerning levels of psychological distress, including experiences consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, and anxiety in respondents.

A new study from Bath's Jo Daniels and Sophie Harris captures the scale of the challenge faced by healthcare professionals responding to the pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers say they are angry at being treated as -Covid cannon fodder, not Covid heroes- after responding to the virus for nearly two years and working at full capacity, reveal the findings of new research.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many mental health care service users were able to continue accessing some support by phone and video call (remote care), but the shift to remote care presented significant barriers to certain groups, finds a review co-led by UCL researchers. The authors of the systematic review are calling for further examination into the effects of telemental health on groups at risk of digital exclusion and for better evidence on long-term impacts.

Appealing to athletes' sense of 'future guilt' through psychological intervention could prove a powerful weapon in the fight against doping, according to a new study. Researchers discovered that making elite athletes picture how guilty they might feel about using banned performance enhancing drugs produced a more powerful initial reaction than initiatives educating sportspeople about the health risks of doping.

People choose whether to seek or avoid information about their health, finances and personal traits based on how they think it will make them feel, how useful it is, and if it relates to things they think about often, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

Those who tested positive for COVID-19 (confirmed by a PCR test) had an increased risk of mental illness, fatigue and sleep problems, finds a new study which analysed the electronic primary care health care records* of 226,521 people from across the UK between February 2020 and December 2020. The research**, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open (JAMA Network Open) today, was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR GM PSTRC).

There are more than 7bn people on the planet, and each of them has their own unique face. The sum of a person's eyes, nose, cheeks and mouth all individual to them. And now, new research shows that the emotion information transmitted by facial expressions appears to be just as diverse, rich, and complex as the faces themselves.

Hiding the bottom half of the face with a mask could have a detrimental effect on our ability to socially interact and share other people's emotions, new research suggests. A Cardiff University-led study found people with facial paralysis, people seeing others who wear face masks, or even children sucking on dummies, could struggle to show empathy or detect positive social cues.

Findings suggest governments should re-examine their use of 'optimism bias' in large-scale projects Last updated on Thursday 28 October 2021 A new study casts doubt over claims that people are 'optimistically biased' about the future, a tendency that is thought to contribute to financial crises, people's failure to look after their health, or inaction over climate change.

Children from less affluent backgrounds are likely to have found COVID-19 lockdowns more challenging to their mental health because they experienced a lower connection with nature than their wealthier peers, a new study suggests.

A simple form of talking therapy, delivered by trained support workers over the telephone, reduced loneliness in older people left isolated during the pandemic, the initial results of a new study has revealed. People were contacted weekly and were encouraged to maintain their social contacts and to stick to a daily schedule, which included both routine and enjoyable activities.

UK leading pregnancy charity Tommy's warns that pandemic pressures can take a physical toll on mums-to-be - even if they don't personally catch Covid-19, following new research, published in the medical journal Placenta co-authored by University of Manchester scientists An international study of 115 mums who gave birth during the pandemic shows far more physical abnormalities in the placenta (baby's support system in the womb) than doctors would expect to see in a pre-2020 pregnancy.

Those with a recorded history of cannabis use in general practice records are at a much higher risk of developing mental ill health problems such as anxiety or depression as well as severe mental illnesses, new research shows. The findings point to the need for a public health approach to the management of people misusing cannabis, including the need to emphasise the importance of general practitioners to continue enquiring about recreational drug use.

People who had higher pre-pandemic levels of depression or anxiety have been more severely affected by disruption to jobs and healthcare during the pandemic, according to a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry and funded by UKRI, looked at data from 59,482 people who are surveyed regularly as part of 12 ongoing longitudinal studies in England.

37% of people had at least one long-COVID symptom diagnosed in the 3-6 month period after COVID-19 infection. The most common symptoms were breathing problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, pain and anxiety/depression. This new study from the University of Oxford and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) investigated long-COVID in over 270,000 people recovering from COVID-19 infection, using data from the US-based TriNetX electronic health record network.

How well people adhered to restrictions during the UK's Covid-19 lockdowns varied depending on their learning and decision-making styles, finds a study led by researchers at UCL and Royal Holloway, University of London. The study, published in Scientific Reports , reveals that multiple psychological factors predicted how people responded to the first national lockdown in spring 2020.

New research into child maltreatment has highlighted the links with ongoing mental health disorders, even into middle and older age adulthood. The new study, led by the University of Glasgow and published in the Lancet Regional Health - Europe, finds that child maltreatment was associated with a wide range of mental health conditions in later life, even if they were not diagnosed of any in early adulthood.

Psychologists at the University of Bath want participants from the local area to come forward for a new study focusing on the effects of trauma and PTSD. Last updated on Wednesday 22 September 2021 Researchers at the University of Bath want local people to take part in a new study which hopes to improve understanding of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

New research from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath highlights challenges for people trying to give up the drug 'Spice'. Last updated on Friday 17 September 2021 Research published today by psychologists at the University of Bath suggests that 'Spice' - which contains synthetic drugs originally designed to mimic the effects of cannabis - is more harmful than cannabis and that users are likely to experience more severe withdrawal symptoms when attempting to quit.