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A major new study carried out by experts from the University of Birmingham and Cardiff University found that women refugees living in the UK experienced worse physical and emotional health than men. The report, funded by The Nuffield Foundation and entitled Social Networks, social capital and refugee integration, noted: "Compelling evidence of a striking gender difference in emotional and physical health." It also found that "despite relatively high levels of pre-migration employment, women fare much worse than men in all types of employment, across all sweeps".

The School of Social Sciences has secured significant new funding for research in the field of children's social care. This funding (more than £0.5M) comprises three research grants awarded to academics in the School. The first of these is a large, four nation project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood, suggests a new study published today. Authors of the study, from UCL Epidemiology & Public Health, collated data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a national study of infants born in the UK between 2000-2002, to assess whether light drinking (up to two units of alcohol per week) in pregnancy was linked to unfavourable developmental outcomes in 7-year-old children.

Too much social media activity may damage strong relationships, according to a new study by Dr Bernie Hogan of the Oxford Internet Institute. Researchers tested the theory of 'media multiplexity' (the ability to communicate via several channels), which was first developed in 2005. The theory suggests that there is a clear link between the number of media channels used to communicate, the frequency with which they are used and the strength of relationship ties.

PA 106/13 Mimicking the behaviour of mum and dad has long been considered a vital way in which children learn about the world around them. Now psychologists at The University of Nottingham have shown that copying unnecessary behaviour is more likely to be a social phenomenon than part of the practical process of acquiring new skills.

New research provides an insight into how groups of people tackle social dilemmas and effectively punish those engaging in anti-social behaviour. Neighbours playing loud music is an example of where a social dilemma can arise about who should tackle the wrong-doer if a whole group of people is affected.

Discharging mental health patients on community treatment orders after they have been involuntarily hospitalised may require them to be on long periods of compulsory treatment without any benefit for the patient, a new study has found. Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) have been controversial since their introduction in the UK in 2008.

The Economic and Social Research Council have announced that the next British Election Study will be hosted by a consortium led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford and Nottingham. The scientific leadership team for the 2015 Study will be Professor Ed Fieldhouse, Dr Jane Green, Professor Hermann Schmitt, all from The University of Manchester; Professor Geoff Evans, from Nuffield College, Oxford, and Professor Cees van der Eijk from Nottingham University.

A groundbreaking study of 13 and 14-year-olds in 13 Staffordshire schools has revealed worrying levels of domestic abuse among the young. The research found that over half of the 1,203 Year 9 pupils had some direct experiences of domestic abuse, whether as victims, witnesses, or perpetrators. It was led by Professor David Gadd from The University of Manchester and Dr Claire Fox from The University of Keele.

Neanderthal brains were adapted to allow them to see better and maintain larger bodies, according to new research by the University of Oxford and the Natural History Museum, London. Although Neanderthals' brains were similar in size to their contemporary modern human counterparts, fresh analysis of fossil data suggests that their brain structure was rather different.

Sexual abuse has an often devastating and long-term impact on the lives of many children and young people - for these children the future can be very dark indeed. A new study by Durham and Bristol universities will evaluate the effectiveness of a therapeutic service designed to help children and young people who have been affected by sexual abuse.

Research into adoptive families headed by same-sex couples paints a positive picture of relationships and wellbeing in these new families. The study, which was carried out by Cambridge University, suggests that adoptive families with gay fathers might be faring particularly well. Overall we found markedly more similarities than differences in experiences between family types.

UK legislation to limit paracetamol pack sizes has seen a 43% reduction in the number of deaths due to paracetamol overdoses, a study led by Oxford University researchers has found. 'Paracetamol overdoses result in some 100 to 200 deaths per year. While it is not the most common method of suicide, it is an important one in that deaths often result from impulsive acts where death may not be intended,' says lead researcher Keith Hawton of the Centre for Suicide Research at Oxford.

The study, by researchers from Oxford University and The University of Manchester, found the number of deaths reduced following new legislation introduced by the Government in 1998 to restrict pack sizes to 32 tablets at pharmacies and 16 for non-pharmacy sales. Published in the British Medical Journal today (Friday 8 February), the study analysed data from 1993-2009, comparing the number of deaths before and after the legislation was introduced.

—Dr Markus Z?ttl of the University of Cambridge Cichlid fish are more likely to accept immigrants into their group when they are under threat from predators and need reinforcements, new research shows. The researcher suggests that there are parallels between cooperatively breeding fish's and humans' regulation of immigrants.

The role of online technology in instigating and maintaining control and violence in young people's intimate relationships will be examined in a new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol. Instant messaging and social networking sites are some of the most popular ways young people communicate today.

Improving water supplies in rural African villages may have negative knock-on effects and contribute to increased poverty, new research published today [14 November] has found. Rural development initiatives across the developing world are designed to improve community wellbeing and livelihoods but a study of Ethiopian villages by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Addis Ababa in Africa has shown that this can lead to unforeseen consequences caused by an increase in the birth rate in the absence of family planning.

Since 2004, nearly 1.9 million East Europeans have come to the UK1 . New research, led by academics at the University of Bristol, has examined how current East European migration to the UK has been racialised in immigration policy and tabloid journalism, providing the first insights into how racism is affecting migrants' experiences of work and life in the UK.

Research at the University of Liverpool has found that more than 1,000 people committed suicide due to the 2008-2010 economic recession in the UK. Suicides began to rise in the UK in 2008 following 20 years of decline - figures rose 8% among men and 9% among women in 2008, compared to 2007. And even though suicides did begin to fall in 2010 figures were still above the 2007 averages.

Standard tools used to predict how likely an offender is to commit further offences are not sufficiently accurate to inform sentencing and release decisions on their own, an Oxford-led study suggests. Risk assessment tools are widely used in psychiatric hospitals and criminal justice systems around the world to help predict violent behaviour.