Obese Moms, Kids Underestimate Weight

CNN.com report on a new study indicating that "Most Obese Moms, Kids Underestimate Weight." In this study, a significantly higher portion of obese women underestimated their own weight. The obese children interviewed by the researchers also underestimated their weight by a significant portion. How might significant underestimation of weight impact a parent or child's overall health and well-being? Should regular weigh-ins be part of a school curriculum in order to increase the child's awareness of his or her "real" weight?

Depressed Dads Spank

This CNN Article entitled "Depressed Dads More Likely To Spank" reveals that men who endorse symptoms of depression are four times more likely to spank their children than men who are not depressed. What are some ways that society could reduce the stigma of receiving mental health treatment and encourage men to seek help? How could fathers prepare before their children are born to deal with the emotional stress of fatherhood (e.g., sleepless nights, crying, etc.)?

Bad Job Better Than No Job?

CNN article entitled "For Mental Health, Bad Job Better Than No Job." This article reports on recent research indicating that for some people, taking a "bad" job just to pay the bills is emotionally more stressful than being unemployed. The article also posits that bad managers are the primary source of stress, creating bad work situations that contribute to emotional and physical distress. How do we help unemployed individuals find work that is satisfying and meaningful in a rapid way? What might be ways to manage work stress in a healthy way?

Adolescent Hypocricy in Adulthood

This NY Times article entitled "Green Development? Not in my (Liberal) Backyard." The article discusses how neighborhoods famously known for their liberal pro-environment stance will not allow changes in their community to actually support environmental projects such as bike lanes or wind turbines. The article calls this Nimbyism, but students in Psy 240 know it better as Apparent Hypocricy -- the cognitive error that Elkind identified where adolescents will profess to endorse a certain value or belief, but they are unwilling to change their own lifestyle to go along with those beliefs. How might adults who are still experiencing this cognitive error be scaffolded (aka Vygotsky) into making their behaviors congruent with their beliefs?

US Highest Rates of Bipolar

Chicago Tribune article entitled "US Highest for Bipolar Rates Worldwide, Study Finds." A comparison of 11 nations revealed that the U.S. leads those nation in bipolar rates, both for Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorder. Why might the U.S. have higher rates than other countries? Do you think the U.S. actually has a higher instance of Bipolar disorder due to genetics or environment, or does the U.S. have a higher rate due to better diagnosis (or over-diagnosis?). How can the U.S. better meet the mental health needs of this group of individuals?

Cognitive Deficits with Anesthetic for Children?

NY Times report on "FDA to Study Whether Anesthesia Poses Cognitive Risks in Young Children." Some preliminary research on rhesus monkeys indicates that very young monkeys that underwent extensive anesthetic can demonstrate cognitive deficits as they grow. Correlational research has also shown this link between cognitive deficits and anesthetic in children. What might be the complicating factors in trying to demonstrate this link? What other factors could contribute both to a child's need for lengthy anesthetic (e.g., surgery) and cognitive problems. Is there a link between lengthy anesthetic and cognitive problems for other age groups?

Mapping the Nation's Well-Being

NY Times has published a map of 20 different well-being indexes across the United States. How well does Ohio fare? What are ways that individuals can improve their well-being? Do the factors that Gallup Poll responders are measured on match the well-being factors discussed in the textbook? Here is a link to the NY Times article discussing the map in more detail, entitled "The Happiest Man in America."

1 in 3 Adults Don't Get Enough Sleep

CNN Article entitled: "1 in 3 Adults Sleep Less than 7 Hours." Sleeping less than 7 hours of sleep in a night can contribute to emotional and physical exhaustion, yet 33% of Americans still continue to not get the full recommended sleep. Why might this be? How can an individual modify their schedule to get a full night's sleep? What are other ways to cope with loss of sleep?

Mind Over Morphine

AP Article from the Columbus Dispatch entitled "Cheer up: Negative view of pain treatment actually affects outcome, researchers find." Whether you perceive the glass as half-full or half-empty could impact the way you react to pain and other medical treatments, according to a new study into the effects of negative thinking. The researchers discovered that by lying to the volunteers--for example, telling them that the painkiller was about to wear off and that they should expect pain to increase, even though the painkiller never actually stopped working--they could affect their perceived level of pain. How do you think this could impact future studies on pain management? How could you change a patient's attitude to assist with their pain management?