Early Abuse Shapes Adult Sexual Behavior

Summary: A new study has found that sexual narcissism mediates the link between childhood trauma and compulsive sexual behavior. Researchers compared individuals with and without compulsive sexual behavior, measuring trauma…

Spotting Silent Scars: A New Way to Detect Childhood Abuse

Summary: Childhood maltreatment leaves profound and often unseen scars, affecting mental health, physical well-being, and social development long into adulthood. Traditional assessments are invasive and often miss the full scope…

Child Maltreatment Accelerates Aging and Hinders Social Development

Summary: New research shows that childhood maltreatment leaves lasting biological and social scars. In a study of young children, those who experienced abuse showed accelerated cellular aging and reduced social…

US safety net helps protect children from abuse and neglect, and some of those programs are threatened by proposed budget cuts

President Donald Trump and Republicans in the House of Representatives have put forward budget proposals that would slash spending by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade on…

Verbal Abuse in Childhood Rewires the Developing Brain

Summary: New neuroscience research highlights how verbal abuse in childhood can alter brain development and increase the risk of mental health issues later in life. Children who are routinely shamed,…

Childhood Abuse Doubles Psychiatric and Health Risks

Summary: New research finds that adults who experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood are about twice as likely to suffer chronic physical and mental health issues, such as…

Physical Neglect Causes Lifelong Social Challenges in Children

Summary: A new study highlights how childhood physical neglect disrupts social development more than physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Neglected children were less social, less popular, and less connected to…

A public health historian sizes up their records

Health care is a defining issue in the 2024 election – Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump have starkly different records on the issue. Rather than…

A TikTok ‘expert’ says you have post-traumatic stress disorder − but do you? A trauma psychiatrist explains what PTSD really is and how to seek help

Among the many emerging trends on social media, one recent concerning fad is a casual and often inaccurate portrayal of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD – along with…

Drinking during holidays and special occasions could affect how you parent your kids

How much alcohol do you typically drink in a week? A month? A year? Did your answer take into account how much you drink on New Year’s Eve? On Christmas?…