Inconsistent condom use among female sex workers in Africa is about 47 percent, tied to violence and harassment
A large synthesis links condom inconsistency to safety, mental health, education, and access. Nearly half of female sex workers in Africa reported inconsistent condom use in a pooled estimate. The review also linked higher odds of inconsistent use to violence, police harassment, depression, and having two or more nonpaying clients. Condom availability and having more […]
Mothers and other caregivers helped infant development, while fathers showed no link in Northern Ghana
More early stimulation activities were tied to better child development scores, but the pattern depended on who did the stimulating. In Northern Ghana, more early stimulation by mothers and other household caregivers was linked with better infant development scores, while fathers’ stimulation was not linked. The journal article Caregivers’ early stimulation behaviors on early child […]
Mental health detention practices silenced Black men’s accounts and increased coercion through racialised risk framing
Professionals described how stigma, racism, and credibility gaps shaped compulsory assessment and treatment decisions. In a UK study of compulsory assessment and treatment, professionals described Black men being treated as inherently risky and less credible during mental health detention decisions. Distress and fear were often reinterpreted as aggression or non-compliance, helping drive rapid escalation to […]
Student motivation with generative artificial intelligence can be measured, and higher use links to more pressure
A new scale separates feeling that learning is redundant from feeling self-driven, and it works similarly across student groups. Researchers validated a new survey tool to measure how generative artificial intelligence relates to students’ motivation and basic psychological needs in higher education. The scale showed a clear multi-factor structure and worked comparably across gender, study […]
Girls report higher body dissatisfaction than boys across countries, and links to lower well-being are stronger
Across two international surveys, the gender gap holds across body size and background, and it widens in some higher-status groups and more developed countries. Girls report significantly higher body dissatisfaction than boys across two large international adolescent surveys. This gap persists regardless of Body Mass Index, socioeconomic background, age, or country, and body dissatisfaction connects […]
Complex chronic illness in older sexual and gender minority adults tied to higher Medicare spending and use
Linked Medicare and survey data show chronic condition complexity is a major cost driver, with discrimination patterns that complicate access. Older sexual and gender minority Medicare beneficiaries with more severe and complex chronic conditions had higher Medicare spending, higher physician spending, and higher odds of being high-cost and using healthcare. Disability and dual eligibility were […]
Indian adolescents spent almost nine hours a day sedentary, with private school students sitting much more
A time-use survey in a South Indian city found most sedentary time came from class and studying, not just leisure. Adolescents in a mid-sized South Indian city averaged 528 minutes a day in sedentary activities, across 7.3 bouts. Most of that time was school and studying, not leisure. Private school students spent far more time […]
Nurse-delivered brief counselling reduced anxiety after self-poisoning at six months, but not at one year
A single hospital counselling session improved short-term anxiety and some coping skills, without clear effects on depression, alcohol risk, or repeat self-harm. A nurse-delivered brief counselling session after non-fatal self-poisoning lowered anxiety at six months, but the difference was not present at one year. The intervention also increased some coping strategies at six months, with […]
Heat exposure in older adults in India linked to worse health and more depressive symptoms
Health insurance appeared to reduce several heat-related harms, while women and some homeowners showed steeper declines in self-rated health. Severe heat exposure in the same month was associated with poorer self-reported health and more frequent depressive feelings, fatigue, and fear among older adults in India. Heat exposure was also linked to a higher likelihood of […]
Scientist climate activism grew through belonging spaces and created hybrid scientist activist identities over time
An ethnographic study tracked how scientists entered climate activism, managed identity conflict, and sustained commitment. Scientists who joined climate activism did so through identity-aligned spaces that made participation feel legitimate and socially safe. Over time, activism reshaped their professional identity into hybrid scientist-activist identities, while commitment depended on collective efficacy, peer affirmation, and care practices […]