Adults aged 35 to 60 are drinking at unprecedented rates, with those who binge drank in high school reporting more past 30-day high-risk drinking in midlife. And this link may be especially strong for women, according to a study just published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research Health. These trends are particularly concerning as health conditions, and biological processes common with aging put adults in midlife at greater health risk from alcohol use.
Tag: Gender Differences
Dangers of the Metaverse and VR for U.S. Youth Revealed in New Research
Research of online victimization in the metaverse is sorely lacking. A new study examined harm in the metaverse among a sample of 5,005 U.S. teens aged 13 to 17. Findings show a significant percentage of youth reported harm in these spaces, including hate speech, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, grooming behaviors (predators building trust with minors), and unwanted exposure to violent or sexual content. The study also revealed notable gender differences in experiences.
Pride in family businesses: Authenticity, hubris, and cultural insights
Abstract Research on family businesses praises the benefits of feeling proud of the family firm. However, pride displayed by next generation family members, who may have (yet) contributed little to the success, can create negative impressions. Building on emotions-as-social-information theory…
How couples meet and assortative mating in Canada
Abstract Objective This study examines, for the first time in Canada, the relationship between how different-sex couples meet and assortative mating on education, race, nativity, and age. Background Extending research on how the likelihood of heterogamy differed between offline and…
Young Adult Women’s Alcohol Use is Increasingly Driven by Social Reasons, Narrowing the Binge-Drinking Gap by Gender
The narrowing gap between binge drinking among adult women and men has been driven partly by women’s rising use of alcohol for social reasons—to have fun. In addition, women are increasingly using alcohol to relax or relieve tension, a new study has found. Alcohol use in the USA has increased steadily over the past 20 years, and excessive drinking underlies 1 in 8 deaths of working-age adults. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a 25% increase in alcohol-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. Overall, figures like these mask differences by age, however. For over four decades, alcohol use and binge drinking have declined among adolescents and early adults. But by age 30, that effect has plateaued or reversed. Binge drinking has risen more among women than men, narrowing the gender gap for reasons that haven’t been explained by broad societal trends (such as education, family timing, and gender roles). For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, US researchers considered the
New study reveals how gender affects liver transplant success in cancer patients
A groundbreaking multicenter cohort study in China has illuminated the impact of sex on the outcomes of liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer.
Stress Activates Brain Regions Linked to Alcohol Use Disorder, Differently for Women Than Men
When exposed to stress, people with alcohol use disorder engage parts of the brain associated with both stress and addiction, which may cause them to drink or crave alcohol after a stressful experience, suggest the authors of a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
PEOPLE THINK ‘OLD AGE’ STARTS LATER THAN IT USED TO, STUDY FINDS
Press release from the American Psychological Association on research published in Psychology and Aging.
Why the Top Cause of Death for Women Has Been Ignored
Experts at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai who have studied progress made over decades of research say there’s still a long way to go before medical science fully understands how heart disease is different in women than men.
Brain changes behind pain sensitivity may affect older women more
A new study has found that the brain system enabling us to inhibit our own pain changes with age, and that gender-based differences in those changes may lead females to be more sensitive to moderate pain than males as older adults.
Gender disparities in career attrition for emergency physicians
A study led by Yale School of Medicine finds widespread gender disparities in workforce attrition for doctors working in Emergency Departments (ED). Researchers found female doctors more likely to change careers than male counterparts. For ED doctors who exhibited attrition,…
Gender disparity in mental health risk for frontline health care workers
A study of frontline health care providers caring for patients in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic found a gender-specific risk for chronic stress-related psychological symptoms. Over the 8 month study period, women were more than twice as likely…
Stricter Alcohol Policies are Associated with Reduced Drinking, Multi-Country Analysis Finds
People who live in countries with more stringent alcohol policies drank less than people in countries with less strict policies, according to a large multi-country analysis published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. The more stringent policies were associated with reduced drinking overall and showed more significant associations in drinkers aged 18 to 24 and those with 13 or fewer years of education. The findings suggest that countries could reduce adverse health consequences by adopting cost-effective alcohol policies.
UAlbany Study: Pandemic Had Disproportionate Impact on Female Educators
A new study by University at Albany researchers found that female educators experienced the COVID-19 pandemic more negatively than their male counterparts. The study, which was conducted by NYKids, a research-practice partnership housed within the University’s School of Education, adds to emerging research that is finding the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women in the workforce, who have dropped out at much higher rates than men.
Young Children Who See Parents Consume Alcohol Form Gender-Specific Perceptions of Drinking, Potentially Shaping Their Future Behavior
Young children’s exposure to their mothers’ and fathers’ drinking influences their perceptions of who consumes alcohol, with “vast implications” for their own future use, a new study suggests. The study, in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, provides compelling evidence of intergenerational transmission of drinking behaviors to children, including gender-based perceptions — the first time these effects have been demonstrated in children aged 4–8. Children’s exposure to the use of alcohol around them is known to shape their perceptions of “typical” alcohol consumption (norms). Those perceptions influence drinking initiation, usually as adolescents, and alcohol consumption over time. Recent research has shown that how much parents drink in general is less relevant in this regard than their alcohol use in the presence of children. For the new study, investigators explored how exposure to mothers’ and fathers’ drinking influences young children’s perceptions of alcohol-related n
Female Managers Pay Fairer
There are two levels of reference for the elementary question of an appropriate remuneration of work: the markets with their structure of supply, demand, and productivity as well as the needs of the employees. Operationally decisive, however, is also what managers are guided by when assessing wages. A study recently published in PLOS ONE by researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) provides new insights into this issue.
Mood Influences Alcohol Craving Differently in Men and Women, Pointing the Way to Alcohol Use Disorder Treatments Tailored by Sex
Drinkers’ mood shifts and exposure to alcohol-related cues — beer cans, bars, and drinking buddies — contribute to alcohol cravings in opposite ways for men and women, a new study suggests. The findings have implications for how men and women develop dangerous drinking habits and ways that this might be prevented or treated. Various theories link alcohol use to positive and negative emotions: drinking to either enhance good mood or cope with stress, potentially becoming a self-reinforcing cycle. Studies have yielded mixed findings, however, suggesting that mood interacts with subconscious cognitive processes to prompt alcohol-seeking.
New Psychological Science Findings Involving Bias, Fear, Gender Differences, and More
Findings include a significant decrease in attitudes toward most types of bias in the United States between 2007 and 2020.
Online Tools for Alcohol Recovery Could Narrow Treatment Gaps — But Uptake is Slow
Online resources for supporting recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are promising but underused, a new study suggests. The expansion of digital recovery supports, such as video meetings, discussion forums, and social networking sites, could potentially help address a substantial unmet need for services. In 2020, fewer than one in ten Americans with current or recent substance use disorder received any form of treatment. Women are less likely to access treatment than men, research shows. Online services may make recovery support more accessible, eliminating certain barriers associated with traditional treatment (e.g., transportation and cost) and reducing others (e.g., stigma). Research is sparse, however, and the factors influencing the use and effects of digital services are not well understood. For the study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers explored how people in recovery from AUD use online supports and whether that use is linked to gender or outcome
Forecasting the Future Alcohol Burden: Binge Drinking Rates to Converge in Young Men and Women, and Increase Among 29- to 30-year-olds, by 2040
A study has revealed important gender and age differences in forecasted future levels of binge drinking, and highlighted key factors underlying these trends.
Women are more reluctant than men to ask for deadline extensions
Women are less likely than men to ask for more time to complete projects with adjustable deadlines at work or school, new research finds. Compared to men, women were more concerned that they would be burdening others by asking for an extension, and that they would be seen as incompetent, the study showed.
Young People’s Fluctuating Beliefs on Alcohol’s Effects Influence Their Drinking and Consequences
College students’ beliefs around the likelihood and desirability of alcohol’s effects vary over time, and predict drinking level and consequences, according to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Why are some Covid-19 vaccines working better for men than women?
If there’s one take-home message for the general public about the coronavirus vaccines approved in the U.S., it’s that they are remarkably effective. But Michigan State University’s Morteza Mahmoudi is raising awareness about an important subtlety: The vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech appear to work slightly better for men than for women.
March Special Issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology Focuses on Women’s Health in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
The March issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology features new clinical research involving sex and gender, including effects of GI and liver conditions on pregnancy, gender disparities in diet and nutrition, Barrett’s esophagus incidence in women with scleroderma, factors influencing whether women pursue advanced endoscopy careers, endoscopy-related musculoskeletal injuries, sex hormone association with increased prevalence of certain types of cancer, and more.
Study finds gender differences in active learning classrooms
Men participated more in an active learning course in science, technology, engineering and math, while women reported lower perceptions of their scientific abilities, were more aware of gender identity and more likely to feel judged based on gender, a new Cornell-led study has found.
Breathing During Exercise Is Harder for Women Than Men
While both sexes have the capacity for phenomenal athletic achievements, women on average must work harder to breathe during strenuous exercise compared to men, according to new research.