BioPsychoSocial Health Topic
Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
A few short decades ago, the most violent scenes we were exposed to in the media involved Wile E. Coyote and an anvil. The nightly news did not display graphic evidence of riots or murders or even war. Movies did not market themselves based on the amount of gunfire packed into two hours. Video games were little more than a bouncing ball controlled by a joystick. But, society has changed and, now, violence is everywhere. Children and adolescents are exposed to violent images everyday and the line between reality and fiction is blurred. Now, the consequences of such exposure are becoming evident and recent studies show neurological adaptations and desensitization that lead to aggression and violence in real life.
Childhood Aggression Predicts Health Care Use Later in Life
Young children can be physically aggressive, owing to a combination of instinct, temperament, cultural and social influences, and (sometimes) not getting what they want. But, by the time most kids reach preschool age, they have learned to control their aggression with coping skills and relational techniques. However, children who do not learn to regulate aggressive behavior are at risk for physical and mental health issues, as well as serious patterns of aggression and violence, as adults. A new study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows that the more aggressive a young child is the more likely he or she is to use health care services as an adult.
Does Personality Play a Role in the Stress of Caregiving?
Family caregivers are individuals who provide short-term, or long-term, unpaid care for family members with illnesses and/or impairments. Caring for a family member allows us to express love and concern for someone who cared for us. Yet caregiving for a family member can be strenuous, and not without negative consequences. For example, the average amount of time a family caregiver attends to the needs of another is four hours a day if the caregiver is cognitively impaired, nine hours a day if the care recipient has dementia, and both types of caregivers experience similar physical and emotional strains, such as poor health and depression.
Economic Burden of Poor Mental Health
In today's economy, workers across all sectors are seeking steady, gainful employment. Likewise, employers are seeking productive, consistent workers. For individuals with mental illness, this may be an impossible job description to fill. A recent report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) claims that common mental health conditions lead to decreased workplace productivity and substantial economic losses.
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