Six years after COVID-19 disrupted childhood around the world, new research following the same children from before the pandemic through today finds that the damage was far less widespread than early warnings predicted. A Special Section in the Society for Research in Child Development's flagship journal Child Development, synthesizing 17 long-term studies across six countries, finds that most children's health, learning, social development, and wellbeing recovered substantially. Setbacks that persisted were concentrated among children who already faced other risks before the pandemic began. This new research, tracking children over a longer period, tells a different story: pandemic impacts were real and wide-ranging, but not as severe as initially feared, and many effects weakened over time. The children who fared worst and recovered more slowly were disproportionately those shaped by pre-existing risks — not the pandemic alone.

Parents, schools and the age children first use social media may be just as important as restricting access to platforms when it comes to adolescents’ mental health, new research suggests.

A new study published in JAMA Health Forum found that nearly 20 percent of Medicaid-eligible adults living in states that expanded Medicaid are at risk of noncompliance because they are likely unable to fulfill the minimum required hours once the rules take effect. Women, unmarried people, White individuals, and those with limited education all had a higher risk of losing their health coverage due to noncompliance with these new requirements.

Portland State University has been awarded a $5.9 million National Science Foundation Accelerating Research Translation (ART) grant to accelerate the translation of PSU research from the lab into companies, products and partnerships that strengthen the Portland-metro and Oregon economies. 

The three-year award — PSU’s largest NSF grant to date — arrives as the university’s research enterprise reaches new heights, with research expenditures rising from $74 million in fiscal year 2024 to $91 million in 2025 in fields with strong commercial potential, including artificial intelligence and computational intelligence, semiconductors and transportation and infrastructure. The ART grant is designed to close the gap between that research strength and the region's need for new companies, traded-sector jobs and industry investment.

"PSU's motto is ‘Let Knowledge Serve the City,’ and this award puts that commitment to work for our regional economy," said Ann Cudd, president of Portland State University. "Our researchers are producing discoveries with real commercial and civic value. This investment helps us turn more of that work into Oregon companies, Oregon jobs and Oregon solutions." 

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed and demonstrated a step-by-step framework called Socratic Challenger that uses artificial intelligence to help undergraduate students cultivate critical thinking skills. Specifically, the framework uses AI as a collaborator to develop research questions that can be pursued in laboratory or classroom settings.

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, examined culinary skills and related barriers among adults with visual impairment. Researchers found that although all participants were classified as having medium or high culinary skills, many continued to experience challenges that limited their independence in the kitchen. Accessible tools and training can help bridge this gap.