Early childhood adversity is connected to poorer physical and mental health across a person’s lifespan, and the biological mechanisms that translate the lived effects of poverty and trauma into physical functions are starting to come to light. A growing body of research has shown that psychosocial stress influences mitochondrial function, and mitochondria play a pivotal role in stress-related diseases and aging. UCLA psychologists have now connected early childhood adversity to changes in how mitochondria produce energy, which may affect cellular function with adverse effects on mental and physical health.

Fathers who take several months of parental leave have a lower risk of developing depressive symptoms during the early years of their child’s life than fathers who take only a short period of leave. This is shown by a new Swedish study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers from have identified several modifiable factors that influence psychological resilience in female athletes and found that greater resilience may help protect against depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and high levels of perceived stress.

The findings, “Modifiable Risk Factors of Female Athlete Psychological Resilience and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Investigation,” published in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, provide new insight into how resilience develops over time and offer a roadmap for future interventions designed to support the mental health and well-being of female athletes.

The study from researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Trinity University, Michigan State University and Women’s Health, Sports and Performance Institute in Boston followed close to 400 female athletes from across the United States over a 12-month period. Researchers examined factors that could influence resilience, including emotion regulation, sleep quality, social support, experiential avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty. They also evaluated how resilience affected mental health outcomes over time.