Research Topic 1: Who Needs Interventions?

A 45 minute test given at age 3 can predict which children will grow up to consume a larger share of society’s resources, finds an analysis in Nature Human Behavior. Researchers analyzed more than 1, 000 New Zealanders. They found that at age 38, one-fifth of participants accounted for 81 percent of criminal convictions, 78 percent of prescription drug use, 66 percent of welfare benefits, 57 percent of hospital visits and 40 percent obesity in the cohort. The researchers also found that a 45 minute test the participants took at age 3- which measured intelligence, receptive language and motor skills, restlessness and impulsivity, could predict who would end up in the high-cost group. Such a test could be used to figure out which children would benefit most from early childhood interventions, the researchers say.

Research Topic 2: Staying Well

Most people will experience a diagnosable mental health disorder at some point in their lives while those with lifelong mental health are actually a minority of the population. That’s the finding of a review in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology that examined data from national enduring mental health. They found that people with lifelong mental health did not tend to be born particularly wealthy or have unusually good physical health or unusually high intelligence. However, they did have certain helpful temperament/personality styles and less family history of mental disorder.

Susie Bean Gives Team