Healio (12/31, Buzby) reported a study found that “early-onset preeclampsia was associated with increased risk for delayed early-childhood development in the domain of problem-solving among preterm children.” The researchers observed that while “other domains of child development were affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and its subtypes, the relationships were not statistically significant.” They concluded, “In this cohort study, fetal exposure to early-onset preeclampsia was associated with a higher risk of a delay pattern in child development in the problem-solving domain. The findings were modified by preterm birth.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Early-onset preeclampsia may cause developmental delay in preterm children,”Scott Buzby, Healio, January 1, 2026

USA Today (1/1, Cross) reports that Gen Z is increasingly embracing sobriety, influenced by factors like mental health awareness, financial concerns, and marijuana legalization. Between 2001 and 2023, Gallup “reported an 11% dip in adults between the ages of 18-34 who had at least one alcoholic beverage within the past week.” Meanwhile, “for young adults who may be looking to prioritize their health come the new year, Dry January, in particular, provides a 30-day reset, in which folks may sleep better.” Social media and changing social norms also contribute to this trend. Notably, a 2022 survey conducted by New Frontier Data showed that “69% of adults between 18 and 24 said they preferred marijuana to alcohol.” A 2024 study by McKinsey & Company highlights “that 56% of Gen Zers consider fitness a ‘very high priority’ compared to 40% of other adults in the U.S.”

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— “Move over Dry January. Gen Z is already stepping away from alcohol.,”Greta Cross, USA TODAY, January 1, 2026

HealthDay (12/30, Gotkine) reports a study found that “in the past two decades, there were decreases in prescribing of some controlled medications to adolescents and young adults.” The researchers “examined nationwide trends in the prescribing of controlled medications to early adolescents (10 to 12 years), adolescents (13 to 17 years), and young adults (18 to 24 years and 25 to 29 years) enrolled in Medicaid from 2001 to 2019.” They observed that “the annual proportion prescribed any controlled medication peaked at 17.5, 20.6, and 34.1 and 47.0 percent in early adolescents (2003), adolescents (2009), and young adults aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 29 years (2010), respectively. The proportions decreased to 11.7, 12.6, and 16.2 and 23.9 percent, respectively, by 2019.” The researchers also highlighted “variation in trends by medication and age.” The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Related Links:

— “Prescribing of Some Controlled Medications Decreased in Youth Over Past Two Decades,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, December 30, 2025

Politico (12/29, Ollstein, Fertig) reports, “At least a dozen states are working to shield people from soaring health insurance costs following Congress’ failure to extend” Affordable Care Act “subsidies for tens of millions of Americans.” These “efforts, which include actions taken by state leaders in California, Colorado and Maryland, in nearly every case come with a major caveat: They will only be able to help a portion of the people whose health insurance will be too expensive without the enhanced subsidies that Congress opted not to renew before leaving Washington for the year.”

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— “States step into the breach as Obamacare subsidies lapse,”Alice Miranda Ollstein and Natalie Fertig , Politico, December 29, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/24) reported a study found that “individuals between the ages of 25 and 64 who are on Medicaid had a higher rate of suicide in 2020 than people in that age group in the general population.” Based on Medicaid enrollment data and the CDC National Death Index, “9,401 Medicaid beneficiaries died by suicide in 2020, accounting for 20.4% of all suicide deaths in the United States and 2.1% of all deaths among Medicaid beneficiaries. Among individuals ages 25 to 64, there were 21.1 suicide deaths per 100,000 people for Medicaid beneficiaries compared with 17.6 suicide deaths for all U.S. residents.” Researchers said the finding “is consistent with the theory that job insecurity and associated economic stress may place Medicaid beneficiaries at heightened suicide risk.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Medicaid Enrollees of Working Age at Higher Risk of Suicide,Psychiatric News , December 24, 2025

The Washington Post (12/28, Cha, Malhi) reports an “analysis of more than 10,500 children across 21 U.S. sites,” published in Pediatrics, “found that those who received phones at age 12, compared with age 13, had a more than 60 percent higher risk of poor sleep and a more than 40 percent higher risk of obesity.” This comes as “a wave of large-scale studies is quantifying how early smartphone access and heavy screen use can harm adolescent minds.” Across “studies, high levels of screen use are linked to measurable declines in cognitive performance,” and “rates of depression and anxiety climb steadily with heavier social media engagement.” Furthermore, “sleep quality deteriorates…and researchers are finding troubling associations between screen habits and rising adolescent weight gain.” The debate is now “shifting from one about whether screens have an impact – to one about how far-reaching that impact might be.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/23) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 trials found that “cannabis products that primarily contain cannabidiol (CBD) bring little relief to people with chronic pain, while products high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) slightly reduce pain severity but come with stronger side effects.” Researchers observed that “on a zero-to-10-point pain scale, nabilone, a synthetic THC analogue, reduced short-term pain severity by an average of 1.59 points. Dronabinol, another purified THC product, had a negligible effect on pain.” Meanwhile, “nabiximols, a spray containing comparable THC and CBD levels, reduced short-term pain by an average of 0.54 points. Products that consisted primarily of CBD were associated with no or trivial reductions in short-term pain severity.” Researchers also noted that “products high in THC were associated with an increased risk of adverse events, including dizziness, sedation, and nausea.” The review was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Products Have Mixed Effects on Chronic Pain, Psychiatric News , December 23, 2025

MedPage Today (12/22, Robertson) reports a study found that “use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy, particularly in the second trimester, was linked to some adverse pregnancy outcomes.” Researchers observed that “among 454,477 pregnancies, benzodiazepine use was associated with increased risk of abortion (spontaneous and elective abortion), with an absolute risk of 0.83 events per 100 pregnancies among benzodiazepine users compared with 0.52 events per 100 in nonusers (relative risk [RR] 1.58).” Furthermore, they noted that “after accounting for competing risks, benzodiazepine use was also linked to increased risk of preterm birth (RR 1.20) and small for gestational age (RR 1.06), compared to nonuse, and effects were more pronounced with exposure during the second trimester.” The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (12/22, Feliciano) reports a study found that “while most adolescents remained resilient to depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, girls and teens in the later stages of puberty were more vulnerable.” The researchers “classified participants’ depression trajectories as resilient, depression-susceptible or chronically high, based on symptoms scores that tracked six key symptoms of depression, including depressed mood, anhedonia, a sense of guilt or worthlessness, fatigue, sleep and concentration impairments.” They observed that “various pre-pandemic risk factors were associated with the depression-susceptible trajectory, including being in the late pubertal or post pubertal stage before the pandemic, pre-pandemic family conflict, peer bullying, cyberbullying, maternal history of depression, polyenvironmental adversity exposure, and polygenic risk of depression among those of European ancestry.” In contrast, “lower depression susceptibility was associated with parental monitoring and problem-solving skills.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Adolescent girls, teens in late puberty faced higher COVID-19 pandemic depression risk,”Octavia Feliciano, Healio, December 22, 2025

MedPage Today (12/22, Monaco) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 137 studies found that “nearly one in two transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth reported suicidal ideation or self-injury, and one in four attempted suicide.” The researchers observed that “in a study of 131,429 TGD individuals ages 25 and younger, 48.8% experienced suicidal ideation and 26.2% reported a suicide attempt.” Meanwhile, “pooled prevalence estimates also showed that 46.6% of TGD youths experienced nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI).” Researchers said, “These rates are 2 to 3.5 times higher than those reported for cisgender youth (20.5% for suicidal ideations, 7.1% for attempts, and 17.7% for NSSI).” Furthermore, they noted “prevalence rates of suicide attempt were higher in North America (29%) compared with Europe (22%) and Asia (19%).” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)