HealthDay (8/13, Solomon) reports, “A woman’s sense of mental well-being is the strongest predictor of how fearful she is about childbirth, according to a study.” The researchers found that “there was a negative correlation between fear of childbirth and mental well-being, childbirth self-efficacy expectancy, and self-efficacy outcome.” Study results indicate that “higher mental well-being…was the strongest predictor of lower fear of childbirth. Childbirth self-efficacy expectancy also contributed significantly.” The findings were published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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— “Higher Mental Well-Being Tied to Lower Fear of Childbirth,” Lori Solomon, Health Day, August 13, 2025

MedPage Today (8/13, Firth) reports, “Smokers with substance use disorders (SUDs) who quit cigarettes were more likely to report recovery from their other addiction, according to a nationally representative cohort study.” Among over “2,600 individuals followed for 4 years, a fully adjusted model showed that a change in smoking status from ‘current’ to ‘former’ was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of SUD recovery…reported” the researchers. The “association held up in sensitivity analyses as well, including in a second cohort, the findings” showed. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The AP (8/13, Sanders) reports, “Fewer Americans are reporting that they drink alcohol amid a growing belief that even moderate alcohol consumption is a health risk, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.”

The poll found that “a record high percentage of U.S. adults, 53%, now say moderate drinking is bad for their health, up from 28% in 2015.” The rise “in doubt about alcohol’s benefits is largely driven by young adults – the age group that is most likely to believe drinking ‘one or two drinks a day’ can cause health hazards – but older adults are also now increasingly likely to think moderate drinking carries risks.”

Also reporting are Reuters (8/13, Mishra) and The Hill (8/13, Waldvogel).

Related Links:

— “Why many Americans are rethinking alcohol, according to a new Gallup poll,” Linley Sanders, Associated Press, August 13, 2025

Managed Healthcare Executive (8/12, Lutton) reports healthcare professionals “cite medication prior authorization as an ongoing barrier to patient care, according to the results of a Surescripts survey published [Tuesday]. However, this frustration is expressed alongside optimism, with nearly all respondents willing to adopt new technologies such as automatic prior authorization submission to improve access to timely treatment.” The online survey of 253 prescribers and 250 pharmacists took place from May 28 to June 16, 2025.

Related Links:

— “Pharmacists, Prescribers Express Ongoing Concern About Medication Prior Authorization Struggles In Survey,”Logan Lutton, Managed Healthcare Executive, August 12, 2025

MedPage Today (8/12, George) reports a study found that “men had higher mortality and hospitalization rates after a dementia diagnosis compared with women, even after controlling for age and comorbidities.” Researchers observed that “crude 1-year mortality rates were lower for women with incident dementia compared with men (21.8% vs 27.2%). After adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, Medicaid dual eligibility, medical comorbidity burden, and access to healthcare resources, the hazard of death associated with male sex was 1.24.” They added that “all-cause hospitalizations were lower for women with newly diagnosed dementia (46.9% vs 50.5%). The adjusted hazard ratio of hospitalization associated with male sex was 1.08.” Furthermore, men “had higher rates of hospice stay, neuroimaging services, and hospitalization for neurodegenerative disease diagnoses.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Reuters (8/11, Erman, Rigby) reports the Annals of Internal Medicine “is rejecting a call from” the HHS Secretary “to retract a large Danish study that found that aluminum ingredients in vaccines do not increase health risks for children.” The study “analyzed nationwide registry data for more than 1.2 million children over more than two decades. It did not find evidence that exposure to aluminum in vaccines had caused an increased risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders.” In an interview with Reuters, Dr. Christine Laine, editor in chief of the Annals and a professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, said, “I see no reason for retraction.”

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— “Exclusive: Medical journal rejects Kennedy’s call for retraction of vaccine study,” Michael Erman and Jennifer Rigby , Reuters, August 11, 2025

USA Today (8/11, Wire) reports President Trump said during a Monday news conference that his Administration is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug “over the next few weeks.” USA Today notes that “45 states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use,” but the federal government “still classifies it as a Schedule I drug,” which is “defined as highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use.” Reclassifying marijuana would mark the “biggest change in marijuana policy the federal government has taken since the drug was first outlawed, but it would not make recreational usage legal under federal law.”

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— “Trump says he’s looking at reclassifying marijuana at federal level, “Sarah D. Wire , USA TODAY, August 11, 2025

The New York Times (8/9, Span) reported an analysis of 57 studies published in Nature Human Behaviour suggests that the use of everyday digital technology has been associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults. Researchers observed that people over 50 “who used computers, smartphones, the internet or a mix did better on cognitive tests, with lower rates of cognitive impairment or dementia diagnoses, than those who avoided technology or used it less often.” Almost 90% of the studies analyzed “found that technology had a protective cognitive effect.” When researchers “accounted for health, education, socioeconomic status and other demographic variables, they still found significantly higher cognitive ability among older digital technology users.” Furthermore, digital technology “may also protect brain health by fostering social connections, known to help stave off cognitive decline.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (8/8) reported an umbrella review published in JAMA Psychiatry found that “nearly one-third of transgender and nonbinary people will attempt suicide at least once in their lives.” The review “included 24 reviews and meta-analyses that analyzed 754 primary studies published between 1983 and 2022.” Researchers observed the “lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among transgender and nonbinary people was 50%, the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempt was 29%, and the lifetime prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury was 47%. Compared with cisgender people, trans and nonbinary people were about 3.5 times as likely to experience any of these above events.” The review also found that “trans and nonbinary people were more likely than cisgender individuals to experience an eating disorder, experience post-traumatic stress disorder, and be diagnosed with autism.”

Related Links:

— “Suicidal and Self-Harm Behaviors Common Among Transgender and Nonbinary People, Psychiatric News, August 8, 2025

Psychiatric News (8/7) reports a study found that in both males and females, both low and high “levels of testosterone may be a risk factor for future posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms,” while individuals in the middle had the lowest risk. For the study, male and female participants were “divided into 10 groups (deciles) based on total testosterone (TT) levels, with group one (lowest levels) serving as the reference.” Researchers observed “that relative to group one, all other groups had lower PTSD symptom scores, after adjusting for other variables. The scores exhibited a U-shaped pattern, with decile seven associated with the fewest PTSD symptoms in both males and females. Among both males and females, stronger associations between testosterone levels and future PTSD symptoms were seen in adults with a BMI of 30 or higher.” The study (8/6) was published in Translational Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Low and High Testosterone Associated With PTSD Symptoms in Males and Females, Psychiatric News , August 7, 2025