HealthDay (6/25, Gotkine ) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis found that “paternal mental distress is associated with poorer child development.” The researchers “conducted a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the association between paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress and offspring development during the first 18 years of life. Of the studies identified, 48 cohorts (from 84 studies) with 674 effect sizes met criteria for quantitative synthesis.” They observed “associations for paternal perinatal mental distress with poorer global, social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development in offspring. There was no evidence for adaptive and motor outcomes.” Further, they noted that “generally stronger associations were seen for postnatal than antenatal mental distress, suggesting that a more direct influence on the developing child may be exerted by the father’s mental state after birth.” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Paternal Mental Distress Linked to Poorer Offspring Development,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, June 25, 2025

HealthDay (6/25, Thompson ) reports a study found that “people living with an autoimmune disease are nearly twice as likely to suffer from mood problems like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.” According to researchers, “the risk of mood disorders is 87% to 97% higher in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and Graves’ syndrome,” and the “risk remains higher even after accounting for other factors like age, income and family history of psychiatric disorders.” They observed that about 29% of more than 37,800 study participants “with an autoimmune illness said they’d been previously diagnosed with a mood disorder, compared with 18% of the general population.” This figure “included more than 25% versus 15% diagnosed with depression, and 21% versus nearly 13% diagnosed with anxiety. Women with autoimmune diseases were particularly vulnerable to mood disorders, affecting 32% compared with 21% among men, results show.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Autoimmune Diseases Increase Risk Of Mood Disorders,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 25, 2025

HealthDay (6/23, Thompson ) reports a study found that fewer than one in five children with autism or intellectual disability covered by Medicaid “are receiving recommended genetic testing, even though guidelines urge such tests.” The researchers “analyzed claims data for more than 240,000 children 7 to 17 enrolled in either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program from 2008 to 2016.” They observed that “genetic testing rates were highest among children with both autism and intellectual disabilities, reaching 26%. But they were just 17% for kids with autism and 13% for those with intellectual disability, results show.” Researchers noted that “rates remained low even as newer and less expensive genetic testing methods gained traction after 2013.” In addition, the study “found that Black children were less likely to receive genetic testing compared with white kids.” The study was published in Genetics in Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Genetic Tests For Autism, Intellectual Disability Not Being Done On Medicaid Kids,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 23, 2025

Psychiatric News (6/23) reports a new APA Health Minds poll found that 55% of adults “believe climate change is impacting Americans’ mental health, while four in 10 adults say they have personally experienced effects on their mental health.” According to the poll, 35% of respondents “worry about climate change on a weekly basis, indicating that for many, this is a persistent source of stress.” Meanwhile, 18% of respondents “said climate change was having a significant impact on their mental health, with 26% saying it was having somewhat of an impact.” The data also “highlighted generational and parental divides in perceptions of climate change’s mental health impact. Younger adults ages 18 to 34 were significantly more likely than those 65 or older to report that climate change is affecting their personal mental health (65% versus 30%). Parents (52%) were significantly more likely than non-parents (42%) to report climate change is currently impacting their mental health.”

Related Links:

— “Climate Change Significantly Affects Mental Health, Especially Among Younger Adults,” Psychiatric News, June 23, 2025

HealthDay (6/20, Solomon) reported a study found that “there are substantial racial and ethnic differences in U.S. adolescents’ use of mental health services.” The researchers analyzed “data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2022 to 2023) to estimate racial and ethnic differences in mental health service.” They found that “the percentage of adolescents receiving any mental health visit was 31.7 percent among non-Hispanic White adolescents but was significantly lower among participants of racial and ethnic minority groups, ranging from 21.9 percent for non-Hispanic Black adolescents to 25.6 percent for Hispanic adolescents. There were also significant differences seen in prescription medication use and receipt of care in outpatient, school, and telemental health settings.” Furthermore, researchers noted “few to no racial or ethnic differences for receipt of mental health services from support groups, peer support specialists or recovery coaches, inpatient or residential settings, or emergency departments.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Racial, Ethnic Differences Seen in Teens’ Use of Mental Health Services,” Lori Solomon, HealthDay, June 20, 2025