Reuters (6/29, Doyle) reported that a study published online June 29 in JAMA Pediatrics examines data derived from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence.

The Huffington Post (6/29, Pearson) reported, “More than one-third of US children experienced some form of physical assault between 2013 and 2014…and the majority of those incidents were at the hands of siblings or peers,” researchers found. The study also revealed that “five percent of children experienced some kind of sexual offense in the past year, while 1.4 percent experienced a full-on sexual assault.” Adolescent girls appeared to be at the “highest risk for sexual assault or abuse.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly four of 10 U.S. kids exposed to violence,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, June 29, 2015.

Citing National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism statistics, the Wall Street Journal (6/29, Ward, Subscription Publication) reports that personalized feedback through electronic means, text message or the Web, may be able to reduce alcohol intake among students. The Wall Street Journal adds that the electronic interventions may mimic in-person techniques, which have about a 13 percent success rate in reducing drinking.

Related Links:

— “How to Cut Student Drinking,” Lisa Ward, Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2015.

In a 1,000-word article, Prevention Magazine (6/27, Corbett) reported that a 2015 report released by the National Institutes of Health and published in JAMA Psychiatry found that “nearly one-third of American adults at some point in their life have” an alcohol use disorder, “and only 20% seek treatment.”

Related Links:

— “6 Sneaky Signs You Drink Too Much,” Holly C. Corbett, Prevention, June 26, 2015.

In a four-minute segment, NBC Nightly News (6/28, story 8, 4:10, Quintanilla) reported that last year, the VA was “rocked by allegations with problems in its medical system, including long waits for patient care,” while “another controversy” was in Wisconsin, where allegations from whistle blowers claimed that the “chief of staff and other medical personnel have been overmedicating” psychiatric patients. The piece interviewed the father of a former Marine who died from “mixed drug toxicity” seven years ago, and added that the VA has started an initiative to reduce narcotics given to patients with mental health disorders.

Related Links:

— “Families of Two Vets Accuse Wisconsin VA Center of Over-Prescribing [VIDEO],” , http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/families-of-two-vets-accuse–wisconsin-va-center-of-over-prescribing-472684611703, June 28, 2015.

MedPage Today (6/26, Minerd) reports, “Women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat menopausal symptoms are up to 76% more likely to break a bone,” according to a study published in Injury Prevention. After studying “more than 137,000 women ages 40 to 64 with no mental health issues who started SSRIs between 1998 and 2010,” researchers also found that “the increased risk persists for at least five years following initiation of SSRI treatment, suggesting that shortening treatment could reduce the risk.” The National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging supported the study.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants Linked to Bone Fractures in Menopausal Women,” Jeff Minerd, MedPage Today, June 25, 2015.