MedPage Today (5/31, Boyles) reports, “Women who experience both sexual and physical abuse during childhood had a more than twofold increased risk for food addiction in adulthood,” according to a study published online in the journal Obesity and sponsored by grant money from the National Institutes of Health. “The analysis of data on 57,321 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study II (NHSII) revealed that severe physical and sexual abuse were each associated with a roughly 90% increased risk for food addiction (physical abuse relative risk [RR] 1.92, 95% CI 1.76-2.09; sexual abuse RR 1.87, 95% CI 1.69-2.05),” and “suffering both severe physical and sexual abuse during childhood was associated with a 2.40 relative risk (95% CI 2.16-2.67) for food addiction later in life.”

Related Links:

— “Abused Girls May Binge on Food as Adults,” Salynn Boyles, MedPage Today, May 30, 2013.

HealthDay (5/31) reports that, according to research published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, individuals “who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following a heart attack may find it hard to get a good night’s sleep.” Investigators “examined the link between PTSD and sleep in almost 200 patients who suffered a heart attack.” The researchers “found that the more PTSD symptoms people experienced following a heart attack, the worse their self-reported sleep was in the month after their heart attack.”

Related Links:

— “ PTSD After Heart Attack Linked to Poor Sleep , ” Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, May 30, 2013.

The New York Times (5/30, A17, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports that according to a meta-analysis published online May 29 in JAMA Psychiatry, “children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [AD/HD] who take stimulant medication do not have a lower risk over all for later substance abuse, contradicting the longstanding and influential message that such medicines tend to deter those with the disorder from abusing other substances.” The analysis “determined that, on average, medications like Adderall [amphetamine, dextroamphetamine mixed salts] and Ritalin [methylphenidate] had no effect one way or the other on whether children abused alcohol, marijuana, nicotine or cocaine later in life.”

Related Links:

— “No Link Seen Between Child Stimulant Use and Later Drug Abuse, ” Alan Schwarz, New York Times, May 29, 2013.

HealthDay (5/29, Dallas) reports, “A father’s depression may not have a negative effect on his children if he has a strong marriage, according to a new study” published online in the journal Developmental Psychology. “In conducting the study, the researchers examined information on 606 children and their parents enrolled in a study on early child development done by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.” The study found that even though “depressed dads may have difficulty addressing the emotional needs of their children…if these fathers have a supportive spouse who listens they may be able to improve their interactions with their children.”

Related Links:

— “A Strong Marriage Can Shield Kids From Dad’s Depression: Study, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, May 28, 2013.

HealthDay (5/29, Norton) reports, “Various forms of ‘talk therapy’ can help people with depression, but no single type stands out as better than the rest, according to a new analysis” published online May 28 in PLoS Medicine. After analyzing “nearly 200 clinical trials testing seven different types of psychotherapy for major depression,” researchers found that “overall…all of the therapies were better than no treatment. The typical effect was ‘moderate to large,’ they say – which means that the average patient who received the therapy was doing better than half of the patients in the untreated, comparison group.”

Related Links:

— “Talk Therapy Can Ease Depression, But No Single Type Deemed ‘Best’, “Amy Norton , HealthDay, May 28, 2013.