Bell Fellow Hayami Koga, along with Harvard Pop Center faculty members David Williams and Laura Kubzansky and their colleagues, have published a study in JAMA Psychiatry on the association between optimism and physical functioning among older women finding higher levels of optimism to be linked with better performance at baseline (grip strength and standing mobility) and slower rates of decline in several measures over a six-year period. Read about their…
What is the connection between slow-onset climate change and mental health outcomes?
The mental health impacts of weather-related disasters, such as hurricanes, have been well studied, but what about the effects of slow-onset climate change (e.g., droughts and temperature changes over longer periods of time) on mental health indicators, such as depression, anxiety, suicide, worry, grief, and frustration? Faculty member Laura Kubzansky is a co-author on this systematic review published in Nature Mental Health that examines the findings of quantitative and qualitative…
Comment: “Prosociality should be a public health priority”
With poignant lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic fresh in our minds, faculty member Laura Kubzansky, PhD, corresponding author on a Comment published in Nature Human Behavior, makes a strong case for why prosociality (defined as positive other-regarding behaviors and beliefs) should be more deeply explored—with a sense of urgency—as part of an ‘asset-based’ approach to address the rising rates of hopelessness, despair, and poor mental health in the U.S.
What is the association between social integration and mortality risk among African Americans?
This examination followed over 5,000 African-Americans (until 2018) from the Jackson Heart Study who completed the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index (2000–2004). Watch this 90-second summary of a paper that was published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology with HCPDS faculty member Laura Kubzansky, PhD, and incoming Harvard Bell Postdoctoral Fellow Hayami Koga, MD, MPH, PhD, among its authors.
Gut check: Study deepens understanding of link between gut bacteria and emotions
HCPDS faculty member Laura Kubzansky, PhD, is a co-corresponding author of a study published in Psychological Medicine that contributes to “gut-brain axis” research by tracking over 200 women, and evaluating their self-reported feelings (as well as how they handled these emotions) along with stool samples. “The analysis found that people who suppressed their emotions had a less diverse gut microbiome. The investigators also found that people who reported happier feelings…
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Study on optimism and longevity in women led by GSA Hayami Koga receives high Altmetric score for being cited & shared digitally
A study led by our graduate student affiliate Hayami Koga (faculty member Laura Kubzansky is also an author) received the highest Altmetric score (1717) for being the most cited, shared, and “talked about” article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 2022. The study, which was profiled in The Harvard Gazette, found that women across racial and ethnic groups who reported having a positive outlook, were more likely…
Multiple episodes of depressive symptoms over time linked to higher risk of stroke
This study published in the journal Stroke aims to build upon (and refine) existing evidence linking depression to higher risk of stroke by assessing the relationship between depressive symptoms and stroke risk over time, “given the remitting-relapsing nature of depressive symptoms.” Authors include HCPDS Director Lisa Berkman, and faculty members Ichiro Kawachi and Laura Kubzansky.
Study led by graduate student affiliate Hayami Koga focus of Harvard Gazette piece on optimism and longevity
Our graduate student affiliate, Hayami Koga, is lead author of a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (faculty member Laura Kubzansky is also an author) that builds upon prior research on women and longevity by expanding across diverse racial and ethnic groups.
Optimistic outlook linked to greater, even “exceptional,” longevity
Laura Kubzansky and her colleagues have published a paper in PNAS that has furthered previous research on the link between optimism and better health to now find a relationship between optimism and greater longevity (up to 15% longer, on average) including increased odds of living to 85 years old or beyond. The findings have received much attention in the press… Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Psychology Today CNBC…
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Study finds those most optimistic are 24% more likely to maintain good cognitive and physical health as they age
Laura Kubzansky is an author on a paper that explores optimism in relation to likelihood of healthy aging, considering whether effects are evident over and above effects of health-related behaviors and depression. Findings suggest that optimism should be explored further as a potentially modifiable health asset.