All posts tagged: distress

An unpredictable childhood predicts greater psychological distress during the Israel-Hamas war

An unpredictable childhood predicts greater psychological distress during the Israel-Hamas war

Published by José Betancourt

A study conducted in Israel during the 2023 war with Hamas found that individuals reporting greater early-life unpredictability tended to experience a greater increase in psychological distress during the war. They also tended to have greater psychological distress and emotion dysregulation before the war started. The paper was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Early-life unpredictability is the degree to which a child’s environment is unstable, inconsistent, or difficult to predict over time. It includes experiences such as frequent changes in caregivers, household chaos, inconsistent routines, or sudden shifts in resources and safety. Unlike simple deprivation, unpredictability is about variability rather than just a lack of input or support. Research in developmental psychology shows that children are highly sensitive not only to what they receive but also to how stable those conditions are. High unpredictability can shape cognitive and emotional development, especially systems related to learning, stress, and decision-making. For example, children in unpredictable environments may become more vigilant and reactive to potential threats. They may also prioritize short-term rewards over long-term planning, which …

Gregg Wallace drops damages claim against the BBC over ‘distress and harassment’

Gregg Wallace drops damages claim against the BBC over ‘distress and harassment’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has discontinued his damages claim against the BBC after seeking £10,000 from the broadcaster. The presenter, who was fired from the BBC show after a report upheld over 40 allegations of misconduct, claimed that the broadcaster had failed to comply with a request for copies of his personal data – causing him “distress and harassment”. Wallace sued the BBC and its subsidiary BBC Studios Distribution Limited in October 2025 after being sacked from MasterChef. The presenter, 61, had hosted the show for 21 years before being dismissed over historic allegations of misconduct. A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “Shortly in advance of a hearing (due 16 February), Mr Wallace discontinued his claim. He is not receiving any payment in costs or damages from either BBC or BBC Studios.” The Independent has contacted Gregg Wallace’s representative for …

Fathers’ reactions to child distress predict distinct socioemotional outcomes two years later

Fathers’ reactions to child distress predict distinct socioemotional outcomes two years later

Published by José Betancourt

A new study published in Development and Psychopathology has found that the way fathers respond when their young children are upset can shape their emotional and social development in surprisingly different ways over time. When children become frightened or overwhelmed, parents typically step in to comfort them. However, not all parents respond in the same way—while some minimize the situation, others become overly involved. Past studies have shown that insensitive responses can contribute to anxiety, behavior problems, and social difficulties. However, most of that work has focused on the form of the behavior—such as being harsh or overprotective—rather than the function the behavior serves in the parent-child interaction. Additionally, research on parenting has focused mostly on mothers, leaving fathers’ roles less understood. Cory Platts, Melissa Sturge-Apple, and Patrick Davies from the University of Rochester sought to address this gap. The study team invited fathers and their three‑year‑old children (235 pairs, 55% girls) into a laboratory designed to resemble a living room. After a brief warm‑up period, a stranger dressed either as a clown or in …

Holding racist attitudes predicts increased psychological distress over time

Holding racist attitudes predicts increased psychological distress over time

Published by José Betancourt

New research published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry challenges the common belief that mental illness is a primary driver of racist attitudes. The findings suggest that the relationship actually works in the opposite direction, with prejudiced beliefs predicting an increase in psychological distress over time. The study also highlights social connectedness as a significant factor, indicating that a lack of social connection may fuel both prejudice and mental health struggles. Psychologists and social scientists have historically sought to understand the roots of extreme prejudice. A frequent explanation in both academic literature and media coverage is that racism is a symptom of poor mental health. This narrative often surfaces after events of mass violence, where the perpetrator’s actions are attributed to psychological instability rather than ideological conviction. For example, counterterrorism strategies frequently list mental health issues as a key risk factor for radicalization. Tegan Cruwys, a researcher at the School of Medicine and Psychology at The Australian National University, led a team to investigate the validity of this assumption. The researchers argued that attributing racism to …

Some Public Health Service officers deployed to detention centers suffer ‘moral distress’ : NPR

Some Public Health Service officers deployed to detention centers suffer ‘moral distress’ : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The Department of Homeland Security’s push to detain and deport immigrants has led to high numbers of detainees and a need for more medical staff. Stephen Smith/AP hide caption toggle caption Stephen Smith/AP In 2025, as immigrant arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement soared, so did the demand for health care providers to staff hastily constructed detention centers. One group tapped to meet the need is the U.S. Public Health Service, or USPHS: In the past year, nearly 400 officers have done monthlong tours helping to provide basic medical care to detainees at ICE facilities nationwide, according to a USPHS employee who reviewed a roster of staff deployments. The deployed officers include nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and other medical professionals. A growing number say these ICE assignments are not what they signed up for. Life-threatening delays in getting medicine and care to detainees, chaotic screenings, and overcrowded yet understaffed conditions have pushed some medical professionals to quit. “We have been tasked with protecting and promoting health, and instead, we are being asked to facilitate inhumane …

Tech Companies Showing Signs of Distress as They Run Out of Money for AI Infrastructure

Tech Companies Showing Signs of Distress as They Run Out of Money for AI Infrastructure

Published by José Betancourt

AI companies are looking to spend trillions of dollars on data centers to power their increasingly resource-intensive AI models — an astronomical amount of money that could threaten the entire economy if the bet doesn’t pay off. As the race to spend as much money as possible on AI infrastructure rages on, companies have become increasingly desperate to keep the cash flowing. Firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Oracle are exhausting existing debt markets — including junk debt, private credit, and asset-backed loans — in increasingly desperate moves, as Bloomberg reports, that are raising concerns among investors. “The numbers are like nothing any of us who have been in this business for 25 years have seen,” Bank of America managing head of global credit Matt McQueen told Bloomberg. “You have to turn over all avenues to make this work.” AI companies have accrued at least $200 billion in debt, per the publication. A more realistic figure is likely considerably higher, as that estimate doesn’t count undisclosed private deals. Oracle announced over the weekend that it’s raising …

How the distress call of a Palestinian child was turned into an Oscar-nominated film

How the distress call of a Palestinian child was turned into an Oscar-nominated film

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Voice of Hind Rajab is in cinemas now. Add it to your watchlist When Kaouther Ben Hania first heard the voice of Hind Rajab, it was life-changing. In January 2024, trapped in a car in Gaza City and under fire from Israeli forces, the 5-year-old Palestinian girl put in a call to paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Left utterly terrified, with her relatives all dead around her, tragically, Hind did not survive the onslaught. Later investigations discovered 355 bullet holes in the black Kia she was in. The 70-minute audio of her distress call went viral, as Hind became a symbol for the thousands of children killed in the appalling conflict that escalated in Gaza after the terror attacks of October 7, 2023. “The first time I heard her voice, it impacted me a lot,” says Ben Hania. “There was a feeling of helplessness around what is happening in Gaza. And since she was asking for help, this feeling of helplessness was amplified. And I thought this is something that cinema can …

AI used in schools should ‘detect signs of learner distress’

AI used in schools should ‘detect signs of learner distress’

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Artificial intelligence (AI) used in schools should look out for signs of “distress” in pupils and flag concerning behaviour to safeguarding leads, new government guidance states. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson today announced government has updated its AI safety expectations, published last year, “to get ahead of emerging harms.” Newly added sections detail how AI tools used in schools must protect children’s mental health, cognitive, emotional and social development, and also protect against manipulation. Speaking at the Global AI Safety Summit in London today, Phillipson said the updated standards “safeguard mental health”. “High profile cases have alerted the world to the risk of a link between unregulated conversational AI and self-harm,” she said. “So our standards make sure pupils are directed to human support when that’s what’s needed.” AI products used in schools “should detect signs of learner distress”, such as references to suicide, depression or self-harm, the new non-statutory standards state. They should also detect spikes in night-time usage, “negative emotional cues” and “patterns of use that indicate crisis”. If distress is …

Link between inflammation and distress is stronger in people with poor emotion regulation

Link between inflammation and distress is stronger in people with poor emotion regulation

Published by José Betancourt

A study in Japan found that the associations between inflammation markers and psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, and somatic complaints are stronger in individuals with poor emotion regulation or low-quality sleep. On the other hand, these associations were attenuated or even reversed in individuals with effective emotion regulation or high-quality sleep. The paper was published in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health. Inflammation is a biological response of the immune system to injury, infection, or other forms of threat to the body. It involves the activation of immune cells and the release of signaling molecules such as cytokines that help eliminate harmful agents and initiate tissue repair. Acute inflammation is usually short-term and adaptive, supporting healing and recovery. Chronic inflammation, however, persists over time and can become harmful, contributing to a wide range of physical and mental health problems. Inflammation can also be local or systemic. Local inflammation occurs in a specific tissue or area of the body in response to injury, infection, or irritation. Systemic inflammation, on the other hand, refers to …