The American Psychological Association’s (APA) newly released report, Stress in America: Our Health at Risk, paints a troubling picture of the impact stress has on the health of the country, especially caregivers and people living with a chronic illness such as obesity or depression.

More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink an average of 4 times a month, and the most drinks they consume on average is 8 according to a new Vital Signs report form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While binge drinking is more common among young adults ages 18–34, of those age 65 and older who report binge drinking, they do so more often—an average of 5 to 6 times a month.

People aren’t very good at making decisions that involve risk. Many people are afraid of airplanes, although accidents are extremely rare; some people even drive to avoid flying, putting themselves at more risk. A new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, examines how people learn about risk and finds that practice does not make perfect.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) offers 3 simple steps consumers can easily implement that will put them on the road to financial stability.

Vitamin D may help prevent hormonal changes that can lead to bone loss among those being treated for HIV with the drug tenofovir, according to the results of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) network study of adolescents with HIV.

An increasing number of children are being adopted into loving homes, but it is important for adoptive parents to be aware of any previously unrecognized medical issues and be prepared to provide appropriate medical care.

A study, "Parental Smoking and Vascular Damage in Their Five-Year-Old Children," in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics examined 259 children; 6 percent of their mothers smoked during pregnancy. At 5 years of age, these children showed thickening and stiffening of the carotid and artery walls, which is an indicator of cardiovascular disease risk in adulthood.

For decades, science has suggested that when people make decisions, they tend to ignore logic and go with the gut. But Wim De Neys, a psychological scientist at the University of Toulouse in France, has a new suggestion: Maybe thinking about logic is also intuitive. He writes about this idea in the January 2012 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science.

A new study suggests that young people with diabetes may be struggling to get a good night’s sleep, resulting in worse control of their blood sugar, poorer school performance and misbehavior.

With the ice hockey and football seasons now in full swing, kinesiology experts are examining the prolonged effects of concussions on athletes. While many athletes think they are recovered 2 days after a concussion, research published by the American College of Sports Medicine suggests the physiological aftermath of a concussion may actually linger for 3 to 7 days..

The quality of the emotional relationship between a mother and her young child could affect the potential for that child to be obese during adolescence, a new study suggests. The study is published in the January 2012 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Psychological scientists have found that, while going through many experiences like assault, hurricanes and bereavement can be psychologically damaging, small amounts of trauma may help people develop resilience.

School absenteeism is a significant problem, and students who are frequently absent from school more often have symptoms of psychiatric disorders. A new longitudinal study of more than 17,000 students has found that frequently missing school is associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems later on in adolescence, and that mental health problems during 1 year also predict missing additional school days in the following year for students in middle and high school.

Even kindergarteners know that thinking positively will make you feel better. And parents' own feelings of optimism may play a role in whether their children understand how thoughts influence emotions. Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at Jacksonville University and the University of California, Davis. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Teens who more openly express their own viewpoints in discussions with their moms, even if their viewpoints disagree, are more likely than others to resist peer pressure to use drugs or drink. That's one of the findings of a new longitudinal study by researchers at the University of Virginia. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Research suggests that the reproductive hormones may ready a woman’s brain for the demands of motherhood—helping her become less rattled by stress and more attuned to her baby’s needs. Although the hypothesis remains untested, in a review of the literature in Current Directions in Psychological Science, Laura M. Glynn of Chapman University and colleague surmise this might be why moms wake up when the baby stirs while dads snore on.

In new research, investigators at the Monell Chemical Senses Center report that babies exposed early to starchy, salty foods will develop a greater preference for salty taste—by as early as 6 months of age—than will infants who have not been given salty foods. Babies exposed to starchy, salty foods consumed 55 percent more salt than other babies during a preference test.