DemoPulse

Written by Galia Myron Wednesday, 08 June 2011 10:12

Latest happenings in demographics from around the world.

Young adults in debt actually feel a boost in self-esteem, says an Ohio State study that looked at how they handle credit card and college debt. Rather than feel stressed, adults aged 18 to 27 report feeling empowered and higher self-esteem. The effect was strongest in the lowest socio-economic class.

Doctors warn that just as teens may feel ostracized at school, they can also feel isolated on social networks like Facebook. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the constant status updates, photos of fun events, and other Facebook factors may contribute to depression in teens who are already prone to feeling excluded.

Men do not lose their testosterone as they age, says an Australian study that says that general health is the determining factor, not age, in testosterone levels. Researchers contend that it is declining health that lowers testosterone, not aging in and of itself.

Women warriors react to and handle stress the same way men do, says The Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Researchers who studied American soldiers in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 also found that post-deployment, there were no sex differences in post traumatic stress, depression and mental health, but men were more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs than women.

Big mamas mean big babies, say Chicago doctors who studied maternal weight and baby fat. Regardless of pre-partum weight, women who put on too much weight during pregnancy were more likely to have babies who are overweight. Doctors warn that heavy babies are more likely to be prone to obesity as they age.

Female drunk drivers tend to be better-educated, yet make less money than male drunk drivers, says a UK study. Women who drink and drive also tend to be widowed or divorced, while male drunk drivers are more likely to be married, the researchers found.

“Planking,” lying on the ground as a form of social protest, has made news in Taiwan. Two Taiwanese women—Karren and Jinyu—plank to draw attention to the plight of stray dogs and to encourage tourism. The women call themselves “The Pujie Girls,” which means “falling on the street” in Mandarin.

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