Breaking the cycle of vulnerability: study identifies modifiable elements to build community resilience and improve health

Associations Between Community Resilience, Healthcare Resources, and Cognitive Disability, Distress, and Depession in the U.S.

An article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that U.S. counties with fewer community resources exhibit poorer cognitive, mental, and physical health

Elsevier

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November 20, 2025 - A novel study empirically linking a standardized measure of community resilience in more than 3,100 U.S. counties to cognitive, mental, and physical health outcomes shows that counties with fewer healthcare resources, limited digital tools, and weaker support systems exhibit poorer overall health among their residents. The article appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, indicates that resilience can be measured, strengthened, and designed into our systems of care using modifiable tools like healthcare access, support networks, and technology.

Resilience is the capacity to adapt, maintain, or regain well-being in the face of adversity. “During natural disasters and other large-scale disruptions, it is often the most vulnerable populations, such as older adults, individuals with mobility limitations, and those needing caregiving, who are affected the most,” notes lead investigator Jie Chen, PhD, University of Maryland School of Public Health. “This led us to examine resilience not only as an individual characteristic but as a broader systems-level capacity.”

This study utilizes the SUNSHINE framework, in which resilience is defined as the ability of individuals, families, systems, and communities to adapt and thrive amidst challenging circumstances. While resilience is often discussed in broad terms, this study shows that it can be measured and that it plays a meaningful role in shaping health at the population level. Dr. Chen points out, “Resilience should not be confined to post-disaster contexts. It must also be recognized as a critical, modifiable social determinant of health that shapes population health through the social and systemic conditions in which people live.”

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from FEMA’s National Risk Index, CDC PLACES, and the Area Health Resources File. They examined how levels of community resilience were associated with five health outcomes: cognitive disability, frequent mental distress, physical distress, mobility disability, and diagnosed depression.

Co-investigator Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says, “We found that counties with very low community resilience had significantly higher rates of cognitive disability, depression, mental and physical distress, and mobility disability. These disparities were strongly associated with limited access to primary care, mental health services, and digital infrastructure, suggesting that resilience is a modifiable and measurable factor tied to population health.”

The most significant finding was that counties in the lowest resilience category had up to four percentage points higher prevalence of the five health outcomes compared to those with high resilience, even after adjusting for rurality, population size, and healthcare shortages. Investigators also found that the presence of healthcare infrastructure, particularly digital tools such as telehealth and health information technology, was linked to better outcomes.

One unexpected insight was that healthcare infrastructure, including access to timely care and telehealth, is not currently included in most standardized resilience indices such as the FEMA National Risk Index. However, the findings of this study imply that these factors are essential to promoting health and supporting recovery.

Dr. Reynolds points out, “Resilience is both a reflection of the conditions in which people live and a driver of their health outcomes. By treating resilience as something that can be strengthened through healthcare access, system design, and community investment, we can better support individuals, families, and communities across the life course.”

As many communities continue to face challenges related to aging populations, limited infrastructure, and uneven access to care, the findings of this study are especially relevant. In some areas, people are simply not able to access services when they need them.

Dr. Chen concludes, “What gives us hope is that many of these factors are modifiable. Resilience is not just something we have, instead, it is something we can build. Healthcare capacity, digital infrastructure, transportation, and social services can be improved and aligned with community needs. This opens the door to designing systems that better serve older adults, individuals with mobility challenges, and residents of underserved areas. We can break the cycle where limited resources lead to low resilience and poor health. That is a promising and actionable direction.”

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Journal

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2025.108168 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Associations Between Community Resilience, Healthcare Resources, and Cognitive Disability, Distress, and Depression in the U.S.

Article Publication Date

20-Nov-2025

 

Millions of people in the UK are being drawn into bribery and money laundering, according to new study

University of Surrey

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Bribery and money laundering are far more common among the public than many assume, with millions of people in the UK approached to take part in these activities in the past year, according to a new report co-authored by a researcher from the University of Surrey on behalf of the International Society of Economic Criminology (ISEC). 

The report found that 16% of UK adults had been asked for a bribe in the last 12 months and 11% (5.8 million UK adults per year) had been asked to help move money that could be linked to crime. Of those approached, over half agreed to take part.  

Worse still, in 2023, 9% of respondents consented to pay a bribe and 7% engaged in money muling (acts that facilitate money laundering). 

The risk of people taking part in these activities is concentrated among younger adults and men. In the 18 to 40 group, 29% were asked for a bribe and 16% paid. For money mulling, 22% were asked and 13% took part.  

Men reported higher exposure than women across both behaviours. Requests cluster in the private sector (including the finance sector) at 56%, public sector at 25%, the charity sector at 10%, and 8% other/unknown sectors. 

Dr Jack Whittaker, co-author of the report and Lecturer of Criminology at the University of Surrey, said:

"These findings are a wake-up call. Corruption is not something that happens far away or only in high-powered boardrooms, or in the movies. It is happening in everyday life – in workplaces, in financial dealings and in routine transactions. Most worryingly, people are being drawn in because it is presented as normal or easy and that normalisation is how corruption spreads. 

“Police record only around 100 to 170 corruption offences a year, compared with roughly 2,000 to 3,700 money laundering offences, yet the survey points to far wider hidden behaviour. The gap between lived experience and official statistics is stark." 

The research team used an anonymous online survey of 1,000 UK adults, recruited to reflect the national population by age, gender and region. Respondents were asked whether they had been offered or asked for bribes, or invited to receive and transfer funds for others, in the previous year. The approach allowed people to disclose sensitive experiences without fear of judgement or legal consequence, providing a clearer picture of what is happening behind closed doors. 

The study highlights a major gap between what is recorded and what is happening in reality. Police record a few hundred bribery offences each year, but the survey suggests millions of people may have encountered bribery requests. Similarly, while around 3,000 money laundering offences are recorded annually, tens of thousands of people may be participating in money mulling unknowingly or under pressure. 

Dr Whittaker continued: 

“The UK needs stronger public awareness about how bribery and money mulling operate, alongside support for people at risk of being targeted. This includes clearer education in schools and universities, more visible communication from banks and employers, and practical advice for anyone unsure whether an offer they receive is legitimate.” 

 

[ENDS] 

Note to editors:  

• For media enquiries and interview enquiries, please contact: mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk  

• The full report can be found in this PDF link.

 

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Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

ISEC UK BRIBERY AND MONEY LAUNDERING EXPERIENCE INDICATOR

Article PublicationDate

20-Nov-2025

 

How superstorm Gannon squeezed Earth’s plasmasphere to one-fifth its size

New study shows how a major space storm dramatically shrank Earth’s protective plasma layer and slowed its recovery, helping improve solar storm forecasts and protect space infrastructure we rely on.

Nagoya University

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image: 

Scientists have captured the first detailed observations of how a superstorm compresses Earth’s plasmasphere and reveal why recovery took more than four days, affecting navigation and communication systems.

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Credit: Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University

A geomagnetic superstorm is an extreme space weather event that occurs when the Sun releases massive amounts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. These storms are rare, occurring about once every 20-25 years. On May 10-11, 2024, the strongest superstorm in over 20 years, known as the Gannon storm or Mother’s Day storm, struck Earth.  

A study led by Dr. Atsuki Shinbori from Nagoya University's Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research has captured direct measurements of this extreme event and provided the first detailed observations of how a superstorm compresses Earth's plasmasphere—a protective layer of charged particles that encircles our planet. Published in Earth, Planets and Space, the findings show how the plasmasphere and ionosphere react during the most violent solar storms and help forecast disruptions to satellites, GPS systems, and communication networks during extreme space weather events. 

Right place, right time: How Arase captured historic data 

Launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2016, the Arase satellite orbits through Earth's plasmasphere measuring plasma waves and magnetic fields. During the May 2024 superstorm, it was positioned perfectly to observe the extreme compression and slow recovery of the plasmasphere in unprecedented detail. This was the first time scientists obtained continuous, direct measurements of the plasmasphere shrinking to such a low altitude during a superstorm. 

“We tracked changes in the plasmasphere using the Arase satellite and used ground-based GPS receivers to monitor the ionosphere—the source of charged particles that refill the plasmasphere. Monitoring both layers showed us how dramatically the plasmasphere contracted and why recovery took so long,” Dr. Shinbori explained. 

The plasmasphere works with Earth’s magnetic field to help limit harmful charged particles from the Sun and space, protecting satellites and supporting Earth’s natural shielding system against intense radiation. It normally extends far from Earth, but during the superstorm the outer boundary moved from approximately 44,000 km above Earth's surface to just 9,600 km. 

The superstorm was triggered by many massive eruptions from the Sun that hurled billions of tons of charged particles toward Earth. Within nine hours, the storm squeezed the plasmasphere to about one-fifth of its normal size. Recovery was very slow and took more than four days to refill, the longest recovery scientists have seen since they started monitoring the plasmasphere with the Arase satellite in 2017. 

“We found that the storm first caused intense heating near the poles, but later this led to a big drop in charged particles across the ionosphere, which slowed recovery. This prolonged disruption can affect GPS accuracy, interfere with satellite operations, and complicate space weather forecasting,” Dr. Shinbori noted. 

Visual evidence: Storm pushes auroras further to the equator 

During the most intense phase of the superstorm, extreme solar activity compressed Earth’s magnetic field, allowing charged particles to travel much farther along magnetic field lines toward the equator. This produced impressive auroras at unusually low latitudes.  

Auroras typically occur near the polar regions because Earth’s magnetic field guides solar particles into the atmosphere there, but the strength of this storm shifted the auroral zone from its usual position near the Arctic and Antarctic circles down to mid-latitude regions such as Japan, Mexico, and southern Europe—places where auroras are rarely seen. The stronger the geomagnetic storm, the farther toward the equator auroras can appear. 

Impact of negative storms on plasmasphere recovery 

About an hour after the storm struck, charged particles in Earth’s upper atmosphere surged at high latitudes near the poles and streamed toward the polar cap. When the storm began to subside the plasmasphere started to refill with particles from the ionosphere.  

Normally, this process takes a day or two, but in this case recovery stretched over four days because of a phenomenon called a negative storm. During a negative storm, particle levels in the ionosphere drop sharply across wide areas when intense heating changes the atmosphere’s chemistry. This decreases oxygen ions that help produce hydrogen particles needed to refill the plasmasphere. These storms are invisible and detected only by satellites. 

“The negative storm slowed recovery by altering atmospheric chemistry and cutting off the supply of particles to the plasmasphere. This link between negative storms and delayed recovery had never been clearly observed before,” Dr. Shinbori said. 

The findings give us a clearer picture of how the plasmasphere changes and how energy moves through it. During the storm, several satellites experienced electrical issues or stopped transmitting data, GPS signals were disrupted, and radio communications were affected. Knowing how long Earth’s plasma layer takes to recover after such events is key for forecasting space weather and safeguarding space technology.

A rare low-latitude aurora photographed at Rikubetsu, Japan, during the May 2024 super geomagnetic storm, the strongest in over 20 years. This storm caused extreme compression of Earth’s plasmasphere, documented for the first time through direct satellite measurements.

Credit

Nozomu Nishitani, Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University

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Journal

Earth Planets and Space

DOI

10.1186/s40623-025-02317-3 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Characteristics of temporal and spatial variation of the electron density in the plasmasphere and ionosphere during the May 2024 super geomagnetic storm

Article Publication Date

20-Nov-2025

 

Use of head CT scans in ERs more than doubles over 15 years

American Academy of Neurology

 

MINNEAPOLIS — A new study shows large increases in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans of the head in emergency departments across the United States from 2007 to 2022. The study, which was published on November 19, 2025, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also found disparities in use of head CTs by race, type of insurance and hospital location. 

“Head CT scans are a critical tool for diagnosing neurological emergencies, but their growing use raises concerns about cost, radiation exposure and delays in the emergency department,” said study author Layne Dylla, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “It’s important to balance the benefits of these scans with the risks and costs.”

For some situations, CT scans are considered unnecessary, as guidelines have shown that the images add little value to diagnosis but bring additional costs and radiation exposure. However, in other situations, CT scans are critical for time-sensitive diagnoses and treatments.

The study looked at a national hospital database, with results weighted to provide national estimates. In 2007, 7.84 million head CT scans were performed in emergency departments across the country. By 2022, that number had more than doubled to 15.98 million scans. This was an increase from head CTs done in 6.7% of all emergency department visits to 10.3%.

After adjusting for other factors that could affect the use of CT scans, such as age and the reason people went to the hospital, researchers found that Black people were 10% less likely to receive a head CT scan than white people. People who were on Medicaid insurance were 18% less likely to receive a head CT scan than those who were on Medicare or private insurance. People who received care in a rural hospital were 24% less likely to receive a head CT scan than those in urban areas.

People 65 years old and older were six times more likely to receive a head CT scan than people younger than 18 years old.

“Overall, these results highlight the need for more equitable access to neuroimaging in emergency care and further evaluation of the appropriateness of every head CT according to clinical recommendations,” Dylla said. “It’s important to recognize the tension between underuse of scans, leading to missed diagnosis, and overuse, resulting in radiation exposure and additional financial and patient care strains on the health care system.”

A limitation of the study is that the database does not include detailed information such as the patient’s medical history and how long they have had symptoms and how severe the symptoms are, making it challenging to determine whether the head CT scan was medically appropriate, according to Dylla.

Discover more about brain health at Brain & Life®, from the American Academy of Neurology. This resource also offers a website, podcast, and books that connect patients, caregivers and anyone interested in brain health with the most trusted information, straight from the world’s leading experts in brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The American Academy of Neurology is the leading voice in brain health. As the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with more than 40,000 members, the AAN provides access to the latest news, science and research affecting neurology for patients, caregivers, physicians and professionals alike. The AAN’s mission is to enhance member career fulfillment and promote brain health for all. A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, care and treatment of brain, spinal cord and nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, concussion, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, headache and migraine.

Explore the latest in neurological disease and brain health, from the minds at the AAN at AAN.com or find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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Journal

Neurology