Let’s all club together for better mental health

Flinders University

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Kate Rasheed, PhD student, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University. 

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Credit: Flinders University

Sports clubs have the potential to provide a profound and positive impact on the mental health of their younger members, but the whole club must be engaged to make a real difference. 

A new study by Flinders University shows that while coaches are often the focus of mental health efforts in sport, real and sustainable change relies on recognising the role of all club stakeholders including parents, committee members, trainers and volunteers.  

“Our findings suggest that mental health initiatives in youth sporting clubs need to go beyond coaches to embrace a ‘whole-club’ approach,” says lead author, registered psychologist and PhD student, Kate Rasheed. 

“Sporting clubs are made up of so many moving parts and if we want to truly support young people, we need to consider the club as a whole, and not just rely on coaches or one passionate individual.” 

With growing recognition of sporting clubs as venues for mental health promotion, various programs and resources have been developed for these locations. 

“Some programs have shown promise in improving mental health outcomes however it’s still not regarded as a priority,” says Ms Rasheed from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.   

Drawing on interviews with 23 South Australian sporting club stakeholders including coaches, trainers, presidents, and parents, the study found strong recognition of the importance of community clubs supporting youth mental health.  

However, this recognition is rarely translated into meaningful or ongoing engagement with club-based mental health initiatives.  

“Many participants described one-off efforts or ‘token’ activities that lacked integration into club culture or routine,” she says.  

“We really need to rethink how mental health strategies are framed and delivered. 

“They should not only focus on individual well-being but also a broader perspective that includes support and education for players, coaches, and staff, as well as the club’s policies, culture, and structure. 

“By addressing these, clubs can create a more supportive environment rather than just implementing isolated programs.  

“It ensures mental health initiatives are embedded in the club's identity, making them more effective and long-lasting.” 

The study also found that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on helping clubs create safe, inclusive environments, and integrate mental health support into existing practices and routines of sport. 

Importantly, these efforts must also work to bridge the persistent gap between performance, physical health, and mental health by using sport-specific strategies that make mental wellbeing part of everyday training and play. 

“Unlocking a club’s potential requires a collective, multilayered approach tailored to each individual club,” she says. 

“We’re not saying clubs necessarily have to do more, but they do need to do things differently. 

“Even small, well-aligned steps when embedded in club culture and routine can make a meaningful difference.”  

The paper, ‘Unlocking a sporting club’s potential: a whole club approach to youth mental health promotion from the perspectives of club stakeholders’ by Kate Rasheed, Jasmine M. Petersen, Sam Elliott, Murray Drummond and  Ivanka Prichard was published in Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.  

DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2025.2476151  

Acknowledgements: 

This research was supported by a Hospital Research Foundation and Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Grant.  

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Journal

Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health

DOI

10.1080/2159676X.2025.2476151 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Unlocking a sporting club’s potential: a whole club approach to youth mental health promotion from the perspectives of club stakeholders

 

BEES: A new mental health tool set to create a buzz

Edith Cowan University

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10 June 2025 

 

BEES: A new mental health tool set to create a buzz 

A simple, short questionnaire designed by an Edith Cowan University (ECU) researcher could help people better understand and track their emotional well-being with minimal time and effort. 

The Brief Emotional Experience Scale (BEES) was developed and tested by ECU Psychology Researcher and Senior Lecturer Dr Shane Rogers. Developed to be accessible, intuitive, and easy to use, BEES pairs positive and negative emotion adjectives like happy–sad or calm–worried to provide a balanced assessment of emotional health.  

BEES has now been validated in a large-scale study involving more than 7,000 participants, including university students, school students and members of the public in Australia and the UK. 

Quick, clear and effective 

Dr Rogers said the BEES was created to offer a reliable emotional well-being measure that could be completed in just a few moments. 

“Many existing mental health questionnaires are long, complex or use technical language,” he said. 

“We wanted to develop something that was clear, quick to complete, and appropriate for a wide range of people regardless of age, background, or literacy level.” 

Unlike other tools that focus solely on high-intensity emotions like excitement or anxiety, the BEES covers a broader range of everyday emotional experiences, using balanced pairs of positive and negative feelings. 

Low stress, high accuracy 

The study found that the BEES results matched closely with established psychological tools like the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). It also caused less discomfort for participants, which Dr Rogers explained was a key factor in encouraging honest and ongoing self-reflection. 

“Participants reported feeling more comfortable using the BEES compared to other mental health questionnaires,” he said. 

“That’s important, especially if we want people to regularly check in with themselves or use the tool in settings like schools, workplaces, or healthcare.” 

Spotting signs of distress 

The research also helped establish new scoring bands to identify people experiencing higher levels of emotional distress; about 20 per cent of females and 10 per cent of males in the study fell into this category. 

“These insights can help identify people who may benefit from extra support, without needing a long or invasive survey,” Dr Rogers said. 

“It’s about giving people a tool that’s both scientifically sound and easy to use in everyday life.” 

Free and ready to use 

The BEES is freely available to researchers, educators, health professionals, community organisations, and the public and does not require special permission to use. 

“We’re hoping to see the BEES used more widely, whether it’s by schools wanting to monitor student wellbeing, researchers looking for a flexible measurement tool, or anyone interested in keeping track of how they’re feeling,” Dr Rogers said. 

He added that future research would focus on testing the BEES in different cultural contexts and over longer periods of time, including its ability to track emotional changes after interventions or during life transitions. 

The paper ‘Reliability and Validity of the Brief Emotional Experience Scale (BEES) as a Measure of Emotional Well-Being’ is published in the journal Behavioural Sciences. 

To find out more, visit the BEES webpage. 

 

Media contact:    

Tori Pree, ECU Corporate Relations (08) 6304 2222, pr@ecu.edu.au   

   

 

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Journal

Behavioral Sciences

DOI

10.3390/bs15050643 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Reliability and Validity of the Brief Emotional Experience Scale (BEES) as a Measure of Emotional Well-Being

 

AI narrows the productivity gap

Researchers show AI boosts efficient working practice in less-skilled taxi drivers

University of Tokyo

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The AI Navi app used by some taxi drivers cut search times for customers by about 5% on average. High-skilled drivers saw little benefit, so this time saving mostly impacted less-skilled drivers.

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Credit: ©2024 Satoshi - instagram.com/0hn0satoshi - CC-BY-ND

Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacts many industries and professions in different ways. A recent study looking at taxi drivers in Yokohama, Japan, shows that AI demand forecasting, which is unrelated to autonomous driving, can improve productivity in less-experienced drivers, helping close the skill gaps. This finding challenges the assumption that AI only favors high-skilled workers in technology-dependent industries.

The news is awash with stories about AI and the effects it can have on society — some news sites even have a dedicated tab for such stories. Though subjects vary, many stories raise the alarm about some potential negative impact or another. But researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, have recently discovered something positive relating to the profession of taxi driving, with implications of a broader pattern at play.

Their study looked at an AI app used by taxi drivers to predict where customer demand will be highest and suggests optimal routes to them, the aim being to reduce time spent with no passengers, increasing overall efficiency. When comparing drivers with different levels of skills, and thus demand-forecasting ability, the team found that low-skilled drivers saw the biggest benefits, with a 7% productivity increase, while high-skilled drivers experienced little benefit.

“We think this demonstrates AI can act as a ‘deskilling’ technology, enhancing the productivity of low-skilled workers while diminishing the relative advantage of high-skilled counterparts,” said Professor Yasutora Watanabe from the Graduate School of Public Policy. “This shift challenges decades of technological trends that favored skilled workers, widening inequality.”

To ensure the impacts of the AI tool on taxi drivers’ efficiency was accurate, Watanabe, with Professors Daiji Kawaguchi and Hitoshi Shigeoka at the Graduate School of Public Policy and Lecturer Kyogo Kanazawa from Yokohama National University, tackled a unique challenge: They measured the impact of the AI app without interference from other factors, like unobserved local demand conditions or the location. The key was to make use of the data variation that makes the use of AI random in the analysis, similar to how medical researchers randomly assign subjects to treatment and control groups in clinical trials. Their method relied on the random nature of where taxi rides end. Drivers start looking for new customers from a location randomly determined by where the previous ride ended, thus randomly affecting the probability that drivers turn on AI depending on how familiar the location is.

“The implications of this research go beyond taxi drivers. If AI can narrow the skills gap in taxi drivers, it could do the same elsewhere,” explained Shigeoka. “These findings may apply to jobs like paralegals reviewing contracts or pathologists identifying malignant cells. AI is likely to benefit less-skilled workers more significantly, improving their performance. This has the potential to reduce inequality in professions traditionally dominated by skilled workers.”

However, the study also uncovered something puzzling: Many less-skilled drivers didn’t use the app, even though it could have significantly improved their performance. The researchers acknowledged this hesitation might stem from reluctance to embrace new technology, and that addressing this barrier could benefit workers in various sectors.

“Companies might focus on designing reskilling programs to help employees develop complementary abilities,” said Kawaguchi. “By automating skills, such as demand forecasting, employers may shift their focus to hiring workers with qualities AI cannot yet replicate like better communication skills and other people-focused things.”

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Journal article:

Kyogo Kanazawa, Daiji Kawaguchi, Hitoshi Shigeoka, Yasutora Watanabe. “AI, Skill, and Productivity: The Case of Taxi Drivers”, Management Science, https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.2023.01631

Funding:
This research is financially supported by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JPMJRX18H3).

Useful links:
Graduate School of Economics - https://www.e.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index-e.html
Graduate School of Public Policy - https://www.pp.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
National Bureau of Economic Research - https://www.nber.org/

Research contact:
Professor Yasutora Watanabe
Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
yasutora@e.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Press contact:
Mr. Rohan Mehra
Public Relations Group, The University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
press-releases.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

About The University of Tokyo:

The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 4,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @UTokyo_News_en.

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Journal

Management Science

DOI

10.1287/mnsc.2023.01631 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

AI, Skill, and Productivity: The Case of Taxi Drivers

Article Publication Date

9-Jun-2025

 

Evolution told by turtle scales

A study from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reveals that turtles use both genetic signals and mechanical forces to develop the scales on their heads, highlighting a shared evolutionary heritage with crocodiles and dinosaurs.

Université de Genève

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In vertebrates, the formation of feathers, hair, and scales is typically governed by molecular genetic factors. However, crocodile head scales are an exception, as they form through a purely mechanical process of skin folding. A new study from UNIGE shows that turtles employ both of these distinct processes to develop the scales on different parts of their heads. These findings suggest that the mechanical shaping of scales is an ancestral trait, shared with crocodiles and likely dinosaurs, but lost in birds. The study, published in iScience, sheds new light on reptile evolution and opens up avenues for innovation in several applied fields.

In most vertebrates, skin appendages such as hair, feathers, or scales originate from placodes—small, specialized skin regions whose spatial organization is controlled by well-conserved genetic signals. Crocodiles are an exception: their head scales do not emerge from placodes but result from simple mechanical folding of the growing skin.

One Head, Two Mechanisms

The laboratory of Michel Milinkovitch, professor in the Department of Genetics and Evolution at UNIGE’s Faculty of Science, had previously elucidated this mechanism in crocodiles. This time, the team focused on turtles. The Geneva scientists discovered that turtles combine both strategies — a first among vertebrates. The peripheral scales on the head follow the classic, chemical model, expressing genes typical of placode development. In contrast, the top of the head shows no trace of these genetic signals: here, the skin folds under mechanical stress caused by slower growth of the underlying tissues, especially bone tissue.

Patterns Sculpted by Physics

Using 3D light-sheet microscopy and computer modeling, the researchers demonstrate that these mechanical forces are sufficient to produce the irregular polygonal patterns observed in this area. “This mechanical folding explains the asymmetrical shapes of the scales on the top of the head,” says Rory Cooper, postdoctoral researcher in Milinkovitch’s lab and co-author of the study. “It also accounts for the remarkable variation seen between individuals, and even between the left and right sides of a single individual’s head,” adds Ebrahim Jahanbakhsh, computer scientist in the Milinkovitch team, and also co-author of the study.

An Inherited Ancestral Reptilian Trait

From an evolutionary perspective, this discovery is significant. Tortoises and aquatic turtles (collectively known as Testudinata) are the closest living relatives of crocodiles and birds. The fact that turtles and crocodiles share a mechanical process for forming head scales suggests it originated in their common ancestor and was later lost in birds.

“This reveals a new facet of reptile evolutionary history: the ability to generate head scale patterns through mechanical forces is an ancient trait —predating the emergence of modern turtles, crocodiles, and birds, and therefore most likely present in dinosaurs,” comments Michel Milinkovitch.

Beyond evolutionary biology, these findings are of great interest in the emerging field of biomimetics — the search for innovative solutions inspired by nature — as well as in regenerative medicine. Understanding how complex structures emerge from simple physical rules can inspire advancements in areas such as architecture, tissue regeneration, and the design of innovative materials.

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Journal

iScience

DOI

10.1016/j.isci.2025.112684 

Method of Research

News article

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

"Chemical and mechanical patterning of tortoise skin scales occur in different regions of the head"

Article Publication Date

9-Jun-2025

 

Aging disrupts osteocyte networks and bone structure, with greater impact in males

Premature aging weakens bone integrity by impairing osteocyte networks, with male mice showing greater structural and cellular decline

Editorial Office of West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University

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Aging reduces the density and volume of cortical and trabecular bone tissue

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Credit: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Laboratory of Skin Biology, Maria I. Morasso, Ph.D., Chief National Institutes of Health Image Source Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nihgov/22894137793

Age-related bone loss is a pressing health challenge for aging populations worldwide. As people age, their bones gradually lose density and become frail, increasing the risk of fractures and reducing their quality of life. Although osteoporosis is typically associated with postmenopausal women, recent studies show that men are also significantly affected. Compounding the issue, the precise cellular mechanisms that drive bone degeneration with age remain poorly understood. Increasingly, research attention has turned to osteocytes—specialized bone cells embedded within the bone matrix—as crucial players in skeletal aging.

Osteocytes form a vast cellular communication network within the bone, known as the lacuno-canalicular network (LCN), which helps regulate bone remodeling. These cells respond to mechanical signals and secrete biochemical cues that influence bone formation and resorption. However, with aging, this network becomes fragmented, and osteocyte function declines. A fundamental question in aging research is how age, and potentially sex, alter the morphology and connectivity of the LCN in ways that impair bone health. Understanding this could help develop targeted treatments for osteoporosis.

Now, scientists at ETH Zurich, led by Professor Ralph Müller, have investigated this question using the premature aging mouse model, PolgD257A/D257A (PolgA). The study was published in the journal Bone Research on May 25, 2025. The researchers used advanced imaging techniques and computational analysis to reveal age- and sex-specific degeneration of bone and the LCN as early as 40 weeks of age, a time point comparable to advanced aging in natural mouse models and elderly humans. The degenerative changes were more prominent in male mice.

“Our study shows that PolgA mice experience accelerated skeletal aging with clear structural impairments and reduced osteocyte connectivity,” said Prof. Müller. “This model offers a powerful system for dissecting the cellular mechanisms of age-related bone loss.”

The researchers first evaluated general musculoskeletal health markers, such as body weight, grip strength, gait, and frailty index, at multiple time points up to 40 weeks. Compared to their wild-type counterparts, PolgA mice displayed a steep decline in physical performance and increased frailty, with males exhibiting more pronounced changes. Micro-CT scans of the femur (thigh bone) showed that both cortical (compact) and trabecular (spongy, porous) bone tissue deteriorated significantly in aged PolgA mice. Cortical thickness and bone area declined. Trabecular bone volume was also reduced significantly. These changes mirrored patterns seen in naturally aged mice and elderly humans, strengthening the case for the PolgA model as a proxy for skeletal aging.

Next, the researchers used confocal microscopy and a custom in silico analysis pipeline to analyze the key features of osteocytes and their dendrites—tree-like branches extending from osteocytes. In aged PolgA mice, both males and females exhibited substantial loss in dendrite number, length, and area, along with reduced osteocyte density. Males showed a more severe degeneration, consistent with their more pronounced bone loss.

The researchers also examined the LCN using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) staining on fresh frozen femur sections, which allowed visualization of the canaliculi and lacunae—channels and cavities inside bones. The researchers found reduced lacunar density, shorter canaliculi, and overall lower network connectivity in aged PolgA mice. Using connectomics tools, they quantified changes in network nodes and distances between osteocytes, showing a clear disruption in osteocyte communication.

“The LCN in aged PolgA mice became sparse and fragmented,” said Prof. Müller. “This not only reflects impaired osteocyte function but could also explain the loss of bone mass and strength.”

In addition to the effects of age on osteocytes and bone health, the study highlights some sex-specific differences. Aged male PolgA mice showed more severe degeneration in several parameters compared to females, possibly due to the protective effects of estrogen. The authors suggest that sex hormones may mitigate some aspects of mitochondrial dysfunction in aging cells, a hypothesis that warrants further investigation.

This study offers a robust model of how aging impairs the very cells that hold our bones together. Moreover, the implications of these findings extend beyond the PolgA model. By validating that this mouse strain recapitulates key aspects of natural aging, researchers now have a tractable system to test interventions aimed at preserving bone health.

“Our work underscores the importance of osteocytes in maintaining bone health as we age,” concludes Prof. Müller. “By understanding how their structure and connectivity degrade, we move closer to identifying new strategies to prevent or reverse bone fragility.”

 

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Reference

Titles of original papers: Age- and sex-specific deterioration on bone and osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network in a mouse model of premature aging

Journal: Bone Research

DOI: 10.1038/s41413-025-00428-x

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Journal

Bone Research

DOI

10.1038/s41413-025-00428-x 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Age- and sex-specific deterioration on bone and osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network in a mouse model of premature aging