Older Americans dealing with high levels of psychosocial distress are at higher risk for stroke according to new research led by Susan Everson-Rose, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director of the Program in Health Disparities Research at the University of Minnesota.

The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, followed more than 4,000 people aged 65 and over who were participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project.

To arrive at their results, researchers identified 151 deaths from stroke and 452 events that led to first-time hospitalization as a result of a stroke. Researchers found that those with the most psychosocial distress had three times the risk of death from stroke and a 54 percent increased risk of first hospitalization compared to those least distressed.  Furthermore, the risk of distress climbed with age.

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently released results of a new study that found social media is leaving us more anxious than ever.

In addition to general anxiety, study respondents pointed to their social media use as a contributing factor to a serious lack of sleep and challenges in their relationships.

The study was the latest to remind us of the potential risks of isolation and feelings of negative self worth that can be amplified during prolonged periods online.  Even the American Academy of Pediatrics warned parents about the dangers of social media last year, coining the phrase “Facebook Depression.”

But now, a new University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health study refutes the claim that a large amount of time spent on Facebook and other social media sites increases a person’s risk of depression.