CCC 28-2_LR

NEWS & NOTES and frequent sleep disturbances. Individuals reported daytime impair ment and heightened negative emotions such as fear, stress, and anger, along with poorer mental health outcomes, including depression, anxi ety, and internalizing behaviors. 2. Sleep resilience and mental health: People in this group still experienced negative emotions, including sad ness, and showed signs of poorer mental health. They also reported attention-related difficulties, such as inattention and symptoms asso ciated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 3. Sleep aids and sociability: This group included individuals who used hypnotics or other sleep aids. They reported higher social satisfaction, stronger friend ships, and greater emotional support, along with less perceived rejection and fewer attention problems. However, they also showed weaker emo tional recognition—the ability to identify others’ emotions—and poorer visual episodic memory, or the capacity to vividly recall past experiences. 4. Sleep duration and cognition: Those who reported sleeping fewer than six to seven hours per night tended to show lower agreeableness, higher aggressiveness, and reduced emotional processing. 5. Sleep dis turbances, cognition, and mental health: This pattern involved sleep disruptions related to pain, breathing problems, frequent urination, tem perature imbalance, and repeated awakenings. Individuals in this group were more likely to experience substance misuse, poorer mental health— such as anxiety, thought problems, and aggressive behavior—and lower overall cognitive performance. 8 DEMENTIA PREVENTION TIPS Substantial evidence indicates that addressing vision and hearing loss—including consistent use of hearing aids throughout most waking hours—reduces the risk of dementia. Vision and hearing interventions support dementia prevention and promote independent living, poten tially by reducing sensory deprivation, conserving cognitive resources, and decreasing social isolation. 9 A STRIKING GENDER GAP IN RELIGIOUS DISAFFILIATION According to Barna Research, young women are now more likely than their male peers to identify as religiously unaffiliated. Among Gen Z adults ages 18-24, 38% of women report being atheist, agnostic, or having no faith, compared with 32% of men. This pattern also appears among teens aged 13-17, with 28% of girls identifying as unaffiliated, compared to 22% of boys. These findings signal a shifting religious landscape that challenges long-standing assumptions about who is most likely to dis engage from religion. Religious practices among young adult women are also lower than those of other groups. Only 58% of women aged 18-24 reported praying in the past week, compared with 63% of younger teen girls and more than 70% of teen boys. Bible reading shows a simi lar trend: just 31% of young adult women read the Bible in the previous week, compared with 37-41% in other demographics. Worship service attendance is likewise lowest among this group, with only 30% reporting attendance in the past week. 10 SUICIDE RATE AMONG GEN Z ON THE RISE A new analysis of CDC data by Stateline, a nonprofit newsroom, found that the suicide rate among young adults ages 18-27 rose nearly 20% between 2014 and 2024. The most significant increases occurred in Georgia (+65%), North Carolina (+41%), Texas (+41%), Alabama (+39%), and Ohio (+37%), while rates fell in North Dakota (-39%), Vermont (-37%), and Delaware (-34%). 11

Those who reported sleeping fewer than six to seven hours per night tended to show lower agreeableness, higher aggressiveness, and reduced emotional processing.

36 Christian Counseling Connection