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By Jessica Heaton, MSc, postgraduate student in clinical psychology. Pregnancy can be an exciting journey for many, but for others, it comes with unexpected challenges, such as maternal depression. Depression during pregnancy, or antenatal depression, affects approximately 20% of pregnant individuals. It doesn’t just make pregnancy harder—it can have long-term effects on infants and the wider whānau. Research consistently...

Dr Nurina Katta. Dr Katta completed her PhD in Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Lab at the University of Canterbury Understanding Emotion Dysregulation in Children When children struggle to manage their emotions, it can show up as severe irritability, temper outbursts, anger, or even aggression. These challenges can affect them now and in the future, leading to issues...

Dr Siobhan Campbell Siobhan is a recent PhD graduate from Te Puna Toiora (Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab) based at the University of Canterbury. She is particularly interested in the impact of nutritional intervention on maternal mental health and infant development. Alongside her studies in nutritional psychology, Siobhan is completing additional studies in clinical psychology, working as an intern...

Dr Hayley Bradley   Researchers from Te Puna Toiora (Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab) have published a new study investigating whether broad-spectrum micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) can improve symptoms of depression during pregnancy. Antenatal depression affects between 15-21% of pregnant women worldwide (1) and increases the risk pregnancy, birth, and neonatal complications as well as postnatal depression (2-4). It has...

Publication just out: Blampied, M., Tylianakis, J. M., Bell, C., Gilbert, C., & Rucklidge, J. J. (2023). Efficacy and safety of a vitamin-mineral intervention for symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults: A randomised placebo-controlled trial “NoMAD”. Journal of Affective Disorders, 339, 954-964. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.077

Dr. Spider, aka Fiona Cross, made an appearance on More FM, opening up about her journey into the world of spiders and why you have seen more of them in your home recently 🎙️🕸️ Did you know spiders slow down in colder conditions? She discusses how as the temperature drops, spiders seek refuge indoors, searching for dark spots to escape...

Written by: Nurina Katta Long-term stress can increase the risk of all kinds of adverse physical and mental health conditions, such as strokes, cardiovascular disease, emotional distress, anxiety, and depression. In addition, stress can lead to poorer lifestyle choices, including smoking, drinking, and overeating1-6. There are high rates of stress among university students7; however, only a small number of students receive...

UC Arts and UC Science once again joined forces to run our Art of Science competition. Students from Year 5 to 13 were invited to submit their original artwork, and we were treated over 100 fantastic entries. Winning entries 2022 The competition was held under three school year categories: Apprentices (Year 5-7), Interns (Year 8-10) and Masters (Year 11-13). Check out...

The UC Science photography competition provides a chance to share insights through the power of photography. Breath-taking, bewildering, thought-provoking, illuminating… We received a ton of amazing images across six categories: astronomy, behaviour, earth science and climatology, ecology and environmental science, microimaging, and people. Check out the finalists below! Astronomy Behaviour Earth Science and Climatology Ecology and Environmental Science Microimaging People

If you want to get an academic talking, just bring up the topic of academic freedom. We all have opinions about what it is, but almost none of us have ever researched it or thought for very long about why societies provide this liberty to a select few. Academic freedom is as old as the university. It arose in the...