Drug-addicted babies

The number of newborns in opioid withdrawal has risen in recent years in the US as illicit fentanyl has supercharged the potency of the illicit drug market. About six in 1,000 babies have been born drug-dependent each year since 2017, according to an analysis from healthcare data company Truveta. The rate in 2009 was half that, federal data show. In the world of illicit-drug treatment, caring for mothers using opioids and their babies is particularly fraught. The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicated that nearly 8pc of pregnant women among the 60,000 respondents overall had used illicit drugs in the past month and some 1pc of pregnant women had taken illicit opioids. Some public-health officials want to protect infants from the harmful effects of opioids without deterring moms from seeking prenatal care and addiction treatment. Many states require that mothers who test positive for opioids be reported to child services.

(Adapted from “For Babies Born Dependent On Opioids, Doctors Try New Caregiving Approach,” by Julie Wernau, published on April 30, 2023, by The Wall Street Journal)

Scamming Gen Z online

Scammers in search of money and credit card information are exploiting more young people on their home turf of social media. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said online shopping is the most common type of fraud in the US, and scams often start on social media. Reported losses from social-media fraud reached more than $1.2bn last year, up from $42m in 2017. For adults ages 18 to 29, social media is by far the biggest starting point for fraud: nearly 40pc of the fraud loss reported by this age group in 2021 originated on a social media site, said the FTC. The amount of money younger people report losing to scams is much lower than it is for older adults, who are more likely to fall for scams by phone, involving tech support, sweepstakes or people posing as friends and relatives. The median individual fraud loss reported by people ages 18 to 59 was $500 in 2021, said the FTC. For people 80 and older, it was $1,500.

(Adapted from “Social-Media Shopping Scams Are Growing. Young Adults Are the Targets,” by Cordilia James and Julie Jargon, published on April 29, 2023, by The Wall Street Journal)

The right mindset for creativity

Whether you’re a cookbook writer or the leader of a team that needs to innovate, sustaining creativity comes down to your ability to stay focused on the challenge rather than on your identity as a creative professional. In fact, focusing too much on the outcome — the thing that is being created — rather than the process of creation seems to be counterproductive. Indeed, researchers have found that it’s easier to sustain creative work if you do the following. 1) Use a systematic process. Innovation experts have suggested that it’s helpful to have a systematic process for idea development. 2) Collaborate. Working with collaborators can make the creative process feel much less threatening to the individual. 3) Lower the stakes. Many studies have found that having a sense of psychological safety can enhance creativity.

(Adapted from “Mix Creativity With The Right Mindset To Serve Up Innovation,” by Dirk Deichmann and Markus Baer, published on May 01, 2023, by MIT Sloan Management Review)

Opting for stretch projects

Stretch projects require skills or knowledge beyond your current level of development and are great opportunities to shine in a new arena. This is also why they can feel so scary, especially for workers at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, or other dimensions of diversity. Research shows that women, people of colour, and members of the queer community are punished more heavily when they make mistakes. The good news is that handling this kind of unfamiliar work is a skill that you can learn and refine. Here’s how to get started: 1) Get clarity. At the very start of your project, figure out your manager’s expectations and important deadlines. 2) Do a listening tour. Schedule meetings with each of the key stakeholders, including your manager. 3) Trust your gut. Don’t let your fear of failing overcome your intuition.

(Adapted from “Why You Should Take On More Stretch Assignments,” by Jahna Berry, published by HBR Ascend)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, May 15th, 2023