Publications by authors named "Anna Beth Parlier-Ahmad"
Introduction: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the most efficacious treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). MOUD uptake and continuation may be impacted by health concerns, including weight gain, and social factors, such as food insecurity, that vary between men and women. This study aimed to describe sex and gender differences in body mass index (BMI) and weight-related demographic, psychosocial, and clinical characteristics among adults receiving buprenorphine for OUD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Insomnia symptoms are negatively related to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment outcomes, possibly reflecting the influence of sleep on neurofunctional domains implicated in addiction. Moreover, the intersection between OUD recovery and sleep represents an area well-suited for the development of novel, personalized treatment strategies. This study assessed the prevalence of clinically significant insomnia symptoms and characterized its neurofunctional correlates among a clinical sample of adults with OUD receiving buprenorphine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Within residential treatment, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is rarely offered, so little is known about group differences by MOUD status. This study characterizes samples of women receiving and not receiving MOUD and explores postdischarge outcomes.
Methods: This is a secondary exploratory analysis of a residential clinical trial comparing women receiving treatment as usual (TAU) with those who also received computer-based training for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT).
Aim: Among individuals receiving medication for OUD (MOUD), insomnia is highly prevalent and increases the risk for negative OUD outcomes. However, little is known about MOUD patient-reported preferences for insomnia treatments among women with OUD. This mixed-methods study explored acceptability of and patient preferences for sleep interventions among women in OUD treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study found that postpartum depression, anxiety, and PTSD rates have significantly risen among new mothers, particularly in the NICU, leading to negative outcomes for both mothers and infants.* -
- The research highlighted a high prevalence of mental health concerns among 119 diverse, lower-income mothers in a NICU, with notable rates of postpartum anxiety (51.3%) and depression (34.5%).* -
- The study suggests that trauma-informed care should address the link between childhood trauma and peripartum distress, recognizing that many mothers have experienced multiple traumas, especially related to NICU admissions.*
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to simplify the NIDA Phenotyping Assessment Battery (PhAB) by developing a shorter version (PhAB-B) to make it easier to administer in substance use disorder (SUD) clinical trials, particularly focusing on female patients.
- A total of 55 non-pregnant women between 18-65 years, stabilized on buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, participated in the trial, primarily completing the PhAB-B remotely with an average completion time of 23 minutes.
- The results showed that the PhAB-B is feasible and acceptable to the participants, with a high satisfaction rate, suggesting its potential for use in future research and treatment settings.
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted healthcare delivery changes, but the associated impacts on substance use disorder treatment outcomes among pregnant and parenting people are unknown. This study aims to (1) describe COVID-19-driven clinical practice changes, (2) evaluate clinic-level visit attendance patterns, and (3) compare patient-level treatment engagement outcomes across 3 COVID-19 pandemic phases in an OBGYN-addiction treatment clinic.
Methods: COVID-19 phases include pre-COVID-19 (August 2019-February 2020), early COVID-19 (March-December 2020), and COVID-19 vaccine (January-July 2021).
Birthing people with opioid use disorder (OUD) face unique stressors during the transition from pregnancy to postpartum that can negatively impact the maternal-infant dyad. This study aimed to describe the development of a family-centered, technology-delivered intervention tailored to help pregnant people receiving medication for OUD (MOUD) prepare for this transition. Formative data from patients and providers identified intervention content: (1) recovery-oriented strategies for the pregnancy-to-postpartum transition; (2) guidance around caring for an infant with opioid withdrawal symptoms; and (3) preparation for child welfare interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Postpartum people with opioid use disorder (OUD) report feeling underprepared for the pregnancy to postpartum transition. We developed a novel, technology-delivered educational intervention for pregnant and parenting people with OUD to address this gap. This study provides a theoretically grounded assessment of the feasibility and acceptability of a new technology-delivered educational intervention (Project BETTER) for pregnant and parenting people receiving medication for OUD (MOUD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Perinatal opioid use disorder is increasing. Integrated obstetric/addiction care models likely optimize parent-infant dyad outcomes, but the ideal combination of services is unknown. This study (1) describes pregnancy-to-postpartum service utilization by people receiving buprenorphine at an integrated Obstetric/Addiction Clinic and (2) explores the association between service utilization and postpartum buprenorphine continuation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * The study focused on understanding the psychosocial and clinical characteristics of those who do and do not visit the ED by analyzing demographic data from 142 participants using buprenorphine.
- * Key findings indicate that being Black, having less social support, more medical issues (like chronic pain), and frequent visits to addiction providers are linked to higher ED utilization among those in treatment for OUD.
Reproductive and sexual health (RSH) is an important component of wellness and recovery for people with substance use disorder (SUD). Evidence to guide better integration of RSH services into SUD treatment is limited. Our objectives were to compare 1) unmet RSH needs; and 2) barriers to RSH service utilization between care settings providing treatment for SUD or other chronic medical conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The U.S. faces high maternal and infant mortality rates, especially among Black women, due to limited access to prenatal and postpartum care linked to structural racism in healthcare.
- - This study uses data from a randomized controlled trial to identify factors that influence Black women's attendance at peripartum care and to compare characteristics between those who participated and those who did not in the trial.
- - Key findings show that older age, high-risk pregnancy, and absence of recent substance use are associated with better attendance at prenatal care, which in turn predicts attendance at postpartum visits, highlighting the need for culturally informed interventions in the healthcare system.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic pain, specifically Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP), significantly complicates opioid use disorder (OUD), with overlapping psychosocial and neurobiological risks.
- The study aimed to compare the prevalence of CPP and sexual dysfunction between individuals on buprenorphine for OUD and those receiving treatment for other chronic medical conditions, using various assessment tools.
- Findings indicated high levels of CPP and sexual dysfunction in both groups, highlighting the need for integrated, gender-sensitive approaches in OUD treatment to improve recovery outcomes.
What Recovery Means to Postpartum Women in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle)
January 2022
Article Synopsis
- Opioid overdoses are a significant cause of pregnancy-related deaths, especially within the first year after giving birth, prompting a study on recovery for postpartum women in treatment for opioid use disorder.
- This mixed-methods research involved women 2-6 months postpartum from a perinatal addiction clinic, utilizing surveys and interviews to explore their definitions of recovery and related experiences.
- Participants viewed recovery as a transformative process focused on personal growth, resilience, and various life improvements, with medication for opioid use disorder playing a crucial role in their recovery journey.
Background: Social determinants of health (SDoH) influence health outcomes differentially across gender. Gender differences in SDoH have been identified at baseline in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment studies, but less is known about how SDoH and gender intersect with OUD treatment trajectories. This study aims to identify social correlates of OUD treatment outcomes from five key areas of social determinants separately for men and women receiving buprenorphine for OUD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * A study showed that over a third of OUD participants reported experiencing recent IPT, with women more frequently affected by sexual violence than men.
- * The findings suggest that public health strategies addressing the opioid crisis should specifically consider the impacts of IPT, focusing on tailored approaches for different genders.
Prevalence and Social Acceptability of Cannabis, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use in Adult Women.
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle)
October 2021
Article Synopsis
- As more US states legalize cannabis, more people are using it and view it more positively; this study focused on how cannabis use relates to social acceptability and mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
- The study involved 210 nonpregnant women, averaging 38.7 years old, and examined their recent and lifetime use of cannabis, cigarettes, and alcohol, showing 12.9% used cannabis recently.
- Higher acceptability of cannabis was linked to greater acceptance of other substances, with anxious women being more likely to view cannabis favorably, indicating potential areas for further research and education.
Background: Recovery is a multidimensional process that includes health, quality of life, and citizenship. Recovery capital is a strengths-based concept representing the sum of an individual's resources that support recovery. This study (1) describes recovery capital, (2) examines the relationship between recovery capital and treatment duration, and (3) assesses differences by gender in recovery capital among people receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Disparities in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment use persist across groups, including gender. Using a gender-informed approach to expand treatment capacity and reduce barriers to treatment engagement is vital. We examined SUD treatment need and receipt among people with SUD in the United States, by gender, and assessed gender-specific sociodemographic factors associated with unmet need for SUD treatment and reported treatment barriers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs treatment expansion in the opioid epidemic continues, it is important to examine how the makeup of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) is evolving. Treatment programs are increasingly utilizing buprenorphine, an effective OUD medication. This exploratory study examines sex and gender differences in psychosocial, clinical and substance use treatment characteristics of a clinical population in outpatient medication treatment for OUD with buprenorphine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective for treating substance use disorders (SUDs), but its application in clinical settings is limited due to barriers like time and cost; CBT4CBT is a computer-based version that can improve accessibility and quality of treatment.
- This study assessed the feasibility of CBT4CBT as an addition to standard residential treatment for women with SUDs, comparing those using the program to those receiving traditional care with a small sample size.
- Results indicated that women using CBT4CBT had lower relapse rates, longer times to relapse, and fewer days of substance use, suggesting its potential benefits in residential treatment, though further research is needed for confirmation.
Treatment Outcomes Among Black Adults Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- Structural racism contributes to poorer outcomes for Black individuals with substance use disorder compared to White individuals, especially highlighted during the opioid epidemic.
- The study aims to identify psychosocial and clinical factors affecting outcomes for Black adults with opioid use disorder receiving buprenorphine and examines gender differences in these outcomes.
- Findings reveal that with quality treatment, Black adults show positive results; older age and lack of injection opioid history are linked to better retention and continued use of buprenorphine, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive interventions to combat systemic issues.
Article Synopsis
- Substance use disorders (SUD) are increasingly affecting women, especially during the postpartum period, leading to significant health risks and increased rates of pregnancy-associated deaths.
- There's a need to change the current obstetrical care model to provide specialized, individualized SUD treatment for women after giving birth, to better support their recovery and improve maternal and infant outcomes.
- More research is essential to develop evidence-based approaches for integrating tailored SUD treatments into postpartum care, ensuring that the unique needs of this vulnerable group are adequately met.