Investigating COVID-19's Impact on Mental Health: Trend and Thematic Analysis of Reddit Users' Discourse.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in heightened levels of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues due to sudden changes in daily life, such as economic stress, social isolation, and educational irregularity. Accurately assessing emotional and behavioral changes in response to the pandemic can be challenging, but it is essential to understand the evolving emotions, themes, and discussions surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on mental health.

Objective: This study aims to understand the evolving emotions and themes associated with the impact of COVID-19 on mental health support groups (eg, r/Depression and r/Anxiety) on Reddit (Reddit Inc) during the initial phase and after the peak of the pandemic using natural language processing techniques and statistical methods.

Cigarette and e-cigarette use as a function of psychological distress following COVID-19 related university campus closures.

Individuals experienced increased social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have found social isolation and loneliness to be strongly associated with anxiety and depression, which have been associated with increased smoking and vaping rates among young adults, including college students. To examine relationships between psychological distress and nicotine use within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment of psychological distress as a function of positive psychological variables during the COVID-19 pandemic: A university longitudinal study.

To examine changes in psychological distress of college students as a function of demographic and psychological variables over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. : Subjects were recruited from a large public university in Northeast Ohio using electronic surveys administered at three time points in 2020. : Demographics, positive psychological metrics (flourishing, perceived social support, and resilience) and psychological distress were collected and a mixed linear model was run to estimate their effect on change in distress.

Increases in Risky Drinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic Assessed via Longitudinal Cohort Design: Associations With Racial Tensions, Financial Distress, Psychological Distress and Virus-Related Fears.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions to daily life resulting in wide-spread unemployment and psychological distress. Recent studies have reported high rates of alcohol use during this time; however, longitudinal data remain scarce and factors associated with increases in high-risk drinking observed over time are unknown.

Aims: The current study examined changes in high-risk drinking patterns across four 7-day observation periods, prior to and following a university wide campus closure.

Changes in alcohol use as a function of psychological distress and social support following COVID-19 related University closings.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, universities across the country abruptly closed campuses and transitioned to remote learning. The effects of these unprecedented closures are unknown. The current study examined reported alcohol consumption during the week prior to and after campus closure at a public university in Northeast Ohio.

Nonmedical use of prescription drugs during sexual activity as a predictor of condom use among a sample of college students.

To examine the impact of nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) during sexual activity on the frequency of condom use among a sample of college students. Students attending a large Midwestern University ( = 4284) during April 2015. Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of survey data using logistic regression.

Pregnant or recently pregnant opioid users: contraception decisions, perceptions and preferences.

Background: Multiple factors are linked to extremely high unintended pregnancy rates among women who use opioids, including various barriers to contraception adherence. These include patient level barriers such as lack of knowledge and education about highly effective contraception, and potential provider barriers. Using a mixed-methods framework to examine the contraception-related perceptions and preferences of opioid using women is a necessary next step to understanding this phenomenon.

The Use of Substances Other Than Nicotine in Electronic Cigarettes Among College Students.

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have grown in popularity, especially among youth and young adults. Although e-cigarettes were originally intended to vaporize a liquid mixture containing nicotine, there appears to be an increasing trend in other substance use in e-cigarettes (OSUE).

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional data from 1542 undergraduate college student e-cigarette users from a large Midwestern university were collected via online survey to assess prevalence of e-cigarette use, reasons for use, perceived harm, and prevalence and predictors of OSUE.

Associations of attitudes towards electronic cigarettes with advertisement exposure and social determinants: a cross sectional study.

Background: The exposure of young adults to electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) advertisements has risen rapidly. E-cigarette ads have been shown to increase short term perceived acceptability of using e-cigarettes in places where traditional cigarettes are banned. We set out to investigate if advertising exposure was related to perceptions of harm, addictiveness, and acceptability of use of e-cigarettes in places where traditional cigarettes are banned.

Perceptions of Harm and Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Opioid Drugs and Reasons for Not Seeking Treatment for Physical or Emotional Pain Among a Sample of College Students.

Background: Since the early 1990s, the United States has seen a significant increase in the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse. Despite benefits prescription opioids provide, misuse can be fatal.

Objectives: The current study was designed to investigate the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse, perceived harm of misuse, and reasons for misuse for physical or emotional pain instead of seeking professional medical or mental health treatment.

Examining the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, positive smoking outcome expectancies, and cigarette smoking in people with substance use disorders: a multiple mediator model.

Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent in people with substance use disorders (SUDs) and is associated with significant physical health problems. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also highly associated with both SUDs and cigarette smoking and may serve as a barrier to smoking cessation efforts. In addition, people with PTSD are more likely to hold positive smoking outcome expectancies (i.

Characteristics of opiate users leaving detoxification treatment against medical advice.

Substance-dependent patients leaving against medical advice (AMA) pose a unique challenge to detoxification programs. Most notably, AMA patients fail to access residential or outpatient treatment needed after detoxification and often return to detoxification treatment multiple times which has deleterious results for the patient and is taxing to the healthcare system. Using retrospective data from 89 daily opiate-using detoxification patients completing detoxification and 95 patients leaving AMA, we sought to identify patient characteristics useful in predicting AMA discharges from detoxification.

Methamphetamine use in Dayton, Ohio: preliminary findings from the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network.

Since the 1990s, methamphetamine manufacturing and use have been spreading into midwestern and southern United States. However, most research on methamphetamine use has been conducted in the western United States. This exploratory study is based on qualitative interviews with 26 people recruited in Dayton, Ohio, for the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network, a statewide epidemiological surveillance system.