It takes a village: Feedback from personnel in addiction treatment programs indicates support for changing the intake process.

Introduction: The initial intake encounter represents a critical point for treatment engagement in outpatient addiction treatment programs. Despite the intake assessment being more comprehensive, personalized, and capable of matching clients to level of treatment, addiction treatment programs continue to have among the highest attrition rates. Thus, it may not be what, but how services are delivered that contributes to attrition.

Study Protocol for the Healing Opioid Misuse and Pain Through Engagement Trial: Integrated Treatment for Individuals With Co-occurring Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder.

Chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) are public health crises and their co-occurrence has led to further complications and public health impacts. Provision of treatments for comorbid chronic pain and OUD is paramount to address these public health crises. Medications for OUD (MOUD) are gold standard treatments for OUD that have also demonstrated benefit in pain management.

Is Mindfulness Associated With Safer Cannabis Use? A Latent Profile Analysis of Dispositional Mindfulness Among College Students Who Use Cannabis.

Objectives: Previous research cites mindfulness as a protective factor against risky substance use, but the specific association between dispositional mindfulness (DM) and cannabis use has been inconsistent. Despite known heterogeneity of DM facets across college students, much of the prior research in this area has relied on variable-centered approaches. Only a handful of prior studies within the cannabis literature have utilized person-centered approaches, and only one has specifically examined unique profiles of dispositional mindfulness in relation to patterns of use among college students.

A secondary analysis examining the performance of the State Optimism Measure (SOM) compared to the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) in measuring optimism over time.

Optimism is an important factor impacting health and human functioning. Originally conceptualized as a trait, increasing evidence indicates that optimism can change over time and could be an intervention target. Measures are needed that can capture changes in optimism.

Mechanisms of quality-of-life improvement in treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Objective: For individuals in alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment, many argue that holistic indicators such as quality of life (QoL) should be more consistently used in addition to drinking-related indicators. QoL increases from pre- to post-AUD treatment, but the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined the roles of positive and negative affect in QoL change during AUD treatment and additionally explored the relationship between QoL change and medication adherence.

Feature-Level Analysis of a Smoking Cessation Smartphone App Based on a Positive Psychology Approach: Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Smoking cessation smartphone apps have emerged as highly accessible tools to support smoking cessation efforts. It is unknown how specific app features contribute to user engagement over time and relate to smoking outcomes.

Objective: To provide a feature-level analysis of the Smiling Instead of Smoking app (version 2) and to link feature use to subsequent smoking cessation.

COVID-19 Impact on Smokers Participating in Smoking Cessation Trials: The Experience of Nondaily Smokers Participating in a Smartphone App Study.

To provide initial insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic could affect smoking behaviors and cessation efforts that were underway at its onset. An additional survey was added to follow-up assessments in an ongoing smoking cessation study for nondaily smokers: a measure of impact of COVID-19 and a subset of previously administered scales measuring smoking, emotional well-being, and alcohol use. Pre-post tests were conducted (84 ± 28 days apart).

When Stimulant Use Becomes Problematic: Examining the Role of Coping Styles.

Stimulant use among college students is a significant public health concern due to its consequential effects. Given that many students reportedly use prescription stimulants for academic purposes, empirical investigations are needed to identify those students at risk for prescription stimulant misuse (PSM). The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of coping styles on the association between prescription stimulant use and related consequences.

A Smoking Cessation App for Nondaily Smokers (Version 2 of the Smiling Instead of Smoking App): Acceptability and Feasibility Study.

Background: Recent evidence highlights the significant detrimental impact of nondaily smoking on health and its disproportionate prevalence in underserved populations; however, little work has been done to develop treatments specifically geared toward quitting nondaily smoking.

Objective: This study aims to test the feasibility, acceptability, and conceptual underpinnings of version 2 of the Smiling Instead of Smoking (SiS2) smartphone app, which was developed specifically for nondaily smokers and uses a positive psychology approach.

Methods: In a prospective, single-group study, nondaily smokers (N=100) were prescribed use of the SiS2 app for 7 weeks while undergoing a quit attempt.

Preparing for the Quit Day: Comparing Beliefs of Nondaily Versus Daily Young Adult Smokers as They Prepare for a Quit Attempt.

Introduction: Most smoking cessation approaches are modeled on heavy daily smoking. With increasing prevalence of nondaily smoking, it may be necessary to modify these approaches for nondaily smokers.

Aims: To provide information about beliefs and attitudes relevant to smoking cessation for nondaily smokers.

Is the thought-action repertoire a viable intervention target in substance use populations?

Objective: This study examined if general population findings of positive correlations between happiness and breadth of thought-action repertoire (TAR) hold in substance use populations, and tests if the TAR is a modifiable intervention target.

Methods: Using data from a randomized online survey on 468 adults in recovery from problematic substance use, we compared 5 happiness exercises to two control exercises on participants' post-exercise TAR, as measured by Frederickson's Modified Open-Ended Twenty Statements Test (MOETST) and coded specifically for action tendencies.

Results: A negative binomial regression model indicated that momentary happiness reported before exercise completion was significantly and positively related to the breadth of action tendency repertoires (exp(b) = 1.

Leveraging Positive Psychology to Support Smoking Cessation in Nondaily Smokers Using a Smartphone App: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: Nondaily smoking is an increasingly prevalent smoking pattern that poses substantial health risks.

Objective: We tested the feasibility of using a smartphone app with positive psychology exercises to support smoking cessation in nondaily smokers.

Methods: In this prospective, single-group pilot study, nondaily smokers (n=30) used version 1 of the Smiling Instead of Smoking (SiS) app for 3 weeks while undergoing a quit attempt.

Do self-administered positive psychology exercises work in persons in recovery from problematic substance use? An online randomized survey.

Quality of life and psychological well-being are increasingly being recognized as important factors in and outcomes of substance use treatment. Very little empirical evidence exists, however, to indicate if and how positive psychological outcomes could be targeted within treatment. Using a randomized survey administered online, we examined 5 brief, self-administered happiness exercises, and tested if completion of these exercises resulted in increases in in-the-moment happiness compared to 2 control exercises.