Exploring Peripartum Cannabis Use Among Young Sexual Minority People: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Young childbearing sexual minority (SM) people are more likely to use cannabis and to have an unintended pregnancy than their heterosexual peers; however, little is known about their perceptions and experiences of peripartum cannabis use. This qualitative study explores the relationships young pregnant and parenting SM people have with cannabis, as well as their feelings and opinions about prenatal cannabis use.

Method: Participants who identified as SM from baseline surveys of the YoungMoms study were recruited for semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 13).

A latent class analysis of alcohol-related problems among adults who drank in the past year.

Background: Research on alcohol-related problems often examines individual problem types in isolation or uses scales that provide a single cumulative severity score for alcohol-related harms. This study aims to assess the patterns of seventeen distinct alcohol-related problems and how they co-occur.

Methods: The East Bay Neighborhood Study surveyed a community sample of 864 adults who drank in the past year in Alameda County, California.

A qualitative investigation of nicotine and tobacco use in young pregnant and birthing sexual minority people.

Introduction: Sexual minority youth, especially those who identify as bisexual, have higher rates of nicotine and tobacco use and are more likely to become pregnant at a younger age than heterosexual youth. The goal of this study was to investigate the nicotine and tobacco experiences and motivations of sexual minority people before and during pregnancy.

Methods: Pregnant and birthing individuals ages 16-24 who identified as a sexual minority in an online survey were recruited for semi-structured video interviews about nicotine and tobacco use.

Co-occurring conditions during pregnancy and hospitalizations in the first year postpartum among persons with opioid use disorder.

Introduction: Pregnant persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) face a multitude of comorbid conditions that may increase the risk of adverse drug and health outcomes. This study characterizes typologies of comorbidities among pregnant persons with OUD and assesses the associations of these typologies with hospitalizations in the first year postpartum.

Methods: A cohort of pregnant persons with OUD at delivery in 2018 were identified in a Pennsylvania statewide hospital dataset (n = 2055).

Gender and Sexual Orientation Differences in Sexual Violence Knowledge, Prevention Behaviors, and Care-Seeking Behaviors.

Sexual violence (SV) on college campuses disproportionately affects cisgender (nontransgender) women, sexual minorities (e.g., gays/lesbians, bisexuals), and gender minority (e.

The opioid epidemic among the Latino population in California.

Background: The opioid epidemic in the United States has manifested differently across geographic regions and populations, with recent increases among racial/ethnic minorities and in the Western region of the U.S. This study provides an overview of the opioid overdose epidemic among Latinos in California and highlights high-risk areas in the state.

Harm Reduction Principles in a Street Medicine Program: A Qualitative Study.

There is ample evidence that homelessness is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Street Medicine seeks to eliminate these disparities by providing healthcare on the streets to people who are unsheltered. While extant research describes health disparities for the unsheltered and programmatic approaches to addressing housing instability, there are few published studies describing how healthcare providers build and maintain relationships with patients on the street.

Changes in activity locations during the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and alcohol use.

Introduction: Restrictions and guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 caused considerable and rapid changes to individuals' daily routines. This study examines how activity locations changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing restrictions, and whether these changes were associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and alcohol use.

Methods: A web-based survey was conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania.

Mental Health and Alcohol Use during and before the Early Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The early phases of the coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic were associated with changes in psychological well-being and alcohol use. However, it is unclear whether these changes are artifacts of psychological well-being and alcohol use prior to the pandemic across different sociodemographic groups. We received surveys from 247 adult residents of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (United States), with an oversampling of sexual- and gender-minority individuals.

Dual Use of Off-Premise Outlets for Alcohol and Grocery Purchases: Results From the East Bay Neighborhoods Study.

Objective: Alcohol privatization efforts have enabled consumers in many states in the United States to purchase alcohol in a variety of off-premise outlets, including grocery stores. This study examines the dual use of outlets to purchase both alcohol and groceries and the extent to which dual use is related to individual income, neighborhood income, and local physical availability of alcohol.

Method: The East Bay Neighborhoods Study surveyed residents from 72 microecological neighborhoods across six cities in Alameda County, California.

Examination of multilevel domains of minority stress: Implications for drug use and mental and physical health among Latina women who have sex with women and men.

There has recently been growing attention and concern in the U.S. on the detrimental drug use and related health conditions impacting diverse sexual minority populations.

Illicit and Prescription Drug Misuse among Sexual Minority Women in the United States: A Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: The United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) published reports in 1999 and 2011 identifying drug use as a priority area for sexual minority health research, specifically focused on mechanisms contributing to drug use disparities and the development of tailored interventions. Limited research has prioritized sexual minority women (SMW) with the majority of substance use research among sexual minorities focused on adolescents and men who have sex with men. This scoping review will characterize the research literature related to illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse among SMW and sub-groups within the SMW population.

Space and Place in Alcohol Research.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize the recent literature on social and physical environments and their links to alcohol use and identify empirical research strategies that will lead to a better understanding of alcohol use in contexts.

Recent Findings: Recent research has continued to describe the importance of neighborhood and regional contexts on alcohol use, while a smaller emerging scientific literature assesses the impacts of contexts on drinking.

Summary: The dynamic, longitudinal, and multiscale processes by which social and physical structures affect social interactions and substance use have not yet been uncovered or quantified.

Trajectories of heroin use: A 15-year retrospective study of Mexican-American men who were affiliated with gangs during adolescence.

Background: Heroin use is a public health concern in the United States. Despite the unique etiology and patterns of heroin use among U.S.

Mental Health, Drug, and Violence Interventions for Sexual/Gender Minorities: A Systematic Review.

Context: Compared with cisgender (nontransgender), heterosexual youth, sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) experience great inequities in substance use, mental health problems, and violence victimization, thereby making them a priority population for interventions.

Objective: To systematically review interventions and their effectiveness in preventing or reducing substance use, mental health problems, and violence victimization among SGMY.

Data Sources: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Education Resources Information Center.

Safer Crack Kits and Smoking Practices: Effectiveness of a Harm Reduction Intervention among Active Crack Users in Mexico City.

Background: Crack cocaine use has increased rapidly throughout Mexico, coinciding with rising HIV and HCV infections among vulnerable groups. Due to the increased risk of infection among crack users, harm reduction approaches have been identified to reduce the spread of disease. However, Mexico has yet to adopt these techniques for crack users.

History of child sexual abuse among women consuming illicit substances in Mexico City.

Introduction: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive problem that has been linked to numerous developmental, social, health, and substance use consequences. Nevertheless, the relationship between CSA and the consumption of psychoactive substances has not been adequately studied in Mexico. The present study aims to examine this association between history of CSA and illicit substance use and associated risk behaviors in a sample of young adult women in Mexico City.

Biological Risk and Infection Profiles of Young Adult Male Mexican American Gang Members.

Objectives: Little research has examined the long-term health consequences of gang affiliation among Mexican Americans. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure biological indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic risk, as well as prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in a sample of Mexican American men aged 25-40 who were affiliated with gangs as adolescents and (2) compare those indicators with a comparable national sample of Latino men.

Methods: Using bivariate analyses, we compared blood pressure, body mass index, 4 metabolic and cardiovascular indicators, and 4 infections for 179 Mexican American formerly gang-affiliated men in San Antonio, Texas, and 155 Mexican American men from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Behavioral, Psychological, Gender, and Health Service Correlates to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection among Young Adult Mexican-American Women Living in a Disadvantaged Community.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is among the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Despite this, there has been limited research on the correlates to HSV-2 among disadvantaged and marginalized women, particularly among Latinas. Data for the present analysis include 125 young adult Mexican-American women enrolled in a longitudinal study in a disadvantaged urban community in San Antonio, Texas.

HIV and STI knowledge, testing, and risk among adult crack users in Mexico city: baseline findings from a feasibility study.

Recent research has documented crack cocaine's increasing spread in Mexico, which is likely to contribute to the rapid transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In Mexico, crack use is increasing most rapidly in vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations, where little is known about risk behaviors. This report aims to present baseline data regarding HIV and STI knowledge and testing prevalence from an innovative projection mapping HIV intervention, in which 3-D illusions, animation, and visual text graphics and sound are projected onto buildings with health messages that were designed to disrupt everyday life and connect with the target population.

Precocious transitions and long-term heroin use outcomes: A longitudinal study of gang-affiliated Mexican-American males.

A longitudinal study (15years) investigates heroin use patterns following precocious transition experiences for gang-affiliated Mexican-American males (n=119) in San Antonio, Texas. Five precocious transitions are examined: cohabitation, early nest leaving, school dropout, teenage parenthood, and unemployment (while not in school). Half of these men used heroin over the follow-up period for an average of under 4years.