Multiple material need insecurities and severity of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among women who use drugs.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the salience of material needs and financial precarity on mental health and distress. Women who use drugs (WWUD) experienced significant mental distress and multiple material need insecurities before the pandemic. However, research is limited on the nature of these insecurities during the pandemic despite both material scarcity and mental distress placing WWUD at greater risk of drug-related harms such as overdose.

A novel simulation to prepare maternal caregivers of children diagnosed with a critical congenital heart defect.

Purpose: The purpose of this feasibility study was to determine the effectiveness of an interprofessional led low-fidelity simulation program over three timepoints on maternal caregivers' perceived stress, sense of competence and discharge readiness for care of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) infants requiring neonatal cardiac surgery.

Design And Methods: The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was administered to simulation and non-intervention groups at three timepoints: prenatal period, Cardiac Acute Care Unit (CACU) transfer, and rooming-in. Parental Sense of Competence (PSOC) was measured at timepoint two and three, and Readiness for Hospital Discharge (RDHS) was measured at timepoint three for the simulation group.

Combined Motivational Interviewing and Ecological Momentary Intervention to Reduce Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Sexual Minority Cisgender Men and Transgender Individuals: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Sexual minority cisgender men and transgender (SMMT) individuals, particularly emerging adults (aged 18-34 years), often report hazardous drinking. Given that alcohol use increases the likelihood of HIV risk behaviors, and HIV disproportionately affects SMMT individuals, there is a need to test interventions that reduce hazardous alcohol use and subsequent HIV risk behaviors among this population. Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs), which use mobile phones to deliver risk reduction messages based on current location and behaviors, can help to address triggers that lead to drinking in real time.

Volatile drug use and overdose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Background: Overdose deaths in the United States rose substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions to the drug supply and service provision introduced significant instability into the lives of people who use drugs (PWUD), including volatility in their drug use behaviors.

Methods: Using data from a multistate survey of PWUD, we examined sociodemographic and drug use correlates of volatile drug use during COVID-19 using multivariable linear regression.