Risk factors of substance use treatment gaps among a nationally representative sample of black American adults in relation to sexual minority status and health insurance coverage.

Background: Little research has investigated predictors of specialty substance use treatment gaps among Black adults. This study examined differential odds of experiencing self-reported, past-year treatment gaps among Black adults with respect to sexual minority status and health insurance coverage, accounting for social cofactors.

Method: This cross-sectional study comprised 36,098 Black Americans aged 18 and older who completed the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and provided responses for all selected survey items.

The role of psychosocial factors and biological sex on rural Thai adolescents' drinking intention and behaviours: A structural equation model.

Aims: To examine the contributions of psychosocial factors (attitude towards drinking, perceived drinking norms [PDNs], perceived behavioural control [PBC]), and biological sex on drinking intention and behaviours among rural Thai adolescents.

Design: A cross-sectional study design.

Methods: In 2022, stratified by sex and grade, we randomly selected 474 rural Thai adolescents (M  = 14.

Differential associations between enacted and expected stigma with psychological distress, alcohol use, and substance use in transgender and gender diverse people.

Background: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience high rates of stigma and marginalization that are theorized to exacerbate substance use and psychological distress. However, little research has examined the role of various minority stressors in relation to substance use in TGD populations.

Methods: In this sample of 181 TGD individuals in the U.

Differential Item Functioning in Reports of Delinquent Behavior Between Black and White Youth: Evidence of Measurement Bias in Self-Reports of Arrest in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

Youth self-reports are a mainstay of delinquency assessment; however, making valid inferences about delinquency using these assessments requires equivalent measurement across groups of theoretical interest. We examined whether a brief 10-item delinquency measure exhibited measurement invariance across non-Hispanic White ( = 6,064) and Black ( = 1,666) youth (ages 10-11 years old) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®). We detected differential item functioning (DIF) in two items.

Behavior Science Contributions to Public Policy: an Introduction to the Special Section.

Behavior science has a long history of influencing public policy. Numerous scholars have used behavioral principles in experimental and applied research to examine the potential impact of local, state, and federal policies across socially important problems and goals. The utility of behavior science in public policy continues to flourish, and translational behavioral research will remain a critical component of effective policy development and implementation.

Effects of psychological distress and life satisfaction on COVID-related traumatic stress: An international, cross-sectional study.

Background: This study examines the individual impacts of psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) and life satisfaction on COVID-related traumatic stress in an international sample of heterosexual versus LGBQ+ adults.

Leading the Charge: A Look Inside the Behavior Analysis in Practice Emergency Series of Publications on Systemic Racism and Police Brutality.

This article introduces the " Emergency Series of Publications on Systemic Racism and Police Brutality." After the murder of George Floyd, the behavior analytic community was charged to respond in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King's challenge to social scientists.

Predictors of social distancing and hand washing among adults in five countries during COVID-19.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine disparities in hand washing and social distancing among 2,509 adults from the United States, Italy, Spain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India. Respondents were recruited via Qualtrics' participant pool and completed an online survey in the most common language spoken in each country. In hierarchical linear regression models, living in a rural area (β = -0.

HIV Testing and Associated Characteristics Among Black Cisgender and Transgender Women in the United States.

Black women in the United States continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. HIV testing is an important preventative step in the HIV continuum of care, however there is little known about HIV testing among these groups. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the HIV testing behaviors of Black transgender women and explore differences in predictors of HIV testing among Black cisgender and transgender women.

Do Spirituality, Rurality, and LGBTQ Support Increase Outness and Quality of Health in Gay and Bisexual Men?

Although the existing research suggests that spirituality may positively affect health outcomes for gay and bisexual men, it is unclear to what extent it improves the quality of health over and above sociodemographic factors. Furthermore, there remains conflicting evidence regarding the role of residential location on levels of outness for gay and bisexual men. To that end, the present study used hierarchical linear regression analyses to examine the role of spirituality, rurality, and LGBTQ connectedness in outness and quality of health.

Legislation restricting access to public restrooms and changing facilities for transgender individuals in Texas (US): A qualitative analysis of testimony.

An alarming amount of legislation in the United States has sought to restrict the rights of transgender people, often targeting access to public spaces or restrooms. One example of this legislation is the Texas Privacy Act (Senate Bill 6; 2017), which detailed "regulations and policies for entering or using a bathroom or changing facility" (Texas Legislature Online).: The hearing for SB 6 included over 18 hours of public testimony, which we analyzed to better understand arguments for and against this bill.

Adolescents' Perceived Drinking Norms Toward Alcohol Misuse: An Integrative Review.

The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize prior research on the relationship between adolescents' perceived subjective and descriptive drinking norms and their drinking intention and behaviors. Four databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane, and Sociological Abstracts) were searched to identify relevant articles. Thirty-one peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 to 2020 were reviewed.

Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts in Michigan, USA.

Racial disparities have been observed in the impacts of COVID-19 in the USA. In the present paper, we used a representative sample of adults in Michigan to examine differences in COVID-19 impacts on Blacks and Whites in four domains: direct, perceived, political, and behavioral. We found that in the initial wave of the outbreak in May 2020, Blacks experienced more severe direct impacts: they were more likely to be diagnosed or know someone who was diagnosed, and more likely to lose their job compared to Whites.

Black Lives Matter Principles as an Africentric Approach to Improving Black American Health.

Although public health has made substantial advances in closing the health disparity gap, Black Americans still experience inequalities and inequities. Several theoretical frameworks have been used to develop public health interventions for Black American health; yet the existing paradigms do not fully account for the ontology, epistemology, or axiology of Black American populations. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement provides a basis for understanding the constructs that may contribute to Black American health.

Prescription opioid misuse among heterosexual versus lesbian, gay, and bisexual military veterans: Evidence from the 2015-2017 national survey of drug use and health.

Background: Little research examines risks of opioid misuse among military veterans, particularly among minority military veterans. The present study examines lifetime and past 12-month prescription opioid misuse among heterosexual versus non-heterosexual military veterans in the United States.

Method: Participants comprised 9729 U.

Improving Timely Linkage to Care among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Infected Youth: Results of SMILE.

Delayed linkage to care deprives youth living with HIV of the benefits of HIV treatment and risks increased HIV transmission. Developing and testing linkage-to-care models that are capable of simultaneously addressing structural and individual obstacles are necessary to attain national goals for timely linkage of newly diagnosed youth to care. We assessed an integrated, multi-pronged strategy for improving youth's timely linkage to care carried out in eight adolescent medicine clinical trials units (AMTUs) in the USA.

Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and substance use disorder severity among methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men.

: Men who have sex with men (MSM) have elevated rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) and differences across sociodemographic sub-groups of MSM are associated with a greater risk of deleterious outcomes. Although studies have shown that MSM report greater rates of polysubstance use relative to other adult populations, the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and both acute substance use and substance use severity among methamphetamine-using MSM are unknown. : The present study examines associations between sociodemographic characteristics and (a) recent substance use and (b) SUD severity.

Associations between Methamphetamine Use, Housing Status, and Incarceration Rates among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women.

The present study examined associations between methamphetamine use and social factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Over a four-year period, 7,419 HIV outreach encounters were conducted with MSM (=6,243) and transgender women (=1,176). Logistic and negative binomial regressions estimated associations between sociodemographics, incarceration history, housing status, and methamphetamine use.

Improving Community Readiness for Change through Coalition Capacity Building: Evidence from a Multi-Site Intervention.

Often, community coalitions are facilitators of community-level changes when addressing underage drinking. Although studies have shown that enhancing coalition capacity is related to improved internal functioning, the relationship between enhanced capacity and community readiness for change is not well established. The present study used a pretest-posttest design to examine whether enhancing coalition capacity through training and technical assistance was associated with improved community readiness and coalition-facilitated community-level changes.

Reducing Binge Drinking in Adolescents through Implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework.

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is a conceptual model that supports coalition-driven efforts to address underage drinking and related consequences. Although the SPF has been promoted by the U.S.

Caregiver Opinion of In-Hospital Screening for Unmet Social Needs by Pediatric Residents.

Objective: Child health is strongly influenced by social determinants. Little is known about the opinions of primary caregivers regarding the physicians' role in addressing social needs. Our objective was to examine caregivers' opinions about that role and any associations between those opinions, previous exposure to screening for needs by pediatric residents, and socioeconomic status (SES).