Long-term patterns of treatment use for opioid use disorder (OUD): Findings from the 18-20-year Australian Treatment Outcome Study.

Background: Opioid-related deaths continue to increase to unprecedented rates in many regions of the world. While long-term stable treatment has been shown to reduce associated morbidity and mortality, discontinuation and numerous treatment episodes are common, limiting our understanding of the common course of treatment and associated characteristics. Therefore, using an 18-20-year follow-up of people with heroin dependence, we aimed to identify i) distinct trajectories of treatment use, ii) whether baseline characteristics predict treatment trajectory group membership, and ii) if group membership is associated with characteristics at 18-20-years post-baseline.

Love Stinks: The Association between Body Odors and Romantic Relationship Commitment.

Anecdotal reports indicate that women dislike their partner's body odor (BO) during the breakdown of a relationship; however, whether disliking a partner's BO is associated with intentions to break up has not been empirically tested. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate, for the first time, whether disliking one's partner's BOs is associated with experiencing lower commitment to a romantic relationship. Eighty participants (48 partnered, 32 single and previously partnered) completed self-report questionnaires about their current or previous romantic relationship and the amount of exposure to-and hedonic ratings of-their current or former partner's BOs.

Australian treatment outcome study: protocol for the 18-20-year follow-up of a prospective longitudinal cohort examining the natural history of heroin dependence and associated mortality, psychiatric and physical health, and health service use.

Introduction: Opioid dependence is a global health priority, currently making the biggest contribution to drug-related deaths. The chronic, long-term persistence of heroin dependence over the life course requires investigation in prospective longitudinal studies, to better understand patterns and predictors of remission and relapse, as well as the impact of changes in substance use on a range of physical and mental health outcomes. Such knowledge is critical in order to identify modifiable risk factors that can be targeted for intervention.

Developing a food allergy curriculum for parents.

Background: Food allergy (FA) is potentially severe and requires intensive education to master allergen avoidance and emergency care. There is evidence suggesting the need for a comprehensive curriculum for food allergic families.

Methods: This paper describes the results of focus groups conducted to guide the development of a curriculum for parents of food allergic children.

Life events and psychological well-being in women sentenced to prison.

There have been no systematic analyses of the factors that influence the development of psychological well-being in women sentenced to prison. This study identified relationships among life events, coping resources, and psychological well-being (indicated by the absence of anxiety and depression). A descriptive correlational design was used in a convenience sample of 62 incarcerated female offenders.