Publications by authors named "Natasha S Mendoza"

Introduction: The opioid syndemic presents a critical need for effective interprofessional training in health care, especially in behavioral health disciplines. Addressing this need, the Interdisciplinary Training Academy for Integrated Substance/Opioid Use Disorder Prevention and Health care (ITA) was developed to provide adaptable educational experiences for emerging behavioral health professionals. This study, reflecting years 2020-2023, explored the experiences and perspectives of ITA fellows regarding interprofessional collaboration and opioid workforce development, focusing on how these elements are integrated.

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: Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. continue to increase, largely due to the prevalence of fentanyl, a very powerful opioid, in the illicit drug supply.

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Addressing the beliefs of first responders about people who use drugs and the system of care with which they interact must be part and parcel to addressing the opioid crisis. Using a boundary spanning framework, we examine how first responders perceive community behavioral health. With qualitative methods, we asked: What are first responders' lived experiences on the frontlines of the opioid crisis? In sum, it is important to consider that there is a critical role that first responders could play in brokering services when they are not themselves behavioral health practitioners but are, importantly, boundary spanners.

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Introduction: Addressing the opioid crisis requires attention to the fact that people with opioid use disorder are affected by multiple systems and professionals working across disciplines (e.g., primary health care, social work, psychology).

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While pregnancy presents a strong motivation to seek and comply with treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), many women relapse within the first year of childbirth. Addressing relapse risk, we examined the perinatal experiences of mothers with OUD through 6 months postpartum. We recruited mothers (N = 42) with a history of OUD into the Newborn Attachment and Wellness study, all of whom met with a child welfare worker immediately after giving birth.

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Introduction: An estimated 21 million Americans meet the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD), whereas 24% of the population engages in risky alcohol use leading to tremendous health and economic impacts (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017). Opioid misuse is a national public health emergency, with an estimated 46,802 opioid-related deaths occurring in 2018 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2020). Despite the high prevalence of risky substance use and SUDs, preservice education related to screening for and treating SUDs in health and behavioral health professions is inadequate (Dimoff, Sayette, & Norcross, 2017; Russett & Williams, 2015; Savage et al.

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Violent victimization and substance use are higher among sexual minority cisgender women (SMCW) than heterosexual cisgender women. Unknown, however, is how polyvictimization-experiencing multiple types of violent victimization-affects substance use among SMCW. This study explores the relationship between polyvictimization and substance use among a small sample of SMCW.

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Affirmative practice is an approach to health and behavioral health care that validates and supports the identities stated or expressed by those served. Affirmative care requires the practitioner to actively honor and celebrate identity while at the same time validating the oppression felt by individuals seeking services. Validation and empathy fundamentally result from increased understanding of individuals' history, cultural context, and lived experiences.

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Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) are common among women who are incarcerated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between trauma and readiness to change substance use behaviors.

Methods: This study used data from 103 participants enrolled in a residential re-entry program for women with SUDs and trauma history.

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Objective: Perception of need is a key factor that influences decisions to seek help and complete treatment for substance use and mental health problems. In the current study, we examine patterns of perceived treatment needs among women with co-occurring substance use disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and explore how these patterns are associated with demographics, psychosocial variables, and treatment-related factors.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of the Women and Trauma Study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Clinical Trial Network was conducted.

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Child welfare agencies have adopted assessment tools and instruments to inform the level of risk and guide the agency's level of intervention with the family. Actuarial assessments may be more uniform but inflexible with respect to practice wisdom whereas clinical or consensus-based assessments are more comprehensive and intuitive but lack objectivity. The purpose of the current study is to compare clinical and actuarial methods of risk assessment used by child welfare workers to make decisions about substantiation and services.

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In the United States, nearly 15% of the general population is considered food insecure; ethnic minorities, particularly Latinos, experience disproportionately higher rates. Food insecurity is particularly endemic among the migrant and seasonal farmworker population. This article systematically reviews current knowledge related to the prevalence of food insecurity among migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

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Drug court research is often challenged by study attrition. In this study, researchers attempted to predict study completion using variables traditionally associated with treatment attrition. Findings showed that participants who reported a need for additional help to resolve legal problems and who reported accessing outpatient treatments were more likely to complete the study at the three-month follow-up.

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The majority of drug abusing offenders who need substance abuse treatment do not receive it. Although interventions like drug court increase the probability of offender success, little is known about how co-occurring psychological symptoms impact drug court treatment outcomes. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that co-occurring psychological symptoms would have a significant relationship with successful drug court completion.

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Little is known about the extent to which individuals participating in drinking reduction interventions use the drinking reduction strategies presented during treatment. In consideration of this issue, we advanced hypotheses about the impact of baseline drinking patterns on strategy use and the relationship of strategy use to drinking patterns over time. One hundred forty-four women who participated in a 10-week drinking reduction program were monitored over an 18-month posttreatment follow-up period.

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