Neurocognitive and neurobehavioral mechanisms of change following psychological treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Background: Although modestly effective treatments exist for alcohol use disorder (AUD), many individuals return to heavy drinking after treatment, suggesting the need for better understanding of factors that contribute to maintaining abstinence or drinking reductions. Whereas past studies identified what treatments work for AUD, recent studies focus more on why particular treatments work, and the mechanisms by which treatment leads to change. This focus on mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) may inform the process by which treatment leads to better outcomes, and also may lead to new treatments or modifications of existing treatments that target empirically supported mechanisms known to lead to change.

Optimizing Recruitment and Retention in Substance Use Disorder Research in Emergency Departments.

Introduction: Clinical trial recruitment and retention of individuals who use substances are challenging in any setting and can be particularly difficult in emergency department (ED) settings. This article discusses strategies for optimizing recruitment and retention in substance use research conducted in EDs.

Methods: Screening, Motivational Assessment, Referral, and Treatment in Emergency Departments (SMART-ED) was a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) protocol designed to assess the impact of a brief intervention with individuals screening positive for moderate to severe problems related to use of non-alcohol, non-nicotine drugs.

A randomized pilot trial of brief family-involved treatment for alcohol use disorder: Treatment engagement and outcomes.

Objective: Involving family members in a patient's treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) leads to more positive outcomes, but evidence-based family-involved treatments have not been adopted widely in AUD treatment programs. Study aims the following: (a) modify an empirically supported 12-session AUD treatment, alcohol behavioral couple therapy (ABCT) to make it shorter and appropriate for any concerned family member and (b) conduct a small clinical trial to obtain feasibility data and effect size estimates of treatment efficacy.

Method: ABCT content was adapted to three-sessions following input from clinicians, patients, and family members.

A Randomized Trial of Combined tDCS Over Right Inferior Frontal Cortex and Cognitive Bias Modification: Null Effects on Drinking and Alcohol Approach Bias.

Background: Deriving novel treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is of critical importance, as existing treatments are only modestly effective for reducing drinking. Two promising strategies for treating AUDs include cognitive bias modification (CBM) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). While each strategy has shown positive results in reducing drinking or alcohol-related constructs (e.

Increasing ethnic minority participation in substance abuse clinical trials: lessons learned in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Clinical Trials Network.

Underrepresentation in clinical trials limits the extent to which ethnic minorities benefit from advances in substance abuse treatment. The objective of this article is to share the knowledge gained within the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and other research on recruiting and retaining ethnic minorities into substance abuse clinical trials. The article includes a discussion of two broad areas for improving inclusion-community involvement and cultural adaptation.

Strengthening the effectiveness of 'whole of government' interventions to break the cycle of violence in disadvantaged communities.

'Whole of government' interventions are increasingly being used in disadvantaged communities to improve safety and break the cycle of violence. This paper draws on learning from the evaluation of two whole of government interventions in western Sydney that arose in response to community violence and extensive property damage. Methods for strengthening program logic and overcoming differences in perspective are outlined.

Knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome prevention strategies in a multicultural, disadvantaged community.

Aim: This study assessed levels of maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome prevention strategies in a socio-economically disadvantaged, culturally diverse population.

Methods: Pregnant women (n=233) were asked to name three things they could do to reduce the risk of cot death. Answers were marked in accordance with the US National Institute of Child Health and Development guide-lines.

The social capital:health relationship in two disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Objectives: Research into the social determinants of health inequalities is increasingly focusing on macro-level forces affecting individuals and communities. The concept of social capital has been at the centre of this research as a potential explanatory framework for understanding these inequalities. The aim of this study was to identify the components that define social capital and its relationship to self-reported health in two neighbourhoods known to be disadvantaged in south-western Sydney.