Gaming My Way to Recovery: A Systematic Scoping Review of Digital Game Interventions for Young People's Mental Health Treatment and Promotion.

Nearly all young people use the internet daily. Many youth with mental health concerns, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, are using this route to seek help, whether through digital mental health treatment, illness prevention tools, or supports for mental wellbeing. Videogames also have wide appeal among young people, including those who receive mental health services.

Interrupted time series analysis of Canadian legal cannabis sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: There were repeated reports of increased cannabis sales, use and health impacts in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was unclear whether the increases were due to pandemic effects or industry expansion.

Methods: We performed interrupted time series regressions of monthly per capita legal cannabis sales from March 2019 to February 2021, first with national averages, then with provincial/territorial data after adjusting for store density.

Changes in the dollar value of per capita alcohol, essential, and non-essential retail sales in Canada during COVID-19.

Background: Multiple survey reports suggest that alcohol use has increased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known about how per capita alcohol sales, which predict population-level alcohol use, have changed and whether changes in alcohol sales differ from changes in sales of other products due to pandemic factors.

Methods: We obtained monthly retail sales data by industry from Statistics Canada, for the six largest provinces in Canada (containing 93% of the national population), between January 2010 and November 2020, representing time before and 9 months after the start of the pandemic in Canada.

Can a Label Help me Drink in Moderation? A Review of the Evidence on Standard Drink Labelling.

Introduction: Understanding the concept of a standard drink (SD) is foundational knowledge to many public health policies aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms. These policies include adhering to low-risk drinking guidelines, screening brief intervention and referral activities, and counter alcohol-impaired driving initiatives. A lack of awareness of SDs might preclude the effectiveness of these interventions.

Rejection sensitivity and multiple group memberships: The moderating role of an oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism.

Rejection sensitivity is a cognitive-affective processing disposition that has been linked to interpersonal difficulties. In this regard, the neuropeptide hormone, oxytocin, is thought to underlie social cognitions and behaviors that promote social affiliation. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), in which guanine (G) is substituted for adenine (A), has been associated with less support-seeking behaviors.

Estimating the harms and costs of cannabis-attributable collisions in the Canadian provinces.

Introduction: In 2012, 10% of Canadians used cannabis and just under half of those who use cannabis were estimated to have driven under the influence of cannabis. Substantial evidence has accumulated to indicate that driving after cannabis use increases collision risk significantly; however, little is known about the extent and costs associated with cannabis-related traffic collisions. This study quantifies the costs of cannabis-related traffic collisions in the Canadian provinces.

Novel psychoactive substances: What educators need to know.

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are synthetic, psychoactive drugs that are generally not under international regulatory control. NPS are frequently sold as alternatives to classic "street drugs" such as ecstasy or LSD. However, little is known about their pharmacology and toxicity and they therefore pose unknown health risks.

A cross-cultural comparison of population gambling patterns and regulatory frameworks: France and Québec.

Few empirical studies have examined the relationships between differing regulatory approaches and patterns of gambling behaviors. This article reports on a correlational cross-cultural comparison of differences in the regulatory approaches and gambling behavior among general adult populations in France and Québec, Canada. We drew data from two large population surveys conducted in France and Québec (N=27 653 and N=11 888, respectively).

Honoring Indigenous culture-as-intervention: Development and validity of the Native Wellness Assessment.

There is a need for Indigenous-centered research to appraise culture's role in wellness. Researchers described the development and validity of the Native Wellness Assessment (NWA). The NWA has culture-as-intervention at its apex.

Can progress in reducing alcohol-impaired driving fatalities be resumed? Results of a workshop sponsored by the Transportation Research Board, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation Committee (ANB50).

Objective: Despite successes in the 1980s and early 1990s, progress in reducing impaired driving fatalities in the United States has stagnated in recent years. Since 1997, the percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes with illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels has remained at approximately 20 to 22%. Many experts believe that public complacency, competing social and public health issues, and the lack of political fortitude have all contributed to this stagnation.

Sport participation and its association with social and psychological factors known to predict substance use and abuse among youth: A scoping review of the literature.

This article presents the results of a scoping review of the sport literature (2000-2014) on psychological and social outcomes relevant to youth alcohol and illicit drug use. Prior reviews report that sport is related to increased alcohol use and reduced illicit drug use among youth, yet provide little guidance regarding the mechanisms that can explain this relationship. We reviewed the literature on sport participation and psychological and social outcomes to identify factors that could help explain this link.

The Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) and measures of cognitive functioning.

Objective: The Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) are utilised widely to assess fitness to drive when law enforcement suspects a driver's ability to drive is impaired, whether by drugs or alcohol. The SFST ostensibly achieve this through assessment of the level of drivers' cognitive and psychomotor impairment, although no studies have explicitly assessed the relatedness of cognitive ability and performance on the SFST. The current study aimed to assess the relationship between the three components of the SFST with a well validated computerised cognitive battery.

Detecting a signal in the noise: monitoring the global spread of novel psychoactive substances using media and other open-source information.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and utility of using media reports and other open-source information collected by the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN), an event-based surveillance system operated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, to rapidly detect clusters of adverse drug events associated with 'novel psychoactive substances' (NPS) at the international level.

Methods And Results: Researchers searched English media reports collected by the GPHIN between 1997 and 2013 for references to synthetic cannabinoids. They screened the resulting reports for relevance and content (i.

Young brains on cannabis: It's time to clear the smoke.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance among youth. Recent policy developments and ongoing debate related to this drug underscore the urgent need to "clear the smoke" and better understand what the scientific evidence says about the health and behavioral effects of cannabis use, particularly on youth whose brains are undergoing rapid and extensive development.

Effectiveness of brief interventions as part of the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model for reducing the nonmedical use of psychoactive substances: a systematic review.

Background: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of brief interventions (BIs) as part of the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model for reducing the nonmedical use of psychoactive substances.

Methods: Bibliographic databases (including MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO to April 2012) and gray literature sources were searched. We included randomized controlled trials that opportunistically screened adolescents or adults and then provided a one-to-one, verbal BI to those at risk of substance-use harm.

The Complexities of Accessing Care and Treatment: Understanding Alcohol Use by Aboriginal Persons Living with HIV and AIDS.

The role of alcohol in the transmission of HIV and access to health services for persons living with HIV/AIDS is relatively unexamined across the globe. Our team's community-based, mixed methods study examined both of these questions from the perspectives of Aboriginal persons living in Canada with HIV/AIDS (APHA) and service providers (SP). A bilingual national survey was undertaken with APHAs and SPs and the findings were followed up on in peer interviews.

An examination of the validity of the standardized field sobriety test in detecting drug impairment using data from the Drug Evaluation and Classification program.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the validity of the 3 components of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST), including the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN), One Leg Stand (OLS), and Walk and Turn (WAT) tests, in identifying impairment among suspected drug-impaired drivers using data recorded during drug evaluation and classification (DEC) evaluations.

Methods: Data from 2142 completed DEC evaluations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants, CNS depressants, narcotic analgesics, cannabis, or no drugs were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.

Results: All drug categories were significantly associated with impaired performance.

Effectiveness of brief interventions as part of the screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) model for reducing the non-medical use of psychoactive substances: a systematic review protocol.

Background: There is a significant public health burden associated with substance use in Canada. The early detection and/or treatment of risky substance use has the potential to dramatically improve outcomes for those who experience harms from the non-medical use of psychoactive substances, particularly adolescents whose brains are still undergoing development. The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment model is a comprehensive, integrated approach for the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for individuals experiencing substance use-related harms, as well as those who are at risk of experiencing such harm.

Simplifying the process for identifying drug combinations by drug recognition experts.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to statistically identify the set of drug-related cues from Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) evaluations that significantly predict the categories of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers.

Methods: Data from 819 completed Canadian DEC evaluations of combinations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants with cannabis, CNS stimulants with narcotic analgesics, cannabis with alcohol, and no-drug cases were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure.

Results: Eleven clinical indicators from the DEC evaluations significantly enhanced the prediction of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers, including condition of the eyes, lack of convergence, rebound dilation, reaction to light, mean pulse rate, presence of visible injection sites, performance on the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, pupil size in darkness, performance on the One-Leg Stand Test, muscle tone, and performance on the Walk-and-Turn Test.

A roadside survey of alcohol and drug use among drivers in British Columbia.

Objective: The purpose was to determine the prevalence of alcohol and drug use among a random sample of nighttime drivers.

Methods: Drivers were randomly selected from the traffic stream in three cities in British Columbia and asked to provide a breath sample to determine alcohol content and a sample of oral fluid to be tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs. The survey was conducted between the hours of 9:00 p.

A meta-analytic review of school-based prevention for cannabis use.

This investigation used meta-analytic techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based prevention programming in reducing cannabis use among youth aged 12 to 19. It summarized the results from 15 studies published in peer-reviewed journals since 1999 and identified features that influenced program effectiveness. The results from the set of 15 studies indicated that these school-based programs had a positive impact on reducing students' cannabis use (d = 0.

Beginning with Our Voices: How the Experiential Stories of First Nations Women Contribute to a National Research Project.

The purpose of this paper is to review how the experiential stories of First Nations women contribute to a national research project. The project focuses on how women's healing is impacted by their views about themselves as - and the stigma associated with being - a drug user, involved in crime and an Aboriginal woman. Our project began with three First Nations women on our research team documenting the role of stigma and self-identity in their personal healing journeys from problematically using drugs and being in conflict with the law.

Toward a more parsimonious approach to drug recognition expert evaluations.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to statistically identify the set of drug-related cues from Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) evaluations that significantly predict the substance used by suspected drug-impaired drivers.

Methods: Data from 742 completed Canadian DEC evaluations of central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, narcotic analgesic, and cannabis cases were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure.

Results: Nine clinical indicators from the DEC evaluations significantly enhanced the prediction of drug category, including pulse rate, condition of the eyes and eyelids, lack of convergence, hippus, reaction to light, rebound dilation, systolic blood pressure, and the presence of injection sites.

Driving after drinking in Canada: findings from the Canadian Addiction Survey.

Background: Despite substantial decreases in the magnitude of the alcohol-crash problem over the past 25 years, many Canadians continue to drive under the influence of alcohol, causing thousands of serious injuries and deaths every year.

Methods: Data from the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) were used to determine the prevalence of self-reported driving after drinking and the characteristics of those who engage in the behaviour.

Results: Overall, 11.