Demographic, substance use, and mental well-being correlates of high-intensity drinking among college students and non-college young adults: implications for intervention.

Objective: To assess demographic, substance use, and mental wellbeing factors associated with high-intensity drinking (HID; 10+ drinks on one occasion) among college- and non-college young adults, to inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Participants: A total of 1,430 young adults (819 in college and 611 not attending college) in a Midwestern state who reported trying alcohol at least once.

Methods: Participants were recruited via social media between November 2019 and February 2020 to complete a web-based survey assessing demographics, substance use, and mental well-being.

Listening to Sutra-Chanting Reduces Bereavement Stress in Japan.

Buddhist Chaplains chanting sutras after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 often encountered survivors who felt that hearing sutra chanting itself ameliorated their bereavement grief. This research is the first experimental examination of the effects of sutra chanting on listeners' bereavement stress. Prior research demonstrates that sudden pet loss causes bereavement stress in students and that physiological stress can be noninvasively measured by salivary alpha-amylase.

'I'm So Stressed!': A Longitudinal Model of Stress, Burnout and Engagement among Social Workers in Child Welfare Settings.

The well-documented day-to-day and long-term experiences of job stress and burnout among employees in child welfare organisations increasingly raise concerns among leaders, policy makers and scholars. Testing a theory-driven longitudinal model, this study seeks to advance understanding of the differential impact of job stressors (work-family conflict, role conflict and role ambiguity) and burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation) on employee disengagement (work withdrawal and exit-seeking behaviours). Data were collected at three six-month intervals from an availability sample of 362 front line social workers or social work supervisors who work in a large urban public child welfare organisation in the USA.

Barriers to Implementing Person-Centered Recovery Planning in Public Mental Health Organizations in Texas: Results from Nine Focus Groups.

Despite being an established practice in the disabilities service systems, person-centered planning is a relatively new practice in the behavioral health system. As a result, little is known about the barriers that mental health organizations face in implementing person-centered recovery planning (PCRP). To fill this gap, results are presented from a qualitative analysis of nine focus groups at three public mental health organizations in Texas that have been implementing PCRP for at least 2 years.

What Do We Know Now About the Impact of the Laws Related to Marijuana?

Objectives: This study presents information on the status and impact of medical and legalized marijuana, and the latest data on attitudes and prevalence of use since implementation of these laws. Recent reports from epidemiologists in Denver and Seattle are summarized to give the readers a sense of the changes as these laws have taken effect in their communities.

Methods: The status of these laws is reviewed and the results of surveys taken before and after the laws were enacted are presented, along with data on changing potency and driving under the influence of marijuana.

Substance Use and Cumulative Exposure to American Society: Findings From Both Sides of the US-Mexico Border Region.

Objectives: We investigated whether Mexican immigration to the United States exerts transnational effects on substance use in Mexico and the United States.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of 2336 Mexican Americans and 2460 Mexicans in 3 Texas border metropolitan areas and their sister cities in Mexico (the US-Mexico Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions, 2011-2013). We collected prevalence and risk factors for alcohol and drug use; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, alcohol-use disorders; and 2 symptoms (hazardous use and quit or control) of drug use disorder across a continuum of migration experiences in the Mexican and Mexican American populations.

Intimacy and Emotion Work in Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Relationships.

Knowledge about how gender shapes intimacy is dominated by a heteronormative focus on relationships involving a man and a woman. In this study, the authors shifted the focus to consider gendered meanings and experiences of intimacy in same-sex and different-sex relationships. They merged the gender-as-relational perspective-that gender is co-constructed and enacted within relationships-with theoretical perspectives on emotion work and intimacy to frame an analysis of in-depth interviews with 15 lesbian, 15 gay, and 20 heterosexual couples.

Use of synthetic cathinones and cannabimimetics among injection drug users in San Diego, California.

Background: Use of synthetic cathinones (SC) and cannabimimetics (i.e., "THC homologues" [TH]) is associated with adverse health effects.

Construct validity of the short inventory of problems among Spanish speaking Hispanics.

Objective: Research on ethnic health disparities requires the use of psychometrically sound instruments that are appropriate when applied to ethnically diverse populations. The Short Inventory of Problems (SIP) assesses alcohol-related consequences and is often used as a measure to evaluate intervention effectiveness in alcohol research; however, whether the psychometric properties of this instrument are comparable across language and ethnicity remains unclear.

Method: Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was used to test for the invariance of the measurement structure of the SIP across White Non-Hispanic English speaking (N=642), Hispanic English speaking (N=275), and Hispanic Spanish speaking (N=220) groups.

A new survey of methamphetamine users in treatment: who they are, why they like "meth," and why they need additional services.

The quality and quantity of illicit methamphetamine has recently increased due to introduction of a new precursor, 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P). This paper updates the problems associated with methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine-using clients (N = 222) entering a Texas program participated in computer-assisted interviews in 2010 and 2011 about routes of administration, other drugs used, severity of dependence, mental and physical health, perceived risks and benefits of use, family history, and abuse and neglect experienced as children and adults.

Youth pathways to placement: the influence of gender, mental health need and trauma on confinement in the juvenile justice system.

Although the juvenile crime rate has generally declined, the involvement of girls in the juvenile justice system has been increasing. Possible explanations for this gender difference include the impact of exposure to trauma and mental health needs on developmental pathways and the resulting influence of youth's involvement in the justice system. This study examined the influence of gender, mental health needs and trauma on the risk of out-of-home placement for juvenile offenders.

CHOICES: an integrated behavioral intervention to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies among high-risk women in community settings.

CHOICES is an integrated behavioral intervention for prevention of prenatal alcohol exposure in women at high risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies. The intervention uses motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral strategies, and targets adoption of effective contraception and reduction of alcohol use. The CHOICES intervention includes four manual-guided counseling sessions delivered by behavioral health counselors and one contraceptive session with a family planning clinician.

Preventing subsequent births for low-income adolescent mothers: an exploratory investigation of mediating factors in intensive case management.

We used a quasi-experimental design to examine the impact of intensive case management (ICM) on preventing 3-year subsequent births for low-income adolescent mothers. We used χ(2) and mediation analyses, respectively, to test whether ICM reduced likelihood of subsequent births and whether birth control and perceived social support mediated this relationship. Participants in ICM were less likely to have a subsequent birth within 3 years, but we found no evidence for mediators.

Treatment utilization and unmet treatment need among Hispanics following brief intervention.

Background: In a large randomized trial examining ethnic differences in response to a brief alcohol intervention following an alcohol-related injury, we showed that Hispanics, but not non-Hispanics, were more likely to reduce alcohol intake in comparison with treatment as usual (Addiction 105:62, 2010). The current study evaluates whether the observed improvements in drinking outcomes previously reported among Hispanics following brief intervention might be related to prior or subsequent treatment utilization.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data collected in a randomized clinical trial that evaluated ethnic differences in the effect of a brief motivational intervention (BMI) on alcohol use among medical inpatients admitted for alcohol-related injury.

Ethnic differences in the effect of drug use and drug dependence on brief motivational interventions targeting alcohol use.

Background: We examined the effects of baseline drug use and dependence on alcohol use outcomes following brief motivational intervention for at-risk drinking (BMI-ETOH).

Methods: HLM models were developed to test the interaction of drug use and dependence with BMI-ETOH for alcohol use among Hispanic (n=539), Caucasian (n=667), and black (n=287) patients admitted to a Level-1 trauma center who screened positive for alcohol misuse.

Results: Analyses of an interaction of drug dependence and BMI-ETOH at baseline showed significant positive effects among Hispanics but not Caucasians or Blacks at six- and 12-months for percent days abstinent (6-month: B=0.

An examination of the path between recent sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections.

Purpose: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the most common infections in the United States and are particularly prevalent in survivors of sexual violence. The purpose of this study is to examine co-occurring risk factors for sexual violence and STIs including mental health, alcohol use, drug use, and multiple partners as intersecting pathways to STIs for women who experienced sexual abuse in the past year.

Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted on cross-sectional data from women originally recruited as respondents for an epidemiologic survey funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Project CHOICES.

The effectiveness of brief intervention among injured patients with alcohol dependence: who benefits from brief interventions?

Background: Research investigating the differential effectiveness of Brief Motivational Interventions (BMIs) among alcohol-dependent and non-dependent patients in the medical setting is limited. Clinical guidelines suggest that BMI is most appropriate for patients with less severe alcohol problems. As a result, most studies evaluating the effectiveness of BMI have excluded patients with an indication of alcohol dependence.

What You Hear and What You Say: Language Performance in Spanish English Bilinguals.

PURPOSE: This study assesses the factors that contribute to Spanish and English language development in bilingual children. METHOD: 757 Hispanic Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age children completed screening tests of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English. Parents provided information about their occupation and education as well as their children's English and Spanish exposure.

The role of ethnic matching between patient and provider on the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions with Hispanics.

Background: Evaluating the effectiveness of treatments such as brief alcohol interventions among Hispanics is essential to effectively addressing their treatment needs. Clinicians of the same ethnicity as the client may be more likely to understand the culture-specific values, norms, and attitudes and, therefore, the intervention may be more effective. Thus, in cases in which Hispanic patients were provided intervention by a Hispanic clinician improved drinking outcomes were expected.

Ethnic differences in drinking outcomes following a brief alcohol intervention in the trauma care setting.

Background: Evidence suggests that brief interventions in the trauma care setting reduce drinking, subsequent injury and driving under the influence (DUI) arrest. However, evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in ethnic minority groups is lacking. The current study evaluates the efficacy of brief intervention among whites, blacks and Hispanics in the United States.

Reducing sexual risk behaviors and alcohol use among HIV-positive men who have sex with men: a randomized clinical trial.

This randomized clinical trial (N = 253) evaluated the efficacy of a theory-based intervention designed to reduce both alcohol use and incidence of unprotected sexual behaviors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men with alcohol use disorders. An integrated, manualized intervention, using both individual counseling and peer group education/support, was compared with a control condition in which participants received resource referrals. The intervention was based on the transtheoretical model's stages and processes of change, and motivational interviewing was used to enhance client readiness for change.

Too young to drink but old enough to drive under the influence: a study of underage offenders as seen in substance abuse treatment in Texas.

Driving under the influence (DUI) is a major road safety problem. Historically, alcohol has been assumed to play a larger role in crashes and DUI education programs have reflected this assumption, although recent evidence suggests that younger drivers are becoming more likely to drive drugged than to drive drunk. This is a study of 7096 Texas clients under age 21 who were admitted to state-funded treatment programs between 1997 and 2007 with a past-year DUI arrest, DUI probation, or DUI referral.

Construct, concurrent and predictive validity of the URICA: data from two multi-site clinical trials.

Background: A better understanding of how to measure motivation to change and how it relates to behavior change in patients with drug and alcohol dependence would broaden our understanding of the role of motivation in addiction treatment.

Methods: Two multi-site, randomized clinical trials comparing brief motivational interventions with standard care were conducted in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. Patients with primary drug dependence and alcohol dependence entering outpatient treatment participated in a study of either Motivational Enhancement Therapy (n=431) or Motivational Interviewing (n=423).

Process evaluation of serial screening criteria to identify injured patients that benefit from brief intervention: practical implications.

Background: The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of serial screening methods for the identification of injured patients at risk for alcohol problems and are most likely to benefit from brief interventions. We hypothesize that blood alcohol concentration (BAC) alone is not sufficient to effectively identify at-risk drinkers in the trauma care setting.

Methods: During a 2-year period, patients admitted to an urban Level I trauma center for treatment of an injury were screened for alcohol problems.