U.S. State rates of newborns reported to child protection at birth for prenatal substance exposure.

Background: In the U.S., the opioid epidemic has revitalized national attention to newborns with prenatal substance exposure (PSE).

Distance Between Home and the Admitting Hospital and Its Effect on Survival of Low Socioeconomic Status Population With Bacteremia.

Objective: Bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between low socioeconomic status (SES) and the epidemiology, process of care, and outcomes of patients with bacteremia (SAB).

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study that evaluated adult patients with SAB in 3 Los Angeles County hospitals from July 15, 2012, through May 31, 2018.

Preliminary Psychometrics and Potential Big Data Uses of the U.S. Army Family Global Assessment Tool.

The purpose of the present study is to explore the psychometric properties of the U.S. Army's Family Global Assessment Tool (GAT), which assesses the psychosocial fitness of Army families.

Recruiting Filipino Immigrants in a Randomized Controlled Trial Promoting Enrollment in an Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention.

Filipinos, the second largest Asian subgroup in the U.S., experience significant youth behavioral health disparities but remain under-represented in health research.

Reflections on wisdom at the end of life: qualitative study of hospice patients aged 58-97 years.

Unlabelled: ABSTRACTObjective:Wisdom is a complex trait, and previous research has identified several components of wisdom. This study explored the possible impact of a diagnosis of a terminal illness on the conceptualization and evolution of wisdom while facing the end of life.

Design And Participants: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 hospice patients aged 58-97 years who were in the last six months of their life.

A 9-Year-Old Girl Discovers That Her Mother Was Murdered.

Susan was a 9-year-old girl living with her mother; she had never met her father. Her mother returned one evening from her job as a cocktail waitress and Susan met her at the apartment door to let her know they had run out of cat food. Her mother said she would go and buy some the next morning because it was late and she was tired, but Susan insisted she go out that evening because the cat had not eaten all day.

Precocious transitions and long-term heroin use outcomes: A longitudinal study of gang-affiliated Mexican-American males.

A longitudinal study (15years) investigates heroin use patterns following precocious transition experiences for gang-affiliated Mexican-American males (n=119) in San Antonio, Texas. Five precocious transitions are examined: cohabitation, early nest leaving, school dropout, teenage parenthood, and unemployment (while not in school). Half of these men used heroin over the follow-up period for an average of under 4years.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Service Members: Life After Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members can serve openly in the military with the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. The fate of transgender service members remains uncertain as the policy preventing them from serving in the military remains under review. The health care needs of these populations remain for the most part unknown, with total acceptance and integration in the military yet to be achieved.

A 9-Year-Old Girl Discovers That Her Mother Was Murdered.

Susan was a 9-year-old girl living with her mother; she had never met her father. Her mother returned one evening from her job as a cocktail waitress and Susan met her at the apartment door to let her know they had run out of cat food. Her mother said she would go and buy some the next morning because it was late and she was tired, but Susan insisted she go out that evening because the cat had not eaten all day.

Past 15-year trends in adolescent marijuana use: Differences by race/ethnicity and sex.

Background: The potential for increases in adolescent marijuana use is an important concern given recent changes in marijuana policy. The purpose of this study was to estimate trends in marijuana use from 1999 to 2013 among a national sample of US high school students. We examine changes over time by race/ethnicity and sex.

Peer-led healthy lifestyle program in supportive housing: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The risk for obesity is twice as high in people with serious mental illness (SMI) compared to the general population. Racial and ethnic minority status contribute additional health risks. The aim of this study is to describe the protocol of a Hybrid Trial Type 1 design that will test the effectiveness and examine the implementation of a peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention in supportive housing agencies serving diverse clients with serious mental illness who are overweight or obese.

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California: Results From a Large-Scale Normative Population Survey.

Importance: Military families and military-connected youth exhibit significant strengths; however, a sizeable proportion of these families appear to be struggling in the face of war-related stressors. Understanding the consequences of war is critical as a public health concern and because additional resources may be needed to support military families.

Objective: To determine whether rates of adverse outcomes are higher for military-connected adolescents during war compared with nonmilitary peers.

STD and Abortion Prevalence in Adolescent Mothers With Histories of Childhood Protection Involvement.

Context: Early sexual debut and unprotected sexual activity place adolescents at risk of adverse sexual health outcomes. Adolescents involved with child protective services (CPS) may be a particularly vulnerable population.

Methods: California birth records for 86,946 adolescents who became first-time mothers in 2008-2010 were probabilistically linked to statewide CPS records from 1998 and later.

Preventing secondary traumatic stress in educators.

Teachers can be vulnerable to secondary traumatic stress (STS) because of their supportive role with students and potential exposure to students' experiences with traumas, violence, disasters, or crises. STS symptoms, similar to those found in posttraumatic stress disorder, include nightmares, avoidance, agitation, and withdrawal, and can result from secondary exposure to hearing about students' traumas. This article describes how STS presents, how teachers can be at risk, and how STS can manifest in schools.

Evidence for Site-Specific, Systematic Adaptation of Substance Prevention Curriculum With High Risk Youth in Community and Alternative School Settings.

The problem of substance use among older youth is of great concern, but has received little attention in prevention research. This may be due to the perception that prevention programming is developmentally inappropriate for older youth who are actively experimenting with substances. This project examined the differential effectiveness of youth-driven adaptations of the evidence-based prevention program, keepin' it REAL (KiR).

The role of socioeconomic factors in Black-White disparities in preterm birth.

Objectives: We investigated the role of socioeconomic factors in Black-White disparities in preterm birth (PTB).

Methods: We used the population-based California Maternal and Infant Health Assessment survey and birth certificate data on 10 400 US-born Black and White California residents who gave birth during 2003 to 2010 to examine rates and relative likelihoods of PTB among Black versus White women, with adjustment for multiple socioeconomic factors and covariables.

Results: Greater socioeconomic advantage was generally associated with lower PTB rates among White but not Black women.

Moving upstream: why rehabilitative justice in military discharge proceedings serves a public health interest.

The cultural divide between US military and civilian institutions amplifies the consequences of military discharge status on public health and criminal justice systems in a manner that is invisible to a larger society. Prompt removal of problematic wounded warriors through retributive justice is more expedient than lengthy mental health treatment. Administrative and punitive discharges usually preclude Department of Veterans Affairs eligibility, posing a heavy public health burden.

Prescription drug misuse among homeless youth.

Background: Prescription drug misuse (PDM) is highly prevalent among youth in the U.S., and can have serious health consequences.

Social networks, time homeless, and social support: A study of men on Skid Row.

Homeless men are frequently unsheltered and isolated, disconnected from supportive organizations and individuals. However, little research has investigated these men's social networks. We investigate the structure and composition of homeless men's social networks, vis-a-vis short- and long-term homelessness with a sample of men drawn randomly from meal lines on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

Minority stress and substance use in sexual minority adolescents: a meta-analysis.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents report disparate rates of substance use, and often consume more cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy than their heterosexual peers. It is therefore crucial to understand the risk factors for substance use among LGB adolescents, particularly those unique to their minority status. In an effort to organize the current knowledge of minority-related risk factors for substance use among LGB youth, this study presents results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published research literature.

The HIV risk reduction needs of homeless women in Los Angeles.

Background: Substance use, housing instability, and transactional sex all contribute to HIV risk engagement among homeless women. Because of the increased risk of HIV among homeless women, this study sought to understand the context of sexual behaviors and condom use among homeless women and elucidate modifiable factors that can be targeted by interventions.

Methods: Homeless women (n = 45) participated in focus groups (n = 6) at shelters throughout Los Angeles County.

A national study of risk and protective factors for substance use among youth in the child welfare system.

While child welfare services are intended, in part, to diminish maltreatment's negative impact on adolescents' development, there is evidence that receiving child welfare services affects adolescents' substance use adversely. The literature on the extent and correlates of this problem is still emerging. The present study aims to fill part of this gap by examining the association between baseline psychosocial risk and protective factors on engagement in substance use behavior over a period of 36 months for child welfare involved youth.