AMERSA, Author at AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words: Medication Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorders within a National Community Health Center Research Network

Mar 30, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words: We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Medication Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorders within a National Community Health Center Research Network

Traci Rieckmann, PhD; John Muench, MD, MPH; Mary Ann McBurnie, PhD; Michael C. Leo, PhD; Phillip Crawford, MS; Daren Ford, LCSW, CADC II; Jennifer Stubbs,Conall O’Cleirigh, PhD; Kenneth H. Mayer, MD; Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH; Nicole Wright, PsyD, CSAC, ICADC; Maya Doe-Simkins, MPH; Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW; Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH; & Christine Nelson, PhD, RN

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 4, 2016

“Our manuscript details a descriptive research study about care for substance use disorders in non-specialty settings; we examine prevalence rates, patient characteristics, utilization of medication assisted treatments, and screening for safety net patients from a national network of community health centers. Findings from this study provide important information about the low rates of use of medication assisted treatments in primary care settings, and also provide insights into the characteristics and care for uninsured patients, a population often overlooked in most studies utilizing insurance claims data. The implications of these findings include a focused understanding of the treatment needs and future steps that need to be taken in order to adequately address substance use disorders in safety net populations.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Vicarious Trauma and Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth among Substance Abuse Treatment Providers

Mar 29, 2020 by AMERSA

Vicarious Trauma and Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth among Substance Abuse Treatment Providers

Merith Cosden, PhD; Ashley Sanford, PhD; Lauren M. Koch, BS; & Caitlin E. Lepore, MA

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 4, 2016

“Many clients who are in treatment for substance abuse also have a history of trauma. Treatment providers acknowledge the role that trauma plays in substance abuse and many provide integrated treatment for trauma symptoms and substance abuse. Unfortunately, programmatic changes have proceeded faster than has our understanding of the impact of this work on substance abuse treatment providers. In particular, we know that working with clients who have experienced trauma can result in vicarious trauma and/or vicarious posttraumatic growth. This study examined factors associated with vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth for counselors working with clients in substance abuse treatment. Counselors who were in recovery were more likely than other counselors to report a history of trauma; they also reported higher levels of vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth. This study identified risk factors for counselors’ experiencing vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth, and points to the importance of preparing counselors, both personally and professionally, for addressing trauma within substance abuse treatment programs.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Intoxication and Binge and High-Intensity Drinking Among US Young Adults in Their Mid-Twenties

Mar 29, 2020 by AMERSA

Intoxication and Binge and High-Intensity Drinking Among US Young Adults in Their Mid-Twenties

Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, MSA & Megan E. Patrick, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 4, 2016

“The likelihood of discussing alcohol use with a doctor or other health professional has been shown to decrease sharply after age 24, but empirical studies of high-risk alcohol use among this group have not been available to indicate if such decreased clinician communication overall is warranted. Our study, which estimated the prevalence of a range of alcohol use behaviors among US young adults aged 25/26, found that 39.9% of these young adults reported being intoxicated at least once in the past 30 days and 25.6% reported usually experiencing a sustained high of 3 or more hours when drinking alcohol. In the past two weeks, binge drinking (5+ drinks in a row) was reported by 36.3% of respondents, and 12.4% reported high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks in a row). These rates of age 25/26 alcohol use remained stable over the ten years of data examined, in contrast to significant declines over historical time in alcohol prevalence rates among these same individuals at age 18. Results suggest that high-risk alcohol use prevention approaches to reach young adults in their mid-twenties are needed, as are efforts to increase proactive screening to identify young adults participating in high-risk alcohol use.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Fruit and vegetable intake as a moderator of the association between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking

Mar 28, 2020 by AMERSA

Fruit and vegetable intake as a moderator of the association between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking

Jeffrey P. Haibach, PhD, MPH; Gregory G. Homish, PhD; R. Lorraine Collins, PhD; Christine B. Ambrosone, PhD; & Gary A. Giovino, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 4, 2016

“Cigarette smoking prevalence persists as a major clinical and public health problem, especially among persons with a depression history. In this pre-clinical and observational cohort study, we found fruit and vegetable intake to moderate the association between depression and smoking. After controlling for demographic characteristics and general health behavior orientation, there was only an association between depressive symptoms and smoking among respondents with low to moderate levels of fruit and vegetable intake cross-sectionally. When tested longitudinally, persons with elevated depressive symptoms at baseline were only less likely to quit smoking four years later at low levels of FVI. However, there was no association between depressive symptoms and smoking at higher levels of fruit and vegetable intake. We also discuss potential mechanisms of action for our results such as monoamine-oxidase inhibition, a known factor associated with smoking, fruit and vegetable intake, and depression. Future clinical research could elucidate whether or not increased fruit and vegetable intake might serve as an adjunct to smoking cessation among persons with a depression history.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Tobacco Outlet Density and Attitudes Towards Smoking among Urban Adolescent Smokers

Mar 28, 2020 by AMERSA

Tobacco Outlet Density and Attitudes Towards Smoking among Urban Adolescent Smokers

Jeremy Mennis, PhD & Michael Mason, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 4, 2016

“This research shows an association between residential exposure to stores selling tobacco with attitudes towards smoking among youth smokers, and suggests that exposure to ambient tobacco advertising molds a youth’s intention to smoke and their perception of self-efficacy regarding smoking cessation. Youth living in areas of high concentrations of stores selling tobacco may have more difficulty stopping smoking as compared to other youth. Thus, the efficacy of youth smoking interventions may be enhanced by explicitly addressing the contextual influence of pro-tobacco messages found in residential environments.”