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The Authors’ Own Words: A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness of Using Smartphones to Provide Recovery Support for Adolescents

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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.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness of Using Smartphones to Provide Recovery Support for Adolescents
Michael L. Dennis , Christy K. Scott , Rodney R. Funk , Lisa Nicholson
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

Adolescents in residential treatment have low rates of completing treatment, accessing continuing care, and sustaining their recovery during the months after discharge. Dennis, Scott, Funk & Nicholson (this issue) demonstrate the feasibility of using smartphone technology to provide adolescents with recovery monitoring and support services following treatment. They showed that the 2-3 minute surveys can reliably be used to predict the risk of substance use in the subsequent 7 days and that the use of support services on the phone was associated with reduction in use overall and after controlling for likelihood of use. While just a pilot study, this work suggest the potential value of using technology to help youth sustain recovery and reduce relapse. To the extent that substance use disorders are a chronic condition, it also helps to establish the value of providing youth with self-management tools.

The Authors’ Own Words: Trajectories of Marijuana Use Beginning in Adolescence Predict Tobacco Dependence in Adulthood

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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.

Trajectories of Marijuana Use Beginning in Adolescence Predict Tobacco Dependence in Adulthood
Judith S. Brook , Jung Yeon Lee , David W. Brook
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

Although the “stage theory” suggests that marijuana use occurs after the initiation of tobacco smoking, our findings indicated that the opposite way also exists. That is, diminishing chronic, increasing, and moderate marijuana use may reduce tobacco dependence. In light of the results, policy makers should consider the effects of different amounts of marijuana use in their approach to tobacco dependence. Prevention and treatment programs in early adolescence should focus on decreasing the chronic marijuana use trajectory group, the increasing marijuana use trajectory group, and the moderate marijuana use trajectory group. In addition to focusing on the trajectories of marijuana use, prevention of tobacco dependence should target early tobacco use.

The Authors’ Own Words: Religiosity as a Predictor of Adolescents’ Substance Use Disorder Treatment Outcomes

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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.

Religiosity as a Predictor of Adolescents’ Substance Use Disorder Treatment Outcomes
Julie D. Yeterian , Krisanne Bursik , John F. Kelly
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

This study examines religiosity as a predictor of treatment outcomes in an outpatient adolescent sample, with alcohol/other drug problem recognition as a hypothesized moderator. The present study extends current knowledge by (a) examining outcomes longitudinally over a longer period of time than has previously been examined, (b) using a standard outpatient sample, which is the most common type of adolescent SUD treatment, and (c) examining a potential moderator of the relationship between religiosity and outcomes. Results indicated that religiosity predicted reductions in substance-related consequences over time and interacted with problem recognition to predict baseline abstinence. However, it was not a consistent predictor of outcomes (it predicted changes in just one of three examined outcomes) and did not interact with problem recognition to predict changes in outcomes over time, as hypothesized. This suggests that religiosity, which has been found to predict improved outcomes among adults with SUD, may not be as salient to this younger cohort, who are likely to be less religious and less interested in stopping their substance use than their adult counterparts.

The Authors’ Own Words: Medicine Resident Preparedness to Diagnose and Treat Substance Use Disorders: Impact of an Enhanced Curriculum

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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.

Medicine Resident Preparedness to Diagnose and Treat Substance Use Disorders: Impact of an Enhanced Curriculum
Sarah E. Wakeman , Genevieve Pham-Kanter , Meridale V. Baggett , Eric G. Campbell
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

Our findings demonstrate that medicine resident preparedness to diagnose and treat substance use disorders (SUD) can be significantly improved with a relatively limited educational intervention. A greater sense of confidence has been shown to improve physicians’ professional satisfaction caring for patients with addiction and increase screening and referral to treatment, suggesting that improved resident preparedness is a relevant outcome. However, addiction knowledge did not increase in this study. This highlights the need for greater addiction education reform with the development and dissemination of a comprehensive curriculum that includes clinical rotations. This is the educational standard for medical training in other diseases that are far less prevalent, morbid, or fatal than addiction.

The Authors’ Own Words: The Association Between Stimulant, Opioid, and Multiple Drug Use on Behavioral Health Care Utilization in a Safety-Net Health System

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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.

The Association Between Stimulant, Opioid, and Multiple Drug Use on Behavioral Health Care Utilization in a Safety-Net Health System
Susan L. Calcaterra , Angela Keniston , Joshua Blum , Tessa Crume , Ingrid A. Binswanger
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

This article demonstrates that patients who use illicit opioids or who use multiple illicit drugs are more likely to access behavioral healthcare services. By combining primary care and behavioral healthcare services in one location, we may be able to prevent costly healthcare utilization with early recognition of medical problems such as cellulitis, HIV, or other medical issues often seen in patients who use drugs. If such medical problems were detected early, we may be able to decrease utilization of costly healthcare resources such as the emergency department or the inpatient hospital setting.