treatment Archives - Page 2 of 5

New in SAj: Who benefits from Two Way Prayer Meditation? Treatment effect moderators in a pilot randomized controlled trial of a spiritual intervention for people with substance use disorders

Feb 7, 2022 by AMERSA

“Who benefits from Two Way Prayer Meditation? Treatment effect moderators in a pilot randomized controlled trial of a spiritual intervention for people with substance use disorders” was published in the Substance Abuse Journal (SAj) today, February 7, 2022 from Audrey Hang Hai, PhD, Bill Wigmore, BA, Cynthia Franklin, PhD, Clayton Shorkey, PhD, Kirk von Sternberg, PhD, Allan Hugh Cole Jr., PhD, and Diana M. DiNitto, PhD.

This study aimed to identify moderators of two way prayer meditation (TWPM) treatment effects. Moderators tested included gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, religious/spiritual affiliation, and most often used substance. Methods: This study employed a randomized controlled trial design with pretest and posttest. In total, 134 adults in four residential recovery programs participated in the study and were randomly assigned to the TWPM group or the treatment as usual control group.

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The Authors’ Own Words: Concussion, Sensation-Seeking and Substance Use Among US Adolescents

Feb 5, 2022 by AMERSA

In “Concussion, Sensation-Seeking and Substance Use Among US Adolescents” authors Phil Veliz, PhD, Sean Esteban McCabe ,PhD, James T. Eckner, MD, MS, and John E. Schulenberg, PhD assess the association between lifetime history of diagnosed concussions, sensation-seeking, and recent substance use (i.e., cigarette use, binge drinking, marijuana use, illicit drug use, and nonmedical prescription drug use) using the 2016 and 2017 Monitoring the Future study of 25,408 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.

“We found substantial differences in substance use between adolescents reporting only one diagnosed concussion and those reporting two or more diagnosed concussions during their lifetime. In particular, the positive association between substance use and concussion increases with the accumulation of brain injuries during adolescence. The results suggest that exposure to a single diagnosed concussion is associated with a modest increase in the risk of substance use. Substance abuse prevention efforts should be directed toward adolescents who have experienced multiple head injuries given that this subpopulation is more likely to experience cognitive impairments that influence riskier forms of behavior.”

You can read this commentary in SAj Volume 42, Issue 2 or online.

The Authors’ Own Words: Dissemination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System: Description and Evaluation of Veteran Outcomes

Feb 4, 2022 by AMERSA

In this article, program evaluation findings suggest that large-scale training in and implementation of evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for substance use disorders (SUDs) is associated with improvements in substance use and other functional outcomes. Article authors, Josephine M. DeMarce, PhD, Maryann Gnys, PhD, Susan D. Raffa, PhD, Mandy Kumpula, PhD, and Bradley E. Karlin, PhD, ABPP examine the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) work to nationally implement Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for SUD.

“The current manuscript describes the approach to system-wide training and reports Veteran outcomes associated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD) implementation. Findings based on program evaluation data from this large training dissemination initiative provide preliminary evidence that training and implementation of CBT-SUD can be scaled up to the national, health system level. Findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of broad scale implementation of CBT-SUD to routine practice settings.”

You can read this commentary in SAj Volume 42, Issue 2 or online.

The Authors’ Own Words: Underutilization of the current clinical capacity to provide buprenorphine treatment for Opioid Use Disorders within the Veterans Health Administration

Jan 19, 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.

Underutilization of the current clinical capacity to provide buprenorphine treatment for Opioid Use Disorders within the Veterans Health Administration

Helen Valenstein-Mah, PhD; Hildi Hagedorn, PhD; Chad L. Kay, PharmD; Melissa L. Christopher, PharmD; & Adam J. Gordon, MD, MPH

Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 3, 2018

“This manuscript highlights a discrepancy between the capacity of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) providers credentialed to prescribe buprenorphine, a first line treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, and the number of buprenorphine prescriptions these providers wrote over a six month period. The study found that VHA providers are prescribing buprenorphine below their capacity. These findings help to focus implementation efforts, and suggest that the VHA needs to not only focus on increasing the number of providers credentialed to prescribe buprenorphine, but also address barriers to prescribing at the patient-, provider-, and system-level to ensure veterans get effective treatment for Opioid Use Disorder.”

SAj 12 Days of Holiday Cheer! Day 4: 8th Most Viewed

Dec 16, 2019 by AMERSA

12 Days of Holiday Cheer – Celebrating Some of Our Best!

Day 4: 8th Most Read/Viewed:

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Thomas F. Babor PhD, MPH; Bonnie G. McRee MPH; Patricia A. Kassebaum MA; Paul L. Grimaldi PhD; Kazi Ahmed PhD; & Jeremy Bray PhD

SAj Volume 28, Issue 3

Abstract: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive and integrated approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services through universal screening for persons with substance use disorders and those at risk. This paper describes research on the components of SBIRT conducted during the past 25 years, including the development of screening tests, clinical trials of brief interventions and implementation research. Beginning in the 1980s, concerted efforts were made in the US and at the World Health Organization to provide an evidence base for alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary health care settings. With the development of reliable and accurate screening tests for alcohol, more than a hundred clinical trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care, emergency departments and trauma centers. With the accumulation of positive evidence, implementation research on alcohol SBI was begun in the 1990s, followed by trials of similar methods for other substances (e.g., illicit drugs, tobacco, prescription drugs) and by national demonstration programs in the US and other countries. The results of these efforts demonstrate the cumulative benefit of translational research on health care delivery systems and substance abuse policy. That SBIRT yields short-term improvements in individuals’ health is irrefutable; long-term effects on population health have not yet been demonstrated, but simulation models suggest that the benefits could be substantial.