Background: Hospitalizations for people who inject drugs (PWID) are opportunities to address substance use. However, little is known about hospitalized PWIDs' motivation to stop substance use or improve skin and needle hygiene, common means for reducing injection sequelae. Methods: We used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention to improve skin and needle hygiene among 252 hospitalized PWID between January 2014 and June 2018. We examined motivation (scale 1-10) to stop substance use, use new needles, and clean skin and used multiple linear regression models to evaluate characteristics associated with these outcomes. Results: PWID were recruited during injection-related (154, 61.1%) and non-injection-related hospitalizations (98, 38.9%). Motivation to stop substance use was 7.11 (SD = 2.67), use new needles was 7.8 (SD = 1.9), and clean skin was 6.7 (SD = 2.3). In adjusted models, experiencing an injection-related hospitalization was not significantly associated (p > 0.05) with motivation to stop substance use (β = -0.76, SE = 0.299), use new needles (β = 0.301, SE = 0.255), or clean skin (β = 0.476, SE = 0.323). Number of past-year skin and soft tissue infections was negatively associated with motivation to use new needles (β = -0.109, SE = 0.049, p < 0.05) and clean skin (β = -0.131, SE = 0.062, p < 0.05). Greater opioid withdrawal was associated with lower motivation to use new needles (β = -0.275, SE = 0.92, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Among hospitalized PWID, motivation to stop substance use and improve skin and needle hygiene was moderately high, but injection-related hospitalizations were not associated with greater motivation. Efforts to reduce injection sequelae for all hospitalized PWID are needed.
Background: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) improve outcomes for pregnant women and infants. Our primary aim was to examine disparities in maternal MOUD receipt by family sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included mother-infant dyads with Medicaid-covered deliveries in Tennessee from 2009 to 2016. First, we examined family sociodemographic characteristics - including race/ethnicity, rurality, mother's primary language and education level, and whether paternity was recorded in birth records - and newborn outcomes by type of maternal opioid use. Second, among pregnant women with OUD, we used logistic regression to measure disparities in receipt of MOUD by family sociodemographic characteristics including interactions between characteristics. Results: Our cohort from Medicaid-covered deliveries consisted of 314,965 mother-infant dyads, and 4.2 percent were exposed to opioids through maternal use. Among dyads with maternal OUD, MOUD receipt was associated with lower rates of preterm and very preterm birth. Logistic regression adjusted for family sociodemographic characteristics showed that pregnant women with OUD in rural versus urban areas (aOR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.60-0.72) and who were aged ≥35 years versus ≤25 years (aOR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.64-0.89) were less likely to have received MOUD. Families in which the mother's primary language was English (aOR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.24-4.91) and paternity was recorded on the birth certificate (aOR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.19-1.42) were more likely to have received MOUD. Regardless of high school degree attainment, non-Hispanic Black versus non-Hispanic White race was associated with lower likelihood of MOUD receipt. Hispanic race was associated with lower likelihood of MOUD receipt among women without a high school degree. Conclusions: Among a large cohort of pregnant women, we found disparities in receipt of MOUD among non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and rural pregnant women. As policymakers consider strategies to improve access to MOUD, they should consider targeted approaches to address these disparities.
Background: There is an alarming shortage of addiction psychiatrists in the United States. To promote interest in addiction psychiatry (ADP), it is essential to maximize resources available through ADP fellowship websites. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived adequacy and accessibility of content on ADP fellowship websites and discover what further information is considered important among trainees interested in becoming addiction specialists. Methods: Three virtual focus groups were conducted between January and February 2021 among medical students and residents in diverse geographic regions. Participants were asked about the availability of information on ADP fellowship program websites and other material they would like to see available. Focus groups were recorded, with data transcribed and coded using NVivo 11 and Dedoose. A coding scheme was deductively developed based on the core research questions. Results: The majority of participants (N = 27) identified areas of dissatisfaction with the content currently available on ADP websites. The sample was highly representative of racial and ethnic minoritized trainees (n = 12) and genderqueer/non-binary participants (n = 3). Three major themes were identified and durable across all focus groups: lack of emphasis on diversity/health equity, lack of portrayal of everyday life and activities of fellows, and inadequate representation of curricula. Overwhelmingly, participants identified a dedication to health equity (for example, working with minoritized populations) as a key deciding factor in whether to apply to a particular ADP fellowship. Conclusions: ADP fellowship websites are perceived to have considerable variability in the amount and quality of information. Many do not appear to provide the full spectrum of content desired by diverse potential applicants, such as information regarding current fellows and community-centered initiatives. This is concerning, as it suggests ADP fellowships may be interfacing poorly with burgeoning leaders, especially those from race and gender minoritized backgrounds, neglecting potential opportunities to develop future addiction specialists.
Background Studies have consistently found high rates of unintended pregnancy among women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Few interventions have been developed to specifically engage and address the family planning (FP) needs of women in substance use disorder treatment. Objectives: Our goal was to collect formative qualitative data to identify the FP experiences, needs and service preferences of women receiving medications for OUD and to use these data to develop a FP education and navigation intervention that could be tested in diverse, resource-limited treatment settings. Methods: From August 2016 to April 2017, we conducted 21 guided qualitative interviews with women from two outpatient treatment clinics in Denver, Colorado. We recorded, transcribed, and coded all interviews. We then facilitated three focus groups (n = 16) from May to July 2017 to verify or challenge interview themes and to further inform the development of the FP intervention. Results: Most participants expressed ambivalence or low perceived risk regarding unintended pregnancy and desired more information about contraceptive methods. Many participants described mistrust or lack of engagement in the medical system and histories of trauma were a common barrier to seeking services. Focus group participants endorsed a peer-led FP navigation intervention and provided feedback to tailor existing FP educational materials to fit the specific needs of women in recovery. Conclusions/Importance: Results from this qualitative study suggest that women in recovery from OUD have unique, unmet FP education and service needs. These findings provide important information for the development of feasible and acceptable FP service delivery within diverse, resource-limited treatment settings and informed the development of a trauma-informed, peer-led FP education and navigation intervention that would be implemented in a subsequent phase of the study.
Objective: While peer influence is a well-documented risk factor for adolescent substance use, it remains unclear whether peer or parental attitudes have greater impact, and if this relationship is moderated by having a confidant and the relationship between adolescents and their confidant. Method: Pooled (2015-2018) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data on adolescents (12-17 years) were used. Perceived peer and parental disapproval of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use were dichotomized. We assessed associations between disapproval and past-month tobacco (N = 51,352), alcohol (N = 51,407), and marijuana use (N = 51,355) using separate multivariable logistic regression models. We explored effect modification by the presence of a confidant, parental vs. non-parental disapproval, and peer vs. non-peer confidant relationship. Results: Peer and parental disapproval, presence of any confidant, and identifying a parental confidant were consistently protective against substance use; identifying a peer confidant increased odds of use across substances. For marijuana use, peer disapproval (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.08) was more protective than parental disapproval (aOR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.15). The joint presence of peer/parental disapproval and any confidant decreased the odds of substance use beyond the individual effects of peer/parental disapproval and having a confidant. However, having a peer confidant attenuated the protective association between peer/parental disapproval and tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Conclusions: Both peer and parental relationships are salient when considering the social context of adolescent substance use and should be considered when studying the effects of perceived disapproval.
Background:Brief interventions have shown promise in reducing adolescent alcohol and marijuana use. This manuscript presents a secondary analysis of a randomized trial that compared a brief parent motivational intervention (Family Check Up; FCU) to brief psychoeducation (PE) condition and found no effect of treatment condition on either binge drinking or marijuana use days. The current analyses explored whether the response to treatment may have varied as a function of six empirically-based baseline moderators and predictors: biological sex, age, race/ethnicity, mental health problems, parent-adolescent communication, and peer deviance. Methods: Data from the parent trial randomizing 102 parents to either the FCU (n = 51) or PE (n = 51) interventions were re-analyzed across four time points (baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months). Moderators and predictors were tested via a series of hierarchical linear models. Results: Parent-adolescent communication and peer deviance emerged as significant predictors of adolescent treatment response. Specifically, low-levels of parent-adolescent communication or peer deviance were associated with worse treatment response (i.e., significant increases in binge drinking days and marijuana use days) in the PE condition, but not in the FCU condition. Non-Hispanic Whites and girls had worse treatment response, regardless of treatment condition. Conclusions: The FCU condition appeared to mitigate risks of poor parent-adolescent communication and affiliation with deviant peers better than the PE condition. Clinical recommendations for decision-making around assignment to brief interventions are discussed.
Background: Patients report that familial support can facilitate initiation and maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). However, providing such support can create pressure and additional burdens for families of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) and HIV. We examined perspectives of people with HIV receiving treatment for OUD in Vietnam and their family members. Methods: Between 2015 and 2018, we conducted face-to-face qualitative interviews with 44 patients and 30 of their family members in Hanoi, Vietnam. Participants were people living with HIV and OUD enrolled in the BRAVO study comparing HIV clinic-based buprenorphine with referral to methadone treatment at 4 HIV clinics and their immediate family members (spouses or parents). Interviews were professionally transcribed, coded in Vietnamese, and analyzed using a semantic, inductive approach to qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Family members of people with OUD and HIV in Vietnam reported financially and emotionally supporting MOUD initiation and maintenance as well as actively participating in treatment. Family members described the burdens of supporting patients during opioid use, including financial costs and secondary stigma. Conclusions: Describing the role of family support in the lives of people living with OUD and HIV in the context of Vietnam enriches our understanding of their experiences and will support future treatment efforts targeting the family unit.
Study objective: Prehospital use of naloxone for presumed opioid overdose has increased markedly in recent years because of the current opioid overdose epidemic. In this study, we determine the 1-year mortality of suspected opioid overdose patients who were treated with naloxone by EMS and initially survived. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients using three linked statewide datasets in Massachusetts: emergency medical services (EMS), a master demographics file, and death records. We included all suspected opioid overdose patients who were treated with naloxone by EMS. The primary outcome measures were death within 3 days of treatment and between 4 days and 1 year of treatment. Results: Between July 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015, there were 9734 individuals who met inclusion criteria and were included for analysis. Of these, 807 (8.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.7-8.8%)) died in the first 3 days, 668 (6.9% (95% CI 6.4-7.4%)) died between 4 days and 1 year, and 8259 (84.8% (95% CI 84.1-85.6%)) were still alive at 1 year. Excluding those who died within 3 days, 668 of the remaining 8927 individuals (7.5% (95% CI 6.9-8.0%)) died within 1 year. Conclusion: The 1-year mortality of those who are treated with naloxone for opioid overdose by EMS is high. Communities should focus both on primary prevention and interventions for this patient population, including strengthening regional treatment centers and expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder.

