Potential influences on initiation and persistence of extramedical prescription pain reliever use in the US population.

OBJECTIVE: Extramedical prescription pain reliever use has generated much public concern; however, little is known regarding its epidemiology in the general population. METHODS: Using data from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002 and 2003), we explored demographics, drug use history, and physical/mental problems associated with recent onset use (initiated in past 24 mo, n=1528) and persistent use (initiated more than 2 y and still using within a year of the assessment, n=4400) of prescription pain relievers when taken without a clinician's prescription or not as prescribed. RESULTS: Adolescents and young adults were more likely to initiate extramedical use as compared with older individuals. African-Americans were approximately half as likely to initiate extramedical use as compared with whites (odds ratio, OR: 0.56, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.45, 0.70). Hispanics who began using prescription pain relievers extramedically were more likely to persist as compared with whites (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.52, 2.22). Reporting lifetime use of marijuana (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 6.86, 95% CI: 5.86, 8.03), cocaine (aOR: 5.36, 95% CI: 4.53, 6.33), and heroin (aOR: 3.87, 95% CI: 2.51, 5.97) was associated with initiation of extramedical prescription pain reliever use. Adults with mental problems were twice as likely to be recent onset users as compared with those without these symptoms, holding constant potential confounders. DISCUSSION: This study supplies data that can improve our understanding of factors associated with the extramedical use of prescription pain relievers among 2 distinct stages of use.

Effects of a non-peptide CRF antagonist (DMP696) on the behavioral and endocrine sequelae of maternal separation.

We examined whether blockade of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors by a non-peptide CRF antagonist (DMP696) would attenuate the stress hyper-responsiveness that occurs in response to maternal separation. In a social interaction test as well as the elevated plus maze, adult male rats, which had been maternally separated as infants, displayed more anxiety-like behavior compared with handled rats. DMP696 increased social interaction in both groups. In the elevated plus maze however, DMP696 significantly increased open arm time in the maternally separated rats but not in the handled group whereas chlordiazepoxide increased open arm time in both groups. DMP696 also appeared to block stress-induced ACTH secretion more readily in the maternally separated group compared with the handled rats. These observations suggest that CRF antagonists are particularly effective in animals that are hyper-responsive to stress and may therefore have utility in the treatment of anxiety and affective disorders where CRF has been implicated.

Medicare interim payment system's impact on Medicare home health utilization.

The Medicare home health interim payment system (IPS) implemented in fiscal year 1998 provided very strong incentives for home health agencies (HHAs) to reduce the number of visits provided to each Medicare user and to avoid those beneficiaries whose Medicare plan of care was likely to exceed the average beneficiary cost limit. We analyzed multiple years of data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) to examine how the IPS affected subgroups of the Medicare population by health and socioeconomic characteristics. We found that the IPS strongly reduced overall utilization, but that few subgroups were disproportionately affected.

Predictors of Outpatient Mental Health Service Use by American Youth.

Among American children and adolescents aged 1 to 17 years, the 12- to 17-year-olds represent the largest users of outpatient mental health services. This study utilizes a nationally representative sample of this age group from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to illuminate predictors of services use from three treatment settings: day treatment programs, mental health clinics/centers, and private/in-home settings. Univariate analyses were used to calculate the percentages of the study sample that used mental health services in these settings. In bivariate analyses, the authors estimated the strength of the associations between available predisposing, need, and enabling factors and the outcomes. Multiple logistic regressions estimated the independent effects of each covariate on the outcomes. Lifetime depression, lifetime general anxiety, delinquent behaviors, drug dependence, and Medicaid were consistent predictors of services use in the three treatment settings. Several other factors were associated with services use in bivariate analyses but lost most of their statistical significance when the authors adjusted for other confounders. Interpreted in light of its potential limitations, this study has important research and policy significance.

Individual, interpersonal, and structural correlates of effective HAART use among urban active injection drug users.

Among individuals receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), injection drug users (IDUs) are less likely to achieve HIV suppression. The present study examined individual-level, interpersonal, and structural factors associated with achieving undetectable plasma viral load (UVL) among US IDUs receiving recommended HAART. Data were from baseline assessments of the INSPIRE (Interventions for Seropositive Injectors-Research and Evaluation) study, a 4-site, secondary HIV prevention intervention for heterosexually active IDUs. Of 1113 study participants at baseline, 42% (n = 466) were currently taking recommended HAART (34% were female, 69% non-Hispanic black, 26% recently homeless; median age was 43 years), of whom 132 (28%) had a UVL. Logistic regression revealed that among those on recommended HAART, adjusted odds of UVL were at least 3 times higher among those with high social support, stable housing, and CD4 > 200; UVL was approximately 60% higher among those reporting better patient-provider communication. Outpatient drug treatment and non-Hispanic black race and an interaction between current drug use and social support were marginally negatively significant. Among those with high perceived support, noncurrent drug users compared with current drug users had a greater likelihood of UVL; current drug use was not associated with UVL among those with low support. Depressive symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory) were not significant. Results suggest the major role of social support in facilitating effective HAART use in this population and suggest that active drug use may interfere with HAART use by adversely affecting social support. Interventions promoting social support functioning, patient-provider communication, stable housing, and drug abuse treatment may facilitate effective HAART use in this vulnerable population.