Examining Environmental Predictors of Community Participation for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

A geographic information system (GIS) approach systematically assessed whether population density and distribution of community resources contributed to caregiver reported community participation outcomes for 124 adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Regression analyses examined whether GIS measures predicted community participation in areas of social activities and use of services, while also accounting for adult age, conversation ability, and daily living skills (DLS). Results indicated that in addition to person factors of greater DLS and better conversation ability, access to specific community features, such as bus stops, contributed to improved participation. Unexpectedly, population density where one lived made minimal contribution to participation outcomes, except in getting together with friends outside of organized activities.

Cannabis Use Disorder and Post-Deployment Suicide Attempts in Iraq/Afghanistan-Era Veterans.

The objective of the present study was to use retrospective data to test the hypothesis that cannabis dependence would be associated with an increased rate of post-deployment suicide attempts. Participants included 319 veterans who had deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Study procedures involved completion of a structured clinical interview and a battery of self-report questionnaires. As expected, lifetime cannabis dependence was significantly associated with post-deployment suicide attempts, AOR = 7.963, p = .014, even after controlling for the effects of pre-deployment suicide attempts, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, pain, non-cannabis substance use disorder, and gender. Although preliminary, our findings provide the first evidence to date that heavy cannabis use may be a unique risk factor for post-deployment suicide attempts among veterans.

Mobile contingency management as an adjunctive treatment for co-morbid cannabis use disorder and cigarette smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the U.S. with 19.8 million current users. Population-based data indicate that almost all cannabis users (90%) have a lifetime history of tobacco smoking and the majority (74%) currently smoke tobacco. Among cannabis users, smoking tobacco is associated with increased frequency of cannabis use, increased morbidity, and poorer cannabis cessation outcomes. There is a lack of research, however, focused on addressing cessation of both substances simultaneously. The purpose of the current pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a multi-component tobacco/cannabis abstinence treatment. METHODS: Five participants completed Abstinence Reinforcement Therapy, an intervention that included five sessions of cognitive-behavioral telephone counseling for tobacco/cannabis, pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, and five weeks of mobile contingency management to remain abstinent from tobacco and cannabis. RESULTS: Feasibility of recruitment, retention and treatment completion was high. Satisfaction with the treatment was also high. CONCLUSION: Results support the feasibility and acceptability of this approach with dual cannabis and tobacco users and suggest that further research examining the efficacy of this approach is warranted.