The impact of the 2014 military conflict in the east of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea among patients receiving opioid agonist therapies.

BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist therapies (OAT) for people with opioid use disorders (OUD) have been available in Ukraine since 2004. This study assessed the effect of 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine on OAT re-enrollment and retention in conflict areas. METHODS: We analyzed the Ukraine national registry of OAT patients containing 1868 people with OUD receiving OAT as of January 2014 in conflict areas (Donetsk, Luhansk, and the Autonomous Republic [AR] of the Crimea). We developed logistic regression models to assess the correlates of re-enrollment of OAT patients in government-controlled areas (GCA) from conflict areas and retention on OAT at 12 months after re-enrollment. RESULTS: Overall, 377 (20.2 %) patients were re-enrolled at an OAT site in a GCA from confict areas, of whom 182 (48.3 %) were retained on OAT through 2021. Correlates of re-enrollment were residing in Donetsk (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 7.06; 95 % CI: 4.97-10.20) or Luhansk (aOR = 6.20; 95 % CI: 4.38-8.93) vs. AR Crimea; age 18-34 (aOR = 2.03; 95 % CI: 1.07-3.96) or 35-44 (aOR = 2.09; 95 % CI: 1.24-3.71) vs. ≥55 years, and being on optimal (aOR = 1.78; 95 % CI: 1.33-2.39) or high OAT dosing (aOR = 2.76; 95 % CI: 1.93-3.96) vs. low dosing. Correlates of retention were drug use experience 15-19 years (aOR = 3.69; 95 % CI: 1.47-9.49) vs. <14 years of drug use; take-home (aOR = 3.42; 95 % CI: 1.99-5.96) vs. daily on-site dosing, and optimal (aOR = 2.19; 95 % CI:1.05-4.72) vs. low OAT dosing. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that one-fifth of patients were re-enrolled at sites in GCA areas, less than half of re-enrolled patients were retained. Disruption of OAT has implications for drug-, HIV-, and HCV-related morbidity and mortality. FUNDING: AM was funded by NIH-funded grant D43TW010562; DCO was funded by the NIDA-funded Center for Drug Use and HIV|HCV Research (P30DA011041).

Awareness and willingness to use HIV self-testing among people who inject drugs in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Most people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran have not undergone recent HIV testing. While PWID face barriers when seeking HIV testing at health facilities, HIV self-testing (HIVST) could be a promising approach to improve HIV testing uptake. We examined the awareness and willingness to use HIVST among PWID in Iran. We also identified participants' characteristics associated with a higher willingness to use HIVST. METHODS: PWID were recruited in 11 cities using a respondent-driven sampling method. Willingness to use HIVST was defined as a binary variable (very low/low willingness vs. high/very high willingness). We performed multivariable modified Poisson regression to examine associated factors and report adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Of 2,252 PWID, 362 (16.2%; 95% CI 14.7, 17.8) had ever heard of HIVST; however, 1,658 (73.6%; 95% CI 71.7, 75.4) reported high/very high willingness to use HIVST. Willingness to use HIVST was higher among PWID who reported having a high/moderate HIV risk perception (aPR 1.22; 95% CI 1.09, 1.37), ever experiencing homelessness (aPR 1.15; 95% CI 1.03, 1.28), > 10 years of injecting history (aPR 1.16; 95% CI 1.00, 1.34), and high injection frequency in the last three months (aPR 1.18; 95% CI 1.05, 1.32). CONCLUSION: Most PWID in Iran, particularly those experiencing homelessness, have a longer injecting history, engage in more frequent injection practices, and possess a heightened perception of HIV risk would be willing to adopt HIVST. Enhancing HIVST awareness through increased access to HIVST and health education programs are needed. Additionally, conducting implementation science studies to effectively design and run HIVST programs in Iran can also increase PWID's access to HIV testing.

Pre-pandemic mental health and coping strategy usage during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis of the Southern Cities Study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the usage of coping strategies recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether coping strategy usage varies by pre-pandemic mental health. This study examined the prevalence of different coping strategies and associations of their usage with pre-pandemic mental health. METHODS: Data were collected from adults residing in metropolitan areas of the U.S. South in May/June 2020 using random-digit-dialing and web-based surveys (n = 1,644). We estimated the prevalence of each coping strategy: (1) keeping up-to-date about COVID-19; (2) taking breaks from the news or social media; (3) taking care of physical health; (4) engaging in relaxing activities; (5) reaching out to and spending time with others; and (6) trying to find comfort in religious or spiritual beliefs. We examined the association between the use of each strategy and pre-pandemic mental health using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for covariates. We also analyzed the association between pre-pandemic mental health and the number of coping strategies employed using ordered logistic regression. RESULTS: The most prevalent strategies were: "keeping up-to-date about COVID-19" (53%), "taking care of physical health" (52%), and "reaching out to and spending time with others" (52%). Good pre-pandemic mental health was associated with an increased prevalence of "reaching out to and spending time with others" (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.91). The use of other coping strategies and the number of coping strategies used during the pandemic did not vary by pre-pandemic mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that people who had good pre-pandemic mental health were more likely to connect with other people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the well-documented impact of social support on mental health in disaster contexts, efforts to promote safe social connections for those with pre-existing mental health concerns are needed.

State-level unemployment and negative emotions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States.

Although prior research has assessed public mental health in the U.S. throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear how area-level unemployment impacted psychological well-being; moreover, studies that examine potential effect heterogeneity of the impact of area-level unemployment on well-being by employment status are lacking. To address these shortcomings, this study utilized data from Gallup's repeated cross-sectional, nationally representative COVID-19 web survey collected between April 2020 and July 2021 (n = 132,971). Survey modified Poisson regression models were estimated to determine the association between current unemployment rate in respondents' state of residence and experience of each of the following negative emotions during a lot of the prior day: sadness, worry, stress, anger, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. These models were stratified by employment status and sequentially adjusted for individual-level covariates, state fixed effects, and current state-level COVID-19 mortality. State-level unemployment was most strongly associated with sadness, followed by worry, anger, loneliness, stress, and anxiety; no associations were observed for depression. For sadness, worry, and stress, associations were strongest among full-time employed and retired individuals, and weakest among unemployed respondents and homemakers. Moreover, there was some evidence that state-level unemployment was negatively associated with the experience of anger in the early stages of the pandemic, and positively in its later stages. In sum, these findings suggest that Americans' emotional experience during the COVID-19 pandemic was considerably impacted by the state of the economy, highlighting the need for risk-buffering social policies.

Presence of Content Appealing to Youth on Cannabis-Infused Edibles Packaging.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of consistent regulation of cannabis edibles packaging to restrict youth-appealing content in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To describe content appealing to youth on U.S. cannabis-infused edibles packaging. METHODS: We analyzed 256 photos of cannabis-infused edibles packaging collected from U.S. adults from 25 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between May 2020 to August 2021. We coded the presence of product knockoffs, human and non-human creatures, images indicating flavor, text indicating flavor, and the number of colors. We compared these codes across states' legalization status (medical and non-medical cannabis, medical cannabis only, or limited cannabis legalization). RESULTS: Overall, 15% of packages resembled product knockoffs, 23% contained human/non-human creatures, 35% contained flavor images, 91% contained flavor text, and median number of colors was 5 (range from 1 to 10+). Packages purchased in states with medical and non-medical cannabis, medical cannabis only, or limited cannabis legalization differed significantly on product knockoffs (11%, 26%, 38%, p = 0.007), human/non-human creatures (19%, 33%, 63%, p = 0.002), flavor text (93%, 81%, 100%, p = 0.046), and number of colors (median of 5, 5, and 10, p = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Existing laws have not adequately limited content appealing to youth on U.S. cannabis-infused edibles packaging. Robust and consistent regulations in the U.S. are needed to ensure that the packaging of such products does not contain content that appeal to youth and lead to initiation or inadvertent ingestion.

Copycat and lookalike edible cannabis product packaging in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Recent media reports have highlighted copycat/lookalike cannabis edibles as a public health concern. No empirical papers have described this phenomenon. METHODS: From May 2020-August 2021, we collected photos of cannabis products via an online survey of cannabis users and through personal contacts. Copycat/lookalike products are defined as those that use the same or similar brand name, logo, and/or imagery as an existing commercial non-cannabis counterpart (CNCC). We assessed each package for similarities with its CNCC with respect to brand name, product name, font, color, flavors, and brand/promotional characters. We examined cannabis content indicators including: THC content per package and serving, cannabis leaf symbol, product warnings, cannabis terms, cannabis motifs, activation time, and guidance on edible use. RESULTS: We collected photos of 731 cannabis products; 267 (36%) were edibles of which 22 (8%) represented 13 unique copycat/lookalike products. Eight used exact brand/product names as existing CNCCs, and five used similar names. Packages copied or imitated a mean of 3.9 of six features and indicated cannabis content with a mean of 4.1 of eight features. Thirteen packages indicated a mean THC content of 459 mg/package. Four reported THC dose per serving, with a mean dose of 47.5 mg. CONCLUSIONS: Our content analysis highlights three key concerns. First, copycat/lookalike edibles subtly indicate cannabis content while using high fidelity replication or imitation of their CNCC. Second, THC content is high and there were multiple 10 mg THC doses in the equivalent of 1 serving of a CNCC. Third, these products may be attractive to children.

Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms Among Dominicans in New York City.

Little is known about the association between acculturation and mental health among Dominican populations in the United States. Data came from a community survey of Dominican residents of New York City (n = 2744). Associations between two indicators of acculturation, proportion of life spent in the U.S. and interview language (English/Spanish), with lifetime depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 5) were examined using logistic regression overall and by gender. In adjusted models, respondents with English-language interview and above-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. had 77% higher odds (95% CI 1.28, 2.44) of lifetime depressive symptoms than those with Spanish-language interview and below-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. There was some evidence of elevated odds of depressive symptoms among men with English-language interview and below-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. Additional research is needed to elucidate gender-specific impacts of acculturation on mental health in this population.

An examination of racial and ethnic disparities in mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. South.

BACKGROUND: The mental health of racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States may be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to greater experience of peri-pandemic stressors. Yet, few studies have systematically examined racial/ethnic differences in mental health outcomes in this context. METHODS: Data came from the COVID-19 Southern Cities Study, a probability-based, cross-sectional study conducted in May/June 2020 among adults living in the metropolitan statistical areas of Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between racial/ethnic identity and past-week depression and/or anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score ≥ 3 or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 score ≥ 3), trouble sleeping, physical reactions when thinking about COVID-19, and self-rated worsened mental health due to the pandemic were estimated in separate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Over 30% of respondents reported depression and/or anxiety symptoms, 21% reported physical reactions, 25% had trouble sleeping, and 33% worsened mental health since the pandemic began. Adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics and pandemic-related stressors, odds of anxiety symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.95) and worsened mental health (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.94) were lower among non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic white respondents. LIMITATIONS: No diagnostic assessments were used, and results may not be generalizable to later phases of the pandemic and the entire U.S. South. CONCLUSIONS: Despite greater pandemic-related stressor experience, poor mental health outcomes were not more common among racial/ethnic minority individuals. However, interventions to reduce disparities in stressor experience and promote mental health are needed.

Rapid Behavioral Health Assessment Post-disaster: Developing and Validating a Brief, Structured Module.

To develop and validate a brief, structured, behavioral health module for use by local public health practitioners to rapidly assess behavioral health needs in disaster settings. Data were collected through in-person, telephone, and web-based interviews of 101 individuals affected by Hurricanes Katrina (n = 44) and Sandy (n = 57) in New Orleans and New Jersey in April and May 2018, respectively. Questions included in the core module were selected based on convergent validity, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability across administration modes, principal component analysis (PCA), question comprehension, efficiency, accessibility, and use in population-based surveys. Almost all scales showed excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha, 0.79-0.92), convergent validity (r > 0.61), and test-retest reliability (in-person vs. telephone, intra-class coefficient, ICC, 0.75-1.00; in-person vs. web-based ICC, 0.73-0.97). PCA of the behavioral health scales yielded two components to include in the module-mental health and substance use. The core module has 26 questions-including self-reported general health (1 question); symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety (Primary Care PTSD Screen, Patient Health Questionnaire-4; 8 questions); drinking and other substance use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise, AUDIT-C; Drug Abuse Screening Test, DAST-10; stand-alone question regarding increased substance use since disaster; 14 questions); prior mental health conditions, treatment, and treatment disruption (3 questions)-and can be administered in 5-10 minutes through any mode. This flexible module allows practitioners to quickly evaluate behavioral health needs, effectively allocate resources, and appropriately target interventions to help promote recovery of disaster-affected communities.

Student-led research team-building program may help junior faculty increase productivity in competitive biomedical research environment.

BACKGROUND: Interdisciplinary research teams can increase productivity among academic researchers, yet many junior investigators do not have the training or financial resources to build productive teams. We developed and tested the acceptability and feasibility of three low-cost services to help junior faculty build and maintain their own research teams. METHODS: At an urban academic medical centre, we implemented three types of consultation services: 1) giving talks on evidence-based best practices for building teams; 2) providing easy-to-use team building resources via email; and 3) offering a year-long consultation service-co-led by students-that taught faculty to build and maintain research teams. Our primary outcome was the number of faculty who used each service. For the yearlong consultation service, we asked faculty participants to complete three online self-assessments to rate their leadership confidence, the team's performance, and which of the consultation components were most helpful. We used descriptive statistics to evaluate faculty assessment scores at three timepoints by comparing median scores and interquartile ranges. RESULTS: We gave 31 talks on team building to 328 faculty and postdoctoral fellows from 2014 to 2020. Separately, 26 faculty heard about our research team building expertise and requested materials via email. For the consultation service, we helped build or enhance 45 research teams from 2014 to 2020. By the end of the consultation, 100% of the faculty reported they were still maintaining their team. In the initial survey, the majority of participants (95.7%, n = 22) reported having no or few experiences in building teams. Further, when asked to rate their team's performance at 12-months, faculty highly rated many elements of both teamwork and taskwork, specifically their team's productivity (6/7 points), morale (6/7 points), and motivation (6/7 points). By the end of the program, faculty participants also highly rated two components of the consultation program: recruitment assistance (7/10 points) and provision of team management tools (7/10 points). CONCLUSIONS: For participating faculty, our program provided valued guidance on recruitment assistance and team management tools. The high demand for team-building resources suggests that junior faculty urgently need better training on how to develop and manage their own team.

Mentorship for Addiction Problems (MAP): A New Behavioral Intervention to Assist in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Mentorship for Addiction Problems (MAP) is a new behavioral treatment formalizing client-to-client mentorship relationships as an adjunct to standard outpatient substance use disorder treatment. We tested the preliminary efficacy of MAP in reducing substance use and associated barriers to successful treatment outcomes. METHOD: A total of 65 participants (17 later recovery participants [LRPs] and 48 early recovery participants [ERPs]) with substance use disorders were randomized to MAP + Treatment as Usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Within MAP, for each cohort, a pool of 4-5 mentors (LRPs) was formed and engaged in mentoring activities for 24 weeks until 12-13 mentees (ERPs), newly admitted, had participated in MAP for 12 weeks. Behavioral and biological measures were conducted at baseline, weekly, monthly, and termination for all participants and during the 12-week follow-up for ERPs. RESULTS: Substance use declined across both conditions for ERPs (N = 48) during treatment, Weeks 0-12 (p = .001); however, on average, ERPs in the MAP intervention used significantly fewer days than controls during Treatment Weeks 1-12 (p = .013) and during Follow-Up Weeks 13-24 (p = .043). Addiction Severity Index alcohol and drug use scores increased in TAU and decreased in MAP during Follow-Up Weeks 13-24 for ERPs, alcohol: b = -0.08, SE = 0.03, t(47) = -2.97, p = .005; drug use: b = -0.02, SE = 0.01, t(47) = -2.36, p = .023. In addition, there was high patient interest in MAP and good fidelity to delivery of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: MAP shows promise assisting in the reduction of substance use early in treatment when vulnerability and risk for relapse is high and has a positive impact on serious problems undercutting addiction treatment efficacy.

Psychological impact of anti-Asian stigma due to the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for research, practice, and policy responses.

The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to a rise in stigma and discrimination against Chinese and other Asians, which is likely to have a negative impact on mental health, especially when combined with additional outbreak-related stressors. We discuss the need to consider the potential harms of these anti-Asian sentiments during both the height of the pandemic and longer-term recovery through (a) research-examining how it affects mental health and recovery; (b) practice-implementing evidence-based stigma reduction initiatives; and (c) policy-coordinating federal response to anti-Asian racism including investment in mental health services and community-based efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Positive Health Beliefs and Blood Pressure Reduction in the DESERVE Study.

Background There is growing recognition that positive health beliefs may promote blood pressure (BP) reduction, which is critical to stroke prevention but remains a persistent challenge. Yet, studies that examine the association between positive health beliefs and BP among stroke survivors are lacking. Methods and Results Data came from the DESERVE (Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events) study, a randomized controlled trial of a skills-based behavioral intervention to reduce vascular risk in a multiethnic cohort of 552 transient ischemic attack and mild/moderate stroke patients in New York City. The exposure was perception that people can protect themselves from having a stroke (ie, prevention self-efficacy) at baseline. The association between systolic BP (SBP) reduction at 12-month follow-up and self-efficacy was examined using linear regression adjusted for key confounders, overall and stratified by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and intervention trial arm. Approximately three quarters endorsed self-efficacy. These participants had, on average, 5.6 mm Hg greater SBP reduction compared with those who did not endorse it (95% CI, 0.5-10.7 mm Hg; P=0.032). Self-efficacy was significantly associated with greater SBP reduction, particularly among female versus male, younger versus older, and Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white patients. Sensitivity analysis adjusting for baseline SBP instead of elevated BP yielded no association between self-efficacy and SBP reduction, but showed sex differences in this association (women: ß=5.3; 95% CI, -0.2 to 10.8; P=0.057; men: ß=-3.3; 95% CI, -9.4 to 2.9; P=0.300; interaction P=0.064). Conclusions Self-efficacy was linked with greater SBP reduction among female stroke survivors. Targeted strategies to improve health beliefs after stroke may be important for risk factor management. REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clini​caltr​ials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01836354.

Unmet Mental Health Care Needs among Asian Americans 10⁻11 Years After Exposure to the World Trade Center Attack.

This study investigated the prevalence of unmet mental health care needs (UMHCN) and their associated factors among 2344 Asian Americans directly exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) attack 10-11 years afterwards. Given the pervasive underutilization of mental health services among Asians, their subjective evaluation of unmet needs could provide more nuanced information on disparities of service. We used the WTC Health Registry data and found that 12% of Asian Americans indicated UMHCN: 69% attributing it to attitudinal barriers, 36% to cost barriers, and 29% to access barriers. Among all the factors significantly related to UMHCN in the logistic model, disruption of health insurance in the past year had the largest odds ratio (OR = 2.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.61-3.48), though similar to functional impairment due to mental disorders. Post-9/11 mental health diagnosis, probable mental disorder and ≥14 poor mental health days in the past month were also associated with greater odds of UMHCN, while greater social support was associated with lower odds. Results suggest that continued outreach efforts to provide mental health education to Asian communities to increase knowledge about mental illness and treatment options, reduce stigmatization of mental illness, and offer free mental health services are crucial to address UMHCN.

Suicidal ideation is associated with cardiovascular disease in a large, urban cohort of adults in the Southern Cone of Latin America.

INTRODUCTION: To examine the relationship between suicidal ideation (SI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general adult population of four cities in the Southern Cone of Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and the role that depression, stressful life events (SLEs) and physical functional impairment may play in this association. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 7524 adults between 35 and 74 years old, randomly selected. History of CVD included acute myocardial infarction, stroke and central or peripheral revascularization. SI in the past two weeks was measured using the last item of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), quality of life was assessed with the 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12), and having experience of a SLE was determined by asking participants whether they had experienced at least one of a list of events in the past year. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between SI and CVD overall and by sex. RESULTS: The prevalence of SI was 8.3% (95% CI = 7.5, 9.0) and twice as high among women than men (11.1% vs. 5.1%). History of CVD was associated with almost twice the odds of SI (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.5, 2.4). This association remained strong and significant after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.7). Three additional models were tested to further adjust for depression severity, functional impairment, and SLEs separately. Adjustment for depression severity yielded no association between CVD and SI (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6, 1.7), adjustment for functional impairment yielded a marginal statistically significant association (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.0, 2.4) and adjustment for SLE didn't modify either the magnitude or the statistical significance of the association. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between SI and CVD, particularly among women, which may be driven, at least in part, by depression and physical functional impairment.

Efficacy of a Discharge Educational Strategy vs Standard Discharge Care on Reduction of Vascular Risk in Patients With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: The DESERVE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite secondary prevention strategies with proven efficacy, recurrent stroke rates remain high, particularly in racial/ethnic minority populations who are disproportionately affected by stroke. Objective: To determine the efficacy of a culturally tailored skills-based educational intervention with telephone follow-up compared with standard discharge care on systolic blood pressure reduction in a multiethnic cohort of patients with mild/moderate stroke/transient ischemic attack. Design, Setting, and Participants: Randomized clinical trial with 1-year follow-up. Participants were white, black, and Hispanic patients with mild/moderate stroke/transient ischemic attack prospectively enrolled from 4 New York City, New York, medical centers during hospitalization or emergency department visit between August 2012 and May 2016. Through screening of stroke admissions and emergency department notifications, 1083 eligible patients were identified, of whom 256 declined to participate and 275 were excluded for other reasons. Analyses were intention to treat. Interventions: The Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events (DESERVE) intervention is a skills-based, culturally tailored discharge program with follow-up calls delivered by a community health coordinator. This intervention was developed using a community engagement approach. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was systolic blood pressure reduction at 12 months postdischarge. Results: A total of 552 participants were randomized to receive intervention or usual care (281 women [51%]; mean [SD] age, 64.61 [2.9] years; 180 Hispanic [33%], 151 non-Hispanic white [27%], and 183 non-Hispanic black [33%]). At 1-year follow-up, no significant difference in systolic blood pressure reduction was observed between intervention and usual care groups (ß = 2.5 mm Hg; 95% CI, -1.9 to 6.9). Although not powered for subgroup analysis, we found that among Hispanic individuals, the intervention arm had a clinically and statically significant 9.9 mm Hg-greater mean systolic blood pressure reduction compared with usual care (95% CI, 1.8-18.0). There were no significant differences between arms among non-Hispanic white (ß = 3.3; 95% CI, -4.1 to 10.7) and non-Hispanic black participants (ß = -1.6; 95% CI, -10.1 to 6.8). Conclusions and Relevance: Few behavioral intervention studies in individuals who have had stroke have reported clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure at 12 months, and fewer have focused on a skills-based approach. Results of secondary analyses suggest that culturally tailored, skills-based strategies may be an important alternative to knowledge-focused approaches in achieving sustained vascular risk reduction and addressing racial/ethnic stroke disparities; however, these findings should be tested in future studies. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01836354.

Association Between Anxiety, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Outcomes After Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Stroke patients are known to be at risk of developing anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: To determine the overlap between anxiety, depression, and PTSD in patients after stroke and to determine the association between these disorders and quality of life, functional status, healthcare utilization, and return to work. Methods: A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted to assess for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and health-related outcomes 6-12 months after first ischemic stroke in patients without prior psychiatric disease at a single stroke center. Results: Of 352 eligible subjects, 55 (16%) completed surveys. Seven subjects (13%) met criteria for probable anxiety, 6 (11%) for PTSD, and 11 for depression (20%). Of the 13 subjects (24%) who met criteria for any of these disorders, 6 (46%) met criteria for more than one, and 5 (39%) met criteria for all three. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, including stroke severity or neurologic symptoms, between those with or without any of these disorders. Those who had any of these disorders were less likely to be independent in their activities of daily living (ADLs) (54 vs. 95%, p < 0.001) and reported significantly worse quality of life (score of 0-100, median score of 50 vs. 80, p < 0.001) compared to those with none of these disorders. Conclusions: Anxiety, depression, and PTSD are common after stroke, have a high degree of co-occurrence, and are associated with worse outcomes, including quality of life and functional status.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in the short and medium term following the World Trade Center attack among Asian Americans.

This study investigated patterns of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their predictors among 2,431 Asian American and 31,455 non-Hispanic White World Trade Center (WTC) Registry participants 2-3 years and 5-6 years after the WTC attack. Participants were divided into four PTSD pattern groups: resilient, remitted, delayed onset, and chronic. Asians had a lower proportion in the resilient group (76.5% vs. 79.8%), a higher proportion in the chronic (8.6% vs. 7.4%) and remitted (5.9% vs. 3.4%) groups, and a similar proportion in the delayed onset group (about 9%) compared to Whites. In multinomial logistic regression analyses, disaster exposure, immigrant status, lower income, pre-attack depression/anxiety, and lower respiratory symptoms were associated with increased odds of chronic and delayed onset PTSD (vs. resilience) among both races. Education and employment were protective against chronic and delayed onset PTSD among Whites only. These results can inform targeted outreach efforts to enhance prevention and treatment for Asians affected by future events.

Health Issues Associated with Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Children in the United States: A Systematic Review.

This article reviews studies examining health issues associated with commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking (CSE/ST) of children in the United States. We searched five health and social sciences databases for peer-reviewed articles published in English between January 1990 and April 2017. After independent screening of the records, we identified 27 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Descriptions of the included studies and their definitions of CSE/ST are provided. Most of the studies sampled children and youth in urban, metropolitan areas and employed cross-sectional surveys or reviewed case files and medical records of convenience samples. Studies differed widely in their operationalization of CSE/ST, which limit systematic comparison across studies and the generalizability of findings. Qualitative analysis of the included studies shows that among commercially sexually exploited/trafficked children, there are elevated burdens of substance use and abuse, mental health disorders such as depression, PTSD, suicidal behaviors, and sexual and reproductive health issues including STIs, HIV, and pregnancy. This review underscores the need for more empirical studies, to guide an evidence-based understanding of and response to the range and complexity of the health issues in this population. Of particular utility are studies that address some of the methodological limitations of prior research in this field (e.g., cross-sectional, convenience samples) and those that assess overlooked health issues (e.g., malnutrition, eating disorders, post-trauma growth, and long-term health consequences).