College during COVID-19: The pandemic's effect on college adjustment in first year students with ADHD.

Objective: The current study aims to compare college adjustment and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-year students with and without ADHD. Participants: Two cohorts (pre-pandemic, during the pandemic) of first-year, undergraduate college students (N = 3,006; Mage=18.32) were recruited from a multisite research consortium across several universities. Methods: First-year participants self-reported on ADHD diagnosis and symptoms, functional impairments, and experiences transitioning to college. Results: First-year college students with and without ADHD reported significantly greater academic, daily living, and overall functional impairments during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Compared to college students without ADHD, college students with ADHD reported greater functional impairment, more difficulty adjusting to the academic demands of college, and were less likely to feel valued at their institution. Conclusions: First-year college students with and without ADHD experienced greater difficulties navigating the transition to college during the pandemic. Psychosocial and academic supports to help students transition to college are needed.

Treatment-As-Usual Control Groups in Brief Alcohol Intervention Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) are evidence-based practices that can help reduce hazardous drinking among patients in medical settings. However, descriptions of the treatment-as-usual (TAU) control groups that BAIs are compared to in clinical trials often lack clarity and detail. This systematic review and meta-analysis quantified and compared descriptions of intervention and TAU control arms within reports of randomized controlled trials and examined whether treatment effects were affected by level of detail in narrative descriptions. METHOD: A systematic literature search to identify eligible articles was performed. Studies were rated on methodological quality, and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist was used to rate the level of clarity and detail included in descriptions of the intervention and TAU conditions in eligible articles. Data were extracted from articles for use in meta-analysis and meta-regression. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Across the studies, TIDieR ratings for intervention arms were higher than ratings for control arms. BAIs were linked to reductions in drinks per week, heavy drinking episodes, and alcohol consequences over time when compared with TAU. TIDieR ratings for control groups were significantly associated with larger treatment effects on drinks per week and alcohol consequences but were not significant for heavy drinking episodes. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis reiterated the effectiveness of BAIs in medical settings. Yet the lack of clarity in TAU descriptions raises concerns regarding the validity of BAI trials, suggesting need for more detailed reporting and use of the TIDieR guidelines for support.

Pain self-efficacy, race, and motivation to quit smoking among persons living with HIV (PLWH).

Pain and cigarette smoking are commonly co-occurring and costly public health issues, and rates of both conditions are elevated among persons living with HIV (PLWH). Recent work has focused on elucidating the role of cognitive factors in pain-smoking interrelations, and PLWH have endorsed various beliefs regarding pain and smoking. There is reason to suspect that pain self-efficacy (i.e., belief in one's ability to cope with pain) may be associated with the maintenance of smoking. However, no previous research has examined relations between pain self-efficacy and motivation to quit. The goal of this study was to conduct the first test of cross-sectional associations between pain self-efficacy and motivation to quit smoking among PLWH. Race was tested as a moderator of the hypothesized associations. Participants (N = 76 daily smokers; 37% female; Mage = 50.6; MCPD = 13.7) were recruited from an outpatient infectious disease clinic for a primary study examining the effects of a personalized feedback intervention for PLWH. Results indicated that pain self-efficacy was positively associated with perceived importance of quitting and intention to quit within the next six months across the entire sample (ps < 0.05), and positively associated with readiness to consider smoking cessation and confidence in quitting among Black/African American participants (but not among other participants; ps < 0.05). These data provide initial evidence that pain self-efficacy may be related to motivation and intention to quit smoking, particularly among Black/African American PLWH. Future research should test prospective associations between pain self-efficacy and the initiation/maintenance of smoking cessation.