Poverty and birth cohort effects of experiencing the 2007-2009 Great Recession during adolescence on major depressive episodes and mental health treatment of young adults in the United States.

PURPOSE: Household economic adversity during adolescence is hypothesized to be a risk factor for poor mental health later in life. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a quasi-experimental analysis of an economic shock, the Great Recession of 2007-2009. We tested if going through adolescence during the Great Recession was associated with increased risk of major depressive episodes (MDE) and mental health treatment in young adulthood with potential moderation by household poverty to explore differences by economic adversity. METHODS: We analyzed data on young adults age 18-29 years from the 2005-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 145,394). We compared participants who were adolescents during the recession to those followed-up prior to the recession. Regression analysis tested effect modification by household poverty status. RESULTS: Adolescent exposure to the Great Recession was associated with higher likelihood of MDE during young adulthood (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.23, 1.37); there was no relationship with mental health treatment. Effects on MDE were stronger among those in households with higher incomes compared to those living in poverty. CONCLUSION: Findings support the hypothesis that exposure to the Great Recession during adolescence may have increased risk for MDE, but raise questions about whether the mechanism of this association is economic distress.

Punitive legal responses to prenatal drug use in the United States: A survey of state policies and systematic review of their public health impacts.

BACKGROUND: Punitive legal responses to prenatal drug use may be associated with unintended adverse health consequences. However, in a rapidly shifting policy climate, current information has not been summarized. We conducted a survey of U.S. state policies that utilize criminal or civil legal system penalties to address prenatal drug use. We then systematically identified empirical studies evaluating these policies and summarized their potential public health impacts. METHODS: Using existing databases and original statutory research, we surveyed current U.S. state-level prenatal drug use policies authorizing explicit criminalization, involuntary commitment, civil child abuse substantiation, and parental rights termination. Next, we systematically identified quantitative associations between these policies and health outcomes, restricting to U.S.-based peer-reviewed research, published January 2000-December 2022. Results described study characteristics and synthesized the evidence on health-related harms and benefits associated with punitive policies. Validity threats were described narratively. RESULTS: By 2022, two states had adopted policies explicitly authorizing criminal prosecution, and five states allowed pregnancy-specific and drug use-related involuntary civil commitment. Prenatal drug use was grounds for substantiating civil child abuse and terminating parental rights in 22 and five states, respectively. Of the 16 review-identified articles, most evaluated associations between punitive policies generally (k = 12), or civil child abuse policies specifically (k = 2), and multiple outcomes, including drug treatment utilization (k = 6), maltreatment reporting and foster care entry (k = 5), neonatal drug withdrawal syndrome (NDWS, k = 4) and other pregnancy and birth-related outcomes (k = 3). Most included studies reported null associations or suggested increases in adverse outcome following punitive policy adoption. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of U.S. states have adopted policies that respond to prenatal drug use with legal system penalties. While additional research is needed to clarify whether such approaches engender overt health harms, current evidence indicates that punitive policies are not associated with public health benefits, and therefore constitute ineffective policy.

Associations between cannabis policies and state-level specialty cannabis use disorder treatment in the United States, 2004-2019.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) treatment prevalence decreased in the US between 2002 and 2019, yet structural mechanisms for this decrease are poorly understood. We tested associations between cannabis laws becoming effective and self-reported CUD treatment. METHODS: Restricted-use 2004-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health included people ages 12+ classified as needing CUD treatment (i.e., past-year DSM-5-proxy CUD or last/current specialty treatment for cannabis). Time-varying indicators of medical cannabis laws (MCL) with/without cannabis dispensary provisions differentiated state-years before/after laws using effective dates. Multi-level logistic regressions with random state intercepts estimated individual- and state-adjusted CUD treatment odds by MCLs and model-based changes in specialty CUD treatment state-level prevalence. Secondary analyses tested associations between CUD treatment and MCL or recreational cannabis laws (RCL). RESULTS: Using a broad treatment need sample definition in 2004-2014, specialty CUD treatment prevalence decreased by 1.35 (95 % CI = -2.51, -0.18) points after MCL without dispensaries and by 2.15 points (95 % CI = -3.29, -1.00) after MCL with dispensaries provisions became effective, compared to before MCL. Among people with CUD in 2004-2014, specialty treatment decreased only in MCL states with dispensary provisions (aPD = -0.91, 95 % CI = -1.68, -0.13). MCL were not associated with CUD treatment use in 2015-2019. RCL were associated with lower CUD treatment among people classified as needing CUD treatment, but not among people with past-year CUD. CONCLUSIONS: Policy-related reductions in specialty CUD treatment were concentrated in states with cannabis dispensary provisions in 2004-2014, but not 2015-2019, and partly driven by reductions among people without past-year CUD. Other mechanisms (e.g., CUD symptom identification, criminal-legal referrals) could contribute to decreasing treatment trends.

Changing adolescent activity patterns and the correlation of self-esteem and externalizing mental health symptoms across time: results from the USA from 1991 through 2020.

BACKGROUND: Common adolescent psychiatric symptoms cluster into two dominant domains: internalizing and externalizing. Both domains are linked to self-esteem, which serves as a protective factor against a wide range of internalizing and externalizing problems. This study examined trends in US adolescents' self-esteem and externalizing symptoms, and their correlation, by sex and patterns of time use. METHODS: Using Monitoring the Future data (N = 338 896 adolescents, grades:8/10/12, years:1991-2020), we generated six patterns of time use using latent profile analysis with 17 behavior items (e.g. sports participation, parties, paid work). Groups were differentiated by high/low engagement in sports and either paid work or high/low peer socialization. Within each group, we mapped annual, sex-stratified means of (and correlation between) self-esteem and externalizing factors. We also examined past-decade rates of change for factor means using linear regression and mapped proportions with top-quartile levels of poor self-esteem, externalizing symptoms, or both. RESULTS: We found consistent increases in poor self-esteem, decreases in externalizing symptoms, and a positive correlation between the two across nearly all activity groups. We also identified a relatively constant proportion of those with high levels of both in every group. Increases in poor self-esteem were most pronounced for female adolescents with low levels of socializing, among whom externalizing symptoms also increased. CONCLUSIONS: Rising trends in poor self-esteem are consistent across time use groups, as is the existence of a group facing poor self-esteem and externalizing symptoms. Effective interventions for adolescents' poor self-esteem/co-occurring symptoms are needed broadly, but especially among female adolescents with low peer socialization.

The Influence of the Great Recession on Adolescent Major Depressive Episodes and Treatment in the United States: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

PURPOSE: In the United States, adolescent depression increased beginning in 2008-2010, coinciding with the Great Recession. We investigated whether this time of changing economic circumstances impacted adolescent depression and treatment. METHODS: We analyzed data for adolescents aged 12-17 years from the 2004-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 256,572). Adolescents' past-year major depressive episodes (MDEs) were measured by self-reported symptoms. MDE treatment included seeing a health professional or receiving MDE medication. We tested how MDE and MDE treatment changed from pre-Great Recession (2004 to Fall 2007) to post-Great Recession (Winter 2007-2019) using interrupted time-series segmented regression models, accounting for seasonality and autocorrelation and testing for moderation by household poverty. RESULTS: The Great Recession was not associated with an immediate increase in MDE prevalence (ß:-0.77 [i.e., quarter-year change in prevalence], 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.23, 0.69). However, the increase in MDE prevalence accelerated following the Great Recession (ß: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.44). The Great Recession was not associated with immediate or long-term changes in adolescent MDE treatment (immediate ß: -2.87, 95% CI: -7.79, 2.04; long-term ß: 0.03, 95% CI: -0.46, 0.51). Effects were similar for households by poverty status. DISCUSSION: The Great Recession was not associated with increased adolescent depression prevalence, although there was an acceleration in the trend of adolescent MDE following the recession. The prevalence of MDE treatment remained stable. Adolescent depression prevention efforts should be heightened as prevalence increases, including actively engaging caregivers as family supports to alleviate potential negative implications of economic distress for adolescent MDE.

An integrative literature review of birth cohort and time period trends in adolescent depression in the United States.

PURPOSE: The aim of this literature review is to examine evidence of time trends and birth cohort effects in depressive disorders and symptoms among US adolescents in peer-reviewed articles from January 2004 to April 2022. METHODS: We conducted an integrative systematic literature review. Three reviewers participated at different stages of article review. Of the 2234 articles identified in three databases (Pubmed, ProQuest Central, Ebscohost), 10 met inclusion criteria (i.e., adolescent aged United States populations, included information about birth cohort and survey year, focused on depressive symptoms/disorders). RESULTS: All 10 articles observed increases in depressive symptoms and disorders in adolescents across recent survey years with increases observed between 1991 and 2020. Of the 3 articles that assessed birth cohort trends, birth cohort trends were less prominent than time period trends. Proposed explanations for increases included social media, economic-related reasons, changes in mental health screening and diagnosis, declining mental health stigma, increased treatment, and, in more recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple cross-sectional surveys and cohort studies documented rising prevalence of depressive symptoms and disorder among adolescents from 1991 to 2020. Mechanisms driving this increase are still unknown. Research to identify these mechanisms is needed to inform depression screening and intervention efforts for adolescents.

Alcohol or Drug Self-Help Use Among Adults in the United States: Age, Period, and Cohort Effects Between 2002 and 2018.

In the context of an ongoing and worsening drug overdose epidemic in the USA, increases in free support services like self-help groups may be expected. We estimated differences in self-help use by age, period, or cohort among people who may have needed treatment. We included N = 92,002 adults from the 2002-2018 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health who met past-year DSM-IV substance use disorder criteria or received alcohol/drug treatment in any location. We used hierarchical age-period-cohort (HAPC) modeling to estimate average age-period-cohort associations with self-help. Level-1 covariates included age, race and ethnicity, household income, and sex. We quantified level-2 variance components using the median odds ratio (MOR). We found small positive HAPC period effects for alcohol/drug self-help that were driven by alcohol-specific effects. Birth cohort differences were observed starting at age 48. Younger birth cohorts, especially among Black adults, were less likely to report self-help use than older birth cohorts. MOR was consistently elevated for cohort effects (MOR = 1.17; covariance parameter: 0.15; 95% CI [0.11, 0.23]) but not for period effects. Overall, self-help use did not increase in the context of substantial treatment needs and worsening overdose racialized disparities. Instead, cohort effects explained trends in alcohol/drug self-help. Findings could indicate that younger birth cohorts may need additional supports, especially services tailored for Black and Hispanic people. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-023-01012-2.

Associations between relative deprivation with opioid use among working-age adults during the great recession.

Recessions, poverty, and unemployment have been associated with opioid use. However, these measures of financial hardship may be imprecise, limiting our ability to understand this relationship. We tested associations between relative deprivation and non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and heroin use among working-age adults (ages 18-64) during the Great Recession. Our sample included working-age adults in the 2005-2013 United States National Survey of Drug Use and Health (n = 320,186). Relative deprivation compared the lowest limit of participants' income category to the national 25th percentile individual income for people with similar socio-demographic characteristics (race and ethnicity, gender, year). We distinguished the period before (1/2005-11/2007), during (12/2007-06/2009), and after (07/2007-12/2013) the Great Recession. We estimated odds of past-year NMPOU and heroin use for each past-year exposure (i.e., relative deprivation, poverty, unemployment) using separate logistic regressions adjusting for individual-level covariates (gender, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, and education) and national-level annual Gini coefficient. Our results show that NMPOU was higher among people experiencing relative deprivation (aOR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.06-1.20), poverty (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.16-1.29), and unemployment (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.32-1.53) between 2005 and 2013, as was heroin use (aORs = 2.54, 2.09, 3.55, respectively). The association between relative deprivation and NMPOU was modified by recession timing, and was significantly higher after the Recession (aOR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.11-1.33). Relative deprivation was associated with higher odds of NMPOU and heroin use, and higher odds of NMPOU after the Great Recession. Our findings suggest contextual-level factors may modify the relationship between relative deprivation and opioid use, and support the need for new measures of financial hardship.

Age, Period, and Cohort Trends in Perceived Mental Health Treatment Need and Differences by Mental Health Severity in the United States, 2008-2019.

Identifying age, period, and cohort trends in perceived mental health treatment need over time by mental illness severity is important to identify where to focus early intervention efforts. We included adults who did not report receiving past-year mental health treatment in the 2008-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 364,676). Hierarchical age-period-cohort models were used to assess perceived mental health treatment need, adjusting for demographics stratified by mental illness severity (none, any but not severe [AMI], severe [SMI]). Median odds ratios estimated cohort and period variance. Cohort effects explained a significant portion of the variance over time; period effects were minimal. Perceived mental health treatment need was highest among adults with AMI from recent birth cohorts (2000-2002: ß = 1.12; 95% CI = 0.96, 1.28). Efforts are needed to address increases in perceived mental health treatment need in younger birth cohorts, such as removing structural barriers (e.g., healthcare system barriers).

Mind The Gap: Differences in Alcohol Use Screening And Discussions Among Adults Comparing Asian American And Other Racial And Ethnic Subgroups in the United States, 2015-2019.

AIMS: Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic subgroup in the USA but are underrepresented in the alcohol literature, partially due to misconceptions and racial stereotypes. We estimated any alcohol screening/discussions with providers among Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic subgroups and tested associations with alcohol treatment. METHODS: Weighted prevalences of any alcohol screening or discussions with providers included US adults reporting past-year alcohol use and > =1 healthcare visit in the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 123,002). Multinomial logistic regressions estimated adjusted associations between alcohol use screening/discussions (ref: no screening/discussion) comparing Asian Americans to other racial and ethnic adult subgroups. Among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD), we estimated adjusted odds of alcohol treatment and perceived treatment need by screening/discussions and racial and ethnic subgroup. RESULTS: Among Asian American adults who reported past-year alcohol use and a healthcare visit, 24.7% reported any screening only and 51.4% discussed alcohol with providers. All racial and ethnic subgroups were more likely than Asian Americans to report alcohol screening/discussions (e.g. white adults, screening adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.28-1.72; discussions aRRR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.74-2.10). AUD treatment use and perceived need were about two times higher among people reporting alcohol discussions. CONCLUSIONS: Asian Americans were less likely to report discussing alcohol with providers than all other racial and ethnic subgroups. Alcohol discussions were associated with treatment use and perceived need. Efforts to increase equitable alcohol screening and discussions with clinicians are needed.

What can we learn about polytrauma typologies by comparing population-representative to trauma-exposed samples: A Nepali example.

BACKGROUND: Potentially traumatic events (PTEs) are common and associated with detrimental outcomes over the life-course. Previous studies exploring the causes and consequences of PTE-exposure profiles are often from high-income settings and fail to explore the implications of sample selection (i.e., population-representative versus PTE-restricted). METHODS: Among individuals in the Nepal Chitwan Valley Family Study, latent class analyses (LCA) were performed on 11 self-reported PTEs collected by the Nepali version of the World Mental Health Consortium's Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 from 2016 to 2018, in a population-representative sample (N = 10,714), including a PTE-restricted subsample (N = 9183). Multinomial logistic regressions explored relationships between sociodemographic factors and class membership. Logistic regressions assessed relationships between class membership and psychiatric outcomes. RESULTS: On average, individuals were exposed to 2 PTEs in their lifetime. A five-class solution showed optimal fit for both samples; however, specific classes were distinct. No single sociodemographic factor was universally associated with PTE class membership in the population-representative sample; while several factors (e.g., age, age at incident PTE, education, marital status, and migration) were consistently associated with class membership in the PTE-subsample. PTE class membership differentiated psychiatric outcomes in the population-representative sample more than the PTE-subsample. LIMITATIONS: Primary limitations are related to the generalizability to high-income settings, debate on LCA model fit statistic usage for final class selection, and cross-sectional nature of data collection. CONCLUSIONS: Although population-representative samples provide information applicable to large-scale, population-based programming and policy, PTE-subsample analyses may provide additional nuance in PTE profiles and their consequences, important for specialized prevention efforts.

Daily cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and any medical cannabis use among US adults: Associations within racial, ethnic, and sexual minoritized identities in a changing policy context.

Differences in cannabis use patterns among racial, ethnic and sexual minoritized identity subgroups have been attributed to marginalized identity stressors. However, associations at the intersection of these minoritized identities remain underexplored in a changing medical cannabis law (MCL) context. We estimated medical cannabis and daily cannabis use, and cannabis use disorder (CUD) by intersecting racial, ethnic and sexual minoritized identity subgroups. We included 189,800 adults in the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health identifying as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, or Hispanic and self-reported heterosexual, gay/lesbian, or bisexual sexual identity. We estimated the adjusted odds of past-year: (a) any medical cannabis, (b) daily cannabis use (i.e., 300 + days/year), and (c) DSM-5-proxy CUD by sexual identity, stratified by race and ethnicity. Cannabis measures were higher among sexual minoritized groups than heterosexual adults across racial and ethnic subgroups. Bisexual adults had higher odds of any medical cannabis use than their heterosexual counterparts: non-Hispanic white (6.4% vs. 1.8%; aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = [2.5-3.5]), non-Hispanic Black (4.1% vs. 1.7%; aOR = 2.7, 95% CI = [1.6-4.5]), and Hispanic adults (5.3% vs. 1.8 %; aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = [1.9-3.3]). We found heterogeneous associations with state MCL status across subgroups stratified by race and ethnicity. Bisexual adults in MCL states had higher odds of any medical cannabis use among non-Hispanic white (aOR = 2.0, 95% CI = [1.4-2.9]) and Hispanic (aOR = 3.6, 95% CI = [1.2-10.2]) adults compared to their non-MCL counterparts, but this was marginal among non-Hispanic Black bisexual adults (aOR = 1.6, 95% CI = [1.0-2.6]). Studies should assess intended and unintended cannabis policy effects among racial, ethnic, and sexual identity subgroups.

A real-time COVID-19 surveillance dashboard to support epidemic response in Connecticut: lessons from an academic-health department partnership.

In response to the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous institutions published COVID-19 dashboards for reporting epidemiological statistics at the county, state, or national level. However, statistics for smaller cities were often not reported, requiring these areas to develop their own data processing pipelines. For under-resourced departments of health, the development of these pipelines was challenging, leading them to rely on nonspecific and often delayed infection statistics during the pandemic. To avoid this issue, the Stamford, Connecticut Department of Health (SDH) contracted with the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health to develop an online dashboard that displays real-time case, death, test, vaccination, hospitalization, and forecast data for their city, allowing SDH to monitor trends for specific demographic and geographic groups. Insights from the dashboard allowed SDH to initiate timely and targeted testing/vaccination campaigns. The dashboard is widely used and highlights the benefit of public-academic partnerships in public health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Structure and trends of externalizing and internalizing psychiatric symptoms and gender differences among adolescents in the US from 1991 to 2018.

PURPOSE: We aimed to estimate the structure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms and potential time dynamics in their association. This is understudied among adolescents, despite increasing internalizing and decreasing externalizing symptoms in recent years. METHODS: We analyzed data from US Monitoring the Future cross-sectional surveys (1991-2018) representative of school-attending adolescents (N = 304,542). Exploratory factor analysis using maximum likelihood estimation method and promax rotation resulted in a two-factor solution (factor correlation r = 0.24) that differentiated eight internalizing and seven conduct-related externalizing symptoms. Time-varying effect modification linear regression models estimated the association between standardized internalizing and externalizing symptoms factor scores over time overall and by gender. RESULTS: In 2012, trends in average factor scores diverged for internalizing and externalizing factors. The average standardized internalizing factor score increased from - 0.03 in 2012 to 0.06 in 2013 and the average externalizing factor score decreased from - 0.06 in 2011 to - 0.13 in 2012. We found that for every one-unit increase in standardized internalizing factor score, standardized externalizing factor score increased by 0.224 units in 2010 (95% CI: 0.215, 0.233); the magnitude of this increase was 22.3% lower in 2018 (i.e., 0.174 units; 95% CI: 0.160, 0.188). Decoupling of internalizing and externalizing symptoms began earlier among boys (~ 1995) than among girls (~ 2010). CONCLUSION: The decoupling of internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents suggests that changes in the prevalence of shared risk factors for adolescent psychiatric symptoms affect these dimensions in opposing directions, raising the importance of considering symptoms and their risk factors together in prevention and intervention efforts.

COVID-19 worries, concerns and mitigation behaviours: A snapshot of Nepal during the first wave.

OBJECTIVES: To understand COVID-19 worries and how they influence COVID-19 mitigation behaviours, especially in communities prior to case surges, in Nepal. METHODS: Data related to COVID-19 impacts on life disruptions were collected from households in the Chitwan Valley Family Study, a 25-year community panel study, during February-April 2021. COVID-19 worry was measured by the extent of respondent concern for themselves or household members getting COVID-19 in the prior 2 weeks. 11 items examined COVID-19 mitigation behaviours. Logistic regression models assessed associations between socio-demographic characteristics and COVID-19 worry and then the influence of worry on any mitigation behaviour and behaviour type adjusting for age, education, sex, ethnicity and COVID-19 exposure, accounting for neighbourhood clustering. RESULTS: Of 2,678 households with a responding adult, ages 18-88, 394 (14.7%) reported moderate-to-extreme COVID-19 worry and 1,214 (45.3%) engaged in three or more mitigation behaviours. Prevalence of mitigation behaviours was higher among those with COVID-19 worry (e.g. avoided crowds: 62.7% versus 40.5% in those with minimal worry). Respondents self-reporting COVID-19 had higher odds of worry (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13, 6.57). Odds of any mitigation behaviour were higher among those with COVID-19 worry compared to those with minimal worry (aOR: 6.19, 95% CI = 1.88, 20.35). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 mitigation behaviours were more common in people with COVID-19 worry. To address current and potential future waves of the pandemic, public health efforts should include informational campaigns about mitigation behaviours particularly for those unconcerned with COVID-19 risks.

Medical and Non-Medical Opioid Use at the Intersection of Gender and Sexual Identity: Associations with State Medical Cannabis Law Status in a U.S. National Sample of Adults.

At the structural level, medical cannabis laws (MCLs) have been negatively associated with opioid prescribing practices, and sexual minority adults report disproportionately high non-medical prescription opioid use. We examined medical/non-medical prescription opioid use by intersecting sexual identity and gender and explored associations with MCLs using the 2015-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which captured sexual identity and MCL state residence for adults 18 + years (N = 126,463). Survey-weighted gender-stratified multinomial logistic models estimated adjusted relative risk ratios (aRRR) of medical vs. no prescription opioid use, and any non-medical vs. no prescription opioid use, by sexual identity and MCL, and tested moderation by MCL. Past-year medical prescription opioid use was higher among women than men across sexual identities (e.g., bisexual: 38.5% women vs. 30.2% men). Non-medical prescription opioid use was lower among women than men, except for bisexual adults (12.4% women vs. 7.6% men). MCL was associated with lower medical prescription opioid vs. no use among heterosexual women (aRRR = 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.81-0.91), bisexual women (aRRR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.62-0.89), and heterosexual men (aRRR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85-0.97). Living in an MCL state was associated with lower non-medical vs. no use among heterosexual and bisexual women, but not among men or lesbian/gay women. MCL status did not moderate associations between sexual identity and prescription opioid outcomes. Future studies should assess whether implementing MCLs could particularly affect bisexual women who reported the highest prescription opioid use and may need targeted services.

Cannabis use disorder treatment use and perceived treatment need in the United States: Time trends and age differences between 2002 and 2019.

BACKGROUND: As trends in CUD treatment are understudied, we examined time trends in CUD treatment and perceived treatment need among people with CUD overall and by age group. METHODS: Data from the 2002-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health included 43,307 individuals who met past-year DSM-5-proxy CUD criteria. Last/current treatment for cannabis use (i.e., any or specialty CUD treatment) and perceived treatment need were regressed on survey year and age (12-17, 18-25, ≥26) using generalized linear spline models. Time-varying effect modification assessed the magnitude of age-treatment associations over time. RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2019, 6.1% of people with CUD used any CUD treatment, 2.8% used specialty treatment, and 2.2% perceived a treatment need. CUD treatment use decreased by 54.23% between 2002 and 2019 (9.11%-4.17%). Compared with adolescents, adults ages 18-25 were less likely to use specialty CUD treatment [aRR: 0.70: 95% CI: 0.52, 0.93] and ages ≥26 were more likely to perceive treatment need [aRR: 1.84: 95% CI: 1.19, 2.83]. Age-specific differences in the time-varying magnitude of associations were observed (e.g., in 2010 perceived treatment need was higher in ages ≥26 versus ages 12-17 [aOR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.47, 3.71]). CONCLUSIONS: CUD treatment is decreasing and young adults have lower treatment use compared with adolescents. Attitudes towards cannabis use harms are shifting, potentially contributing to decreasing CUD treatment utilization and perceived treatment need. Future research should identify treatment barriers, especially among young adults with the lowest CUD treatment use.

Gender differences in any alcohol screening and discussions with providers among older adults in the United States, 2015 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Unhealthy alcohol use is increasing among older adults, particularly women. We estimated gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions with healthcare providers among older adults who use alcohol. METHODS: Using the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we included 9663 adults age 65 and older in the United States who used alcohol and had a past-year healthcare encounter. We estimated the weighted prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions (no screening; screening only; discussions with providers) by gender. We used weighted multinomial logistic regression models to examine correlates of alcohol use screening/discussions. RESULTS: Among older adults who used alcohol and encountered the healthcare system in the past year, 24.68% of men and 27.04% of women reported no alcohol screening/discussions. Men were more likely than women to be asked about drinking frequency, amount, or problems related to drinking. Compared to no alcohol screening/discussions, women were 22% more likely (95% CI: 1.05, 1.42) to report alcohol screening only but were 18% less likely to discuss alcohol with providers (95% CI: 0.73, 0.91) than men. Women had 0.67 times (95% CI: 0.60, 0.74) the adjusted odds of reporting alcohol discussions with providers versus any alcohol screening only compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: Over a quarter of older adults who used alcohol were not asked about their drinking, and older women were less likely than men to discuss alcohol use with providers. Given the increased risk for harms of alcohol use with aging, older adults should be screened and counseled regarding their alcohol use.

An epidemiological study of childhood development in an urban setting in Brazil

Objective: Mental illness is an important public health concern, often starting early in life and particularly impacting children from low-and middle-income countries. Our aims were to 1) determine, in a representative sample of public preschool 4- to 5-year old children in Brazil, the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing disorders and socioemotional development delays; and 2) to identify modifiable risk factors associated with mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders (MBDD), such as microsystem (i.e., parent-child relationship), mesosystem (social support), and macrosystem contextual factors (neighborhood disadvantage). Methods: A random sample of public preschool children was recruited in the city of Embu das Artes (São Paulo metropolitan area) (n=1,292 from 30 public preschools). Six-month prevalence of MBDD was measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE). Results: Six-month prevalence estimates were 25.4% for internalizing disorders, 12.1% for externalizing disorders, and 30.3% for socioemotional development delays. MBDD prevalence estimates were higher in families with stressful relationships and parental depression or anxiety, and in families with lower social capital. Conclusion: At least 25% of preschool children living in an urban area in Brazil presented a mental health disorder. These mental disorder were associated with modifiable factors such as stressful family relationships and lower social capital. Prevention and intervention measures such as family therapy are needed to decrease such high prevalence.