Methamphetamine-Related Mortality in the United States: Co-Involvement of Heroin and Fentanyl, 1999-2021.

Objectives. To examine trends in methamphetamine-related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2021 and the extent to which these deaths co-involved heroin or fentanyl. Methods. We obtained final and provisional data from the CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research) multiple causes of death database for deaths that involved methamphetamine and deaths that involved both methamphetamine and heroin or fentanyl mong US residents aged 15 to 74 years. We plotted the age-adjusted methamphetamine-related mortality rate by year and quantified the proportion of deaths with heroin or fentanyl co-involvement. Finally, we used joinpoint regression to quantify trends in the methamphetamine mortality rate and proportion of deaths with heroin or fentanyl co-involvement. Results. From 1999 to 2021, there was a 50-fold increase in the methamphetamine mortality rate, which was accompanied by an increasing proportion of deaths that co-involved heroin or fentanyl, peaking at 61.2% in 2021. Conclusions. Unprecedented increases in methamphetamine-related mortality have occurred during the last decade, and an increasing proportion of these deaths co-involved heroin or fentanyl. Public Health Implications. Stark increases in methamphetamine-related mortality and heroin or fentanyl co-involvement warrant robust harm reduction efforts, especially for people who engage in polysubstance use. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(4):416-419. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307212).

Correlates to Lifetime Suicide Attempts, Thoughts, and Planning Behaviors Among African American Transgender Individuals.

Transgender individuals are at increased risk for suicidal behaviors. We estimated lifetime suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts within a national sample of African American transgender individuals (n = 790). Using data from the 2015 US Transgender Survey, we found that 33.5% of these individuals had thought about attempting suicide at least once, 20.0% had planned to attempt suicide, and 38.0% had attempted suicide. Significant differences were found in regard to demographics and lifetime substance use; individuals who experienced intimate partner violence and used alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs were at the highest risk for attempting suicide. Our findings may assist health professionals in creating interventions designed to prevent suicide in this underserved and vulnerable population.

Family and Parent Correlates to Anxiety in a National Sample of 12 to 17 Year Olds.

Anxiety is a common mental health issue among adolescents. Family is one influence on adolescent anxiety that warrants attention. We investigated the relationship between adolescent anxiety, demographic, and familial and parental factors using data from the 2017 National Child Health Survey. We found an estimated one adolescent in seven reported anxiety, and nearly one in five reported anxiety related to witnessing family violence. Our study's findings may aid in the creation of family level programs aimed at preventing and reducing anxiety among adolescents.

Role of sex on the relationship between sexual minority status and past 30-day marijuana use among high school students (YRBS, 2015-2019).

BACKGROUND: Sexual minority status (SMS) is a known risk factor for marijuana use among youth in the United States (US). Limited research has examined the differing relationship between SMS and marijuana use across males and females. This study examined the modifying effect of sex on the relationship between sexual minority status (SMS) and past 30-day marijuana use among youth. METHODS: Data were pooled from the 2015, 2017, and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey. Participants were 9th through 12th grade students in the US (n = 37,870). An interaction model (SMS*sex) and models stratified by sex tested effect modification. Covariates included race/ethnicity, grade, tobacco use, illicit drug use, and survey year. RESULTS: The association between SMS and past 30-day marijuana use differed statistically by sex assigned at birth. Among females, SMS was associated with 1.33 greater odds of past 30-day marijuana use. Conversely, among males, SMS was associated with 0.70 lower odds of past 30-day marijuana. Interaction model was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: SMS is associated with greater odds of being a past 30-day marijuana user among females but lower odds among males. Prevention and education programs aimed at youth should consider these factors during development and implementation. Longitudinal research is needed to further examine the nuances of the relationship observed in this analysis.