Impacts of the COVID-19 public health restrictions on substance use, mental health, and psychosocial functioning among individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with major psychosocial disruptions and there is particular concern for individuals with substance use disorders.Objectives: This study characterized the psychosocial and experiential impacts of the pandemic on individuals seeking alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery, including pandemic impacts on self-reported drinking, heavy drinking, tobacco, cannabis, and stimulant use.Methods: Participants were 125 AUD+ individuals (% males: 57.60; Mage = 49.11, SD = 12.13) reporting on substance use from January 1st-24th March, 2020 (pre-pandemic) and since the stay-at-home orders commenced, 24th March-June 28th 2020 (intra-pandemic). Within-subjects changes were examined and a latent profile analysis was performed to identify subgroups differentially impacted by the pandemic.Results: Large proportions reported psychosocial impacts of COVID-19, but drinking and other substance use did not reveal significant changes. Latent profile analyses revealed two subgroups: Profile 1 (n = 41/125), "Moderately Impacted") and Profile 2 (n = 84/125), "Severely Impacted"). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the group that was moderately impacted by the pandemic exhibited significantly fewer heavy drinking days (p = .02) during the intra-pandemic period, but no other substance use changes. The group showing severe pandemic impacts did not exhibit changes in alcohol or other drug use but evidenced more severe anxiety and depression (ps < .001).Conclusions: We found heterogeneous subtypes of pandemic-related impacts in AUD recovery patients. There is need to provide psychosocial support to this particular population and further monitoring substance use and mental health.

Impact of COVID-19 on alcohol use disorder recovery: A qualitative study.

In March 2020, restrictions on in-person gatherings were introduced due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, requiring alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery resources to migrate to virtual platforms. This study investigated how these restrictions impacted recovery attempts and explored participant experiences with virtual resources using a qualitative approach. Participants attempting recovery from AUD (N = 62; Mage = 48.2; F = 53.2%; 71% White) completed virtual semistructured interviews from July 2020 to August 2020 on their experience during the COVID-19 lockdown, impacts on recovery, and experiences with online resources. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic coding process. Three overarching themes were identified: Effect on Recovery, Virtual Recovery Resources, and Effect on General Life. Within each overarching theme, lower order parent themes and subthemes reflected varied participant experiences. Specifically, one group of participants cited negative impacts due to COVID-19, a second group reported positive impacts, and a third group reported experiencing both positive and negative impacts. Participants reported both positive and negative experiences with virtual resources, identifying suggestions for improvement and other resources. Findings suggest that while individuals in AUD recovery experienced significant hardships, a proportion experienced positive impacts as well, and the positive and negative consequences were not mutually exclusive. Additionally, the results highlight the limitations of existing virtual resources. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric evaluation of the treatment entry questionnaire to assess extrinsic motivation for inpatient addiction treatment.

Introduction: Valid multi-faceted measurement of motivation for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is needed to help inform treatment approaches and predict outcomes. This study examined evidence of validity for the Treatment Entry Questionnaire (TEQ-9). Methods: Data represented individuals entering inpatient SUD treatment (n = 1455). We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the three-factor structure of the TEQ-9 [identified (i.e., values/personally chooses treatment), introjected (i.e., internally controlled by guilt/shame) and external motivations (i.e., external pressure/demands)], and examined measurement invariance across gender, age, and ethno-racial identity. Correlation with readiness and confidence assessed convergent validity, while correlations with substance use problem severity and previous substance use treatment assessed meaningful group differences. Results: A three-factor structure was confirmed with all items loading significantly onto their respective factors (ps < 0.001). Each subscale demonstrated high internal consistency (Identified α = 0.90; Introjected α = 0.79; External α = 0.85). Each subscale demonstrated measurement invariance up to the scalar level across all sub-groups. Readiness, confidence, and substance use problem severity correlated as expected across various substances with the identified (rs = 0.098 - 0.262, ps < 0.05), and external (rs = -0.096 - -0.178, ps < 0.05) subscales. Additionally, the mean Identified subscale score was significantly higher among those who previously engaged in SUD treatment (p < 0.001). Findings for the Introjected subscale were more ambiguous. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence for factorial validity, measurement invariance, convergent validity and group differences of the TEQ-9 in a large clinically mixed inpatient SUD treatment population, providing further support of its clinical and research utility.

Using conventional and machine learning propensity score methods to examine the effectiveness of 12-step group involvement following inpatient addiction treatment.

BACKGROUND: Continuing care following inpatient addiction treatment is an important component in the continuum of clinical services. Mutual help, including 12-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, is often recommended as a form of continuing care. However, the effectiveness of 12-step groups is difficult to establish using observational studies due to the risks of selection bias (or confounding). OBJECTIVE: To address this limitation, we used both conventional and machine learning-based propensity score (PS) methods to examine the effectiveness of 12-step group involvement following inpatient treatment on substance use over a 12-month period. METHODS: Using data from the Recovery Journey Project - a longitudinal, observational study - we followed an inpatient sample over 12-months post-treatment to assess the effect of 12-step involvement on substance use at 12-months (n = 254). Specifically, PS models were constructed based on 34 unbalanced confounders and four PS-based methods were applied: matching, inverse probability weighting (IPW), doubly robust (DR) with matching, and DR with IPW. RESULTS: Each PS-based method minimized the potential of confounding from unbalanced variables and demonstrated a significant effect (p < 0.001) between high 12-step involvement (i.e., defined as having a home group; having a sponsor; attending at least one meeting per week; and, being involved in service work) and a reduced likelihood of using substances over the 12-month period (odds ratios 0.11 to 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: PS-based methods effectively reduced potential confounding influences and provided robust evidence of a significant effect. Nonetheless, results should be considered in light of the relatively high attrition rate, potentially limiting their generalizability.