The intersection of substance use with broader public health concerns.
Public Health
Systematic Review of Screening Instruments for Psychosocial Problems in Children and Adolescents with Long-Term Physical Conditions
Abstract Children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions (LTPCs) are at greater risk of developing psychosocial problems. Screening for such problems may be undertaken using validated psychometric instruments to facilitate early...
Acculturation and Drug Use Disorders among Hispanics in the U.S.
Abstract The authors’ objective was to examine the relationship between degree of acculturation across five different dimensions of acculturation and risk of drug use disorders (DUD) among US Hispanics. Data were derived from a large...
The Burden of Binge and Heavy Drinking on the Brain: Effects on Adolescent and Young Adult Neural Structure and Function
Introduction: Adolescence and young adulthood are periods of continued biological and psychosocial maturation. Thus, there may be deleterious effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol on neural development and associated cognition...
New Data on Opioid Use and Prescribing in the United States
The United States is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Between 1999 and 2010, prescription opioid–related overdose deaths increased substantially in parallel with increased prescribing of opioids. In 2015, opioid-involved drug...
Contrasting Trends of Smoking Cessation Status
Abstract Objective The World Health Organization recommends that smokers be offered help to quit. A better understanding of smokers’ interest in and commitment to quitting could guide tobacco control efforts. We assessed temporal...
Tobacco Use in Top-Grossing Movies — United States, 2010–2016
Summary What is already known about this topic? The Surgeon General has concluded that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in the movies and the initiation of smoking among young persons. The more frequently youths...
The 'Explosion’ That Never Happened: Crack and Cocaine Use in Britain
In 1989 a whirlwind of concern was stirred up by a US drug enforcement officer who predicted for Britain a US-style “explosion” of violence associated with the ‘almost instantly addictive’ crack version of cocaine. That did not happen - but...
Contextual Factors Associated with Marijuana Use in School Population
ABSTRACT Introduction: Marijuana use among the student population has increased in Mexico and Latin America. There are social, interpersonal and individual factors associated with the onset and continuation of marijuana use. These include...
How Economic Recessions and Unemployment Affect Illegal Drug Use
ABSTRACT Background: Economic recessions may influence illegal drug use via different mechanisms, for example increased use due to more psychological distress or decreased use due to lower income and purchasing power. This paper reviews the...
An Approach to the New Psychoactive Drugs Phenomenon
ABSTRACT Background: The new psychoactive drugs (NPD) are those that represent a danger to public health and are not prohibited by conventions on international narcotics. The concept also includes new contexts and new routes of consumption...