Social workers can help advance public health through increased acceptability of harm reduction principles and practices. This study evaluated Master of Social Work students' attitudes towards harm reduction before and after a substance use and social work practice course and assessed differences in students' attitude outcomes across multiple…

The purpose of this study was to understand the experience individuals in recovery from substance use have when sharing their story in a public setting (i.e., intergroup contact) and how this affects their personal journey and ongoing recovery. A theoretical framework was developed based on Kelly's experience cycle and a multilevel approach to…

Purpose: The role of rehabilitation counseling in addressing major public health issues is an emerging area in the field. Despite higher rates of disease burden among currently or formerly incarcerated people, the syndemic effects of incarceration has received little attention. This article outlines how to think of incarceration from a syndemic…

Suicide is a global mental health problem. In recent years, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicides have increased in children and adolescents. In this population, cyberbullying is a public health problem that has grown along the increase in use of devices with internet access. Cybervictimization is related to negative health effects,…

Using a case example from a mid-sized town in East Central Indiana, this article illustrates the development and implementation of a community-academic partnership (CAP), a novel approach to addressing substance misuse in local communities. A CAP can be defined as a formal, strategic partnership between the local community and university faculty,…

Background: Translation science entails application of information gained through scientific research to practices intended to improve prevention and public health. The outreach arm of Land-Grant Universities--the Cooperative Extension System--is uniquely poised to facilitate this translation process and contribute to resolution of current…

Objective: Pilot study to assess the efficacy of a multidisciplinary educational training program (OverdosED) designed to increase college students' knowledge of and confidence in their ability to appropriately recognize and respond to suspected overdose on depressant substances. Participants: Undergraduate students (n = 92) with Greek life…

Substance abuse in adolescents has been recognized as a public health problem at the national and global levels. Adolescents are at risk for experimenting with substances. School nurses in secondary schools are well positioned to screen and counsel students on substance use. In this project, school nurses' self-efficacy levels increased in using…

Community health workers have been shown to be an effective way to improve health outcomes in under-resourced contexts like South Africa. Community health workers can support health and well-being through supporting mother-infant bonding, which is associated with a wide range of benefits. The bond between mother and infant is critical for infants'…

The rapid growth and diffusion of digital media technologies has changed the landscape of market segmentation in the last two decades, including its use in promoting prosocial and behavior change. New, population-specific and culturally appropriate prevention strategies can leverage the potential of digital media to influence health outcomes,…

This study describes the demographic profiles of 1,164 deaf children and adolescents who are consumers of the public behavioral health services in the state of Maryland. Up until recent years, data about deaf adults, children, and youth were unavailable. Over the past couple years, items to the Outcomes Measurement System (OMS) Interview included…

This study explored substance use trajectories and associations with mental health among an ethnically/racially diverse college student sample before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We combined repeated cross-sections and panel data from a total of 3,247 college students assessed with an online survey in 2018, 2019, and in three waves in 2020.…

Psychiatric disorders, particularly substance use disorders, are an impactful and highly prevalent public health concern in youth from low-income neighborhoods (YLINs). Indeed, prevention and intervention programs for mental health disorders that have evidenced improvements in youth from general population are not well integrated into community…

Background: Opioid use has reached epidemic proportions in rural communities in the United States and injection of drugs is commonly used. As a result of shared or reusing needles and syringes, the risk for contracting blood-borne diseases is significantly increased. Rural areas face many social and attitudinal barriers regarding syringe exchange…

In this report, the authors introduce one of the unexplored effects of the opioid crisis, the link between the opioid epidemic and the education outcomes of children in hard-hit areas. Children, of course, are not immune to the effects of what may happen in their homes and communities, and there is ample evidence that negative home or community…