Browsing by Subject "Substance use"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Data related to Genetic diversity fuels gene discovery for tobacco and alcohol use
    (2022-10-13) Saunders, Gretchen R B; Wang, Xingyan; Chen, Fang; Jang, Seon-Kyeong; Liu, Mengzhen; Wang, Chen; Liu, Dajiang J; Vrieze, Scott; saund247@umn.edu; Saunders, Gretchen R B
    We conducted a meta-analysis of 60 genome wide association studies (GWAS) in up to 3.4 million participants from four major ancestries on nicotine and substance use. Specifically, we targeted different stages and kinds of substance use from initiation (smoking initiation and age of regular smoking initiation) to regular use (drinks per week and cigarettes per day) to cessation (smoking cessation). Here we present the final set of filtered meta-analysis summary statistics and polygenic risk score weights excluding 23andMe. As per requirement and to ease dissemination of our results for other scientific endeavors, we are sharing our results here to facilitate downloading.
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    Does electroencephalogram phase variability account for reduced P3 brain potential in externalizing disorders?
    (2013-09) Burwell, Scott Joseph
    Background. Amplitude deficits of the P3 event-related brain potential (ERP) are associated with externalizing psychopathology but little is known about nature of the underlying brain electrical activity that accounts for this amplitude reduction. P3 amplitude is partially determined by electroencephalographic (EEG) frequencies in delta and theta bands and differences in phase-invariant stimulus-evoked energy and task-induced phase-locking associated with these frequencies may account for the P3-externalizing association.Methods. Adult males (N = 410) completed a visual oddball task and frontal and parietal ERPs were analyzed as P3-related (300 to 600 milliseconds post-stimulus) evoked energy and inter-trial phase-locking measures in the delta (1 - 3.5 Hz) and theta-frequency (3.5 - 8 Hz) bands. We investigated how the delta and theta activity underlying P3 varies with disorders in the externalizing spectrum, including substance dependence, adult antisociality, and childhood disruptive disorders. We hypothesized that P3-related phase-locking is weaker in externalizing-diagnosed individuals and this might mediate prior findings of reduced evoked P3energy. Results. Reductions in both evoked energy and phase-locking, in both frequency bands, at both scalp sites, were associated with greater odds of having an externalizing disorder. In most cases, adding phase-locking to evoked energy came with better prediction model fit. Moreover, reduced theta- but not delta-band phase-locking partially mediated the effects of within-frequency evoked energy on externalizing prediction.Conclusions. These results suggest that phase-locking of inter-trial EEG during the P3 time-window is an important distinction between externalizing-prone individuals and control subjects. This cross-trial phase-variability for externalizing-diagnosed individuals might reflect deficient top-down "tuning" by neuromodulatory systems.
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    Gay Bar Culture and Drinking in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirited Community
    (2024-04-10) Dolan, Eleanor; Ostrander, Nomi
    Gay bars have long been a staple of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirited (LGBTQIA2S+) community. They were often the only spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals to meet others, connect with their community, and engage in activism (Escoffier, 1997). Yet today the LGBTQIA2S+ community engages in disproportionately high levels of drinking (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). This study examines the impact of gay bar culture of drinking in the LGBTQIA2S+ community through a survey of 60 participants from Minnesota who identify as members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The majority of participants reported no change in their drinking behavior between LGBTQIA2S+ and non-LGBTQIA2S+ spaces. Yet many expressed a need for more sober LGBTQIA2S+ spaces. Participants also expressed feeling safe in LGBTQIA2S+ spaces and enjoying their time in them. More research is required on the need for sober LGBTQIA2S+ spaces and the benefits they bring.
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    Maternal Mental health and substance use:An examination of their role in pregnancy health behaviors and birth outcomes.
    (2010-12) Gyllstrom, Marilyn Elizabeth
    Objective: To characterize maternal mental health from a surveillance perspective and to specifically focus on maternal mental health and its potential relationship with prenatal substance use by: describing the co-occurrence of maternal mood and prenatal substance use; exploring the independent and interactive associations of maternal mood and prenatal substance use with infant health outcomes; and examining the relationship between maternal mood, stressful life events and prenatal tobacco cessation and maternal mood, stressful life events, postpartum depression and postpartum tobacco relapse. A qualitative study of methamphetamine use during pregnancy was designed to describe the experiences of pregnant women who had used methamphetamine immediately prior to or during pregnancy, with a specific focus on their mental health history. Methods: Surveillance data from the Minnesota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), an on-going written/telephone survey of women who recently delivered live births in Minnesota linked to birth certificate data, comprised the dataset used to examine substance use, maternal mental health and infant health outcomes, as well as the tobacco cessation/relapse analyses. It is considered representative of Minnesota's recent mothers and infants. The Maternal Methamphetamine Study evolved from a community-based, participatory research model. Primary data collection and analysis focused on a small sample of women located in urban and rural settings in Minnesota. Qualitative methods were used to describe a population of women in out-patient therapy for methamphetamine use through county-based treatment programs. Data collection tools were designed in collaboration with researchers from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Children's Hospitals and Clinics and Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). Qualitative data were obtained through in-person or telephone interviews and quantitative data through self-administered, written questionnaires. The University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed both studies. The PRAMS questionnaire has been previously reviewed and approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MDH IRBs. The secondary analyses of PRAMS data qualified for IRB exemption, as it uses existing data and does not contain personal identifiers. The methamphetamine project was approved by the University of Minnesota IRB. Conclusions: Low maternal mood co-occurred with substance use during pregnancy, which has profound implications for the health of women and their infants. Low maternal mood during pregnancy and tobacco use were interactively associated with a two-fold higher risk of low birthweight births. Women who reported low mood during pregnancy and who abstained from alcohol use during the third trimester of pregnancy were twice as likely to have a preterm delivery compared to women who reported higher mood levels. Low mood levels and stress were associated with decreased likelihood of tobacco cessation during pregnancy. Women with a history of methamphetamine addiction reported personal and familial histories of psychological problems. In addition, methamphetamine was described as a remedy for low energy, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Women stated they could accomplish more while on methamphetamine and it helped them cope with the demands of daily life. Thus, mental health problems and substance use co-occurred, which may have potential adverse consequences for pregnant women. More study of this complex relationship, and the resulting effects on women and their children, is important for long-term maternal and child health. Limitations: The two data sources define depressive symptoms differently, with different data collection methods. Thus, comparability between the study populations is difficult. This further reflects the lack of a gold standard measure for prenatal depression and depressive symptoms and the difficulty of measuring such symptoms during pregnancy. The question related to maternal mood during pregnancy from PRAMS is not considered a standard screening question and requires caution when interpreting results. Additionally, the women participating in the methamphetamine study are a select group of women who were identified through drug treatment programs. Public Health Implications: This proposal suggests that mental health may be important over the course of a pregnancy and during the postpartum. The innovative nature of this project relates to its exploration of maternal mental health and substance use concurrently, and their potential joint contributions to adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. In addition, it is one of the first studies to describe pregnant women in recovery from methamphetamine addiction. The results from these manuscripts provide information for local, state and federal public health agencies for program development and research allocation, and could influence their confidence in surveillance data designed to track maternal mental health.
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    The Role of Policies in Cancer Pain, Health Disparities, and Substance Use
    (2022-05) Calvert, Collin
    Tens of thousands of cancer cases each year in the U.S. are attributable to smoking and alcoholconsumption. Many cancer survivors suffer from chronic pain caused by the cancer itself or by their cancer treatments. While several studies have examined how substances such as alcohol are used to self-medicate pain, none have assessed this relationship for cancer survivors experiencing chronic pain – sometimes dubbed “cancer pain.” Given the cancer risk that substances like alcohol pose, and cancer survivors’ vulnerability to second and recurrent cancers, there is a need to understand and address substance use among this subpopulation. Policies are an effective approach to reducing substance use and substance use-related adversehealth outcomes, offering population-level interventions that can target social and environmental determinants of health. Additionally, policies – when targeting structural impediments to health by increasing access to healthcare – may help narrow disparities in health for more vulnerable populations. However, care must be given that policies do not exacerbate health disparities or have unintentional consequences that could undermine any health benefits. As such, policy outcomes must be evaluated accurately and thoroughly. The goal of this dissertation was to connect cancer pain, substance use, and policy evaluationmethods. The first paper uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to quantify the association between cancer pain and alcohol use. The second paper is methodologically focused, comparing several common regression modeling approaches (fixed effects, random effects, generalized estimating equations, autoregressive integrated moving average, and synthetic control method) to evaluating policies using time series purchasing data. The third paper uses these same purchasing data to evaluate the impact of Medicaid expansion on substance purchases, and whether the effects of expansion varied across racial and ethnic groups.
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    Substance use profiles from ages 11 to 18: personality correlates and relations with emerging adult adjustment.
    (2009-09) Oliva, Elizabeth Marie
    Although the aim of the present study was to examine Shedler and Block’s (1990) provocative claims that adolescent substance experimentation is associated with the healthiest psychological functioning while adolescent abstention and frequent use are both associated with poorer psychological functioning, this study extended their findings and helped fill in existing gaps in the extant literature. Utilizing a large community sample of male and female twins assessed at ages 11, 14, 18, and 21, this study was the first to incorporate all substances—tobacco, alcohol, and drugs—into an a priori substance classification scheme across time (i.e., created abstainer, experimenter, regular user and problem user classifications at ages 11, 14, and 18). Dimensional models of childhood and adolescent personality were used to examine the relations between both antecedent and concurrent personality characteristics and adolescent substance use profiles. Emerging adult outcomes at age 21 were assessed across multiple developmental domains. The role of developmental timing in the relations between substance use profiles and emerging adult outcomes was also investigated. The results for personality suggest that age 18 experimenters tend to have the most adaptive matrix of personality characteristics and problem users the least. Both abstainers and regular users at age 18 had personality characteristics of concern. The results for emerging adult outcomes suggest that substance use profiles have long-term developmental significance. Patterns emerged for each profile that highlighted the importance of examining outcomes across developmental domains while taking into account the role of timing. Despite garnering a substantive amount of support for Shelder and Block’s findings, any substance use was associated with poor emerging adult educational outcomes.