The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 12(12) – Persistent problems: Substance use disorders in incarcerated adolescents

The United States has the largest prison population in the world. About 1.4 million adolescents, disproportionately black and Latino, are arrested every year, resulting in over 250,000 detentions. Previous research has documented high rates of alcohol and substance use disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system, but there are few longitudinal studies following these adolescents into young adulthood. Therefore, what we know about the persistence of these disorders is limited. Dr. Leah Welty and her colleagues used 12 years of longitudinal data from youth in detention centers in Chicago, IL to fill that gap. What was the research question?... Read more →

Challenging addiction treatment: The intersection of policy, practice, & science

Editor’s Note: Anjali Talcherkar authored this op-ed while completing the Division on Addiction’s Summer Research Mentorship. Anjali is working on a PhD in Mind Body Medicine and Integrative Mental Health from Saybrook University. You can learn more about her here. For more on Anjali Talcherkar's story, look for her soon-to-be-published book. Every year, about 27 million people worldwide misuse illicit drugs in a manner that puts them at risk for adverse health problems and even death. Too often we hear reports of famous people who suffer and die from substance misuse. On the local level, addiction can rip apart communities... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 12(12) - Genetic risk for nicotine dependence: The need for diversity in research

Research suggests that specific genes increase risk for smoking. However, this research used samples mostly with European ancestry, so the findings are not necessarily generalizable to people with other ethnic backgrounds. This week, as a part of the Special Series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities, ASHES reviews a study by Jacqueline Otto and her colleagues that examines genetic risk for smoking behavior among a sample of Native Americans from eight different tribes. What is the research question? Are the genetic risk factors that predict smoking behavior among people with European ancestry associated with nicotine dependence in a... Read more →

Healing from within: My involvement in Tribal collaborative research

Editor’s note: This Op-Ed comes from Ms. Elima Bird, a member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Ms. Bird lends her heart and mind to the CIRCLE-NARCH research project, a collaborative research endeavor involving the Division on Addiction and tribal partners. We thank Ms. Bird for contributing to our Special Series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities. My name is Elima Bird, and I am a Spokane Tribal member who lives and works on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State. Currently, I work for the Spokane Tribe of Indians at the Health and Human Services in the... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 12(12) – Trajectories of alcohol use in a rural high school population

The Cherokee Nation, located in northeastern Oklahoma, is not a reservation but is instead a federally-recognized, sovereign territory. Because it is a rural, multi-ethnic area, it provides a setting to study how both ethnicity (i.e., white versus American Indian) and environmental factors contribute to the development of substance use disorders. This week, as a part of our Special Series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities, The DRAM reviews a two-year longitudinal study by Sarah Lynne-Landsman and her colleagues, that surveyed high school white versus American Indian students living in Cherokee Nation and tracked their alcohol use over their... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 21(12) – Moving beyond gambling: Psychiatric comorbidity in tribal communities

Gambling disorder is a serious public health concern, and is often associated with money problems and worsened mental and physical health. Previous research has found higher rates of disordered gambling in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations, possibly related to similarly higher rates of mental illness and the complex relationship between US tribal communities and gambling facilities. Dr. Grace Kong and her colleagues used national survey data to examine the relationship between problem-gambling severity and prevalence of psychiatric disorders among AI/AN adults. This week, as part of our special series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities, The WAGER reviews... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 12(11): When one-size might not fit all: Evidence-based treatment among programs servicing Native American treatment seekers

Evidence-based treatment should improve the quality of healthcare services by standardizing practices that have proof they are helpful. However, for many interventions, rigorous evaluation is not available for minority populations, such as Native Americans. The absence of multi-cultural evaluation of interventions risks the possibility that some approaches might not be a good fit for some populations. This week, as part of our special series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities, STASH explores this possibility by reviewing recent research on the use of evidence-based treatment in programs serving Native Americans. What is the research question? To what extent are... Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Addiction, Resilience, and Recovery within Tribal Communities

Communities of Native American people are as heterogeneous as any other community; no two are alike. However, many tribal communities share painful histories of displacement, violence, epidemic diseases brought from outside, and forced cultural assimilation. Some contemporary health disparities can be attributed, at least in part, to these historical oppressions and the intergenerational trauma they have created. Today, Native Americans are more likely than other Americans to experience a range of health conditions. During November 2016, we at The BASIS are marking Native American Heritage Month by devoting all of our research reviews to the topic of addiction, resilience, and... Read more →