Journal: Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2026.209903
Authors: Adati Tarfa, Melissa Borker, Margaret Lancaster, Reuben Santiago, Angela Di Paola, Cynthia Frank, & Sandra A. Springer
Abstract:
Background: For individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) re-entering the community after incarceration, peer navigator (PN) support is increasingly implemented to support treatment initiation and continuity. However, little is known about the specific services PNs deliver in real-time encounters, contexts in which these services occur, and how they address barriers that affect access to medications for OUD (MOUD). This study presents the first empirically derived typology of PN support for criminal legal-involved (CLI) adults with OUD.
Methods: We applied qualitative content analysis (QCA) to PN encounters from the Connecticut (CT) site of a multi-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating extended-release buprenorphine (XR-B), extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX), and enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) among CLI adults with OUD. Of the 151 individuals enrolled in CT, this analysis focuses on the 108 participants who had at least one PN encounter. Two PNs with lived experience supported participants across all study arms and recorded 1316 real-time engagement notes in REDCap between January 2021 and January 2024. Descriptive quantitative data were triangulated with QCA findings, and Lincoln and Guba’s criteria guided qualitative analytic rigor.
Results: Participants averaged 37.6 years (SD ± 7.7); 72% were men, 85% White, and 23% Hispanic. Three domains of support were identified: (1) Direct Services (41.9% of encounters), where PNs provided tangible resources, including transportation (29.3% of direct services) to pharmacies, court dates, and the provision of food and clothing. (2) Informational Services (40.6% of all encounters) involved educating peers about resources (29.1% of informational services), including employment for CLI individuals, as well as goal setting (12.0% of informational services) and MOUD visit reminders. (3) Facilitation Services (17.5% of all encounters) involved PNs helping participants navigate systems through advocacy (32.8% of facilitation services) with parole officers or housing managers, negotiating during evictions, and assistance with paperwork to receive social service benefits (14.5% of facilitation services). These service patterns reflected participants’ high needs: 41.1% had unstable housing, only 4.4% were employed full-time, and 13.5% reported active substance use during PN encounters.
Conclusions: Peer Navigators provide direct, informational, and facilitation support during community re-entry that can help with MOUD access. Future research should examine how these service domains align with participant priorities and contribute to treatment outcomes.
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Journal: Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership, 2026, Volume 11, Issue. 2
Authors: Marilyn A. Rhames, Jon Eckert, William L. Sterrett, & Grant Morgan
Abstract:
Background: This systematic review of reviews and meta-analyses provides education leaders with ten years of evidence-based strategies for effective adolescent substance use prevention.
Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol for systematic reviews, we searched the PubMed and PsychINFO databases on October 19, 2023, and identified 96 systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses involving adolescent drug use prevention from 2103-2023. Twenty-four papers met the criteria for final inclusion.
Results: Educational leaders should know three areas to deliver effective evidence-based adolescent substance prevention: 1) foundational understanding of risk and protective factors, 2) components of effective prevention programs, and 3) drug-specific prevention outcomes.
Discussion: Today’s illicit drug supply is deadlier than ever, so education leaders must expose students to universal school
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Journal: Health Affairs Scholar, 2026, doi: 10.1093/haschl/ qxag006
Authors: Matthew D. Eisenberg, Yimin Ge, Kathryn M. Leifheit, Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Sabriya Linton, Michael Fingerhood, … Craig Evan Pollack
Abstract:
Introduction: About 2.7 million U.S. households face an eviction filing each year. The effect of eviction policy on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is uncertain.
Methods: We used IQVIA all-payer claims, Jan 2020-Dec 2021, in a difference-in-differences design. Phase 1 compared states where moratoria expired March-August 2020 with states that kept protections. Phase 2 examined the August 2021 end of the federal moratorium, contrasting states with ongoing state moratoria vs none. The population was people with a mental health or SUD diagnosis. Outcomes were state-week counts of unique patients with outpatient SUD visits, inpatient SUD stays, medications for opioid or alcohol use disorder, and opioid use disorder (OUD)-specific outpatient and inpatient care.
Results: Ending moratoria was associated with more patients receiving outpatient SUD care: +3.3% (95% CI -0.5% to 7.2%; P = 0.09) in Phase 1 and +4.9% (95% CI 1.8% to 8.0%; P = 0.002) in Phase 2. We observed no change in inpatient SUD care. In Phase 2, medication treatment increased by 2.5% (95% CI 0.3% to 4.7%; P = 0.03). OUD-specific results were similar.
Conclusion: The return of eviction risk coincided with greater use of clinic-based SUD services but not hospital care. Housing policy may shift where and how people seek SUD treatment.
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Journal: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2026, doi: 10.1016/ j.drugalcdep.2026.113060
Authors: Deanna M. Halliday, Lisbeth Lund, Pamela M. Ling, & Nhung Nguyen
Abstract:
Introduction: Using multiple tobacco and cannabis products is common among young adults and raises concerns about addiction and health risks. Few studies address daily use patterns of multiple products on the same day. We used daily diaries to identify patterns of substance use and associated factors among young adults who reported vaping nicotine and cannabis.
Methods: We collected smartphone-based daily diaries from 113 California young adults (mean age=23.8) who vaped nicotine or cannabis for 20 + days in the past month. For 30 consecutive days, participants reported their daily use of nicotine/tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, craving for nicotine and cannabis vaping, and mood. We used multilevel latent class analysis to identify daily substance use patterns and mixed-effects logistic regression to identify factors associated with these patterns, controlling for baseline covariates (e.g., demographics, nicotine/cannabis dependence).
Results: Three latent classes emerged: Class 1 – “Nicotine vaping days” (52.7 % of the assessments), Class 2 – “Nicotine and cannabis co-vaping days” (39.9 %), and Class 3 -“Combustible tobacco and cannabis use days” (7.4 %). Higher levels of feeling sad on a given day were associated with increased likelihood of that day belonging to Class 1 (adjusted OR = 1.11, 95%CI95 %CI = 1.01 – 1.23). Higher cravings for cannabis vaping on a given day were associated with increased likelihood of that day belonging to Class 2 (adjusted OR = 1.81, 95 % CI = 1.63 – 2.01).
Conclusion: Interventions should be tailored to varying daily substance use patterns among young adults who vape. Efforts targeting vaping cessation may also address combustible product use.
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Journal: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2026, doi: 10.1016 /j.drugalcdep.2026 .113079
Authors: Kathryn J. Byrd, Brooke W. Johnston, Stacey Culp, Kayla A. Kreutzer, Baldwin M. Way, K. Luan Phan, & Stephanie M. Gorka
Abstract:
Background: Alcohol and cannabis are commonly used substances among adolescents, yet the neurobiological mechanisms that confer risk for alcohol and cannabis use disorder remain poorly understood. Abnormalities in neural reward processing have been implicated in the etiology of substance use disorders, but their predictive utility is unclear. Identifying such risk factors is critical for developing prevention and intervention strategies for high-risk youth.
Method: We examined whether deficits in neural reward processing predicted changes in problematic alcohol and cannabis use symptoms in youth (ages 16–19, n = 172) with minimal prior substance use. At baseline, the reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential (ERP) measured via electroencephalography, was used to index deficits in neural reward processing. Every 3 months for 2 years, participants reported problematic cannabis and alcohol use symptoms. To examine changes in substance use problems, we conducted a series of linear mixed-effects models (LMMs). RewP amplitude was the key predictor and linear and quadratic terms for time were included as fixed effects.
Results: In our cannabis use model, we observed a significant linear time X RewP (reward positivity) interaction. Lower RewP amplitude predicted increases in cannabis use problems over 24-months. At higher levels of RewP amplitude, there was no effect of time on cannabis use problems. We did observe a positive effect of time on alcohol use problems. We found no main/interactive effects of RewP on alcohol use problems.
Conclusions: A blunted RewP is a robust predictor of risk for cannabis use problems, offering potential for early identification and targeted intervention in vulnerable youth.
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