Timothy E. Wilens’s research while affiliated with Harvard University and other places

... These results verified that NeuroWorld DTx can be used as a treatment tool to support the existing standard pharmacological therapy and as an alternative non-pharmacological adjuvant therapy. According to previous studies involving children with ADHD, digital therapies have reported evidence of improvement in ADHD-related impairments [36,37]. Specifically, according to the results of AKL-T01 conducted under conditions similar to this study, when home-based treatment using digital therapeutic interventions was performed over four weeks, five days a week in pediatric ADHD patients, improvement in the TOVA (Test of Variables of Attention) and API (Attention Performance Index) scores was observed across 20 research institutions in the United States [38]. ...

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An Analysis of the Impact of Digital Therapeutic Interventions on Attention and Working Memory in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

... Perhaps surprisingly, no state-level differences in vaping prevalence were found despite different recreational marijuana legalization (RML) statuses at the time of data collection in 2020(i.e., RML was passed in Colorado in 2012and in Ohio in 2023. Recent studies indicate generally modest or no evidence of RML laws increasing odds of adolescent cannabis use (Pawar, Firmin, Wilens, & Hammond, 2024). Despite a large gap between the dates of legal adult cannabis policy changes in Colorado and Ohio, these two states are similar regarding tobacco policies (CDC, 2024). ...

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Nicotine and cannabis vaping among early high school adolescents: Disparities of use across sociodemographic characteristics and associations with psychosocial factors

... Consistently, adolescent misuse of prescription stimulants is indeed associated with increased risk of later prescription drug (e.g. opioids and sedatives) misuse, This link is influenced by several factors, including the adolescent's social environment, psychological stressors, and even genetic predispositions (42). Polysubstance abuse and unhealthy lifestyle choices (e.g., malnutrition and alcohol use) were still notable, affecting 477 and 379 patients, respectively. ...

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Methylphenidate abuse and misuse in patients affected with a psychiatric disorder and a substance use disorder: a systematic review

... Despite experiencing many COVID-related stressors alongside the challenges of adolescence, adolescents who are more psychologically resilient seem to be less affected and showed better adaptation to all the new changes and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Noyola et al., 2024). Psychological resilience is defined as the capacity to continue growth and healthy development in the face of negative and/or traumatic experiences (Masten, 2018). ...

Reference:

The Correlates of Psychological Resilience in Turkish Adolescents During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

... While early interventions for untreated SUD in pregnancy are ideal, [5,6] pregnant people with SUD may delay or avoid prenatal care, often because they are criminalized for their substance use [7][8][9]. For some pregnant people, acute care visits could be the first or only opportunity for providers to offer evidence-informed treatment and care [9][10][11][12]. ...

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Strategies to improve delivery of equitable and evidence-informed care for pregnant and birthing people with a substance use disorder in acute care settings: A scoping review protocol

... Age followed a different pattern (Fig. 3). For both buprenorphine and methadone utilization, those in the younger group (aged [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] showed the biggest decline in utilization not only during the pandemic but also in the endemic COVID-19 era. Utilization in the youngest group fell by 18.1% annually for those on buprenorphine and 11.2% annually for those on methadone in the endemic COVID-19 time period. ...

Reference:

Statewide Trends in Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Utilization in Rhode Island, United States, 2017–2023

... Data from pilot clinical trials have begun to explore the safety of ADHD pharmacotherapy in alcohol, marijuana, stimulant, and opiate use disorders. [23][24][25][26] Of note, however, many of these same studies suggest that when using stimulants, higher dosing may be required for those with current, active SUD compared to non-SUD samples of ADHD. 27,28 The two articles we consider highlight that the manifestation of ADHD can be heavily influenced by context, as well as individual vulnerabilities and strengths. ...

Reference:

Fluctuating Impairment and Complex Presentations: Evolving Care and Research Priorities in ADHD

... Our results align with these hypotheses and replicate three existing observations. First, early substance use is associated with later cocaine use [10,13,16,17]. Whether this is simply a marker of susceptibility or a causal relationship continues to elude consensus [38]. ...

Reference:

Factors Associated With Cocaine Use at 17 and 20 Years Old: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Nationally Representative Cohort

... They included child welfare personnel in their program development and trainings, which increased client engagement in prenatal care. 40 Community or social support workers were able to help clients successfully enroll in supplemental nutrition programs, coordinate transportation, obtain health insurance, and secure safe and affordable housing. They were able to support clients in navigating appropriate follow up for additional health care services such as referrals and appointments with maternal fetal medicine for high-risk health issues, treatment for Hepatitis C, and consultations with lactation specialists or neonatology. ...

Reference:

Challenges for Antepartum Care of the Individual with Perinatal Substance Use: An Empirical Integrative Review of Novel Approaches to Improve Care

... One retrospective cohort study 16 reported that incident BZDR prescription was associated with increased risks of alcohol and drug use disorders, while the findings varied between different substance-related outcomes in two other studies. 17,18 Although informative about potential associations between BZDR and substance-related problems, those studies focused on self-reported lifetime BZDR use 17,18 and specific populations (i.e., patients with chronic non-cancer pain, 13,15 postoperative pain 14 or anxiety 16 ). They could also be limited by potential residual confounding from genetic and environmental factors shared within families, which are important to address given a familial transmission of substance dependence 19 and possible familial co-aggregation between substance use and the disorders for which BZDR is commonly prescribed (e.g., anxiety disorders, depression disorders, and insomnia). ...

Reference:

Incident benzodiazepine and Z-drug use and subsequent risk of alcohol- and drug-related problems: a nationwide matched cohort study with co-twin comparison