Hyunyong Park

Personal Network Recovery Enablers and Relapse Risks for Women With Substance Dependence

We examined the experiences of women in treatment for substance dependence and their treatment providers about personal networks and recovery. We conducted six focus groups at three women’s intensive substance abuse treatment programs. Four coders used thematic analysis to guide the data coding and an iterative process to identify major themes. Coders identified social network characteristics that enabled and impeded recovery and a reciprocal relationship between internal states, relationship management, and recovery. Although women described adding individuals to their networks, they also described managing existing relationships through distancing from or isolating some members to diminish their negative impact on recovery. Treatment providers identified similar themes but focused more on contextual barriers than the women. The focus of interventions with this population should be on both internal barriers to personal network change such as mistrust and fear, and helping women develop skills for managing enduring network relationships.

Changes in personal networks of women in residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment

Changes in personal network composition, support and structure over 12 months were examined in 377 women from residential (n=119) and intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment (n=258) through face-to-face interviews utilizing computer based data collection. Personal networks of women who entered residential treatment had more substance users, more people with whom they had used alcohol and/or drugs, and fewer people from treatment programs or self- help groups than personal networks of women who entered intensive outpatient treatment. By 12 months post treatment intake, network composition improved for women in residential treatment; however, concrete support was still lower and substance users are still more prevalent in their networks. Network composition of women in outpatient treatment remained largely the same over time. Both groups increased cohesiveness within the network over 12 months. Targeting interventions that support positive changes in personal networks may heighten positive long term outcomes for women entering treatment.

Impact of trauma symptomatology on personal networks among substance using women.

BACKGROUND Interpersonal trauma poses challenges and complications to the development and maintenance of personal networks of substance using women. Few studies have examined its effects on personal network support availability and quality of relationships, limiting our understanding of the social context in which substance using women with a history of trauma are embedded. METHODS Women with substance use disorders (SUD) who received treatment at three county-funded, women-only intensive treatment programs (N=375) were interviewed at intake and at follow ups 1, 6, and 12 months later. A network software program, EgoNet, elicited 25 network members per respondent, social support availability, and the quality of network relationship at each assessment. Trauma symptomatology was assessed with Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 at intake. RESULTS Findings from longitudinal mixed model analyses indicated that higher levels of trauma symptomatology were associated with both a negative, critical quality and less closeness in network relationships over the 12 month study period. However, trauma symptoms were not related to the number of network members reported as providing emotional, concrete, or sobriety support. Effects of trauma symptoms on the support availability in the network and the quality of network relationships were consistent over the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the potential role of trauma symptoms in determining the quality of relationships within personal networks among women with SUD, suggesting the need for routine mapping of network relationships throughout treatment.

Pulse shape discrimination capability of metal-loaded organic liquid scintillators for a short-baseline reactor neutrino experiment

A new short-baseline (SBL) reactor neutrino experiment is proposed to investigate a reactor anti-neutrino anomaly. A liquid scintillator (LS) is used to detect anti-neutrinos emitted from a Hanaro reactor, and the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) ability of the metal-loaded organic LSs is evaluated on small-scale laboratory samples. PSD can be affected by selecting different base solvents, and several of the LSs used two different organic base solvents, such as linear alkyl benzene and di-isopropylnaphthalene. For the metallic content, gadolinium (Gd) or lithium (6Li) was loaded into a home-made organic LS and into a commercially available liquid scintillation cocktail. A feasibility study was performed for the PSD using several different liquid scintillation cocktails. In this work, the preparation and the PSD characteristics of a promising candidate, which will be used in an above-ground environment, are summarized and presented.

Regular articlePersonal Network Structure and Substance Use in Women by 12 Months Post Treatment Intake

INTRODUCTION Women with substance use disorders enter treatment with limited personal network resources and reduced recovery support. This study examined the impact of personal networks on substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. METHODS Data were collected from 284 women who received substance abuse treatment. At 6 month follow up, composition, support availability and structure of personal networks were examined. Substance use was measured by womens report of any use of alcohol or drugs. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine the contribution of personal network characteristics on substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. RESULTS Higher numbers of substance using alters (network members) and more densely connected networks at 6 month follow-up were associated with an increased likelihood of substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. A greater number of isolates in womens networks was associated with decreased odds of substance use. Women who did not use substances by 12 months post treatment intake had more non-users among their isolates at 6 months compared to those who used substances. No association was found between support availability and likelihood of substance use. CONCLUSIONS Both network composition and structure could be relevant foci for network interventions e.g. helping women change network composition by reducing substance users as well as increasing network connections. Isolates who are not substance users may be a particular strength to help women cultivate within their network to promote sustained sobriety post treatment.

Personal Network Structure and Substance Use in Women by 12 Months Post Treatment Intake

INTRODUCTION Women with substance use disorders enter treatment with limited personal network resources and reduced recovery support. This study examined the impact of personal networks on substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. METHODS Data were collected from 284 women who received substance abuse treatment. At 6 month follow up, composition, support availability and structure of personal networks were examined. Substance use was measured by womens report of any use of alcohol or drugs. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine the contribution of personal network characteristics on substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. RESULTS Higher numbers of substance using alters (network members) and more densely connected networks at 6 month follow-up were associated with an increased likelihood of substance use by 12 months post treatment intake. A greater number of isolates in womens networks was associated with decreased odds of substance use. Women who did not use substances by 12 months post treatment intake had more non-users among their isolates at 6 months compared to those who used substances. No association was found between support availability and likelihood of substance use. CONCLUSIONS Both network composition and structure could be relevant foci for network interventions e.g. helping women change network composition by reducing substance users as well as increasing network connections. Isolates who are not substance users may be a particular strength to help women cultivate within their network to promote sustained sobriety post treatment.

Personal networks of women in residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment

Abstract This study compared compositional, social support, and structural characteristics of personal networks among women in residential (RT) and intensive outpatient (IOP) substance abuse treatment. The study sample included 377 women from inner-city substance use disorder treatment facilities. Respondents were asked about 25 personal network members known within the past 6 months, characteristics of each (relationship, substance use, types of support), and relationships between each network member. Differences between RT women and IOP women in personal network characteristics were identified using Chi-square and t-tests. Compared to IOP women, RT women had more substance users in their networks, more network members with whom they had used substances and fewer network members who provided social support. These findings suggest that women in residential treatment have specific network characteristics, not experienced by women in IOP, which may make them more vulnerable to relapse; they may therefore require interventions that target these specific network characteristics in order to reduce their vulnerability to relapse.

The Prevalence of Tobacco Use at Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States, 2013

We explored tobacco use across federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and compared data on state-level tobacco use between FQHC patients and the general population. We used data from the Uniform Data System (UDS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to generate estimates of 2013 prevalence of tobacco use among adults aged 18 years or older. According to UDS data, the overall prevalence of tobacco use was 25.8% in FQHCs compared with 20.6% in the general population represented by BRFSS data, an average of 5.2 percentage points (range, −4.9 to 20.9) higher among FQHCs. Among FQHCs, the burden of tobacco use and the opportunity for offering cessation assistance is substantial.

Factors associated with trajectories of women’s quality of life and association with substance use 12 months post-treatment

Background Quality of life (QOL) has become an increasingly recognized component of recovery for women with substance use disorders (SUDs) [1-3]. However, little is known about different trajectories of QOL among women with SUD over time. This study: a) identified heterogeneous QOL trajectories; b) examined predictors related to QOL trajectories; and c) investigated the association between QOL trajectories and substance use 12 months post-treatment intake.