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Background: The purpose of this study includes: 1) identifying classes of substance-related needs among Black women, and 2) examining the effect of substance-related need classes and culturally-relevant factors on Black women's use of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and mutual support groups., Methods: As part of a longitudinal cohort study, Black women were recruited in prison nearing release, on probation, and in the community without involvement in the criminal legal system (CLS, n=565) and followed-up at 18-months. We conducted a baseline latent class analysis of substance-related needs among Black women. Logistic regression models adjusted for culturally-relevant factors to predict the use of treatment and frequency of mutual support group participation over 18-months among Black women who use drugs., Results: Four classes by level of needs were found: low, daily marijuana use, high mental health, and high comorbidity. During the 18-month follow-up, women characterized by the high comorbidity need class and with higher scores of religious well-being were more likely to frequently participate in mutual support groups. Non-CLS-involved women were less likely to engage with both treatment and mutual support groups than women from the prison sample at 18-months., Conclusions: This study highlights four distinct classes of substance-related needs among Black women, highlighting the complex patterns of behavior and within-racial group differences among Black women. Black women with high comorbidity needs were more likely to participate in mutual support groups, but the latent classes did not predict SUD treatment indicating other non-medical and social contextual need factors may be at play., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No conflict declared., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: This study aimed to examine reclassification rates among classes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients based on their distinct symptom experiences and to assess how these subgroups differed in symptom scores and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes over one year. Moreover, we wished to assess how these subgroups differed in demographic and clinical characteristics at 12 months., Patients and Methods: This is a follow-up study of 267 patients with moderate, severe, and very severe COPD. Based on their distinct symptom experiences using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS), three subgroups (i.e., "high", "intermediate", and "low") were identified at baseline. In the present study, transitions between the subgroups at three, six, nine, and 12 months were investigated and calculated as reclassification rates. Differences among the subgroups in symptom scores and HRQoL at each time point and demographic and clinical characteristics at 12 months were evaluated using analysis of variance with post hoc comparisons., Results: Almost 65% were still in the "high" class after 12 months. At 12 months, pairwise comparisons for respiratory function measurements were not significantly different. Compared to the "intermediate" and "low" class, patients in the "high" class were more likely to be women and had significantly more comorbidities, reported a significantly higher number of symptoms at all time points, and worse HRQoL scores., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the pattern of a high symptom burden in COPD is consistent over time. The patients' individual symptom experiences should be the primary focus of treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests. This study was funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (2009055). Details reported at Clinical Trials: NCT01016587., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Studies have shown that antidepressants are no better than placebo in treating depression in dementia. The authors examined antidepressant efficacy in subgroups of depression in dementia with different depressive symptom profiles., Methods: This study focuses on exploratory secondary analyses on the randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled Health Technology Assessment Study of the Use of Antidepressants for Depression in Dementia (HTA-SADD) trial. The setting included old-age psychiatry services in nine centers in England. The participants included 326 patients meeting National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association probable/possible Alzheimer disease criteria, and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) scores of 8 or more. Intervention was placebo (n = 111), sertraline (n = 107), or mirtazapine (n = 108). Latent class analyses (LCA) on baseline CSDD items clustered participants into symptom-based subgroups. Mixed-model analysis evaluated CSDD improvement at 13 and 39 weeks by randomization in each subgroup., Results: LCA yielded 4 subgroups: severe (n = 34), psychological (n = 86), affective (n = 129), and somatic (n = 77). Mirtazapine, but not sertraline, outperformed placebo in the psychological subgroup at week 13 (adjusted estimate: -2.77 [standard error (SE) 1.16; 95% confidence interval: -5.09 to -0.46]), which remained, but lost statistical significance at week 39 (adjusted estimate: -2.97 [SE 1.59; 95% confidence interval: -6.15 to 0.20]). Neither sertraline nor mirtazapine outperformed placebo in the other subgroups., Conclusion: Because of the exploratory nature of the analyses and the small sample sizes for subgroup analysis there is the need for caution in interpreting these data. Replication of the potential effects of mirtazapine in the subgroup of those with depression in dementia with "psychological" symptoms would be valuable. These data should not change clinical practice, but future trials should consider stratifying types of depression in dementia in secondary analyses., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In order to prevent youth and young adult partner abuse, it is necessary to have a better understanding of dating relationship dynamics as the context for potential abusive interactions., Methods: Youth and young adults (ages 10-18 at baseline) were surveyed along with a matched parent/caregiver. Data, including parent and youth responses (n = 437 youth/parent dyads), are drawn from the nationally representative Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV)., Results: Applying latent class analytic techniques with seven different positive and problematic descriptors of dating relationships, this study found four classes of relationship dynamics representing healthy, unhealthy, intense, and disengaged relationships. The intense relationship dynamic class exhibits the strongest associations with reports of any youth and young adult partner abuse, as well as distinctly with the subtypes of psychological, physical, and sexual victimization and perpetration., Conclusions: Results demonstrate the importance of clinicians, parents and other responsible adults attending to an array of youth and young adult dating relationship dynamics rather than single indicators, to assess youth and young adult risk for involvement in abusive relationships., (Copyright © 2019 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: There have been few reports of the development of alcohol involvement from childhood through adolescence. We examined the ages at which children first sipped or tasted alcohol, drank, had three or more drinks in a row, had five or more drinks in a row, were drunk, or had alcohol problems, to describe the types of drinking experience exhibited at each age from 8.5 through 18.0 years. Sipping and three or more drinks per occasion have been understudied to date., Methods: We collected 14 waves of longitudinal data from 452 children aged 8 or 10 years, randomly sampled from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Ages of initiating each alcohol use behavior were determined, and the data were coded to reflect the child's status on each behavior at each age. We determined types of alcohol use experience using latent class analyses., Results: From age 8.5 to 12.5 years, there were two latent classes: abstainers and sippers. The percentage of sippers increased to 67% by age 12.5 years. From ages 13.0 to 18.0, we identified three latent classes: abstainers, sippers/light drinkers, and drinkers with drunkenness. At ages 13.5-15.5 years, drinkers in the latter class reported drunkenness with just three to four drinks per occasion. By age 18 years, sippers/light drinkers comprised 55% of the sample and drinkers with drunkenness comprised 38%., Conclusions: Childhood experience with alcohol was surprisingly widespread. Sipping or tasting alcohol was common by age 12 years. A quarter of the sample drank before age 15 years. Experience of intoxication increased throughout adolescence, even among those who had ever consumed just three to four drinks on an occasion., (Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)