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Skills to effectively communicate research findings are important to expand meaningful inclusion of the public in research, but attempts to summarize findings may be challenging given increasing reliance on succinct communications. Led by our Ethics Advisory Board and within the context of this work with the Precision Medicine and Health Disparities Collaborative, the authors decided to engage in the iterative process of developing video summaries. Our stakeholders taught us to incorporate novel strategies to engage broader audiences, leading to the production of two video summaries, a public summary toolbox and an adapted process for developing video summaries. The authors refreshed the static concept of 'research summaries' and found ways of producing summaries which emphasized a dynamic reframing of the shared benefits of science.Health communications related to research (like summaries about research studies) are important to the health of diverse communities. It is up to investigators to publicize the findings of their research, and written communications may not be the most effective way of getting the public excited about or interested in science. Our Ethics Advisory Board encouraged us to pursue a more dynamic format to report scientific findings. Led by our Ethics Advisory Board and other investigators of a collaborative precision medicine research center, the authors created two video summaries based on the findings of two research articles. In this article, the authors describe an iterative, stakeholder-centered process of creating video summaries to engage nonscientists in research, and make science more relevant and meaningful to the general public.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the functioning of households. Because of the vulnerability of high-risk groups, such as older adults and people with compromised immune systems, households caring for these vulnerable adults may be facing elevated levels of caregiving-related stress and burden. The current study sought to examine the impact of the pandemic on conflict and cohesion in households with adults requiring caregiving versus noncaregiving households. Methods: Respondent demographic, household level, and family functioning data were collected anonymously from an international sample (N = 4,241). Responses were examined using descriptive and bivariate analyses. Results: Overall, respondents in caregiving households (n = 667) reported a significantly greater negative impact of social distancing on their family functioning, with greater increase in conflict than nonadult caregiving households (n = 3,574). Significantly more caregiving households also reported that someone had stopped working due to the pandemic. No differences were observed for cohesion between the two groups, with both reporting a little bit more cohesion when compared with the period before social distancing. Conclusions: Our findings add to a body of literature demonstrating that caregiving families experience greater disruption and strain during disaster situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research is needed to establish the causality of the collected proximal factors, such as job loss and education, with pandemic related family functioning among homes caring for adults, and examining the impact of contextual factors, such as level of caregiving need and caregiving support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

BACKGROUND: Clinical indications for medicinal cannabis include chronic conditions; thus users (MCUs) are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19). The study aimed to provide data on cannabis use and self-reported behavioral changes among MCUs with preexisting chronic conditions in response to the pandemic. METHODS: An internet-based questionnaire was administered to adults ≥18 who self-reported medicinal cannabis use within the past year. Data are from respondents between March 21 and April 23, 2020; response rate was 83.3%. Health conditions and cannabis frequency, route, and patterns of use were assessed via the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Questionnaire (Vidot et al. 2020). RESULTS: Participants (N = 1202) were predominantly non-Hispanic white (82.5%) and 52.0% male (mean age 47.2 years). Mental health (76.7%), pain (43.7%), cardiometabolic (32.9%), respiratory (16.8%), and autoimmune (12.2%) conditions were most reported. Those with mental health conditions reported increased medicinal cannabis use by 91% since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic compared to those with no mental health conditions (adjusted odds ratio: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.38–2.65). 6.8% reported suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Two percent (2.1%) have been tested for COVID-19 with only 1 positive test result. Some MCUs (16%) changed their route of cannabis administration, switching to nonsmoking forms. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of MCUs reported at least one preexisting chronic health condition. Over half report fear of COVID-19 diagnosis and giving the virus to someone else; yet only some switched from smoking to nonsmoking forms of cannabis. Clinicians may consider asking about cannabis use among their patients, particularly those with chronic health conditions.

Over the last year, COVID-19 has emerged as a highly transmissible and lethal infection. As we address this global pandemic, its disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities has served to further magnify the health inequities in access and treatment that persist in our communities. These sobering realities should serve as the impetus for reexamination of the root causes of inequities in our health system. An increased commitment to strategic partnerships between academic and nonacademic health systems, industry, local communities, and policy-makers may serve as the foundation. Here, we examine the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on health care inequities and propose a strategic roadmap for integration of clinical and translational research into our understanding of health inequities.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide event that has exacerbated stress and caused significant disruptions in the day-to-day living of families. Of particular concern are socially vulnerable families, which have felt the impacts of the pandemic most acutely. Because stress can alter family dynamics, it is important to understand which stressors impact families the most, and what resources can be leveraged to strengthen family functioning. The current study examined the impacts of COVID-19 on the conflict and cohesion of households with children compared to households without children. Additionally, we sought to assess how conflict and cohesion are related to social vulnerabilities in the context of the pandemic. Using an international sample, we analyzed responses to the COVID-19 Household Environment Scale (N = 4,122) using descriptive and bivariate analyses. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of family functioning in households with and without children. We found that social vulnerability was associated with more disrupted family functioning, and that households with children (n = 2,666) reported less disrupted family functioning when compared to households without children (n = 1,456), despite having higher social vulnerability scores. Our exploratory latent class analysis identified a five-class model among both subgroups. Conflict, cohesion, family functioning, and social vulnerability varied significantly by subgroup and class membership. Our findings add to a body of evidence that argues that despite facing greater vulnerability, households with children have many strengths to draw from. Family interventions that help to promote family cohesion and conflict resolution can foster resilience in stressful circumstances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) © 2021 American Psychological Association