NEWS

Mass. failing to fund warnings about cannabis dangers despite state law

In this article, a DPH spokesperson mentions the work of iDECIDE and iCARE, supporting youth substance use work in the state of Massachusetts.

"'In addition to providing free prevention materials for any parents, caregivers, and other trusted adults working with youth, we have a robust drug education curriculum for schools, which includes educational material about cannabis and other substances, and we recently launched a curriculum specifically for parents and caregivers,' a DPH spokesperson said in a statement.”

Authors:

Mike Beaudet, Kevin Rothstein

Model School Substance Use Policy Training (Part 2)

A continuation of the previous Model School Substance Use Policy Training that targets implementation.

Presenters:

Anthony Jannetti, Project Manager, BA

Alexis Wing, Program Manager, MPH

iCARE Learning Collaborative

Presenters:

Anthony Jannetti, BA, Project Manager

Alexis Wing, MPH, Program Manager

Model School Substance Use Policy Training (Part 1)

Training (1/2) for a proposed Model School Substance Use Policy, developed by the Center for School Behavioral Health at MGH, in collaboration with Think:Kids and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Presenters:

Anthony Jannetti, BA

Alexis Wing, MPH

Hallie Carpenter, EdS, NCSP

iDECIDE Kick-Off, SY 25-26

Presenters (Authors): Anthony Jannetti and Alexis Wing, MPH

"A Restorative Alternative for School Substance Use Infractions: Insights from the iDECIDE Program"

Presenters: Anthony Jannetti and Alexis Wing, MPH

Controlled Interventions to Improve Suicide Prevention in Educational Settings: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

• Education/awareness programs were associated with significantly lower odds of suicidal ideation and behaviors and greater odds of improved suicide prevention competencies; gatekeeper training programs also improved competencies, though effects on suicidal outcomes were less clear. However, most studies were rated as having a high risk of bias, warranting cautious interpretation of findings.

• Citation: Kiran, T., Angelakis, I., Panagioti, M., Irshad, S., Sattar, R., Hidayatullah, S., ... & Hodkinson, A. (2024). Controlled interventions to improve suicide prevention in educational settings: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Clinical psychology: science and practice, 31 (1), 85.

Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry, Third Edition

• Citation: Forchelli G., Pollastri A., Schuster R.M., Gray C., Baldi O., Colvin M.K. School collaboration and consultation. In: Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry, Third Edition. Amsterdam (Netherlands): Elsevier Academic Press. In Press.

Substance Use, Suicidal Thoughts, and Psychiatric Comorbidities Among High School Students

• Adolescents who use substances have more psychiatric symptoms than peers who do not use. There are, however, conflicting findings on whether various substances have unique or nonspecific associations with co-occurring psychiatric symptoms. Similarly, dose dependence of these associations and presence of increased psychiatric symptoms among adolescents with infrequent use are debated. With increasing rates of adolescent mental health–related problems, particularly suicide, clarification on these issues is needed to inform screening, prevention and intervention, and policy. We examined associations between common substances and psychiatric symptoms among adolescents.

• Citation: Tervo-Clemmens B, Gilman JM, Evins AE, et al. Substance Use, Suicidal Thoughts, and Psychiatric Comorbidities Among High School Students. JAMA Pediatr. Published online January 29, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.6263

An Urgent Need for School-based Diversion Programs for Adolescent Substance Use: A Statewide Survey of School Personnel

• Citation: Liu, J., Butler, R., Turncliff, A., Gray, C., Lynch, S., Whittaker, J., Iroegbulem, V., Howell, D., & Schuster, R. M. (2023). An urgent need for school-based diversion programs for adolescent substance use: a statewide survey of school personnel. Journal of Adolescent Health. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.04.00

A Pragmatic Clinical Effectiveness Trial of a Novel Alternative to Punishment for School-based Substance Use Infractions: Study Protocol for the iDECIDE Curriculum

• Citation: Gray CA, Iroegbulem V, Deming B, Butler R, Howell D, Pascale MP, Bodolay A, Potter K, Turncliff A, Lynch S, Whittaker J, Ward J, Maximus D, Pachas GN and Schuster RM (2023). A pragmatic clinical effectiveness trial of a novel alternative to punishment for school-based substance use infractions: study protocol for the iDECIDE curriculum. Front. Public Health 11:1203558. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1203558

Evaluating a Novel Drug Education and Diversion Program: Implication for Research, Policy, and Practice

• Citation: Iroegbulem, V.,* Deming, B.,* Gray, C., Maximus, D., Shanker, V., Liu, J., Ekanayake, E., Pachas, G.N., Lynch, S., Turncliff, A., Whittaker, J., & Schuster, R.M. (2022 November 6-9). Evaluating a Novel Drug Education and Diversion Program: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice [Poster]. Poster presented at the annual meeting and expo of the American Public Health Association.