PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Inmates with opioid addiction report peer navigators are crucial for successful community reentry

Recently incarcerated people trust working with someone with a shared life experience

2023-03-18
(Press-News.org) Recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder have trust in working with peer support specialists who recovered from addiction and faced similar life experiences, according to a Rutgers study.

 

The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, found that peer support specialists were most valued for providing emotional and community-based addiction recovery support as well as housing and employment information — crucial when going back into the community.

 

More than half of people incarcerated in state prisons have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. They are most vulnerable in the months following their release, when they are at high risk of unemployment, homelessness, recidivism and overdose.

 

“The risk of a fatal drug overdose in the two weeks after release is 129 times that of the general population, in part because of the high risk of relapse and the loss of drug tolerance while incarcerated,” said Margaret Swarbrick, associate director of the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies at Rutgers, research professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and an author of the study.

 

The researchers interviewed 39 adult inmates diagnosed with an opioid use disorder who worked with peer support specialists upon their release from a New Jersey state prison between July 2020 and April 2021. Thirty completed a follow-up interview about four months later.

 

They found that participants appreciated working with someone with a shared life experience with whom they could establish a trusting relationship. However, they reported that policy barriers to recovery and community reintegration presented challenges to meeting certain needs, such as housing, food, employment and access to timely medical and recovery services, even with the peer navigator’s assistance.

 

Participants reported the peer support specialists were most valued for providing emotional support and housing and employment information and for navigating barriers to medical and community-based treatment. This was especially true for people with a conviction for drug distribution charges, which precludes access to resources for housing and employment, according to Michael Enich, an M.D.-Ph.D candidate at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who reported on the findings.

 

“Studies have shown that trained peer support specialists who have experienced addiction, incarceration or both, who assist newly released offenders significantly improve the success rates of their reentry into society, especially when it comes to mental health treatment and sobriety,” said Enich. “However, few studies have examined the role of peer services for substance use disorders during the early months after prison release.”

 

Many participants viewed their peer navigators as role models who have overcome similar challenges, which was valued especially when they felt at risk of relapse, said Stephen Crystal, director of the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and an author of the study. “Having someone who was there for them ‘no matter what’ and whom they could call at any time was the most important aspect of the program as it gave them a sense of security,” said Crystal, who is also Board of Governors Professor at Rutgers School of Social Work.

 

The participants reported the most effective peer health navigators were empathetic, open-minded and good listeners.

 

The authors said more research is needed to rigorously examine the long-term impact of peer services on factors such as overdose reduction, treatment engagement and sustained recovery.

 

Other Rutgers researchers involved in the study are Peter Treitler, Leigh Belsky and Micah Hillis.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumb trick inspires robotic exploration of caves on Mars and beyond

Hansel and Gretels breadcrumb trick inspires robotic exploration of caves on Mars and beyond
2023-03-18
House hunting on Mars could soon become a thing, and researchers at the University of Arizona are already in the business of scouting real estate that future astronauts could use as habitats. Researchers in the UArizona College of Engineering have developed technology that would allow a flock of robots to explore subsurface environments on other worlds. "Lava tubes and caves would make perfect habitats for astronauts because you don't have to build a structure; you are shielded from harmful cosmic radiation, so all you need to do is ...

3D radar scan provides clues about threats to iconic Alaskan glacier

3D radar scan provides clues about threats to iconic Alaskan glacier
2023-03-18
A detailed "body scan" of Malaspina Glacier, one of Alaska's most iconic glaciers, revealed that its bulk lies below sea level and is undercut by channels that may allow ocean water to gain access, should its coastal barrier erode. This makes the glacier more vulnerable to seawater intrusion than previously thought and may cause it to retreat faster than predicted.  The findings, published by University of Arizona researchers in the Journal of Geophysical Research, underscore ...

Changes in mangrove blue carbon under elevated atmospheric CO2

Changes in mangrove blue carbon under elevated atmospheric CO2
2023-03-18
As one of the major blue carbon ecosystems, mangroves provide critical ecosystem services in mitigating global climate change. However, the future complex and variable climate conditions may lead to the uncertainty in trajectories of blue carbon capacity. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (eCO2) is projected to become a prominent driver to mangrove blue carbon in the future. A group of scientists working on blue carbon reviewed studies on “changes in mangrove blue carbon under elevated atmospheric CO2” to identify the pathways for how eCO2 might influence mangrove ecosystem carbon cycling. The research is published as a review article in Ecosystem health and sustainability, ...

Study examines the link between mental health and oral health

2023-03-18
Alexandria, VA – A study examining the mental health-oral health association cross-sectionally and longitudinally was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the AADOCR, held in conjunction with the 47th Annual Meeting of the CADR. The AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition took place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on March 15-18, 2023. The study, led by Alex Kalaigian of the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, acquired self-reported data from the Population ...

New catalyst helps turn plastic waste into useful organosilane compounds

New catalyst helps turn plastic waste into useful organosilane compounds
2023-03-18
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that gold nanoparticles supported on a zirconium oxide surface help turn waste materials like biomass and polyester into organosilane compounds, valuable chemicals used in a wide range of applications. The new protocol leverages the cooperation between gold nanoparticles and the amphoteric (both acid and base) nature of the zirconium oxide support. The result is a reaction that requires less demanding conditions, a greener method for upcycling waste.   Recycling is a big part of humanity’s solution to the global issue of plastic waste. Much ...

DOE funds next-generation Center for Bioenergy Innovation to advance renewable jet fuel

DOE funds next-generation Center for Bioenergy Innovation to advance renewable jet fuel
2023-03-17
The Center for Bioenergy Innovation has been renewed by the Department of Energy as one of four bioenergy research centers across the nation to advance robust, economical production of plant-based fuels and chemicals. CBI, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is focused on the development of nonfood biomass crops and specialty processes for the production of sustainable jet fuel to help decarbonize the aviation sector. The DOE announcement provides $590 million to the centers over the next five years. Initial funding for the four ...

DOE renews CABBI for five more years

DOE renews CABBI for five more years
2023-03-17
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed another round of funding to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to lead the second phase of its Bioenergy Research Center — one of four large-scale DOE-funded research centers focused on innovation in biofuels, bioproducts, and a clean energy future for the country. Earlier today the DOE announced a five-year extension of funding for the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), to a total of $237.9 million for the period from 2017 to 2027. CABBI ...

Study attempts to identify bacterial indicator species of obesity and metabolic syndrome in adult and pediatric patients

2023-03-17
Alexandria, VA – A study aiming to identify biomarker species associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the AADOCR, held in conjunction with the 47th Annual Meeting of the CADR. The AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting & Exhibition took place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on March 15-18, 2023. The study, led by Tanveer Vasdev of the University of Iowa, analyzed 208 saliva and subgingival samples from periodontally, healthy, frequency-matched patients belonging to adult and pediatric obesity and MetS. Bacterial ...

Aging | Senescence-associated exosomes transfer fibrosis to neighboring cells

Aging | Senescence-associated exosomes transfer fibrosis to neighboring cells
2023-03-17
“This shows that SA-EXOs can serve as potent SASP mediators that activate invasive characteristics in neighboring cells.” BUFFALO, NY- March 17, 2023 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 5, entitled, “Senescence-associated exosomes transfer miRNA-induced fibrosis to neighboring cells.” Radiation-induced fibrosis is a common side effect of radiotherapy, which is the most common ...

Sutharshan named ORNL deputy for operations

Sutharshan named ORNL deputy for operations
2023-03-17
Balendra Sutharshan has been named chief operating officer for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He will begin serving as ORNL’s deputy for operations and as executive vice president, operations, for UT-Battelle LLC effective April 1. He will succeed Alan Icenhour, who is retiring this spring after serving in the role since 2021. UT-Battelle operates ORNL for the Department of Energy. Sutharshan joined ORNL in February 2021 as the associate laboratory director for the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate. Under his leadership, ISED has achieved remarkable growth in isotope research and development, as well as production ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New research reveals a potential mechanism for how coffee may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

Big firms are failing to reduce unconscious bias against disabled people

Does birth by cesarean section affect children’s academic performance and intelligence?

Can moderate dietary salt restriction help patients with hypertension?

How fisheries threaten seals and sea lions in South America

Does care during pregnancy differ based on patient race in the United States?

Are there sex-based differences in brain development during early childhood?

Boosting the effects of a particular microRNA may benefit patients with cervical cancer

Changing temperatures increase pesticide risk to bees

Research reveals substantial human cost of international COVID-19 travel and border restrictions

TMAC helping businesses prevent pollution

Early career honor for Wang

New animal welfare scoring system could enable better-informed food and farming choices

Science journals update guidelines after study highlights incomplete reporting of research

Study shows ‘obesity paradox’ does not exist: waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator of outcomes in patients with heart failure than BMI

The devil is in the details: Re-imagining fertilizer precursor synthesis

Unmasking the secret of broadly neutralising COVID-19 therapeutic antibodies

BetaLife and A*STAR Collaborate to develop next generation cell-based therapy for diabetes treatment

Endangered vulture returns to Bulgaria after being extinct for 36 years

Nine in 10 women enter pregnancy with at least one indicator that risks baby’s health

CABBI/GLBRC team explores leaf microbiome in perennial bioenergy crops

Turn off porch light to aid caterpillars — and safeguard backyard ecosystems

Anne Kornahrens, Hertz Foundation Director of Community, selected as delegate to International Younger Chemists Network Assembly

Novel drug makes mice skinny even on sugary, fatty diet

Department of Energy announces $150 million for research on the science foundations for Energy Earthshots

Turn up your favorite song to improve medication efficacy

Local manure regulations can help reduce water pollution from dairy farms

Analysis by NYUAD researchers offers new insights into causes of persistent inequities affecting non-white scientists and their research

New compact and low-cost lensless radiomicroscope developed for nuclear medicine imaging

Patients with baclofen pumps may safely undergo transcutaneous spinal stimulation

[Press-News.org] Inmates with opioid addiction report peer navigators are crucial for successful community reentry
Recently incarcerated people trust working with someone with a shared life experience