Key Findings
This is a quick summary of the main discovery for each research paper we have published, organized issue by issue. Each key finding is below the article title, with a link to the abstract.
Search key findings View Previous Lists
November 2020
Associations between solitary drinking and increased alcohol consumption, alcohol problems, and drinking to cope motives in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Solitary drinking among adolescents and young adults appears to be associated with psychosocial and alcohol problems and drinking-to-cope motives.
Evaluating the causal impact of individual alcohol licensing decisions on local health and crime using natural experiments with synthetic controls
The impact of local alcohol policy, even at the level of individual premises, can be evaluated using a causal inference framework.
Behaviour change techniques associated with smoking cessation in intervention and comparator groups of randomized controlled trials: a systematic review and meta‐regression
Among person‐delivered behavioural smoking cessation interventions, specific behaviour change techniques and clusters of techniques are associated with higher success rates.
Incidence of assault in Sydney, Australia, throughout 5 years of alcohol trading hour restrictions: controlled before‐and‐after study
The 2014 alcohol supply restrictions for pubs and bars in Kings Cross and the central business district of Sydney, Australia were followed by reduced incidence of assault in those areas.
Acute alcohol withdrawal and recovery in men lead to profound changes in DNA methylation profiles: a longitudinal clinical study
Acute alcohol withdrawal in severely dependent male patients appears to be associated with extensive changes in epigenome‐wide methylation patterns.
A mixed‐methods analysis of patient safety incidents involving opioid substitution treatment with methadone or buprenorphine in community‐based care in England and Wales
Risks of harm in delivering OST in England and Wales seem to be linked to failures in prescribing, supervised dispensing, non‐supervised dispensing, and monitoring and communication.
Opioid use disorder incidence and treatment among incarcerated pregnant women in the United States: results from a national surveillance study
Pregnant incarcerated women with opioid use disorder in the United States frequently appear to be denied essential medications and receive substandard medical care.
Trends in marijuana use in two Latin American countries: an age, period and cohort study
Cannabis use increased substantially in Chile and Uruguay between 2001 and 2018 across all age groups.
A life‐course theory exploration of opioid‐related maternal mortality in the United States
Previous traumatic experiences may play an important role in opioid use and overdose in US women.
Cost‐effectiveness of a specialist smoking cessation package compared with standard smoking cessation services for people with severe mental illness in England: a trial‐based economic evaluation from the SCIMITAR+ study
A bespoke smoking cessation package for people with severe mental illness is likely to be cost‐effective over 12 months compared with usual care provided by the UK's NHS and personal social services.
Factors associated with receipt of the 5As model of brief intervention for smoking cessation among hospitalized patients
In the Barcelona province of Spain, 2014–2015, it appears that fewer than half of hospitalized patients who smoke are advised to quit and few receive the full ‘five As’ brief intervention for smoking cessation.
Effectiveness of nicotine gum in preventing lapses in the face of temptation to smoke among non‐daily smokers: a secondary analysis
When used in response to temptation to smoke, 2 mg nicotine gum can help to prevent lapses among non‐daily smokers trying to stop.
The association between parental supply of alcohol and supply from other sources to young people: a prospective cohort
Parental supply of alcohol appears to increase the risk of subsequent supply of alcohol from other sources in certain contexts.
Personality traits in substance use disorders and obesity when compared to healthy controls
Compared with healthy controls, people with substance use disorders appear to show higher negative emotionality. Similar findings were not found among people with obesity.
Predicting alcohol dependence treatment outcomes: a prospective comparative study of clinical psychologists versus ‘trained’ machine learning models
Machine learning models and logistic regression appear to be more accurate than psychologists at predicting treatment outcomes in an abstinence programme for alcohol dependence, but sensitivity is low.