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.
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October 2016
Gender differences in the impact of population-level alcohol policy interventions: evidence synthesis of systematic reviews
Gender is poorly reported in systematic reviews of population-level interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm, hindering assessment of the effects of such policies on women versus men.
Evaluating the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States
Plausible effects of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States include substantially reducing the price of cannabis and increasing heavy use and some types of cannabis-related harm among existing users. In the longer term it may also increase the number of new users.
Smoking in movies and smoking initiation in adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis
There are substantial associations between young people reporting having seen smoking imagery in films and smoking initiation, whether assessed cross-sectionally or prospectively. It is not clear whether the association is causal.
The burden of alcohol use disorders in US military veterans: results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
More than 40% of US military veterans have a lifetime history of alcohol use disorder, usually with a substantial comorbid psychiatric burden, including elevated rates of suicidal ideation and attempts.
European longitudinal study on the relationship between adolescents’ alcohol marketing exposure and alcohol use
Degree of adolescent exposure to alcohol marketing appears to be associated with subsequent amount of alcohol use.
Cognitive ability and risk for substance misuse in men: genetic and environmental correlations in a longitudinal nation-wide family study
Common genetic factors appear to explain the association between low cognitive ability and subsequent risk of substance misuse events among Swedish men.
Alcohol-attributed disease burden in four Nordic countries: a comparison using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors 2013 study
Finland and Denmark had a higher alcohol-attributed disease burden than Sweden and Norway from 1990–2013. Non-fatal conditions accounted for a higher proportion of disability-adjusted life years in Norway and Sweden than Finland and Denmark.
Parental alcohol-related disorders and school performance in 16-year-olds—a Swedish national cohort study
In Sweden, alcohol-related disorders in both mothers and fathers are associated with lower school performance in their children at age 15–16 years.
Epidemiology of illicit drug use disorders in Iran: prevalence, correlates, comorbidity and service utilization results from the Iranian Mental Health Survey
Opioid use disorders are the most common type of drug use disorders in Iran.
Alcohol and marijuana use trajectories in a diverse longitudinal sample of adolescents: examining use patterns from age 11 to 17 years
Greater alcohol and marijuana use is associated with worse functioning in high school for all youth.
From cannabis initiation to daily use: educational inequalities in consumption behaviours over three generations in France
In France, the risk of transition from cannabis initiation to daily use has remained consistently higher among less educated cannabis initiators over three generations.
The impact of codeine re-scheduling on misuse: a retrospective review of calls to Australia's largest poisons centre
Misuse of codeine combination products appears to be increasing in Australia. Limited rescheduling in 2010 failed to curb this increase.
Is attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder among men associated with initiation or escalation of substance use at 15-month follow-up? A longitudinal study involving young Swiss men
For men in their early 20s, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a risk factor for continued heavier use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis and initiating use of cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens and sedatives, independent of conduct disorder in early adolescence.