Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Releases Report on Impact of Online Gambling in Pennsylvania
Mar 23, 2023
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), Penn State, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) recently released the second annual report analyzing the impact of online gambling, also referred to as interactive gaming or iGaming in Pennsylvania. “This report will…
Personal connections matter to families taking care of kin during opioid crisis
Mar 7, 2023
For family members unexpectedly taking care of a relative’s child during the opioid crisis, it can be difficult to navigate the legal waters of assuming custody. The process may be easier — and come with more support — if these caregivers have personal connections to local resource institutions,…
CSUA Conference registration now open
Feb 27, 2023
SSRI’s Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction's annual conference will be held May 1, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. in the HUB-Robeson Center. The conference is free, but registration is required. We encourage researchers, students, staff, and community members to attend. This event is in-person at the…News Topics: CSUASubstance Use
Trauma causes high levels of intergenerational substance use among Black women
Feb 22, 2023
Government data show that approximately 7.2 million women in the United States have substance use disorders (SUDs) and almost 20 million reported illicit substance use in the past year. New research suggests that trauma leads to high levels of intergenerational substance use among Black women, and…
CSUA seed grants now open
Feb 1, 2023
SSRI's Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) invites proposals for Level 2 pilot research projects aimed at addressing issues related to substance use and addiction. We seek interdisciplinary Penn State teams to develop novel translational research programs, which can range from…News Topics: CSUASeed Funding
Bimodal intervention shows promise for intimate partner violence survivors
Jan 23, 2023
Black women involved in the legal system disproportionately experience intimate partner violence (IPV) but currently have few options for tailored interventions that consider intersectionality, according to a Penn State College of Education researcher. Brandy Henry, assistant professor of education…
Education project aims to improve overdose-death reporting
Jan 17, 2023
Accurate reporting on causes of death has direct impacts on mortality data, policy making, and setting priorities in public health. A Penn State-led project aims to educate coroners, medical examiners, and others in the death certifier community in Pennsylvania about the reporting of accidental…
Sterner honored by Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health for work on opioid crisis, human trafficking
Jan 5, 2023
Glenn Sterner, a Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member through the Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction and assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, received the 2022 Rural Health Hero of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health for…
Can parents help prevent risky cannabis and alcohol use by college students?
Dec 16, 2022
Cannabis use by college students is on the rise, causing concern among substance-use experts. In 2020, 44% of college students reported using marijuana in the past year, compared to 38% in 2015, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Penn State researchers are testing an intervention…News Topics: Substance UseCSUA
Sterner contributes to article about opioid settlement funds reaching rural communities
Dec 14, 2022
Glenn Sterner , a Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member and assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, contributed to an article on CNN and KHN about how opioid settlement funds are often shortchanged by rural communities. The article mentions that…
Reduced-nicotine cigarettes result in less smoking in anxious, depressed smokers
Nov 4, 2022
Lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels may reduce smoking without worsening mental health in smokers with mood or anxiety disorders, according to Penn State College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School researchers. They said reducing nicotine content in cigarettes…
New book examines gender on legal response to domestic violence
Oct 4, 2022
Over the past 40 years, considerable progress has been made in lowering rates of domestic violence (DV) in our communities. However, this progress has been uneven due to continuing misconceptions about the causes and dynamics of domestic violence. "Gender and Domestic Violence: Contemporary Legal…
Substance use disorder summit jumpstarts the discourse on stigma reduction
Sep 29, 2022
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction’s (CSUA) hosted the first annual Substance Use Disorder Stigma Reduction Summit recently at the HUB-Robeson Center in University Park. Organized by the Substance Use Stigma Reduction Collaborative, the event brought in researchers, practitioners and…
Lack of naloxone led to increased overdose deaths in rural Pa., study finds
Sep 29, 2022
Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose in the nation, and, according to Penn State researchers, one’s chances of surviving that overdose can depend on where the person lives. Using data from the Pennsylvania Overdose Information Network from the years 2018-20 and American…
Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction to Host Stigma Reduction Summit
Sep 8, 2022
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA)’s will host the 2022 Summit on Substance Use Disorder Stigma Reduction at Penn State University on Sept. 22. The event will take place in-person from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the HUB-Robeson Center located at the University Park Campus. …
Stigma work by researchers showcased at Shatterproof’s Addiction Stigma Summit
Aug 26, 2022
Two faculty members at Penn State Berks, Jennifer Murphy, associate professor and chair of the criminal justice department, and Brenda Russell, professor of psychology, had their stigma work with students showcased at Shatterproof’s Stigma of Addiction Summit earlier this summer. Shatterproof is a…
Abenaa Jones named Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor
Aug 4, 2022
Abenaa Jones, assistant professor of human development and family studies, has been named the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Health and Human Development at Penn State. Jones works to find solutions to complex, real-world problems, including substance use disorders, social and…
Annual substance use and addiction conference examines community solutions
May 15, 2022
The Penn State Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) hosted its third annual conference, “Community Approaches to Substance Use and Addiction” on Monday, May 3. Held virtually via Zoom and drawing over 120 attendees throughout the day, the conference kicked off with a welcome from Paul…News Topics: CSUASubstance Use
Sam Quinones talks fentanyl and the opioid crisis in virtual discussion
Apr 12, 2022
The Social Science Research Institute's Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) and the Criminal Justice Research Center hosted a virtual talk with Sam Quinones on March 23, titled "True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth with Sam Quinones.” During the talk,…
Annual substance use and addiction conference to be held virtually on May 2
Apr 5, 2022
Penn State’s Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) will host its third annual conference, “Community Approaches to Substance Use and Addiction,” on Monday, May 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. via Zoom. The annual conference of the CSUA brings together researchers, policymakers,…News Topics: CSUASubstance Use
Flavored tobacco sales restrict availability, advertising
Mar 31, 2022
Flavored tobacco products play a large role in leading youth into addiction, and it is estimated that three out of four youth smokers will continue to smoke well into adulthood. A Penn State researcher is analyzing flavored tobacco sales restrictions and how they affect the availability of tobacco…
Journalist and storyteller Sam Quinones to present virtual talk March 23
Feb 24, 2022
SSRI's Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction and the Criminal Justice Research Center will host a virtual talk with Sam Quinones on Wednesday, March 23, from noon to 1:30 p.m., titled "True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth with Sam Quinones." Quinones is a journalist,…News Topics: CSUASubstance Use
Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction in SSRI opens seed grant proposals
Feb 8, 2022
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA), part of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State, has announced an invitation for its Level 2 Seed Grants program. Applications for the program are encouraged to build upon the University’s distinctive strengths in substance…News Topics: CSUASeed Funding
Examining the opioid epidemic through the lens of crime data
Jan 25, 2022
The opioid overdose epidemic in the United States remains a critically important public health issue that continues to worsen as time goes on. The estimated death toll in 2021 has reached the historical high of 100,000 overdose deaths from all drugs and over 75,000 deaths from opioid overdoses. We…
Youth with mental illness, substance-misuse histories at risk of opioid misuse
Nov 23, 2021
Opioid misuse is a devastating problem in the U.S. and a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Penn State College of Medicine researchers found young people with certain mental health conditions and histories of substance misuse may have an increased risk of being diagnosed…