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…
Increases in opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania varied by county during the COVID-19 pandemic
Mar 21, 2023
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. It originally appeared in The Conversation and was written by Brian King, Andrea Rishworth, Louisa M. Holmes, and Ruchi Patel The big idea The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the opioid epidemic, according to our new research, which…News Topics: OpioidsSubstance Use
Prenatal cigarette, cannabis exposure may have associations with childhood obesity
Mar 15, 2023
Childhood obesity rates continue to rise in the United States, putting kids at risk for asthma, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions. Children prenatally exposed to both tobacco and cannabis had a 12 times higher risk for obesity by middle childhood (9–12 years of age) compared…
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…
Penn State leads multi-state project to help prevent opioid misuse
Feb 8, 2023
Opioid use disorder continues to wreak havoc across the United States. Opioids were involved in more than 68,000 overdose deaths in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Penn State recently received a $1.3 million, two-year grant from the Substance Use and Mental…News Topics: Substance UseOpioids
Piazza Center creates national hazing and dangerous drinking prevention study
Feb 2, 2023
The Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform is partnering with the WITH US Center for Bystander Intervention at California Polytechnic State University and the Gordie Center at the University of Virginia to determine best practices in hazing and substance misuse…News Topics: AlcoholSubstance Use
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…Ensuring fair distribution of the $1 billion+ opioid settlement in Pennsylvania
Nov 30, 2022
To ensure fair and impartial distribution of the $1.07 billion that was awarded to Pennsylvania as part of 2021’s massive settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, a team of interdisciplinary researchers from Penn State worked with counties across the commonwealth to develop the…
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…
Holmes interviewed on WTAJ
Oct 13, 2022
SSRI cofund Louisa Holmes was recently interviewed on WTAJ about how her research on lack of naloxone is linked to increased overdose deaths in smaller Pennsylvania communities. Policymakers may wish to consider using opioid settlement funds to expand access to naloxone in communities, says Holmes.
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…
How stigma acts as a barrier to overcoming the opioid crisis
Jul 18, 2022
The United States is in the midst of a significant, decades-long opioid epidemic, with more than 2.6 million Americans meeting the criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD). Opioid-related overdoses have also been on the rise, along with stigma related to OUD and is one of the biggest barriers to…News Topics: OpioidsSubstance Use
Ethnic pride may help protect Latino/a college students from problem drinking
Jul 11, 2022
Negative consequences from excessive drinking are well-documented, but little is known about how to tailor interventions to prevent problem drinking by Latino/a college students, the fastest-growing ethnic minority group on U.S. college campuses. A new study led by Katja Waldron, doctoral candidate…
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