MDMA (‘ecstasy’) use, and its association with high risk behaviors, mental health, and other factors among gay/bisexual men in New York City

Abstract Background While people who inject drugs (PWID) are vulnerable to the adverse outcomes of events like COVID-19, little is known regarding the impact of the current pandemic on PWID. We examine how COVID-19 has affected PWID in New York City across four domains: substance use, risk behaviors, mental health, and service utilization. Methods As part of a randomized trial to improve access to HCV treatment for PWID, we recruited 165 participants. Eligibility criteria included detectable HCV RNA and recent drug injection. The present cross-sectional analysis is based on a subsample of 106 participants. We compared responses between two separate samples: 60 participants interviewed prior to the pandemic (pre-COVID-19 sample) and 46 participants interviewed during the pandemic (COVID-19 sample). We also assessed differences by study group [accessible care (AC) and usual care (UC)]. Results Compared to the pre-COVID-19 sample, those interviewed during COVID-19 reported higher levels of mental health issues, syringe reuse, and alcohol consumption and greater reductions in syringe-service programs and buprenorphine utilization. In the analysis conducted by study group, the UC group reported significantly higher injection risk behaviors and lower access to buprenorphine treatment during COVID-19, while during the same period, the AC group reported lower levels of substance use and injection risk behaviors. Conclusion The current study provides insight on how COVID-19 has negatively affected PWID. Placing dispensing machines of harm-reduction supplies in communities where PWID live and increasing secondary exchange, mobile services, and mail delivery of supplies may help maintain access to lifesaving supplies during big events, such as COVID-19. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03214679. Registered July 11 2017. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03214679.

Download Full-text

HIV Risk Factors among Pregnant and Non-Pregnant High-Risk Women in New York City

Journal of Drug Education ◽

10.2190/mwqf-5hhk-8281-v7t5 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 57-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sherry Deren ◽

Mark Beardsley ◽

Rees Davis ◽

Stephanie Tortu

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

High Risk ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Hiv Risk ◽

York City ◽

Drug Users ◽

High Risk Women

A comparison of high-risk pregnant ( n = 55) and non-pregnant ( n = 598) women from Harlem, New York City on HIV-related drug and sexual risk behaviors was undertaken to identify appropriate prevention and intervention policy recommendations. Clients were recruited for an AIDS risk reduction research demonstration project and were either intravenous drug users (IVDUs) or sexual partners of IVDUs. There was a higher percentage of IVDUs among the non-pregnant women, and no significant differences were found between pregnant and non-pregnant IVDUs in terms of needle risk behaviors. The two groups were also similar in non-injected drug use behaviors. Pregnant women were significantly less likely to use condoms. Recommendations focused on the need for increased HIV risk reduction among high-risk women in general, and increased education efforts among pregnant high-risk women regarding condom use as protection from HIV and the potential consequences of maternal substance use for their children.

Download Full-text

02 / LOW STI KNOWLEDGE AND CONCERN ABOUT INFECTION AMONG HIGH RISK MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (MSM) AND TRANSGENDER WOMEN (TGW) IN NEW YORK CITY

10.26226/morressier.5af060631dd164001d5ef360 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Iván Balán ◽

Cody L. Lentz

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

High Risk ◽

York City ◽

Transgender Women ◽

Sex With Men

Download Full-text

Correlation between attachment style and mental health with high risk behaviors in adolescences

Quarterly Journal of Psychology Educational and Social Sciences ◽

10.21859/psychol-020112 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 114-121

Author(s):

Mohammad Reza Asadi ◽

Zeinab Saeediaee ◽

Mehdi Mohammadi ◽

Mahdi Kheradmand

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Attachment Style ◽

High Risk Behaviors

Download Full-text

685 Sleep Latency, Pre and Peri-COVID-19 Experiences and PTSD Symptoms: Results from the NYU COVID-19 Mental Health Study

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.683 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A267-A268

Author(s):

April Rogers ◽

Judite Blanc ◽

Azizi Seixas ◽

Joao Nunes ◽

Georges Casimir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Health Study ◽

Sleep Onset Latency ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Effective Response ◽

Mental Health Study

Abstract Introduction An effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the decision to subject individuals residing in New York City to quarantine rules in order to reduce the spread of the virus. As might have been expected, restriction of usual daily activities would affect individuals’ sleep-wake patterns. It is also known that exposure to traumatic experiences can also engender sleep disturbances, most notably in their ability to initiate sleep. This study investigated the associations between sleep onset latency (SOL), pre and peri-COVID-19 exposure and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Yorkers. Methods 541 individuals (female = 373(69%); mean age=40.9) were recruited during the summer and fall of 2020 in New York City to participate in the NYU-COVID-19 Mental Health Study. Participants provided sociodemographic data and were also asked to respond to the COVID-19 quarantine experiences, comprised of seven binary questions, the PTSD Checklist-PCL-5, and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive and linear regression analysis were performed to explore associations of scores on the COVID-19 quarantine experience with PTSD and sleep data. All analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 Results Regression analyses revealed that SOL emerged as the strongest independent predictor of PTSD symptoms [B(t) = −.630(12.7); p < .001]; factors adjusted in the model included pre and peri-covid-19 factors such as age, sex, job type, and quarantine experience. Analyses assessing potential interaction effect revealed that quarantine experience did not affect the relationship between SOL and PTSD [B(t) = .086(.831); p = >.005]. The other sleep factors in the model did not yield significance. sleep duration had a weak correlation with quarantine, it was not found to be a predictor of PTSD. Conclusion We observed that SOL was the most important determinant of PTSD symptoms among individuals exposed to COVID-19. This is consistent with other findings suggesting that a sizable proportion of individuals exposed to pandemics are likely to experience sleep disturbances. It is plausible that quarantine might lead to increased daytime naps, which may impact SOL. Further research is needed to better understand the association of SOL and PTSD as a result of Covid-19. Support (if any) K07AG052685, R01MD007716, R01HL142066, T32HL129953, K01HL135452, R01HL152453

Download Full-text

Disparities in Mental Health Referral and Diagnosis in the New York City Jail Mental Health Service

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2015.302699 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 105 (9) ◽

pp. 1911-1916 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Fatos Kaba ◽

Angela Solimo ◽

Jasmine Graves ◽

Sarah Glowa-Kollisch ◽

Allison Vise ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Mental Health Service ◽

Health Service ◽

York City ◽

Mental Health Referral

Download Full-text

CHILD MENTAL HEALTH IN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—edited by Henry P. David, Ph.D.; Harper & Row, New York City, 1972, 432 pages, $10

Psychiatric Services ◽

10.1176/ps.23.12.384-a ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 23 (12) ◽

pp. 384-a-385

Author(s):

Henry H. Work

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

International Perspective

Download Full-text

An Investigation of the Psychological Effects of the September 11, 2001, Attacks on New York City: Developing and Implementing Research in the Acute Postdisaster Period

CNS Spectrums ◽

10.1017/s1092852900018198 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. 585-596 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Sandro Galea ◽

David Vlahov ◽

Heidi Resnick ◽

Dean Kilpatrick ◽

Michael J. Bucuvalas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

New York State ◽

September 11 ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Financial Strain ◽

York Academy ◽

Time Interval

ABSTRACTThe September 11, 2001, attack on New York City was the largest human-made disaster in United States history. In the first few days after the attack, it became clear that the scope of the attacks (including loss of life, property damage, and financial strain) was unprecedented and that the attacks could result in substantial psychological sequelae in the city population. Researchers at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine designed and implemented an assessment of the mental health of New Yorkers 5—8 weeks after the attacks. To implement this research in the immediate postdisaster period, researchers at the center had to develop, in a compressed time interval, new academic collaborations, links with potential funders, and unique safeguards for study respondents who may have been suffering from acute psychological distress. Results of the assessment contributed to a New York state mental health needs assessment that secured Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for mental health programs in New York City. This experience suggests that mechanisms should be in place for rapid implementation of mental health assessments after disasters.

Download Full-text