SBIRT education and training for undergraduate nursing students might help mitigate some of their stigma toward working with patients who have mild to moderate alcohol and opioid use problems.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol and/or opioid stigma perceptions are barriers to screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) implementation. AIM: To examine SBIRT education and clinical exposure efficacy at decreasing nursing students’ stigma perceptions toward caring for patients affected by alcohol and/or opioid use problems. METHOD: A single-sample, pretest–posttest design with N = 124 nursing students. The students had a 1.5-hour SBIRT education session and a 12-week clinical experience with some patients who had alcohol and/or opioid use problems. RESULTS: The participants’ stigma perceptions improved toward patients who had alcohol and/or opioid use problems. CONCLUSIONS: SBIRT education and clinical exposure may provide a basis for promoting understanding of alcohol and/or opioid use–related stigma and can be used as an intervention to decrease some of stigma’s negative effects.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal grieving for perinatal loss (PL) and the perception of and attachment to children born subsequent to a recent PL among mothers in Jordan. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used. A convenience sample of 190 mothers of full-term, healthy newborns born subsequent to a recent PL was recruited from seven Maternal and Child Health Care Centers in Jordan. These mothers were assessed using the Perinatal Grief Scale (L.J. Toedter, J.N. Lasker, & J.M. Alhadeff), 1988, the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (J.T. Condon & C.J. Corkindale, 1998), and the Neonatal Perception Inventory II (E. Broussard, 1979). Results showed a significant negative relationship between grief intensity and the attachment level, r = -.37, p = .000, and a significant positive relationship between the attachment level and neonatal perception, r = .28, p = .000. Mothers' grief intensity was significantly affected by their demographic characteristics; however, there was no significant relationship between grief intensity and neonatal perception, r = .23, p = .23. Perinatal grief was negatively related to maternal attachment to the subsequent child. Nurses should address bereaved mothers and their children who might be at risk for developing attachment disturbances to facilitate positive adaptation to the subsequent pregnancy and parenthood.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between substance use and impulsivity and sensation-seeking personality traits among 655 university students using a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design. A significant correlation was found between students' impulsivity level scores and frequency of substance use (r = 0.11, p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between frequency of substance use and sensation-seeking levels (r = 0.2, p < 0.05), as well as impulsivity levels (r = 0.31, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the two predictors model was able to account for 12.4% of variation in substance use. Impulsivity and sensation-seeking personality traits are significant predictors of substance use among university students. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(1), 57-63.].

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic technique that has been demonstrated to increase adherence to various treatment regimens. Nonattendance at outpatient appointments is associated with read-mission to psychiatric hospitals. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of MI in promoting treatment adherence and increasing pediatric attendance rates at patients' first follow-up appointment after inpatient admission. A sample of 111 patients discharged from one of two child and adolescent units at an urban, inpatient psychiatric hospital in Southwestern Pennsylvania participated in the MI discharge process. Compared to hospital population data from 1 month prior to the current study, the MI discharge process demonstrated an increase of approximately 10% in attendance at the scheduled follow-up appointments and a decrease of approximately 4% in cancellations and no-show appointments. It was concluded that particularly for adolescents, MI may be a valuable treatment approach grounded in partnerships with health care providers, patients, and families to enhance outpatient appointment attendance. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(6), 31-35.].

Background Opioid use and opioid use-related problems contribute significantly to increased morbidity rates and premature deaths as well as an increased economic burden. Nurses have key roles in providing care to this patient population; however, they often report low motivation toward working with these patients. Examining personal and professional attitudes associated with nurses’ motivation to work with this population can present a valuable opportunity to enhance their willingness to intervene at an earlier stage when patients do not have a diagnosable opioid use disorder. Methods A descriptive, correlational design was used. Nurses were recruited from four hospital settings in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Data on nurses’ demographic/background characteristics, personal attitudes, professional attitudes, and motivation related to working with patients with opioid use and opioid use-related problems were collected via a paper/pencil survey and analyzed using linear regression. Results A sample of 234 nurses were included in the final analyses. Personal attitudes associated with nurses’ motivation included personal experience with a family member related to alcohol and/or other drugs, and stigma perceptions (familiarity, perceived dangerousness, fear, social distance and personal responsibility beliefs). Professional attitudes associated with nurses’ motivation included working experience with substance use (SU), SU education as continuing education or other educational resources, role security, therapeutic commitment, role responsibility, and self-efficacy. Conclusions This study's findings provide valuable information regarding the bivariate relationships between nurses’ personal attitudes, professional attitudes, and motivation to work with patients with opioid use and opioid use-related problems. The study provides a base for future studies aimed at developing interventions to enhance nurses’ motivation to work with this patient population particularly related to preventing the progression of opioid use to a diagnosable disorder.

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