Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for substance misuse services: findings from a peer-led study

Holloway, Katy; Murray, Shannon; Buhociu, Marian; Arthur, Alisha; Molinaro, Rondine; Chicken, Sian; Thomas, E. J. C.; Courtney, Sam; Spencer, Alan R. T.; Wood, Rachel; Rees, Ryan; Walder, Stephen; Stait, Jessica

doi:10.1186/s12954-022-00713-6

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 51 publications

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“…By October 2020, 10% of drinkers had reduced their alcohol consumption due to the introduction of MUP in Wales (Alcohol Change UK, 2020). There are no up-to-date figures showing the same direction of travel since the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an increase in alcohol and illicit drug consumption (Holloway et al, 2022). Most drinkers reported little change in either the type or brand of alcohol that they consumed.…”

Section: Economic Evidence For Interventions Supporting Well-being To...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wellness in work - supporting people in work and assisting people to return to the workforce: An economic evidence review

Edwards,

Spencer,

Anthony

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Rapid review methodology was used to identify updated economic evidence on programmes or interventions designed to enable employees to remain in and return to the workforce. In Wales, there are currently 1.48 million people in employment and 58,300 people who are unemployed. This equates to an unemployment rate of 3.8% in Wales.The evidence in this report builds on a previousWellness in Workreport (Edwards et al., 2019). This review has a broad focus to understand the economic impact of well-being within the workplace. The main section of the report is on the economic benefits of keeping the workforce well. Seventy-six papers were included from databases searched for literature published between 2017 and 2023.Economics studies were found relating to common mental health conditions; severe mental health conditions; influenza vaccination; illicit drug use; smoking and vaping; healthy eating and physical activity. A range of economic evidence of low, medium, and high quality relating to interventions targeting well-being in the workforce was identified. This included high quality evidence that interventions in the workforce for employees at risk of common mental health disorders can be cost saving for businesses and the health and social care sector. There is also high quality evidence on the cost-effectiveness of interventions focusing on healthy eating and physical activity in the workplace. Some evidence gaps were also identified.Policy and practice implications:There is a need to consider the evidence presented in this rapid review on cost-effective interventions to improve the wellness of the workforce in Wales. Updated policies and procedures to improve equal employment opportunities, regardless of age, gender, or disability status are needed.Economic considerations:Amongst the G7 nations, the United Kingdom (UK) is performing relatively poorly in relation to returning to pre-pandemic employment rates. This is in part caused by the long elective (planned) surgery waiting lists present in the National Health Service (NHS) right across the UK, highlighting the circular relationship between health and the economy.Funding statement:The Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation, the Bangor Institute for Medical and Health Research, and the Swansea Centre for Health Economics were funded for this work by the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, itself funded by Health and Care Research Wales on behalf of Welsh Government.

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Section: Economic Evidence For Interventions Supporting Well-being To...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wellness in work - supporting people in work and assisting people to return to the workforce: An economic evidence review

Edwards,

Spencer,

Anthony

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“It’s because they are my kids and I love them”: The impact of family and community substance use on children and families

Ford,

Truong,

Knox

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BackgroundSubstance use disorders (SUD) significantly impact the physical, social, and mental health of individuals, their families, and the wider community. Parental substance use can lead to long-term social and health problems for children. Examining resilience and its determinants among families directly affected by SUD (e.g., having a parent who misuses substances) or indirectly exposed to substance use (e.g., living in a community impacted by drug use) may uncover valuable insights to support families addressing SUD. The existing literature does not adequately address substance use within the context of families with young children and community resilience. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the daily impact of family member substance use (direct substance use) or exposure to substance use within the community (indirect substance use) on children and families through qualitative interviews.MethodsThe present study was a qualitative secondary analysis. Families were recruited within the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington area during 2022 and 2023 with a focus on maximum variation. Families were eligible to participate if they: 1) included at least one adult caring for a child under 18; 2) had a history of adversity; 3) were interested in participating; and 4) could consent to all parts of the study. Arts-based qualitative methods and community based participatory methods were employed. Participating families created a visual timeline, participated in a focus group discussion, and an individual interview. The qualitative transcripts were then analyzed following reflexive thematic analysis.FindingsSix families (12 adults, 4 children) were included in the secondary analysis. The analysis generated four themes: (1) How children affect resilience in families affected by SUD; (2) Service needs of parents with SUD to enhance family resilience; (3) The role of social support in family resilience; and (4) How perceptions of safety and trust challenge community resilience. The main limitation of this study was a small sample size.ConclusionsThe study highlights the significant impact of family and community on the resilience of individuals affected by SUD. It emphasizes the importance of developing addictions services and social environments that are supportive of families with young children. These spaces should be designed to be substance-free, inclusive, and welcoming to children. Additionally, there is a need to improve service navigation and address the barriers to care commonly experienced by individuals affected by SUD.

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Systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the burden of non-fatal and fatal overdose among people who inject drugs living in the U.S. and comparator countries: 2010 – 2023

Shealey,

Hall,

Pigott

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BackgroundPeople who inject drugs (PWID) have high risk for overdose, but there are no current estimates of overdose rates in this population. We estimated the rates of non-fatal and fatal overdose among PWID living in the U.S. and comparator countries (Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia), and ratios of non-fatal to fatal overdose, using literature published 01/01/2010 – 09/29/2023.MethodsPubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, and ProQuest databases were systematically searched to identify publications reporting prevalence or rates of recent (past 12 months) non- fatal and fatal overdose among PWID. Non-fatal and fatal overdose rates were meta-analyzed using random effects models. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted quality assessment tool, and heterogeneity was explored using sensitivity analyses.ResultsOur review included 143 records, with 58 contributing unique data to the meta- analysis. Non-fatal and fatal overdose rates among PWID in the U.S. were 32.9 per 100 person- years (PY) (95% CI: 26.4 – 40.9; n=28) and 1.7 per 100 PY (95% CI: 0.9 – 3.2; n=4), respectively. Limiting the analysis to data collected after 2016 yielded a non-fatal rate of 41.0 per 100 PY (95% CI: 32.1 – 52.5; n=16) and a fatal rate of 2.5 per 100 PY (95% CI: 1.4 – 4.3; n=2) in the U.S. An estimated 5% of overdoses among PWID in the U.S. result in death. Among the analyzed countries, Australia had the lowest non-fatal and fatal overdose rates and the largest ratio of non-fatal to fatal overdose.ConclusionFindings demonstrate substantial burden of non-fatal and fatal overdose among PWID in the U.S. and comparator countries. Scale-up of interventions that prevent overdose mortality and investments in PWID health research are urgently needed.

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Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for substance misuse services: findings from a peer-led study

Cited by 5 publications

References 51 publications

Wellness in work - supporting people in work and assisting people to return to the workforce: An economic evidence review

Wellness in work - supporting people in work and assisting people to return to the workforce: An economic evidence review

“It’s because they are my kids and I love them”: The impact of family and community substance use on children and families

Systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the burden of non-fatal and fatal overdose among people who inject drugs living in the U.S. and comparator countries: 2010 – 2023

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