Time Perspective, Health Behaviors, and Wellbeing in Adults

An important component of health behavior engagement is time perspective. Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with a more expansive temporal perspective tend to engage in more positive and fewer negative health behaviors. Depression, the leading mood disorder, has diverse symptomatology and is associated with reduced positive future thinking. This study seeks to identify whether positive or negative health behaviors differentially effect the association between time perspective and depressive symptomatology. Participants (n = 106; Mage = 35.2, SD = 12.7, range 18-65; 71.7% female; 87.7% white) were drawn from a community sample recruited via digital message boards. The study took place over 8-days using experience sampling methodology to survey demographic variables, time perspective, and depressive symptomatology (i.e., CES-D total score). Daily health behaviors were assessed in the early evening for the past day. Results indicated CES-D total score was significantly, positively associated with positive future time perspective and negatively associated with positive health behavior engagement. An initial mediation was conducted to examine whether positive future time perspective influenced depression via health behaviors. Consistent with the correlation results, the a-path was not significant, thus there was not mediation. A moderation based on these initial correlations was completed to test the interaction between positive future time perspective and positive health behaviors. Results indicated a significant interaction such that, those with low positive future time perspective and low positive health behaviors endorsed the highest CES-D total score. Overall, as time perspective increased, depressive symptomatology decreased. The data suggest that positive health behavior engagement and time perspective are important to consider when developing or implementing treatments for depression. Future directions include fuller characterization of negative health behaviors, as well as investigation in clinically diagnosed populations

Interest in Co-located Reproductive and Sexual Health Services Among Women and Men Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in an Outpatient Treatment Clinic

Introduction Reproductive and sexual health (RSH) are core components of comprehensive care, yet often omitted in addiction treatment. We characterize knowledge of and interest in RSH services and contraceptive method awareness and use in a rural, Appalachian outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods Between September 2016 and April 2018, a convenience sample of 225 patients receiving treatment for opioid use disorder at an outpatient buprenorphine/naloxone clinic was collected. Participants completed a cross-sectional RSH survey that included demographics, interest in RSH service integration, contraceptive use, and contraceptive knowledge. Results A total of 212 people (126 non-pregnant women, 29 pregnant women, and 57 men) completed the survey of whom 45.8% indicated interest in adding RSH services. Services of interest include regular physical exams (44.8%), STI/STD testing (41.0%), and contraception education and administration (38.2%). There were no significant differences between interest in co-located services between women and men (P = 0.327). Current contraceptive use was low (17.9–30.9%) among women and men. Contraceptive method awareness was 43.3% for high efficacy methods and 50.0% for medium efficacy methods. Women and currently pregnant women knew more total, high, and medium efficacy contraceptive method than men (P = 0.029). Discussion Both women and men in this sample are interested in co-located RSH services. Current contraceptive use was low among participants. Contraceptive knowledge was lower among men compared to women, and generally low. Providing co-located RSH services may facilitate RSH education, contraceptive method uptake, and promote engagement across various RSH domains

Assessing Stigma Towards Substance Use in Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which colloquial phrases used to describe opioid-exposed mother-infant dyads affects attitudes towards mothers with opioid use disorder (OUD) to assess the role stigmatizing language may have on the care of mothers with OUD. METHODS: We employed a randomized, cross-sectional, case vignette of an opioid-exposed dyad, varying on two factors: (1) language to describe newborn (“substance-exposed newborn” v. “addicted baby”); and (2) type of maternal opioid use (injection heroin v. non-medical use of prescription opioids). Participants were recruited using an online survey platform. Substance-related stigma, punitive-blaming, and supportive scales were constructed to assess attitudes. Two-way analyses of variance were conducted to determine mean scale differences by vignette. Post-hoc analyses assessed individual item-level differences. RESULTS: Among 1,227 respondents, we found a small statistical difference between language and opioid type factors for the supportive scale only (F=4.31, η(2) = .004, p=0.038), with greater agreement with supportive statements when describing injection heroin use, compared to prescription opioid use, for the “substance-exposed newborn” vignette only. In post-hoc analyses, greater than 85% of respondents agreed the mother was “responsible for her opioid use,” her “addiction was caused by poor choices,” and that she “put her baby in danger.” CONCLUSION: We found no major differences in attitudes regardless of vignette received. Overall, respondents supported opportunities for maternal recovery yet blamed women, describing mothers as culpable for causing harm to their newborn, showcasing internally conflicting views. These views could contribute to ongoing stigma and avoidance of care among pregnant women with OUD