Category: Research Update

Our Commitment to Ongoing Research

The SASSI Institute is dedicated to enhancing the utility of our screening tools through ongoing research and development. Our efforts focus on improving our screening instruments, understanding substance use trends, and addressing co-occurring disorders.

Key Research Areas:

Instrument Validation and Updates: The Institute has conducted recent validation studies to ensure the effectiveness of the SASSI in detecting substance use disorders among adults and adolescents. This includes research on identifying individuals who may underreport or deny substance use.

Co-Occurring Disorders: Mental Health Correlations | Research has explored the relationship between the adolescent SASSI-A3 scores and mental health diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety, in adolescents. This work aims to provide clinicians with tools to better address co-occurring disorders.

Substance Use Trends: Emerging Drug Threats | The Institute has published commentaries on the public health dangers of substances like Bromazolam and Xylazine, examining their prevalence in the illicit drug supply and associated risks.

Criminal Justice Applications: Offender Screening | Studies have examined the use of SASSI instruments to identify substance use disorders among offenders, highlighting the importance of early detection in reducing recidivism.The SASSI Institute collaborates with practitioners and researchers to gather data and refine their assessment tools, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of professionals in the field. For more detailed research information and publications, please visit www.sassi.com. We encourage you to reach out to us with questions or inquiries into research collaborations (we are especially interested in special populations) at research@sassi.com.

Another Public Health Threat: The Extensive Use of Bromazolam

We recently published a commentary in Public Health Open Journal regarding Bromazolam (fake Xanax) use. It is increasingly being found in the illicit drug supply, mixed with other drugs like fentanyl and heroin, among others. Within the commentary, we examine the current state of the science as it pertains to the public health dangers of Bromazolam and its various illicit distribution networks, not only in North America but across the world. We also examine possible directions the substance use disorder (SUD) field may undertake to address the proliferation and abuse of this substance along with overdose prevention efforts that include the public health dangers of Bromazolam use. 

We invite you to download this free commentary to read and share with your friends, family, and colleagues. 

Yet Another Public Health Threat: A Commentary and Examination of the Extensive Use of Bromazolam  

Xylazine: The Real Deal

Xylazine is a significant drug used by veterinarians specializing in the care of large animals such as horses, cattle, and deer as it provides needed pain relief. Despite this usefulness, as often happens with legal drug supplies, illicit uses become commonplace and result in unintended consequences—in this case, devastating ones. In our new peer reviewed article we examine the current state of the science as pertains to xylazine and the various uses of the illicit supply line, as well as exploring possible answers to directions the substance use disorder field may have at their disposal to address this ever-mounting set of calamitous circumstances. In addition, we provide possible directions on what next steps may be appropriate to address these multiple dangers.

We invite you to read and share the paper with your colleagues.

The Real Deal: A Commentary and Examination of Xylazine Use and Unintended Consequences

Hygiene and the Mental Health Conversation

Every quarter the Indiana Criminal Justice Association (ICJA) sends out its magazine publication “The Comment.” I am pleased to be a member of this association and our CEO, Dr. Nelson J. Tiburcio, is the southern region director for them.

While reading the March 2023 edition I came across an article that I was granted permission to share with SASSI blog subscribers. The article is titled: “Hygiene Indifference: The Symptom We Don’t Talk About” written by Ivory Smith, B.A., B.S. It discusses the connection between hygiene and mental health and contains tips for practicing hygiene during a mental health episode.

I hope you will find the content as valuable as I did and will share it with your colleagues and anyone who may find the tips helpful. You can download a copy of the article by clicking here.

The Interrelationship of Bullying, Shaming & SUD among LGBTQ Adolescents

As we approach the end of PRIDE month, we are pleased to share a short article we recently published that discusses substance misuse and explores the genesis and exacerbation of drug use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) teens. In the article, we look at the possible connection between bullying and other oppressive behavior (such as shaming) and acknowledged substance use and suicide. We hope you will take the time to read and share it. “Bullying and Oppressive Behaviors Towards LGBTQ Adolescents: Substance Use Disorders in the Making?”

We hope you will take the time to read and share it. “Bullying and Oppressive Behaviors Towards LGBTQ Adolescents: Substance Use Disorders in the Making?”

How the SASSI can be a Useful Tool in the LGBTQIA+ Community

Overall, the SASSI can be a valuable tool for helping members of the LGBTQIA+ community by identifying and addressing substance use disorders. It can provide a standardized and sensitive way to screen for these issues and can help to ensure that individuals receive appropriate care and support based on their unique needs and experiences.

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SASSI’s Latest Publication Focuses on Long Term Recovery

On January 19th of this year our latest manuscript was published in Social Behavior Research and Practice.  Examining Sustained Recovery from Substance Use Disorder — A Delicate Process discusses the various aspects and definitional terms involved in achieving sustained abstinence (Long-term recovery).  This article was submitted as the first in a series of manuscripts examining the recovery process; both from the perspective of the recovering individual, but also including persons within that individual’s personal and professional circles. Our goal is to achieve a holistic understanding of recovery as experienced and understood by recovering individuals, but in addition, to achieve a better understanding of what that recovery experience looks like from the perspective of those with direct access to the individual’s recovery sphere. We are actively seeking collaborations with substance use programs, outpatient clinics, halfway houses, and other venues where individuals undergoing their personal recovery experience may be residing or whose service they may be utilizing. We firmly believe in the adage that there can be “Nothing about us without us,” (Jürgens R., 2008). Please help us accomplish what promises to be an exciting and fruitful undertaking as we seek to quell the ongoing ravages of addiction in its many forms.

Jürgens R. (2008) “Nothing about us without us” – Greater, meaningful involvement of people who use illegal drugs: A public health, ethical, and human rights imperative.

Research Update: New Publication in Women’s Health

The SASSI Institute recently published an article in Women’s Health on early intervention and resources for expectant mothers with substance use problems and service shortages in the present age. Within it, we discuss the need for more research and collaboration in regards to substance use disorder  and criminal Justice, especially to assist women avoid the stigmatization and ostracizing they may experience; many simply by virtue of having experienced the disease of addiction. When combined with the criminalization of drug use, society inevitably finds itself entrapping these women in a revolving door fed by the “drug-crime” connection, but now also including newborns. Babies should NOT be born in prison, especially sick babies; however, when they are, quality prenatal care, early intervention, and community support upon release from prison are imperative to help those babies and their mothers have positive long-term outcomes. Please consider this a call to action, we welcome your interest in collaborative efforts.

Recent Article Investigating Denial Among Mandated Adolescents

The SASSI Institute is proud to announce our newest manuscript addressing adolescent substance
abuse. The title of this article is Mandated Treatment for Troubled Adolescents and Substance Use Disorder: Identifying and Breaking Through Defensiveness and Denial. It provides an investigation of the defensiveness demonstrated by teens who are mandated to participate in treatment as compared to their non-mandated peers. Part of the data set we collected for The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Institute’s third iteration of the Adolescent SASSI-A3, the present study focused on data from 164 mandated teens that participated in the principal study. As in the principal study, these cases were drawn from substance use treatment, criminal justice programs, community corrections, and private clinical practices, among other venues, and all cases were provided by clinicians working within these service settings throughout all U.S. Census Regions.

In addition, we review cases demonstrating high-levels of defensiveness and denial in these mandated teen clients, and ethical ways to break through that barrier towards effective treatment engagement. Finally, we present two brief de-identified treatment case studies, aptly demonstrating defensiveness and denial from a clinical standpoint. We at The SASSI Institute are very proud of this work, and I want to personally thank my co-authors for making this work possible. The article is available free of charge as it was submitted as an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows readers to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, as long as the original authors are properly cited. You can read this article, as well as other articles related to the SASSI, on our References page.

This article also apears in the Indiana Criminal Justice Association’s, The Comment, Spring Edition.

Recent Article Investigating Denial Among Adolescents

The SASSI Institute is proud to announce our newest manuscript addressing adolescent substance abuse. The title of this article is Mandated Treatment for Troubled Adolescents and Substance Use Disorder: Identifying and Breaking Through Defensiveness and Denial. It provides an investigation of the defensiveness demonstrated by teens who are mandated to participate in treatment as compared to their non-mandated peers. Part of the data set we collected for The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Institute’s third iteration of the Adolescent SASSI-A3, the present study focused on data from 164 mandated teens that participated in the principal study. As in the principal study, these cases were drawn from substance use treatment, criminal justice programs, community corrections, and private clinical practices, among other venues, and all cases were provided by clinicians working within these service settings throughout all U.S. Census Regions. In addition, we review cases demonstrating high-levels of defensiveness and denial in these mandated teen clients, and ethical ways to break through that barrier towards effective treatment engagement. Finally, we present two brief de-identified treatment case studies, aptly demonstrating defensiveness and denial from a clinical standpoint. We at The SASSI Institute are very proud of this work, and I want to personally thank my co-authors for making this work possible. The article is available free of charge as it was submitted as an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows readers to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, as long as the original authors are properly cited.