2020 College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Scientific Meeting

Virtual Poster Session I
June 22, 12:00 PM–12:55 PM
Factor Analysis of a Scale to Assess Barriers to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Willingness Among a Sample of People Who Inject Drugs
Alex Kral, PhD, and Lynn Wenger
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is an evidence-based intervention that if taken daily, can reduce the likelihood of HIV seroconversion, however, uptake among people who inject drugs (PWID) remains low. Testing and analyzing a new scale assessing barriers to willingness to use PrEP is important for future research surrounding PrEP acceptability and utilization among this population.

Virtual Poster Session II
June 23, 10:00 AM–10:55 AM
Factors Associated with Changes in Food Insecurity Among People Who Inject Drugs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, 2017-2018
Alex Kral, PhD, and Lynn Wenger
Food security has been found to be low among PWID. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with changes in food insecurity score (no change versus worse or better).

Correlates of Mandrax Among Adolescents and Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa
Courtney Bonner, PhD, Felicia Browne, PhD, Tracy Kline, PhD, Jacqueline Ndirangu, and Wendee Wechsberg, PhD
There is a high prevalence of substance use among youth in South Africa. Substance use behaviors are associated with other public health problems among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) such as HIV and unintended pregnancy. Methaqualone (Mandrax) is a substance that is unique to South Africa, however little is known about its association with other health outcomes such as alcohol use, mental health, and sexual behavior. This study seeks to examine the association between Mandrax use, heavy drinking, sexual behavior, and depressive symptoms among AGYW aged 16 to 19 years old who have dropped out of school in Cape Town, South Africa.

Changes in Neurotransmitter Systems Following Synthetic Cathinone Self-Administration
Julie Marusich, PhD, Elaine Gay, PhD, and Bruce Blough, PhD
This research sought to behaviorally differentiate stages of synthetic cathinone abuse using a rodent self-administration model and measure the neurotransmitter profile in multiple brain regions. We hypothesized that stimulant-induced neuroplasticity differed based on mechanism of action, duration of drug exposure, and sex.

Virtual Poster Session III
June 24, 10:00 AM–10:55 AM
Correlates of Mental Health Disorders in People Who Inject Drugs
Alex Kral, PhD, and Lynn Wenger
PWID face elevated risk for a wide range of adverse health outcomes including infectious diseases and premature mortality. Comorbid mental illness is common among PWID; however, there is little scientific evidence available to inform health service providers about the relationship between comorbid mental health disorders and drug use patterns, sexual behaviors, and demographic characteristics among PWID. The aim of the current article is to examine the association between mental health disorders and recent risk behaviors among a large sample of PWID.

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence and Prenatal Alcohol Use Among Women Living with HIV Who Were Pregnant in South Africa
Yukiko Washio, PhD, Felicia Browne, PhD, Jacqueline Ndirangu, Tracy Kline, PhD, and Wendee Wechsberg, PhD
Women of historically underserved racial/ethnic groups are disproportionately represented in the syndemic issues of HIV, intimate partner violence, and substance and alcohol use in South Africa. Prenatal exposure to alcohol itself can cause pregnancy, birth, and neonatal complications, including a range of lifelong disorders including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Association Between Public Injection and Syringe Sharing Frequency in a Cohort of People Who Inject Drugs in San Francisco and Los Angeles
Lynn Wenger, Barrot Lambdin, PhD, and Alex Kral, PhD
PWID in public have a higher risk of homelessness, incarceration, rushed injection, and overdose than people who do not inject drugs in public. There is limited research on the relationship between public injection and syringe sharing, a risk factor for infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal associations between frequency of public injection and syringe sharing among PWID in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.