Monitor on Psychology - January 2012 - (Page 44)

Binge drinking and heavy alcohol use remain problems in the military, said Dr. robert Bray, of rtI International. “Crime and drug use go hand in hand,” said Dr. Kevin Knight, who studies drug treatment programs for prison inmates. age group except people older than 46. The military needs more research funding to better understand the risk and protective factors for substance abuse among the troops and to test promising interventions, Bray said. Prison inmates are another vulnerable group, Kevin Knight, PhD, of Texas Christian University, told attendees. Knight studies drug treatment programs for prison inmates. About one in 100 U.S. adults is behind bars, he said, and “crime and drug use go hand in hand.” About 70 percent of state prison inmates and 64 percent of federal prisoners are regular drug users when they come into prison; 95 percent relapse to drug use within three years of their release, and many end up re-arrested — in an ever-increasing loop of costs to society. But research shows that effective drug treatment programs in the correctional system that are tailored to treating offenders — such as therapeutic communities and cognitive behavioral therapy — can help break that cycle, Knight said. The key is to convince legislators to fund those treatments, rather than simply putting money toward building more prisons. To do that, psychologists and other researchers will have to convince legislators that substance abuse interventions in prisons and elsewhere are not only effective, but costeffective, according to Rosalie Pacula, PhD. “Research into cost-effectiveness should drive policymakers,” said Pacula, a senior economist at the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. Pacula presented a “microsimulation” model that she and her RAND colleagues have been working on, which aims to more accurately estimate both the costs of drug use to society and the potential benefits of different interventions. The model considers the fact that drug and alcohol abuse are “dynamic” problems — a person who is arrested, for example, might have trouble finding a job later, which could affect his likelihood of relapse. Using the model, Pacula and her colleagues found that devising an intervention that could convince kids who were likely to use marijuana to delay that use until age 14 (instead of age 12) could be more cost-effective than working to increase the effectiveness of a marijuana treatment program from 30 percent to 50 percent. Such research would allow researchers to tell policymakers, “this is the right thing to be doing with your limited dollars,” Pacula said. Protecting peer review All too often, legislators criticize studies they see as frivolous — even when they have passed the rigorous scientific peerreview process, said Karen Studwell, JD, senior legislative and federal affairs officer in APA’s Science Directorate. Looking to get headlines about saving taxpayers’ money, M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y • J a n u a ry 2 0 1 2 APA President Dr. Melba J.t. vazquez presents a citation to Dr. Jack Henningfield, vice president of research and health policy at Pinney Associates and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. 44

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - January 2012

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
Contents
From the CEO
Apa’s Statement on the Dsm-5 Development Process
Girl Scouts Badge Promotes Positive Psychology
Early Investments Pay Off for Poor Children, Study Finds
Apa Meets With Chinese Psychological Society to Further Interaction and Exchange
Unique Opportunity for Psychologists to Travel to Cuba
In Brief
Government Relations Update
On Your Behalf
Psychology’s Growing Library of Podcasts
Standing Up for Psychology
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Science Watch
Beyond Psychotherapy
Perspective on Practice
Yes, Recovery Is Possible
Inequity to Equity
Making E-Learning Work
New Standards for High School Psychology
A Trailblazer Moves On
Psychologist Profile
Plan Now for Psychology’s Regional Meetings
New Journal Editors
Apa News
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012