“Smoking pot helps me focus”: A qualitative analysis of Internet forum discussions of ADHD and cannabis use

s / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 156 (2015) e102–e182 e153 Online feasibility study about HIV-negative male couples substance use with weekly ecological momentary diary assessments Jason W. Mitchell 1, Francesca Davis1, Yue Pan2, Daniel J. Feaster1 1 Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States 2 University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States Aims: To date, little is known about male couples’ use of substances despite the role that substance use plays in HIV seroconversion among gay men. The aims of the present study were twofold: (1) to assess whether panel dyadic data could be collected from HIV-negative male couples about their substance use using online weekly ecological momentary diary assessments; (2) to examine couples’ rates of substance use and contexts of their usage. Methods: A longitudinal study design using ecological momentary weekly electronic diaries was used to examine male couples substance use with/out sex, and the contexts of their usage over a 6-week period. Targeted facebook ads were used to recruit the sample along with a partner referral system to invite eligible participants’ main partners. 531 men took the screener; of these, 97 were eligible, consented and enrolled in the study. Results:Although97partneredmenenrolled, only 13male couples with both partners and 15 male couples with one partner participated in the study. Over the 6-week period, men’s engagement inUASwith theirmain partner, alcohol consumption, and use of erectile dysfunction medication, prescription pain medication (PPM), and/or illicit drug(s) varied. Men frequently usedmarijuana and/or alcohol in a variety of contexts including sex. Among the 13 male couples, both partner’s use of illicit drugs includingmarijuana (ICC 0.97, P 5 posts for analysis. Results: Qualitative analysis of individual posts indicated that Internet discussionparticipants emphasized the therapeutic effects of cannabis for ADHD – fewer endorsed either a null or harmful impact. Exploratory analysis also indicated that participants perceived fewer concerns about cannabis due to it being “natural,” that cannabis is perceived to improve impairment in ADHD (e.g., driving), distrust of the medical community regarding stimulant medication efficacy, and a preference for particular cannabis strains. Conclusions: Cannabis use in the US is changing and there is a need for further research of how cannabis impacts at-risk groups, such as those with ADHD. This qualitative study provides new insight into currentlyheldperceptions about cannabisuse inADHD. We propose a number of novel hypotheses guided by qualitative analysis ofweb-forumcontent,which canguide future quantitative e154 Abstracts / Drug and Alcohol Dependence 156 (2015) e102–e182 studies. This study also illustrates the potential use of web-based data to study substance use. Financial support: NIDA (K23 DA032577). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.418 Sex differences in intrinsic connectivity during FMRI stroop in cocaine-dependent and healthy comparison subjects Marci R. Mitchell 1, Elise E. DeVito1, I. Balodis1, Cheryl Lacadie2, Dustin Scheinost3, R. Todd Constable2, Robert Malison1, Kathleen M. Carroll 1, Marc N. Potenza1 1 Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States 2 Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States 3 Biomedical Engineering, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States Aims: Previouslywe found cocaine-dependent (CD) versus control subjects (HC) showed greater mean-adjusted connectivity in the ventral striatum, putamen, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, thalamusandsubstantianigra.However, theextent towhich womenandmen showeddifferences in functional connectivitywas not previously examined. This study investigated sex differences in intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD) in CD subjects during fMRI Stroop performance. Methods: 38 current CD (19 female) and 38 matched HC subjects (19 female) completed an fMRI Stroop task. Mean-adjusted ICD analyses were conducted to identify sex differences. Results: Both increases and decreases in connectivity were observed in all four comparisons (Females CD–HC; Males CD–HC; CD Males–Females; HC Males–Females), and an interaction between gender and diagnostic group implicated connectivity differences in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), ventral striatum, precuneus/cuneus, cingulate gyrus, and occipital lobe. Out-of-scanner behavioral Stroop data did not reveal differences between males and females between diagnostic groups, but did show sex differences within the CD group but not the HC group. Conclusions: Differences in intrinsic connectivity involved the OFC, cingulate, and striatum, areas implicated in cocaine dependence and cognitive processes including decision-making and inhibitory control. Differences in regions associated with language and visual processing were also observed. The extent to which these patterns of connectivity relate to clinically relevant measures of cocainedependencewarrants additional investigation. Financial Support: ORWH, OD, NIDA (K12-DA031050, R01DA020908, R01-DA035058, P50-DA09241, R01-DA019039, P20DA027844). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.07.419 Counselors’ views of providing patient-centered methadone treatment in a clinical trial Shannon G. Mitchell 1, Laura Monico1, Elizabeth Lertch1, Jan Gryczynski1, Sharon M. Kelly1, K.E. O’Grady2, Jerome H. Jaffe1, Robert P. Schwartz1 1 Friends Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States 2 University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United