L’usage du cannabis à l’adolescence affecte davantage le cerveau des filles que celui des garçons
Une étude menée auprès de plus de 3800 élèves du secondaire du grand Montréal révèle que l’usage du cannabis altère davantage la mémoire de travail chez les filles que chez les garçons.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Youth Opioid Crisis in North America
An article commentary by Dr Ranmalie Jayasinha, Stephanie Nairn and Dr Patricia Conrod highlights the parallel COVID-19 and opioid pandemics in Canada and the urgent need for preventative mental health interventions to support youth at risk for opioid misuse and overdose during this time.
Opinion: Stop shaming and blaming youth for COVID-19 | Montreal Gazette
Congrats to Stephanie Nairn for publishing her letter to the editor of the Montreal Gazette on Blaming and shaming young people for CoVID-19 spread. Stephanie is the lead researcher and coordinator on our Emerging Health Threat Study
Personality traits that put teens at risk for substance use and a program that helps with Dr. Patricia Conrod
Dr. Patricia Conrod was a recent guest on the Hopestream Podcast. Listen to this fascinating conversation in which Dr. Conrod discusses the PreVenture Program, it's origins and more.
Association between cognitive biases and psychotic-like experiences: a systematic review and a meta-analysis
A new study has identified several major cognitive biases that are associated with psychotic-like experiences. Dr Patricia Conrod and her colleagues hope that this study helps the development of prevention and intervention strategies targeting these cognitive biases in youths with psychotic-like experiences.
Dépendance et troubles psychiatriques partagent des anomalies structurelles
On retrouve dans le cerveau de gens souffrant d’une dépendance des anomalies structurelles qui sont semblables, et parfois même supérieures, à celles vues dans le cerveau de gens atteints de certains troubles psychiatriques, révèle une étude réalisée par des chercheurs du CHU Sainte-Justine.
Become a Certified PreVenture Facilitator - September 23 to 25, 2020 - Registration Now Open
Become a PreVenture Facilitator and bring this evidence-based prevention program to the youth in your community. Over 3-days learn how to guide youth through workshops that will equip them with adaptive coping skills to help them make better choices for themselves. Registration now open.
Two Data Sets Are Better Than One
The use of large data sets in addiction research is welcome, because statistical power is increased. When applied to large data sets, machine learning can help with interpreting variable importance and with quantifying reproducibility. However, application of machine learning in the real world requires consideration of several factors, such as economic cost .
Big News!
COVID-19 has ushered in a new era in online delivery of educational and health services. In keeping with this, we have adapted the PreVenture Program for online delivery. The useful coping-skills youth learn during the program have become even more valuable in these unprecedented times. For more information click to download brochure
Cognitive Function Impairments Linked to Alcohol and Cannabis Use During Adolescence: A Study of Gender Differences
Are females really more sensitive to the effects of drugs on the brain? A new study examines gender differences in how adolescent alcohol and cannabis use affect neuropsychological development. This study followed 4000 adolescents who were assessed annually for 5 years on neuropsychological development and substance use.
Harnessing the Power of the Media to Help Prevent Substance Use and Reduce Addiction Stigma
Conrod Venture Lab's very own Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Stephanie Nairn attended the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna this past March. Stephanie spoke on youth perceptions of opioids in contemporary media, presenting preliminary results from Venture Lab's Emerging Health Threat (EHT) research project.
Our First Ever Online Lab Meeting!
Adaptability is a big part of our success at Conrod Venture Lab. We are rolling with all the new measures Covid-19 has put into play. We have quickly adapted to using video conferencing as a means of communicating and collaborating. Stay safe everyone!
Participez à notre projet de recherche NurtriVenture / Participate in our NutriVenture Research Project
On vous invite à participer à un projet de recherche pour développer une intervention auprès d’adolescents avec des traits de personnalité en lien avec le perfectionnisme, la compulsivité et la conscienciosité. Nous souhaitons solliciter votre participation pour la passation de quelques questions en ligne. Votre participation nous permettra de valider un court questionnaire évaluant ces traits de personnalités.
Participez à notre projet de recherche UniVenture
Étudiants de premier cycle universitaire de l’UdeM dont l’âge est compris entre 18 et 24 ans. Nous souhaitons solliciter votre participation. Nous aimerions en savoir plus sur vos habitudes de consommation d'alcool et d'autres substances ainsi que certains aspects de votre personnalité. Compléter notre questionnaire et vous aurez la chance de gagner l'un des 12 bons de 100 $ à la librairie UdeM utilisés lors d'un tirage.
PreVenture added to New York State's OASAS Registry
We recently received word that New York State's Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has added the PreVenture Program to the State Registry for Evidence-Based Prevention Programs. We are honoured to be recognized in this manner.
Avez vous entre 15 et 25 ans?
Nous souhaitons bienvenue aux jeunes entre 15 et 25 ans et qui ont de l'expérience avec des opioïdes à un sommet où vous avez la chance de partager vos expériences et à explorer l'état actuel des interventions et des traitements destinés aux jeunes à risque de dépendance aux opioïdes! Pour encore plus d'information, contactez Stephanie A. Nairn à 514-265-6360 ou Marion Audet à 514-881-5551.
Emerging Health Threat (EHT) Youth Engagement - Youth Summit 2020
During the summit, you will participate in breakout group discussions and attend presentations by your peers and experts on evidence about interventions and treatments. You will also be invited to participate in audio-graphic/visualization activities about your perceptions and ideas on making interventions for new users to be more responsive and adequate for youth-needs.
30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
This year is extra special, marking the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A time to celebrate and a time to demand action for child rights. What will you do?
Instagram starting to cut most addictive feature, and it could have consequences for teens' mental health
Instagram announced it was "running a test" on some users, a couple months after rumors first emerged that the photo-sharing platform was testing such a feature. Hiding the number of likes is designed to put "focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get"
Preventing Substance Use Among Indigenous Adolescents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: a Systematic Review of the Literature
This systematic review assessed the current evidence base of substance use prevention programs for Indigenous adolescents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Australian Study Shows Effectiveness of PreVenture Program in Reducing Mental Health Symptoms
This study examined the secondary mental health outcomes of two contrasting alcohol prevention approaches, whereby one intervention targets common underlying personality risk for alcohol use and mental health problems (Preventure) and the other targets alcohol- and drug-related behaviours and cognitions (Climate Schools).
PreVenture Program Featured at International Meeting on Suicide Prevention
Preventure Program featured at international meeting on suicide prevention hosted by U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on International Suicide Prevention Day.
Youth Vaping Is Now An ‘Epidemic'
U.S. Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams issued an advisory today stressing the importance of protecting children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use.
A Review of Personality-Targeted Interventions for Prevention of Substance Misuse and Related Harm in Community Samples of Adolescents
Several school-based prevention programmes have been developed and used to prevent, delay, or reduce substance misuse, and related problems among community samples of adolescents.
ProVenture awarded $726,000 CIHR Grant
The Canadian Institute of Health Research has awarded the ProVenture project led by Dr Stéphane Potvin and Dr Patricia Conrod funding for five years. This longitudinal neuroimaging study aims to investigate the effects of cannabis on the development of psychosis in youth.
Marijuana can increase a teenager's risk of psychosis
Going from an occasional user of marijuana to a weekly or daily user increases an adolescent’s risk of having recurrent psychotic-like experiences by 159%, according to a new Canadian study published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study also reports effects of marijuana use on cognitive development and shows that the link between marijuana use and psychotic-like experiences is best explained by emerging symptoms of depression.
Smoking strong pot daily raises psychosis risk
Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates.
Donation of 2M $ offered by RBC Royal Bank
Thanks to an exemplary two million dollar donation by the RBC Royal Bank, CHU Sainte-Justine can now lay the foundation for its mental illness detection program in schools. Based on a model that has gotten good results in a number of countries, this innovative program will be rolled out in 30 high schools in Greater Montréal.
The stepped wedge cluster randomised trial: rationale, design, analysis, and reporting
The stepped wedge cluster randomised trial is a novel research study design that is increasingly being used in the evaluation of service delivery type interventions. The design involves random and sequential crossover of clusters from control to intervention until all clusters are exposed.
Effects of delaying binge drinking on adolescent brain development: a longitudinal neuroimaging study
Onset of alcohol use by 14 relative to 21 years of age strongly predicts elevated risk for severe alcohol use problems, with 27% versus 4% of individuals exhibiting alcohol dependence within 10 years of onset.
The influence of affective and cognitive attitudes on adolescents’ intention to engage in binge drinking
Previous work has revealed that interventions aiming to reduce adolescent binge drinking commonly focus on cognitive attitudes, but are insufficiently effective in changing binge-drinking intentions. The focus on these cognitive attitudes might be the reason for this insufficient success.
Vocational Community College Students’ Conversations about Binge Drinking
The large amount of vocational community college students that continue showing binge-drinking behavior might be an indication that interventions targeting this behavior have not been hugely successful. It might be that these interventions targeted beliefs that are less or not related with vocational community college binge-drinking behavior.
Emerging Health Threat study will host a cross-Canada Youth Summit
In the months to come, the Emerging Health Threat study will host a cross-Canada Youth Summit to present the current state of interventions and treatments for youth at-risk of opioid addiction.
The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioid
The opioid misuse and overdose crisis touches everyone in the United States. In 2016, we lost more than 115 Americans to opioid overdose deaths each day, devastating families and communities across the country. Preliminary numbers in 2017 show that this number continues to increase with more than 131 opioid overdose deaths each day.
ADORe 1 million € NEURON Grant
Project aim. We will i) describe neural and cognitive functions implicated in adolescent onset depressive symptoms, and their involvement in transition to major depression and in treatment response, allowing to ii) provide novel cognitive and/or neural intervention components for at-risk adolescents, using a targeted and neurodevelopmentally-informed framework.
Cannabis use and psychotic‐like experiences trajectories during early adolescence: the coevolution and potential mediators
The authors sought to model the different trajectories of psychotic‐like experiences (PLE) during adolescence and to examine whether the longitudinal relationship between cannabis use and PLE is mediated by changes in cognitive development and/or change in anxiety or depression symptoms.
Adolescent depression and reduced cognitive performance
Recent studies have shown that major depression is associated with a series of neuropsychological deficits, such as attention, memory, decision-making and behavioural inhibition deficits in adults and seniors.
