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We identify the prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms and their relationship to alcohol and substance use disorders (AUD/SUD) among Latino immigrants in two countries. A screening battery assessing PTSD symptoms (PCL-C), alcohol use (AUDIT), drug abuse (DAST), and psychological measures was administered to 562 Latino immigrants recruited in clinics. We used logistical regression analyses to evaluate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and AUD/SUD. Prevalence of elevated PTSD symptoms was high (53.7 % in Boston, 47.9 % in Madrid and, 43.8 % in Barcelona). Screening positive for psychological measures was significantly correlated to screening positive on the PCL-C (p < 0.001). Significant gender differences in risk of AUD/SUD were moderated by PTSD symptoms. Presence of any PTSD symptoms predicted problems with benzodiazepine misuse. Given the high rates of co-morbidity between PTSD symptoms and AUD/SUD, we recommend early interventions for dual pathology for Latino immigrants with trauma history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early detection and intervention in primary care is integral to behavioral health. Valid, practical screening assessments are scarce, particularly for non-English speaking populations. We address this need by evaluating the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the AC-OK Screen for Co-occurring Disorders for first and second generation immigrant Latinos in Massachusetts, USA, and Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.Methods: 567 Latino participants were recruited in waiting areas of clinics or by referral from Primary Care, Mental Health, Substance Use, and HIV Treatment Clinics, as well as Community Agencies. We use confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the factor structure, correlation analysis to examine concurrent and discriminant validity, and receiver operating curves (ROC) to determine the ability of the AC-OK to approximate a composite of established instruments designed to measure depression, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, alcohol, and drugs (including benzodiazepines) as external criteria.Results: The original two factor structure was replicated in samples of Latino respondents in the US and Spain. Correlations with other measures followed the expected pattern. In both the US and Spain, ROC analyses suggested that the AC-OK scale was an adequate approximation to other specific measures of mental health (ROC=0.90) and substance abuse problems (ROC=0.83).Conclusions: The Spanish version of the AC-OK Screen has good to excellent psychometric properties in both its subscales. These findings are robust across sites, gender, and type of clinic. We recommend its use for clinical research and for routine screening at treatment centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinos are underrepresented in clinical trials, where they encounter challenges in participation and a lack of effective recruitment and retention strategies. For Latino migrants with mental health and substance use problems, these challenges are even greater. Analyzing results from a multicenter randomized clinical trial for Latino migrants with mental health and substance use problems in Boston, Massachusetts, USA as well as Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, we describe six retention strategies used to facilitate participant engagement in follow-up assessments, and report the sociodemographic, clinical, and educational factors associated with research assessment completion. Among 341 randomized participants, 77% completed the 12-month follow-up and 75% completed at least 3 of the 4 follow-up assessments. Having a high school diploma, being recruited at community centers versus other sites, and having a less severe mental health condition were significantly associated with completing more follow-up interviews. Rigorous and customized methods reflecting participant's individual context can bolster research assessment completion for diverse Latino populations with behavioral health concerns.