Health-related quality of life and recovery capital among recovery residents taking medication for opioid use disorder in Texas.

Background: Recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD) includes improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and is supported by recovery capital (RC). Little is known about RC and HRQOL among recovery residents taking medication for OUD. We described HRQOL and RC and identified predictors of HRQOL. Methods: Project HOMES is an ongoing longitudinal study implemented in 14 recovery homes in Texas. This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from 358 participants' on HRQOL (five EQ-5D-5L dimensions-mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) and RC (Assessment of Recovery Capital scores) collected from April 2021 to June 2023. Statistical analyses were conducted using T-, Chi-squared, and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Most participants were 35 years/older (50.7%), male (58.9%), non-Hispanic White (68.4%), heterosexual (82.8%), and reported HRQOL problems, mainly anxiety/depression (78.4%) and pain/discomfort (55.7%). Participants who were 35 years/older [mean (SD) = 42.6 (7.3)] were more likely to report mobility and pain/discomfort problems than younger participants. Female participants were more likely to report pain/discomfort problems than male participants. Sexual minorities were more likely to report anxiety/depression problems than heterosexual participants. Married participants and those in committed relationships were more likely to report problems conducting self-care than single/never-married participants. Comorbid conditions were associated with mobility, pain/discomfort, and usual activities problems. Most participants reported high social (65.4%), personal (69.0%), and total (65.6%) RC. Low personal RC was associated with mobility (aOR = 0.43, CI = 0.24-0.76), self-care (aOR = 0.13, CI = 0.04-0.41), usual activities (aOR = 0.25, CI = 0.11-0.57), pain/discomfort (aOR = 0.37, CI = 0.20-0.68), and anxiety/depression (aOR = 0.33, CI = 0.15-0.73) problems. Low total RC was associated with problems conducting self-care (aOR = 0.20, CI = 0.07-0.60), usual activities (aOR = 0.43, CI = 0.22-0.83), pain/discomfort problems (aOR = 0.55, CI = 0.34-0.90), and anxiety/depression (aOR = 0.20, CI = 0.10-0.41) problems. Social RC was not associated with HRQOL. Conclusion: Personal and total RC and comorbid conditions predict HRQOL. Although the opioid crisis and the increasing prevalence of comorbidities have been described as epidemics, they are currently being addressed as separate public health issues. Our findings underscore the importance of ensuring residents are provided with interprofessional care to reduce the burden of comorbidities, which can negatively impact their OUD recovery. Their RC should be routinely assessed and enhanced to support their recovery and improve HRQOL.

Pivoting professional development opportunities for students during COVID-19: A gerontology focused knowledge mobilization course.

The Canadian Association on Gerontology Student Connection (CAG-SC) is a national network for students interested in aging. As the CAG 2020 conference was canceled due to COVID-19, the CAG-SC pivoted professional development events for students to an online format. In partnership with the York University Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) unit an eight-week course on Knowledge Mobilization was offered. The course consisted of weekly asynchronous prerecorded videos and synchronous guest speakers who presented gerontology relevant KMb examples. To register for the course, students completed a registration form outlining their training background, experience with KMb, and the reasons for participation. A course feedback form at course completion captured student experience and reflections. A total of 56 interdisciplinary trainees from 18 post-secondary institutions completed the course. Participants found the course fostered a deeper understanding of KMb concepts and how to apply these to future careers in gerontology. This course was the CAG-SC's most successful professional development initiative. Participants recognized the importance of KMb in gerontology and felt the course provided skills needed to disseminate their research more effectively across sectors to improve quality of life for older adults. Reflections on the value of institutional partnership from the CAG-SC and York University Knowledge Mobilization are captured.