��������

Authors: Sheryl L Chatfield, Megan Anderson, Jennifer A King, Anthony Coetzer-Liversage 

Year Published: 2026

Journal: Ohio Journal of Public Health

Researchers conducted focus groups with 15 Ohio substance use prevention professionals to examine how they conceptualize prevention work, the factors shaping their professional identity, and the contextual challenges affecting program delivery. Findings revealed that prevention professionals view their work through a holistic, upstream lens that addresses the social, emotional, and environmental factors underlying substance use, while also facing barriers related to resource limitations, evolving substance use trends, role ambiguity, and tensions with treatment-oriented models, highlighting the need for stronger workforce development, credentialing pathways, and institutional support.

Available at

Authors: Enrico Gandolfi, Ilker Soyturk & Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2026

Journal: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

This study extends the examination of problematic gaming behaviors beyond digital environments by investigating the applicability of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form among individuals who engage in analog forms of gaming. Findings suggest that gamer identification serves as a significant mediating factor in the relationship between gaming engagement and problematic gaming symptoms, underscoring the role of social identity in understanding gaming-related behavioral risks across both digital and non-digital contexts.

Available at:

Authors: Jianfeng Zhu, Hailong Jiang, Yulan Wang, Karin G Coifman, Ruoming Jin, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2026

Journal: Journal of Psychiatry and Brain Science

This study used large language models to analyze nearly 39,000 Reddit posts from adolescents and found that substance use discussions were characterized by higher levels of sadness, guilt, fear, and disgust, with peer influence emerging as the strongest contextual factor associated with substance use. The findings suggest that adolescent substance use is shaped by the dynamic interplay of emotional experiences and social contexts, particularly peer relationships, while family and school environments function as both risk and protective factors.

Available at:

Authors: Julina Maharjan, Ruoming Jin, Jianfeng Zhu, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2025

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

This study used artificial intelligence and natural language processing to analyze social media discussions of substance use, finding that the personality traits of agreeableness and extraversion were the strongest predictors of substance use–related discourse, while neuroticism unexpectedly emerged as a protective factor. The findings challenge traditional theories linking substance use primarily to negative emotions and instead suggest that substance use in online environments is more closely associated with social affiliation and interpersonal engagement, highlighting the importance of social contexts in prevention and intervention efforts.

Available at:

Authors: Julina Maharjan, Ruoming Jin, Jennifer A King, Jianfeng Zhu, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2025

Journal: JMIR Infodemiology

This study used natural language processing and artificial intelligence to analyze more than 1 billion social media posts and found significant shifts in substance use discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic, with participation increasing substantially in 2020, particularly among male users and adolescents. The findings revealed demographic differences in substance-related discussions and a sharp rise in alcohol-related discourse following the pandemic declaration, demonstrating the value of social media data for real-time surveillance and the development of targeted public health interventions.

Available at:

Authors: Julina Maharjan, Ruoming Jin, Jianfeng Zhu, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2025

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

This study evaluated the use of large language model (LLM) embeddings for personality trait prediction and found that embedding-based approaches substantially outperformed zero-shot methods, improving prediction accuracy by an average of 45% across the Big Five personality traits. The findings further demonstrated that LLM embeddings exhibit meaningful associations with established psycholinguistic and emotional markers, supporting their utility as a psychometrically valid and scalable approach to computational personality assessment.

Available at:

Authors: Julina Maharjan, Jianfeng Zhu, Jennifer A King, NhatHai Phan, Deric R Kenne, Ruoming Jin

Year Published: 2025

Journal: JMIR Infodemiology

Using a deep learning model (RoBERTa) to analyze more than 1.13 billion Twitter/X posts from 2019-2021, the researchers examined changes in discussions related to substance use before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. They found substantial shifts in the prevalence and themes of substance use conversations across multiple drug categories, demonstrating how large-scale social media data can provide real-time insights into population-level behavioral health trends and inform targeted public health responses.

Available at:

Authors: Jianfeng Zhu, Xinyu Zhang, Ruoming Jin, Hailong Jiang, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2025

Journal: JMIR Formative Research 

In the study, researchers used natural language processing and large language models to analyze discussions from Reddit and AskaPatient, examining sentiment, emotions, personality traits, and key themes related to antidepressant use. The findings revealed that conversations were predominantly neutral but frequently characterized by fear and sadness, with major discussion topics centering on mental health, relationships, treatment adherence, and self-care, highlighting the value of social media data for informing more personalized, patient-centered approaches to depression treatment and medication management.

Available at:

Authors: Xinyu Zhang, Jianfeng Zhu, Deric R Kenne, Ruoming Jin

Year Published: 2025

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

In this article, researchers analyzed Reddit discussions to examine how adolescents communicate about substance use, applying computational methods to identify dominant discussion frames and emotional patterns. The study found that adolescent substance use conversations are shaped by distinct emotional and contextual factors, demonstrating how social media data can provide valuable insights into youths’ experiences, risk perceptions, and support needs that may inform prevention and intervention strategies.

Available at:

Authors: Tam NM Nguyen, Anthony Coetzer-Liversage, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2025             

Journal: International Journal of Qualitative Research

Researchers used qualitative interviews with nine international graduate students at a Midwestern U.S. university to explore their mental health experiences, coping strategies, and resilience. The study found that students faced significant stress related to financial insecurity, unmet career expectations, discrimination, and isolation, while relying on social support, problem-solving skills, and meaning-making to cope; participants also emphasized the need for more culturally responsive mental health services, integration opportunities, and institutional support.

Available at:

Authors: Waylon Luo, Ruoming Jin, Deric R Kenne, NhatHai Phan, Tang Tang

Year Published: 2024

Journal: JMIR Formative Research

Researchers analyzed drug-related song lyrics shared on X (formerly Twitter) to examine patterns and trends in references to substance use within music content circulating on social media. The study identified variations in the prevalence and discussion of different substances over time, demonstrating how social media–based analyses of music-related content can provide insights into cultural influences on substance use perceptions and inform public health surveillance efforts.

Available at:

Authors: Jianfeng Zhu, Ruoming Jin, Deric R Kenne, NhatHai Phan, Wei-Shinn Ku

Year Published: 2024

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Researchers analyzed Reddit posts from users participating in both r/Depression and r/SuicideWatch to investigate the relationship between depression-related discussions and suicide risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study identified distinct user engagement patterns and thematic differences among overlapping users, demonstrating how social media data and natural language processing methods can enhance understanding of suicidal ideation, mental health trajectories, and opportunities for early identification of individuals at elevated risk.

Available at:

Authors: Jianfeng Zhu, Neha Yalamanchi, Ruoming Jin, Deric R Kenne, NhatHai Phan

Year Published: 2023

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Researchers analyzed posts from the Reddit communities r/Depression and r/Anxiety between 2019 and 2022 to examine how mental health discussions evolved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic using natural language processing and topic-modeling techniques. The study identified shifts in emotional expression and discussion themes over time, demonstrating the profound impact of the pandemic on mental health concerns and highlighting the utility of social media data for monitoring population-level psychological well-being and emerging support needs.

Available at:

Authors: Kimberly R Laurene, Godslove Bonnah, Sweta Patel, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2023

Journal: Journal of Public Mental Health

Researchers examined how individuals used the five-step Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) ALGEE Action Plan over time after completing MHFA training and explored whether demographic characteristics influenced its use. The study found that utilization of the ALGEE action plan increased significantly at three- and six-months following training but declined by nine months, suggesting that MHFA training can improve helping behaviors in the short term while highlighting the potential need for refresher training to sustain long-term application.

Available at:

Authors: Saroj Bista, William V Lechner, Megan Anderson, Kaylie N Kenne, Deric R Kenne 

Year Published: 2023

Journal: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Researchers examined the relationship between psychological distress and nicotine use among college students following COVID-19 campus closures using survey data from more than 4,600 students at a large Midwestern university. The study found significant increases in both cigarette and e-cigarette use after campus closures, with students experiencing higher levels of depressive symptoms demonstrating greater increases in e-cigarette use, suggesting that pandemic-related stressors and psychological distress may have contributed to elevated nicotine use among young adults.

Available at:

Authors: Sheryl L Chatfield, Saroj Bista, Kristen A Debois, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2022

Journal: Building Healthy Academic Communities Journal

Researchers surveyed 3,473 students at a large Midwestern university to examine how coping strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with resilience and flourishing, while also exploring students’ lived experiences through qualitative analysis. The study found that physical activity and socializing were the most commonly reported coping strategies, while students who engaged in spiritual activities or adhered to COVID-19 safety recommendations reported higher resilience and flourishing scores; qualitative findings highlighted themes of focusing on controllable aspects of life, supporting others, and managing academic overload during the transition to online learning.

Available at:

Authors: Kimberly R Laurene, Geethika Kodukula, William V Lechner, Chelsea Grega, Evelyn Lumpkin, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2022

Journal: Journal of American College Health

Researchers conducted a longitudinal study of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how positive psychological factors, including flourishing, perceived social support, and resilience, were associated with psychological distress over time. The study found that higher levels of flourishing, social support, and resilience were consistently linked to lower psychological distress, suggesting that these positive psychological resources may help protect students' mental health during periods of significant disruption.

Available at:

Authors: William V Lechner, Kimberly R Laurene, Sweta Patel, Megan Anderson, Chelsea Grega, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2020

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Researchers examined alcohol consumption among 1,958 college students before and after COVID-19–related campus closures and found that both the frequency and amount of alcohol use increased following the transition. Students reporting higher levels of depression and anxiety experienced greater increases in alcohol consumption, whereas greater perceived social support was associated with lower overall alcohol use, highlighting the importance of mental health and social connectedness as factors influencing substance use during periods of disruption.

Available at:

Authors: Han Hu, NhatHai Phan, Soon A Chun, James Geller, Huy Vo, Xinyue Ye, Ruoming Jin, Kele Ding, Deric R Kenne,  Dejing Dou

Year Published: 2019

Journal: Computational Social Networks 

Researchers developed and evaluated a deep learning approach that leveraged large amounts of unlabeled Twitter data to identify drug-abuse risk behaviors expressed on social media. Using more than three million drug-related tweets, the study demonstrated that self-taught deep learning methods can effectively detect and monitor substance use–related risk behaviors at a population level, highlighting the potential of social media surveillance to support public health monitoring and inform responses to emerging drug-use trends.

Available at:

Authors: Kimberly R Laurene, Geethika Kodukula, Rebecca L Fischbein, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2018

Journal: Journal of Substance Use

Researchers surveyed 3,626 college students to evaluate whether e-cigarette use is better explained by a risk-taking orientation or by curiosity and perceptions of reduced harm. The findings provided support for both models, showing that e-cigarette users were more likely to exhibit traits related to disinhibition and endorse public use of e-cigarettes, while also perceiving e-cigarettes as less harmful and less addictive than nonusers, suggesting that both risk-taking tendencies and lower risk perceptions contribute to e-cigarette use among young adults.

Available at:

Authors: Rebecca L Fischbein, Bethany G Lanese, Lynn Falletta, Kelsey Hamilton, Jennifer A King, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2018

Journal: Contraception and Reproductive Medicine

Researchers used a mixed-methods approach to examine contraceptive use, preferences, and barriers among pregnant or recently pregnant women receiving treatment for opioid use in Ohio. The study found high rates of unintended pregnancy and low utilization of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), despite many participants expressing interest in using these methods if they were more accessible, highlighting the need for improved contraceptive education and reduced logistical and financial barriers for women with opioid use disorders.

Available at:

Authors: Lynn Falletta, Kelsey Hamilton, Rebecca L Fischbein, Julie Aultman, Beth Kinney, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2018

Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect

Researchers conducted qualitative interviews with pregnant and recently pregnant women receiving treatment for opioid use disorders to explore their experiences with and perceptions of Child Protective Services (CPS). The study found that participants held both positive and negative views of CPS, often shaped by their interactions with individual caseworkers; while many recognized CPS as a source of accountability, support, and access to resources, fear of child removal, perceived stigma, and concerns about surveillance and judgment sometimes acted as barriers to seeking prenatal care and substance use treatment.

Available at:

Authors: Silja Yang, Andy SL Tan, Kelsey Hamilton, Rebecca L Fischbein, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2018

Journal: Tobacco Regulatory Science

Researchers conducted a two-wave experimental study with smokers and e-cigarette users to examine how vaping imagery in e-cigarette advertisements influences perceptions of smoking- and vaping-related harm. The study found that advertisements containing vaping cues increased smokers’ perceptions of vaping harm by activating concerns about smoking-related health risks, suggesting that such portrayals may discourage smokers from switching to potentially less harmful alternatives.

Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322869641_Cognitive_Roadblock_Not_Gateway_Effects_of_Visual_Vaping_Cues_on_Young_Adults'_Harm_Perceptions

Authors: Deric R Kenne, Rebecca L Fischbein, Andy SL Tan, Mark Banks 

Year Published: 2017

Journal: Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment

Researchers conducted a survey of college students to examine the use of substances other than nicotine in electronic cigarettes and identify factors associated with this behavior. The study found that marijuana was the most commonly reported substance used in e-cigarettes beyond nicotine, highlighting the need for prevention efforts and education that address the use of multiple substances through vaping devices among young adults.

Available at:

Authors: Benjamin Reinhold, Rebecca L Fischbein, Surya Sruthi Bhamidipalli, Jennifer A Bryant, Deric R Kenne

Year Published: 2017

Journal: Tobacco Induced Diseases

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of more than 6,000 college students to examine how exposure to e-cigarette advertising was associated with perceptions of e-cigarette harm, addictiveness, and acceptability of use in places where smoking is prohibited. The study found that exposure to e-cigarette advertisements, particularly through the internet and television, was associated with lower perceived harm and greater acceptance of e-cigarette use in smoke-free settings, suggesting that advertising may contribute to the normalization of e-cigarette use among young adults.

Available at:

Authors: Deric R Kenne, Daniel Mix, Mark Banks, Rebecca L Fischbein

Year Published: 2016

Journal: Journal of Substance Use

Researchers surveyed more than 9,000 college students at a large Midwestern university to examine the prevalence of e-cigarette use and identify factors associated with use among never, former, and current tobacco smokers. The study found that e-cigarette use was common, particularly among current smokers, and was more likely among younger students, males, White students, and those affiliated with Greek organizations, suggesting that prevention and intervention efforts may need to be tailored to specific student populations and smoking histories.

Available at:

Authors: Deric R Kenne, Kelsey Hamilton, Lauren Birmingham, Willie H Oglesby, Rebecca L Fischbein, Douglas L Delahanty

Year Published:2016

Journal: Substance Use and Misuse

Researchers surveyed college students at a Midwestern university to examine prescription opioid misuse, perceptions of harm, reasons for misuse, and reasons for not seeking treatment for physical or emotional pain. The study found that students who misused prescription opioids generally perceived them as less harmful, with pain relief, getting high, and experimentation cited as the most common reasons for misuse; barriers to seeking treatment included financial constraints, the need for immediate relief, stigma, embarrassment, and concerns about others learning of their emotional distress.

Available at:

Authors: Bryce Hruska, Jennifer Bernier, Frank Kenner, Deric R Kenne, Alec P Boros, Christopher J Richardson, Douglas L Delahanty

Year Published: 2014

Journal: Addictive Behaviors

Researchers surveyed trauma-exposed smokers receiving treatment for substance use disorders to examine whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were associated with cigarette smoking and whether positive smoking outcome expectancies explained this relationship. The study found that while PTSD symptoms were not directly associated with cigarette consumption or nicotine dependence, beliefs that smoking reduces negative emotions, boredom, and distress helped explain greater smoking dependence, suggesting these expectancies may be important targets for smoking cessation interventions among individuals with co-occurring PTSD symptoms and substance use disorders. 

Available at: