Selected Research Results

Adding Online Group Mindfulness Sessions to Medication Treatment Reduces Opioid Craving in People With Opioid Use Disorder
Adding an online group mindfulness intervention to a standard treatment for opioid use disorder was similar to adding an online evidence-based recovery support program when it came to reducing illicit opioid use, other substance use, and anxiety, but the mindfulness intervention resulted in greater reductions in opioid craving, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. The study was conducted by researchers at the Cambridge Health Alliance, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, and Tufts University and partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term^® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative^®, Behavioral Research to Improve Medication-Based Treatment (BRIM) program.

January 2025

Palliative Care in Emergency Departments: Addressing the Needs of Seriously Ill Older Adults
Among people aged 65 and older, half visited the emergency department (ED) in the last month of their lives, and three in four visited the ED during the 6 months before their deaths. However, emergency care has not adapted to meet these patients’ needs, with palliative care teams, present in two-thirds of hospitals, not typically available in EDs for crisis response. A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and conducted by researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and Tibor Rubin Long Beach Veterans Affairs, evaluates the effect of a multicomponent intervention to initiate palliative care in the ED on hospital admission rates for older adults with serious, life-limiting illnesses. This research was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory.

January 2025

Study Identifies Loneliness and Prior Mental Health as Key Predictors of Psychological Distress During First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic
Predictors for experiencing psychological distress in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic included a person’s likelihood of having a prior psychiatric diagnosis, loneliness, and stress related to social distancing, according to a new large longitudinal study published in Nature Mental Health. The study was conducted by researchers from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the National Institute of Mental Health and funded by the NIH Intramural Research Program.

January 2025