Note:

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

It can be useful to discover a person’s chronic drinking consumption in child custody cases and to aid in the diagnosis of diseases like fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. When one alcohol marker in hair is analysed to indicate chronic use false negatives and false positives can occur. When two (ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs)) are analysed false negatives and false positives can be recognized and provide stronger evidence as is underlined statistically in this work. For a combined method, the sample preparation and analytical procedures were optimized. The effect of the decontamination step was difficult to interpret, which shows that addressing issues with external contamination is challenging. Analytes may be extracted from the hair matrix during decontamination and analytes can diffuse into the hair shaft from external contamination. The last is illustrated by the incorporation via excretions of endogenous EtG and FAEEs. A novel and sensitive analytical procedure was developed and validated which saves time and possibly money compared to analysing of both markers separately. The best overall method had a linear calibration curve (r2 > 0:99) and an intra-day (n=3) and inter-day (n=9) accuracy for the quality control samples at three concentration levels between 84–118% with a coefficient of variation of 3–30% for both EtG and the FAEEs. The Bayesian approach was suggested as a new interpretation framework for hair tests, to account for the uncertainties in these tests in a transparent manner. In this work databases were constructed with EtG and FAEEs hair concentrations linked to the subject’s chronic alcohol use, the likelihood ratios were calculated and working examples were provided. This showed that a positive hair test for either EtG or FAEEs may very well be only ’limited’ evidence and therefore should only be used with a high prior odds. This means that a hair test result should not be used in isolation. The large confidence interval in this study also underlines the need for more control data.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Social Work and Criminology))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

The study described in this thesis consists of two main parts. The first was a study of brief interventions for problem drinking. 998 general hospital in-patients, who were receiving treatment for conditions which were not primarily alcohol-related, were screened to identify potential problem drinkers. 24.5% reported levels of alcohol consumption which were in excess of the recommended "sensible limits" as suggested by the Health Education Authority (1989). 15% were regular consumers of alcohol who had not previously received treatment for an alcohol problem. The potential problem drinkers were assigned to one of four experimental groups. Patients in one group received a health education booklet about the effects of alcohol and how to reduce consumption to within recommended sensible limits. The second group were given this information verbally. The third group were given both the booklet and the verbal advice. The fourth group received no intervention. Follow-up data were collected one year later, at which time the mean level of alcohol consumption reported by the entire sample was significantly less than at entry to the study. This was also the case for the mean number of alcohol-related problems. These reductions were supported by reductions in the mean levels of ganima-glutamyl transferase and aspartate transferase but not in mean erythrocyte volume. No statistically significant treatment effects were found for any of the outcome variables. The second part of the study was a descriptive survey of nurses' practice of assessing patients' alcohol consumption. The nurses were also asked about their knowledge of factors which are necessary to enable them to give appropriate advice to problem drinkers. The results suggested that, although nurses acknowledged such a role, limitations in their knowledge prevented them from being effective in both detecting problem drinkers and in delivering health education.

This thesis examines the issue of young people and alcohol consumption in order to understand their behaviour and experiences in Thailand. Alcohol consumption is socially accepted as a pleasurable activity in many countries world-wide. Alcohol consumption among young people in Thailand has been affected by the spread of western culture, which has encouraged an acceptance of drinking alcohol as being fashionable and as a means of promoting social relationships. This study aimed to gain detailed knowledge of the alcohol consumption behaviour of secondary school students in Petchaburi Province, Thailand, using a survey and participatory action research to understand the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders in one community towards young people’s behaviour and alcohol consumption. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted in order to explore and interpret students’ and stakeholders’ perspectives. The survey was the first phase of the research and used a questionnaire to identify the characteristics and problems of the alcohol consumption behaviour of 845 secondary school students aged 15-19 sampled from one school in each of the eight districts of Petchaburi Province. Logistic regression was used to select one school for conducting Participatory Action Research (PAR) in one community “C” in phase two of the research. An ecological approach was applied for capturing a variety of perspectives, at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy level using focus groups and in-depth interviews with eight students, eight parents, three health professionals, two teachers, one community leader, one policeman and one Buddhist monk. The study findings demonstrated that alcohol consumption among young people was common. The data showed that 45.9% of participants had had an alcoholic drink in the previous thirty days. Students usually drank on Fridays and Saturdays with their gangs. All or almost all of their close friends were reported as having an alcoholic drink. Most students were affected by peer pressure, some students copied their family members’ drinking behaviour, and some of them were influenced by fashion, community culture and advertising. Moreover, students who drank alcohol demonstrated the negative consequences of drinking. Drinking at an early age was defined by all stakeholders in the selected Community C as unpleasant and intolerable behaviour. Students started to develop strategies in order to access alcohol. Moreover, alcohol was readily available due to the lack of restrictions being enforced in community shops by government policy, alongside inconsistent enforcement of the Alcohol Act. The development of prevention strategies was recommended for action at all levels. This includes within families, in schools, and within affected communities through the introduction of policies such as the restriction of alcohol sales and advertising, and by raising awareness among young people and their communities. Finally, Buddhist practices were discussed as a key element in the development of an intervention programme to reduce the problematic drinking behaviour of young people.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / Identity is considered one of the variables useful in explaining the reasons for health risk behaviours such as alcohol consumption among adolescents. In this study, 441 Black African high school students, aged 15 to 24 years, were participants. They were administered the identity style inventory and the student alcohol questionnaire within the framework of a cross-sectional design. Preliminary results found that there was no interaction effect of gender and age, and no main effect of age on informational, normative and diffuse/avoidant identity processing styles. Nevertheless, there was a sex main effect on the informational and the diffuse/avoidant identity styles, with the normative-orientation identity style’s results being marginally significant. Mean scores of females on the information-orientation and the normative-orientation identity processing styles were larger, and males mean scores tended to be larger on the diffuse/avoidant identity processing style. Classification of leaners into categorical identity processing styles shows that more females are classified as normative-orientation, whereas many males were classified as diffuse/avoidant. Main analysis found that sex and identity processing styles could not differentiate between drinking and non-drinking learners, and both variables could not predict the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, and the binge drinking. Key words: Adolescents, alcohol consumption, binge drinking, identity processing style, identity status,

No description available.

No description available.

Three studies were conducted to investigate dispositional and environmental factors related to alcohol consumption during 21st birthday celebrations, and test an internet-based intervention designed to reduce alcohol consumption during 21st birthday celebrations (21BDCs). Results of Study 1 indicated the majority of alcoholic beverages (79.3%) are consumed rapidly. Rapid consumption was positively related to drinking history and normative perceptions, and negatively related to perceptions of behavioral control. The relation between sociocultural beliefs and rapid consumption are mediated by normative perceptions and perceptions of behavioral control. The major objectives of Study 2 were to explore: a) 21BDC planning behaviors and the physical and social 21BDC environment, b) the relation between intoxication and planning behaviors, celebratory behaviors, and the 21BDC environment, and c) the frequency of various alcohol-related negative outcomes. Results indicate 26.4% of the participants exceeded an eBAL of .26. Intoxication during 21BDCs is enabled by the availability of free drinks, and having a friend to look after oneself or monitor alcohol consumption does not lead to lower levels of intoxication. The most frequent negative outcomes were hangovers, blackouts and vomiting, with 50% of celebrants experiencing at least one of these outcomes. Study 3 tested a web-based intervention designed to reduce intoxication and negative outcomes during 21BDCs. The intervention was implemented four weeks before the 21st birthday, was designed to: a) change perceptions of drinking norms during 21st birthday celebrations, b) increase perceptions of behavioral control over alcohol consumption, and c) counter social pressures to consumer alcohol during the weeks leading up to the celebration. Results indicated no significant reductions in number of alcoholic beverages consumed, intoxication or negative outcomes, as compared to a traditional 21st birthday card intervention and no-intervention controls. While students were not motivated to implement many of the suggested harm-reduction strategies, there was a significant increase in the consumption of food and non-alcoholic beverages among participants receiving the web-based intervention. Development and implementation of effective interventions to reduce intoxication during 21BDC remains a significant challenge. / Ph. D.