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by Eliza Lau Mei Ting. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-71). / Abstract and questionnaire also in Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.v / CHAPTERS / abstract --- p.2 / Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.3-13 / Purpose of the Study --- p.11 / Hypotheses --- p.12 / Chapter 2 --- METHOD --- p.14-24 / Participants --- p.15-18 / Measures --- p.18-24 / Procedure --- p.24 / Chapter 3 --- RESULTS --- p.25-56 / Chapter 4 --- DISCUSSION --- p.57-64 / REFERENCES --- p.65-69 / APPENDIX A / questionnaire for the study

The use and abuse of drugs among adolescents and adults has prompted a renewed national concern about drug abuse. Educational programs have attempted to provided factual information and create negative attitudes about drug use so that students will decide not to use drugs. Studies have revealed, however, that the drug programs have not been effective in reducing drug use. The present research addresses two primary questions: 1) Are there developmental differences in young persons' perceptions of social and moral dilemmas associated with drug use? and 2) Are gender and race associated with social and moral reasoning about drug use? Semi-structured interviewers were conducted with 32 fourth and 32 eleventh grade students. The interview posed two vignettes about drug-related behavior, including helping behavior. In addition, the interview probed respondents' conceptions of the problems associated with drug use and of the treatment that users and dealers should receive. Content analysis produced 40 codes which reached the reliability criterion of 60 percent agreement. The Kappas ranged from .57 to .91 (m = .66). Chi square tests were conducted, using the variables of race, sex and the thematic categories associated with each question. Of the 26 tests of significance conducted on the variables, two were significant for grade, two were significant for gender and one was significant for race. Eleventh grade students were more likely to specifically reject some category of help than the fourth grade students (x2 = 4.48,p < .05, df = 1). Fourth grade students were more likely to consider teachers as a source of help (x2 = 3.48,p < .06, df= 1). Female students were more likely to acknowledge risk to themselves due to helping (x2 = 4.27,p < .04, df= I). Caucasian students were more likely to acknowledge that there may be risks to the helpee due to helping (x2 = 3.52,p < .06, df= 1). Male students were more likely to want punishment and control of drug dealers (x2 = 5.32,p < .05, df= 1). In general, the :findings indicate that there are fewer developmental, gender and race differences in children's perception of drug use and associated dilemmas than might be expected. Students' descriptions did reveal that they are thinking and reasoning about the information given to them.

Objective: The present study aimed to characterize the association of perceived gender discrimination and illicit drug use among a sample of African American (AA) and European American (EA) adolescent girls and young women. Method: Data were drawn from a high-risk family study of alcohol use disorder of mothers and their offspring (N = 735). Multinomial regressions were used to examine whether experience of offspring and maternal gender discrimination were associated with offspring illicit drug use (cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, PCP, opiates, hallucinogens, solvents, sedatives, or inhalants). Outcomes included offspring age of drug use initiation (age ≤ 14) and lifetime heavy drug use (≥ 50 times) of 1 or more illicit substances. Interactions between race and offspring gender discrimination were modeled to assess for race differences. Results: Results revealed that gender discrimination was associated with a greater likelihood of offspring early initiation (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 2.57, 95% CI [1.31, 5.03]) versus later initiation (RRR = 1.33, 95% CI [0.80, 2.24]). Offspring gender discrimination was associated with offspring heavy drug use (RRR = 2.09, 95% CI [1.07, 4.06]) and not associated with moderate/light use (RRR = 1.44, 95% CI [0.86, 2.42]), but post hoc tests revealed no significant group differences. Conclusions: Findings suggest that perceived offspring gender discrimination is associated with early drug use initiation. Gender discrimination, particularly at an early age, has a potential to cause harm, including drug use. Implementation of policies that foster environments that eliminate gender bias and discrimination at an early age should be prioritized. Gender-responsive treatment merits consideration by substance use treatment providers. Public Significance Statement: This study indicates that adolescent females who experience gender discrimination, are more likely to initiate drugs at an earlier age. Targeting gender discrimination during adolescence may be important, before gender norms become rooted into one’s trajectory.

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in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) / A substance abuse problem among street children has been acknowledged and treatment has not proved beneficial. The general aim of this study was to investigate their drugging habits and attitudes to drugging and treatment, in order to elucidate reasons for this failure and provide direction for an effective treatment approach. An exploratory study utilizing a non-probability sample (N=16) of male street children, aged 12 to 16, from a Johannesburg shelter, was carried out. An unconventional approach to gathering information was developed, within the framework of one-hour group discussions heId over seven weeks. Questions devised by the researcher were presented as stimuli for group discussion, story telling, and drawings. Data were also collected through a voting procedure. Results confirm regular substance abuse and dependency which merits attention. Maintaining factors were the suppression of emotional ...., low self esteem, and socialmotivators, i.e., to gain confidence and maintain networks. Risks and actual negative effects of substance abuse were vaguely perceived. These findings must be regarded as tentative, due to the small sample. More research, utilizing subjects not living in shelters and those in other shelters, should be done to find out if these findings are replicated . .A suggested treatment modality is group therapy and the changing of group norms, Groups would be conscientising. Specific aims could be formulated hy the group members, but could include general life skills and the development of alternative reinforcing activities. Peer mentoring could be considered. / Andrew Chakane 2018

Historically, in many areas of research examining birth and parenthood the role of the mother often took precedence over the role of the father. This may be because, within a traditional family system, the father took the role of the provider, while the mother was responsible for child care and household. Societal and cultural changes over the past few decades have highlighted the importance and competence of fathers in less traditional roles and scientific research is currently aiming to fill the gap of knowledge pertaining to fatherhood. One field of research that has traditionally been neglected in fathers is postpartum depression (PPD), even though prevalence rates for fathers were estimated to be almost as high as for mothers. Research into the risk factors for paternal PPD has only grown substantially within the past two decades. The first part of this thesis provides a systematic review of the available evidence for psychosocial risk factors in the development of paternal PPD as examined by longitudinal research designs. Results of the review indicated that there was a general lack of high quality research, but there was some evidence for higher risk of PPD if fathers experienced disconfirmed expectations of parenting demands, low parenting efficacy, low relationship satisfaction, concerns/anxiety about the birth, disagreement about pregnancy intendedness, low prenatal life satisfaction and stress, and high role strain. The results were discussed in the context of implications for antenatal interventions for fathers. The second part of this thesis was concerned with another neglected group of fathers – fathers who were addicted to opiate drugs. While there is a large research base for the risk to children exposed to parental substance use, fathers’ views on their parenting role and the cross-generational transmission of risk of child maltreatment and substance use has only partially been examined. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with a small sample of opiate-using fathers (N = 6), it was found that fathers experienced dichotomy in their father role. Their addiction caused them to be ‘disabled’ in the ir father role, characterised by selfishness, abandonment and an inability to meet their children’s needs. In contrast, the ‘Able Father’ came to light during stable periods of prescribed opiates or abstinence, and he was an involved, hands-on parent, sensitive to the child’s needs and motivated to repair the ill-effects of being ‘disabled’ by addiction. By ‘Connecting the Dots’ with their own upbringing, fathers were motivated to be better fathers than their own fathers, but they only had limited insight into the risk the ir ‘disabled’ parenting posed for their own children. The findings suggest that harnessing fathers’ motivation to be better fathers may be a useful asset in drug treatment and parenting interventions. Interventions aimed at increasing reflective functioning may contribute to positive outcomes for substance-using parents at the same time as reducing risk to their children, but more evidence is needed.

Background: Analyses of the individual-, social- and structural-level factors promoting the transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens have consistently identified exposure to correctional environments, especially for individuals who use injection drugs (IDU), as a risk factor for infection. The objectives of this project were: to review the epidemiologic literature on incarceration and HIV infection among IDU, critically examining evidence presented supporting a causal linkage between imprisonment and infection; to investigate incarceration experiences in a cohort of active IDU; and to assess the possible effects of incarceration on the post-release risk environment of active IDU. Methods: Longitudinal datasets for quantitative analyses were derived from the Vancouver Injection Drug User Study (VIDUS) and the Scientific Evaluation of Supervised Injection (SEOSI), both prospective cohorts of IDU in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. In the first analysis, the prevalence and correlates of reporting incarceration in the the previous six months were identified in SEOSI using generalized estimating equations (GEE). In the second analysis, the possible effect of imprisonment on the prevalence of risk factors for HIV infection was estimated in VIDUS using linear growth curve analysis. Results: In the first analysis, 902 individuals interviewed at least once between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2006 were included. Overall, 423 (46.9%) reported an incarceration event at some point during the study period. In a multivariate GEE model, recent incarceration was independently associated with a number of high-risk factors, including syringe sharing. In the second analysis, 1603 individuals were interviewed at least once between 1 May 1996 and 31 December 2005 and in cluded. Of these, 147 (9.2%) matched the study criteria and were included as cases; 742 (46.3%) were included as matched controls. In linear growth curve analyses adjusted for age, gender and ethnicity, syringe sharing was significantly more common in the incarcerated group (p = 0.03) after incarceration than in the control group. Conclusions: Our findings support the existence of a role for incarceration in continued viral transmission. In response, appropriate harm reduction measures should be expanded within correctional environments and social, political and legal reforms enacted to reduce the incidence of imprisonment for individuals who use illicit drugs.

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Background This paper provides an updated review of the literature on drug prevention programmes (from 2001 to July2011) and reports the findings from these previous studies on the effectiveness and nature of present drug prevention practices. Relevant data on the effectiveness of drug prevention intervention among adolescents has been summarised and examined. In addition, this paper identifies various essential elements that have the potential for creating and providing effective drug prevention strategies, whether to prevent substance misuse or to minimise the harm caused. Different prevention strategies will also be discussed, including: social influence approach, refusal skill training, and motivational interviewing. Design The paper will conduct a review of the previous literature. Aims This literature review proposes to: 1. Review all of the published evidence from research which was conducted between 2001and 2011 on the effectiveness of drug prevention programmes for adolescents. 2. Identify findings and recommendations regarding the content, approaches, format, theoretical bases, and methods associated with an effective drug prevention program. 3. Discuss any potential or proved effective components on a drug prevention program in tackling such drug abuse problems. Methods Two searching engines (i.e. PubMed and Medline) were used to find the relevant papers and journals which have been published within the past ten years (i.e. 2001 to 2011). Studies about the evaluation of the effectiveness of drug education and prevention strategies, targeting the most vulnerable group (i.e. aged between 12 and 25) were included. Results Twenty four studies met the criteria and were reviewed in depth. Thirteen of them evaluated the effectiveness of school-based interventions, including the school-based drug testing program. The remaining papers evaluated the effectiveness of non-school based prevention interventions in different approaches such as social influence, parental cooperation, refusal skills education, and life skills training. Conclusions Social influence approaches were evidenced as the most effective intervention to prevent drug abuse. Interventions that are conducted interactively (e.g. simulated scenario and role-playing) are more effective than providing normative information. Gender differences were found in some of the interventions. However, it is recommended that further research should be conducted to evaluate these results. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health