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published_or_final_version / abstract / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Self-poisoning - the deliberate, non-fatal ingestion of medicinal agents in excess of the recommended dose - is characterised wherever it occurs in Western society by a predominance of women - usually in the order of 2:1, and in over 60% of cases psychotropic medication is employed. Despite this the largely female nature of the phenomenon and its relationship to the 2:1 excess of women among the recipients of psychotropics generally has been virtually ignored in the literature. For many years self-poisoning was regarded as 'failed suicide' and consequently theoretical approaches to it have been dominated by the assumption of pathology - justifiable, perhaps in relation to completed suicide, as there is evidence of significant psychopathology among its perpetrators, but less so among self-poisoners where there is little such evidence. This thesis proposes that not only is the 'pathology paradigm' at odds with the known facts of self-poisoning but that the emphasis on psychopathology has discouraged the development of any convincing theory of female self-poisoning. An alternative account, based not upon pathology but upon processes of normative socialisation, suggests that the sex role system promotes a stereotypic view of women as helpless, dependent and emotionally unstable. This stereotype, when shared by physicians and their female patients, contributes to the excess prescription of psychotropic medication to women who have social, rather than psychopathological problems. Additionally, the sex role system and the social relations based upon it, fosters a 'female' cognitive style - particularly among those women who predominate among self-poisoners i.e. young, working class women with a history of family breakdown. This leads them to attribute the cause of adverse events internally to enduring, and irremediable personal inadequacy rather than - to others or misfortune. Such an "attributional style" externally renders these women vulnerable to "learned helplessness" in such circumstances - to the debilitating belief that their actions will be ineffective in resolving their difficulties. Female self-poisoning is interpretted, not as symptomatic of psychopathology, but as both consequence and expression of this socialised helplessness. The attributional style of male and female self-poisoners is compared in a pilot study with that of other patients and non-patients and support is found for an attributional approach to female self-poisoning.

Perinatal drug abuse is becoming a profound issue facing the health and wellbeing of neonates. The community serviced by the project site, which lies within the boundaries of an Indian Reservation, suffers from perinatal drug abuse at a higher rate than state and federal averages. The purpose of this project was to provide the project site with a policy to consistently screen for perinatal drug abuse. Lave's theory of situational learning and the Sanford Way model for quality improvement framed this project. To guide policy development, data were compiled through a systematic review of current literature, national and state guidelines, state law, local tribal government, and community stakeholders. Data included: (a) studies completed in the past 10 years specifically targeting drug abuse in child-bearing aged women, with intentional exclusion of tobacco and alcohol studies; (b) prevalence of illicit drug abuse in child bearing aged women at a local, state, and national levels; and (c) local, state, and national guidelines, as well as state law, for perinatal drug abuse intervention and screening. In addition, interviews and meetings with local stakeholders were completed and their feedback was incorporated into the development of the perinatal drug abuse screening and intervention policy. To evaluate policy effectiveness, it is proposed that perinatal drug screens ordered at the project site be monitored for six months prior to and after implementation of the new policy. The desired outcome will be that providers consistently intervene with perinatal drug abuse in a non-biased fashion. This quality improvement project will create a positive social change by allowing non-biased intervention with perinatal drug abuse using evidence-based practice and by promoting nursing-driven policy development.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of high and low anxiety on motivation for treatment, length of stay in treatment, and intrapsychic focus of attention in Veterans Administration drug-abuse patients. The dependent variables were measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Reasons For Seeking Treatment Inventory (RFST), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Psychopathic State Inventory (PSI), and the total number of days each subject participated in the treatment program. The major hypothesis was stated in the null form.The PSI and the STAI were used to measure motivation for seeking treatment. The MMPI and the RFST were used to measure intrapsychic focus of attention.On admission and on day 60, the subjects in the High Stress Treatment Group and the subjects in the Low Stress Treatment Group were not found to he significantly different, as measured by the STAI and the PSI, and intrapsychic focus of attention, as measured by the MMPI and the RFST.This study revealed that the subjects in the High Stress Treatment Group developed a higher level of motivation than the subjects in the Low Stress Treatment Group. The Subjects in the High Stress Treatment Group stayed in treatment longer than the subjects in the Low Stress Treatment Group. Subjects in the High Stress Treatment Group focused more on intrapsychic issues than subjects in the Low Stress Treatment Group.

Thesis (PhD(Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.