Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 390-394).

The diploma thesis called "Stress among Methamphetamine Users" focuses on the phenomenon of stress in general, but especially on the strategies of coping with stressful situations. These so-called coping strategies are given great attention in contemporary research. The thesis inquires into the development of the Czech drug scene and particularly focuses on methamphetamine as a typical "Czech drug". It describes the period of methamphetamine early expansion in the Czech drug scene, the subsequent period of radical intervention of justice and police into the resulting socially unbearable situation, and the recent respective state of affairs. It also deals with the risks associated with the use of methamphetamine and the various forms of its application. In this respect it logically gives attention to the issue of drug addiction in general and the methamphetamine addiction in particular. An indispensable part of the thesis is a description of the phenomenon of stress according to selected distinguished experts in this area Paulík (2010), Baštecká (2009) a Joshi (2007). The initial discussion of specifically defined and operationalized stress is followed by a discussion of coping in general. First, the emergence of coping is discussed. The theoretical section provides definitions of various scientifically developed coping strategies and deals with the situation around the SVF 78 instrument as well as with the stress coping strategies and the phenomenon of stress itself. The section discusses different coping strategies and identifies their respective pitfalls as well as their influence on people from the holistic model viewpoint. The theoretical section is concluded with the topic of social work with drug addicts and its basic pillars. Describes the aims, research questions and hypotheses of the thesis. Two aims were selected for the thesis: "to find out which coping strategies are used by methamphetamine users" and "to find out how coping strategies change over a prolonged period of methamphetamine use". Three research questions and four associated hypotheses were formulated on the basis of these aims. The hypotheses are operationalized in this chapter. The methodological section discusses the SVF 78 instrument which was used to gather data from drug addicted respondents. The data were gathered in contact centres in South Bohemia via quantitative strategy of data gathering. Next, the research sample consisting of 50 respondents and the ethical aspects of the research are described. An indispensable part of the section is also a description of the statistical methods used for data evaluation. Next chapter, called "Results", describes the research sample with respect to respondents' sex, with the actual ratio being 54 percent of female respondents and 46 percent of male respondents. The respondents' age is described here as well together with an average age, median and standard deviations. Another thing mentioned is respondents' time period of methamphetamine use and their highest achieved education. The discussion section focuses on obtained results and their comparison with actual researches. Despite very interesting results it is necessary to assert that none of the hypotheses was statistically verified. However, analysis of similar studies leads us to a discovery of an analogous problem. The most interesting study in this regards appears to be Konopka et al. (2013) which found no significant differences in coping strategies adopted by benzodiazepine users. In spite of this it is possible to point at frequency differences which were found among methamphetamine users. They were found in particular with respect to the relation between negative coping strategies ratio and period time of methamphetamine use, where negative coping strategies were preferred by respondents using methamphetamine for more than 11 years etc. The concluding section summarizes the research results and reflects on the aims of the thesis.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how a problem-determined system developed around a case of drug addiction within the context of a system of relatedness. The epistemological framework informing this qualitative study was constructivism. The six participants who took part in the study represent the most prominent role players in the particular context of living. The individual battling with drug addiction, his parents, older sister, maternal grandmother and maternal aunt were interviewed. The methods of data collection employed were semi-structured interviews, a family-chronological event chart, genograms, and an eco-map. The interviews were interpreted using the hermeneutic approach. The different themes that emerged from each participant’s story were integrated in relation to each other and with respect to the collaborative sources of data. The most dominant themes extracted within this study are the initial reactions to Andrew’s drug addiction, life changes experienced due to Andrew’s drug addiction, support, as well as the meanings attributed to Andrew’s drug addiction. Further research into problem-determined systems in different cultures is recommended. / Psychology / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) Psychology

This study attempts to describe, through the combination of an interactional framework, an ethnographic semantic approach and an analysis of the folklore, the oral culture of female prostitute drug addicts and the forms of verbal exchange through which they appear to exercise some control over their socio-economic environment. The verbal transactions examined take place on and off the street, but always involve "street" participants: people whose business is on the street, where they casually meet friends and foes, where they make the initial contacts and contracts which lead to further transactions, and where they report finding an excitement and a pace of life they enjoy. Many of these transactions are described as "bullshitting": the flexibility of meaning of this term enables us to use it to indicate a variety of verbal exchanges among street people on the one hand, and between street people and "square Johns" on the other. In the first instance, it covers amicable greetings, small talk, anecdotes, gossip, jokes, warnings: didactic narratives and manipulative exercises whose function is to a large extent one of socialization. They serve as a stern description of the rules of behaviour among members of the street group and as means of integrating newcomers to the subculture of the street by describing the contrasting characteristics of "straight" and "street" culture members. In the second instance, speech acts serve mostly as an instrument of manipulation and exploitation. The most developed type of transaction examined is the one taking place between prostitutes and their customers, and the strategies developed to cope with problematic cases. The informants are also considered as drug addicts involved in non-prostitutional though exploitative transactions. As incarcerated informants, they are further involved in "interview transactions" based on firmly defined cultural boundaries between straight and street participants. The informants' perception of the two groups' contrasting worldviews, their lifestyles and opposite characteristics and attributes, give rise to the creation of endo- and exo-stereotypes which reinforce principles of inclusion and exclusion and regulate the pattern of straight and street interaction. Verbal transactions reflect the informants' understanding of their socio-economic environment, where economic survival rests on a profitable interaction with outsiders, and social survival rests on a cohesive interaction among themselves. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Unknown

EEG biofeedback (neurotherapy) has been demonstrated as effective in the treatment of alcoholism, as evidenced by Peniston and Kulkosky's research efforts. These neurotherapy pioneers evaluated the efficacy of alpha-theta brain wave biofeedback as a treatment for chronic alcohol abuse, citing 80% abstinence rates as measured by improvements in psychopathology, serum beta endorphin levels, and long-term alcohol abstinence. Most research with alpha-theta EEG biofeedback has addressed alcohol addiction. Cocaine is now considered to be the most common drug problem of patients entering treatment for drug abuse. To date, only one controlled study has been published that researched alpha-theta neurofeedback in the treatment of "crack" cocaine addiction. The present study was an extension of a 4-year EEG-biofeedback treatment outcome project underway at a faith-based homeless mission in Houston, Texas, with male "crack" cocaine addicts. Changes in personality, attention, and impulsivity were measured following 30 sessions of a non-individualized EEG -biofeedback protocol. Experimental subjects received a variant of the Peniston-Kulkosky alpha-theta protocol for 30 sessions while controls received all elements of the experimental protocol except the EEG biofeedback. Assessment measures included the MMPI-2 and the IVA. Although experimental subjects showed greater mean improvement on most MMPI basic scales and all IVA Attention related measures, results indicated no significant differences between control and experimental groups. The present study did not result in significant differences between control and experimental groups on attentional or personality variables in crack cocaine addicts. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Methadone treatment continues to be the most widely used treatment modality for heroin addiction despite continued controversy. The efficacy of methadone treatment has been determined primarily by statistical research of program outcomes. This study explored heroin addicts' perceptions of methadone treatment.

No description available.

The proposed research aims to explore and describe the experiences, challenges and coping strategies of fathers, parenting children, abusing illegal substances. The use and abuse of illegal substances became national and global dilemmas. The impact and damage caused when drugs are widely used over time is irreversible, as it influences the lives of users and those of their families, their communities, and the country. This research provides an opportunity for fathers, parenting children, abusing illegal substances to share their experiences and challenges. Data are collected by conducting in-depth and face-toface interviews with the participants. The collected data are analysed by following the eight steps of Tesch in Creswell (2009:186). Data are analysed using Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness of qualitative research for validation. The study endeavours to obtain an understanding of the experiences and challenges encountered by fathers, parenting children, abusing illegal substances and how social workers could assist in addressing this dilemma. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to reveal the typical life style of a representative sample of fifty male opiate addicts participating in the Oregon Methadone Treatment Program. An important goal of the research was to assess the reliability of information gathered from patients compared to data obtained from an equal number of informants. A highly structured questionnaire was designed to elicit specific responses in order to calculate the degree of concordance between patients and informants to identical items. The findings depicted the modal life style of the subjects as more socially conventional, more responsible, and less antisocial. Although only 20% of the patients occasionally used heroin, it was common for them to rely on alcohol or marijuana. The results showed a pattern of high agreement between patients and informants in the information they provided suggesting that the data were reliable. It is judged that the self- report of methadone patients should be given considerable credence when information is gathered in a context of trust and confidentiality. The investigators conclude that the Oregon Methadone Treatment Program deserves the full support of the community as one with significant dividends to the patients and to the state.

No description available.