This thesis describes a longitudinal assessment of explanation and behaviour shift in alcohol users. It involves applying two 'process' models of addiction to the same sample of alcohol using subjects. Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model of Change (1979) is one of the more influential and widely used models in assessing and treating problem use of a wide range of substances. The model is based on philosophies of psychological measurement which assume literal meaning and veridical status of verbal report. The methodology employed by the Trantheoretical Model to measure an individual's 'Stage of Change' is that of forced choice questionnaire scores, which allow allocation into one of four stages of change. This method therefore assumes an individual's stage of change allocation reflects their current internal state with regard to their substance use. In contrast, the Functional Discursive model (Davies 1997) is based on philosophies of discourse and emphasises the predictive value of discourse. The model regards discourse as functional and indicative of the individual's current motivational state in relation to their substance use. Therefore the model postulates language is functional in context, and performative rather than informative. This model was developed in response to a growing dissatisfaction with many traditional methods of data collection in the field of substance use. The Functional Discursive Model is also very much a social model because the explanations surrounding the substance using behaviour occur within differing social contexts. The current study examines the efficacy and applicability of the two models which employ opposing methodological approaches. Using different treatment and non-treatment groups of alcohol users the study also assesses whether progression through the stages of either model differs according to the type of treatment intervention. In addition, two independent measures were chosen to provide additional data against which to assess anThis prompted the selection of Rosenberg's Self-esteem Inventory to measure levels of self-esteem across differing contexts (i. e. time, treatment approach and stage of alcohol use). The second independent measure included in the study was the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which was chosen to measure levels of problematic alcohol use across the differing contexts, to enable further comparisons to be made between the models and agencies. The general hypothesis states that the discourse based model which postulates that language is performative and context dependent will perform better across a range of contexts. The general hypothesis generates a number of more specific hypotheses which are detailed in the introduction. The following study aims to assess how the two different models perform in terms of these hypotheses. Differences and relationships between levels of self-esteem and levels of problematic alcohol use were found according to stage position in each model. For example, low self-esteem was found to be a feature of the stages (for each model) associated with problem alcohol use. Conversely, higher self-esteem was associated with non-problem stages. Use of the AUDIT confirmed patterns of alcohol use through the stages as proposed by the authors of each model. In addition, AUDIT scores closely mirrored self-esteem scores providing further confirmation that low self-esteem is associated with more problematic alcohol use. A clear relationship was also found between stage position in each model and type of treatment agency with which contact was made. Agencies supporting an abstinence-based approach to treatment were found to be treating only those individuals at the most problematic stages of each model. In contrast, agencies supporting a return to controlled drinking were found to treat individuals across a range of stages. Comparisons made between the two models suggest that while some overlap regarding the defining characteristics of individual stages was present, the Discursive Model can better accommodate a broader spectrum of substance use than is measured by the Stages of Change. Thus, the two models cannot be mapped directly onto each other. In terms of clinical application, the two models were found to be better suited to different treatment approaches. The Discursive Model appears better equipped to accommodate harm reduction and controlled drinking treatment approaches and the Stages of Change appear more pertinent to an abstinence-based approach.

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This research was concerned with the phenomenon of problematic school-related absenteeism (PSRA) within the Victorian secondary school system with particular reference to middle schooling. The study investigated categories of PSRA, identified major risk factors associated with PSRA, and outlined outcomes relevant to selected school-based strategies employed in the management and minimisation of PSRA. A review of literature was undertaken that identified a number of major categories and risk factors that were associated with PSRA. Subsequently, a conceptual framework was developed. It was the conceptual framework underpinned by the research questions that guided the research design and the collection and analysis of data. Five research questions underpinned this research. The primary research question was:

Depression, problematic behavior and substance use are becoming increasingly common in adolescence. This study highlights the role of emotional and behavioral issues in Swedish adolescents and their respective associations with the severity of abuse of alcohol and drugs. Self-report questionnaires were used from a sample of 180 individuals enrolled in a Swedish clinic for adolescent substance abuse, aged 12-20. Results showed that individuals with behavior problems had the strongest association with substance use overall. Specifically, rule breaking behavior followed by withdrawal/depression. Examining gender differences showed that girls had the strongest associations with substance use overall. Implications for future research are discussed.

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With the growing popularity in video games, there has been increased concerns over the prolonged exposure to the entertainment medium. Problematic gaming is defined as a pattern of gaming behavior that causes significant impairment in personal, social, other important areas of functioning, often characterized by preoccupation and loss of interest in other areas. This study examined how problematic gaming behaviors may be influenced by insecure adult attachment and perceived social support from differing sources. It was hypothesized that avoidant attachment would have a significant direct and indirect effect (via perceived social support) on problematic gaming. In addition, perceived social support from online friends and from offline friends were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between attachment and problematic gaming, Participants were recruited from both SONA (n = 151) and Amazon's Mturk (n = 264) to complete an online research questionnaire that measured variables of interest. Results indicated that the direct and indirect effects of attachment avoidance on problematic gaming were supported in both subsamples but the moderator effects were not. Further exploratory analysis found that anxious attachment demonstrated a similar pattern as avoidant attachment, but with a significant moderator effect of perceived social support from online friends (enhance) on the attachment anxiety and problematic gaming relation. Additionally, anhedonia and depressive symptoms were found to be significantly correlated with problematic gaming. Limitations, future research directions, and clinical implications are discussed.

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Problematic Internet use (PIU) and problematic video gaming (PVG) are associated with various negative health outcomes and are increasingly concerning behavioral health issues among youth. While market research indicates that US Latinx use the Internet and video games more frequently than non-Latinx US youth, research on PIU and PVG among this historically understudied population is lacking. Accordingly, data on PIU, PVG, parental monitoring, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, depression, parental attachment, acculturation, and positive future orientation were collected using validated standardized measures from three separate samples of US Latinx and non-Latinx youth. The aims of this research were to explore the associations between PIU, PVG, and family, cultural, and individual wellbeing outcomes in a community sample of US Latinx and non-Latinx black adolescents. The first study (N = 159) examined the incidence of PVG among youth and found that younger elementary school aged males (ages 6-11) had the highest PVG scores, followed by middle school aged males (ages 12-14), and high school aged males (ages 15-18). Building off previous research, the second study collected data (N = 247) examined PIU as a mediator of the association between parental monitoring and academic achievement, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, and depression. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to estimate the relationships between the variables, controlling for adolescent’s age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Results revealed that PIU is a significant mediator between parental monitoring and low academic achievement, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, and depression. A third study was conducted to examine if PIU and PVG mediate the relation between family, cultural, individual constructs and academic achievement. Two separate simple mediation models were tested using PROCESS© macro v3.0 for SPSS 25. Results from the hypothesized mediation models were not significant. Suggestions for future research to examine critical Latinx cultural values and their influence on behavioral health is discussed.

In this essay, I discuss the merits of contestability in contrast with consent as a meansof legitimizing the state. Particularly I have been concerned with problematiccontracts: Contracts with undefined obligations and their implications on thelegitimacy of voluntarist consent. Through my argumentation, I have shown thatvoluntarist consent to political mandates has a hard time legitimizing politicalauthority in the presence of problematic contracts – and instead, that legitimationbased on the the ability to contest decisions may provide a better degree of politicallegitimacy. Contestability can seemingly also be combined with elements of voluntaristconsent to further cement the legitimacy of decisions.