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Background: Rural people who inject drugs (PWID) have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic. Methods: Using data from a cross-sectional study of PWID from rural New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, we evaluated the potential for syringe services programs (SSPs) to lower the risk of HCV infection among rural PWID via their influence on the physical and social environment. The specific aims were to evaluate: 1) the association of spatial proximity to the nearest SSP with HCV seroprevalence and injection risk behaviors; 2) the association of indirect SSP use (secondary syringe exchange) with HCV seroprevalence and injection risk behaviors; and to 3) explore PWIDs’ perceptions and experiences with obtaining injection supplies, injection risk behaviors, and HCV. Results: Living farther from an SSP was associated with a higher prevalence of HCV seropositivity and injection risk behaviors. Indirect SSP use was weakly and imprecisely associated with lower prevalence of injection risk behaviors, while direct SSP and pharmacy use were both associated with a higher prevalence of HCV seropositivity and injection risk behaviors. Participants described sharing syringes in response to limited access to syringe sources. Syringe sharing behavior was influenced by perceptions of HCV risk, HCV status, and emotions of trust and intimacy. Conclusion: Spatial proximity to an SSP and direct use of an SSP may lower the risk of HCV infection among rural PWID. HCV prevention efforts in rural New England need to address syringe access and cultivate the perception that HCV is a serious but preventable risk.

This study examined differences in sexual risk behaviors by gender and over time among 1281 patients (777 males and 504 females) from 12 community-based substance use disorder treatment programs throughout the United States participating in CTN-0032, a randomized control trial conducted within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Zero-inflated negative binomial and negative binomial models were used in the statistical analysis. Results indicated significant reductions in most types of sexual risk behaviors among substance users regardless of the intervention arms. There were also significant gender differences in sexual risk behaviors. Men (compared with women) reported more condomless sex acts with their non-primary partners (IRR = 1.80, 95 % CI 1.21–2.69) and condomless anal sex acts (IRR = 1.74, 95 % CI 1.11–2.72), but fewer condomless sex partners (IRR = 0.87, 95 % CI 0.77–0.99), condomless vaginal sex acts (IRR = 0.83, 95 % CI 0.69–1.00), and condomless sex acts within 2 h of using drugs or alcohol (IRR = 0.70, 95 % CI 0.53–0.90). Gender-specific intervention approaches are called for in substance use disorder treatment.

The dissertation thesis points to a wide range of possibilities of therapeutic use with fairy-tale material and at the same time offers a concrete example of working with adolescents with educational problems. We worked with ten respondents, 5 boys and 5 girls who were clients of the Center for Educational Care. Based on the assumption that the fairy tale metaphor represents a non-threatening stimulus, the respondents were asked to formulate their own lives into a fairy tale. All participants were willing to work with a fairy-tale metaphor even on subjectively unpleasant topics, and in none of the stories did we encounter any significant resistance. The analysis of stories through Propp's morphology of the fairy tale brought a characteristic story of a child with an educational problem and at the same time proved to be a meaningful therapeutic tool. The analysis of the data through a narratively oriented approach inspired by McAdams and his identity as a life story yielded a demonstration of the identity of an adolescent with educational problems. An important outcome of the work is the evaluation of the internally experienced responsibility of this specific group of adolescents. Keywords: adolescents, risk behavior, fairy tale, life story, therapeutic tool

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Sexting, defined as the exchange of sexually explicit materials via the Internet or mobile phones, is an increasingly common risky behavior; however, little is known about why people sext. The goals of the study were to (1) review the sparse literature on sexting, (2) identify key information yet to be answered by the current literature, (3) describe how personality and social learning might influence the risk for sexting, (4) empirically examine the factor structure of the newly developed Sextpectancies Measure, and (5) empirically examine how sensation seeking and sexual arousal-related expectancies might interact to predict sexting. Participants: Participants were undergraduate students at a large, public US, mid-western university (N = 611). The mean age was 21.2 (SD = 5.4) and the sample was 77.3% female. Design: A series of correlational, reliability, and hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine relationships between sensation seeking, sexting frequency, and sexual arousal sexting expectancies. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted based on two proposed models of the Sextpectancies Measure. Findings: Sensation seeking significantly predicted sexting frequency (β = .215, p < .001). Sexual arousal sexting expectancies significantly predicted sexting frequency (β = .428, p < .001), and sexual arousal expectancies partially mediated the relationship between sensation seeking and sexting frequency, showing a significant indirect effect (β = .085, p < .001). Although the initially proposed model for the Sextpectancies Measure examining two overarching sending and receiving domains did not fit the data well, an alternative model which identified overall positive and negative expectancies, fit the model relatively well (RMSEA = .085; CFI = .926). Conclusions: This study is the first step towards understanding the sexting risk process and how specific personality traits and social learning may increase the risk for sexting. Additionally this study provides some insight into common expectancies of sexting.

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur studie- och yrkesvägledare beskriver det förebyggandearbetet med barn och unga som riskerar att hamna i en gängkriminell kontext. För att få en djupare förståelse för problematiken och de arbetsmetoder som tillämpas för att stödja elever i riskzonen förgängkriminalitet, utgår studien från en kvalitativ metod där empirin samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta studie- och yrkesvägledare som är verksamma på grundskolor i utsatta områden. Resultaten från studien visar att en central del av det förebyggande arbetet sker i form av samverkan med skolans elevhälsoteam, polis, socialtjänst och övriga aktörer inom det samverkande fältet. En viktig slutsats är att en stor del av arbetet utgår från ett relationsfrämjande förhållningssätt. Vidare är deras upplevelse att vägledningsinsatser spelar en betydande roll för att främja framtidstro hos elever som befinner sig i riskzonen för att hamna i en gängkriminell kontext. Tidiga vägledningsinsatser, upplevsdärför vara av betydelse redan i lägre åldrar. Genom att stärka elevers självförmåga, självkänsla och vidga deras handlingshorisont inför framtida val, kan detta få en förebyggande effekt. Detta arbete försvåras dock på grund av bristande förutsättningar för ett långsiktigt förebyggande arbete som tenderar att dels, i vissa fall, stagnera och dels leda till att arbetet istället får ett fokus på att möta det behov som är mest akut. / The purpose of this study is to examine how study and career counselors describe preventive work with children and adolescents at risk of becoming involved in gang-related activities. To gain a deeper understanding of the issues and the methods applied to support students at risk of gang involvement, the study adopts a qualitative approach, collecting empirical data through semi-structured interviews with eight study and career counselors working in compulsory schools in vulnerable areas. The results of the study show that a central part of the preventive work is carried out through collaboration with the school’s student welfare team, police, social services, and other actors in the collaborative field. An important conclusion is that a significant part of the work is based on a relationship-building approach. Furthermore, their experience is that career counselor’s interventions play a significant role in promoting hope for the future among students at risk of involvement in gang-related activities. Early career counselor’s interventions are therefore perceived to be important even at younger ages. By strengthening students’ self-efficacy, self-esteem, and broadening their horizon of action, this can have a preventive effect. However, this work is challenged by the lack of conditions for long-term preventive work, which tends to, in some cases, stagnate and, in others, lead to a focus on meeting the most acute needs.

The aim of this work is to contribute to finding the best wals, to prevent violence and bullying among pupils in primary schools. As one of the possibilities offered is the use of Drama Education. In the practical part are evaluated the views of teachers on the use of drama education in the prevention of violence and bullying. The main part is the project focused on primary prevention, wich was verified in practice. Based on experience, are written to each activities recommendations and advice for future implementation. Verification project in practice confirms that the use of methods of Drama is one of the possible ways, how to address the prevention of violence and bullying among pupils in primary schools.