by Eric So Hon Kei. / Questionnarie in Chinese. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-66). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.vii / CHAPTER / Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.1 / Recent Condition of Adolescent Substance Use in Hong Kong --- p.1 / Contemporary Theories of Adolescent Substance Use --- p.2 / Temperament --- p.5 / Coping --- p.8 / Cognitive Motivations for Substance Use --- p.9 / General Deviance and Substance Use --- p.10 / Objectives of Present Study --- p.12 / Chapter 2 --- METHOD --- p.15 / Participants --- p.15 / Measures --- p.21 / Procedure --- p.25 / Chapter 3 --- RESULTS --- p.26 / Data Reduction: Factor Analysis of Negative Cognitive Motivation Scale --- p.26 / Internal Consistency of Measures --- p.26 / Comparison of Substance Use Variables --- p.29 / "Comparison of Temperament, BIS/BAS, Coping and Cognitive Motivation Measures" --- p.31 / Test of Bias in Cognitive Motivation Measures --- p.35 / Predicting Degree of Heroin Use in the Heroin User Inmates --- p.38 / Chapter 4 --- DISCUSSION --- p.48 / Cognitive Motivations for Substance Use --- p.48 / Bias in Cognitive Motivations for Substance Use --- p.50 / Temperament and Ways of Coping of Heroin and Non-heroin User Inmates --- p.52 / Prediction of Degree of Heroin Use --- p.56 / Implication for Substance Use Intervention --- p.58 / Limitations --- p.59 / Summary --- p.61 / REFERENCES --- p.63 / APPENDIX --- p.67

The physical effects of substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) are well known, but it is not clear whether the use of these substances can be a warning sign for psychological or emotional problems in high school students. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a nationwide survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every other year which asks students questions about risk behaviors such as substance use, sexual activity, the amount of violence in their lives, and suicide attempts. We examined students who were involved in the use of substances more commonly found in high schools (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) to see if they were significantly more likely to attempt suicide than their peers who were not involved in this type of activity. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed on the 2013 Nationwide YRBS data (n = 13,583) to examine this effect while controlling for the following possible covariates: depression, gender, age, race, lack of sleep, and access to weapons. Results of this analysis showed a significant increase in suicide attempts among students who used tobacco and marijuana (OR = 1.987, 95%CI = 1.638, 2.411; OR = 1.273, 95%CI = 1.038, 1.561, respectively). However, the results of this analysis did not show a significant increase in suicide attempts for students that consumed alcohol. It was interesting to see that while possession and use of marijuana for a high school student is a more highly punishable crime, tobacco use is a better indicator for possible attempts at suicide. While there are many variables at play when it comes to substance use and suicide risk, these results indicate that students who are identified as users of tobacco and marijuana should be looked at more closely as they represent a population more susceptible to attempting suicide.

Background: Substance abuse by either victim or perpetrator has long been associated with violence and abuse. Sparse research is available regarding elder abuse and its association with substance abuse. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of state-reported domestic elder abuse with regional levels of substance abuse. Methods: Census demographic and elder abuse data were sorted into substate regions to align with the substance use treatment-planning regions for 2269 US counties. From the 2269 US counties there were 229 substate regions in which there were 213,444 investigations of abuse. For the other Ns (reports and substantiations) there were fewer counties and regions. See first sentence of data analyses and first sentence of results. Results: Elder abuse report rates ranged from .03 to .41% (80 regions), investigation rates .001 to .34% (229 regions), and substantiation rates 0 to .22% (184 regions). Elder abuse investigations and substantiations were associated with various forms of substance abuse. Higher investigation rates were significantly associated with a higher rate of any illicit drug use in the past month, a lower median household income, lower proportion of the population graduated high school, and higher population of Hispanics. Higher substantiation rates were significantly associated with higher rate of illicit drug use in the past month and higher population of Hispanics. Conclusion: It may be worthwhile for administrators of violence programs to pay particular attention to substance abuse among their clients and in their community’s environment, especially if older persons are involved. Scientific Significance: Measures of documented elder abuse at the county level are minimal. To be able to associate substance abuse with elder abuse is a significant finding, realizing that the substance abuse can be by the victim or the perpetrator of elder abuse.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Refere to document

Disparities between the substance use rates of sexual or gender minority (SGM) youth and the rates of youth identifying as heterosexual (i.e., attracted to the opposite sex) and cisgender (i.e., gender identity corresponds to birth sex) have given rise to calls for 1) research to understand the specific risk and protective factors relating to substance use in SGM youth and 2) the development of corresponding intervention programming In three papers, this dissertation explores predictors for substance use among SGM youth and describes methods of targeted recruitment for a prevention intervention program tailored to SGM youth. In the first paper, comparing the contributing factors of substance use between sexual minority and heterosexual youth revealed that although many predictors were associated with use in both groups, sadness, suicidal ideation, difficulty concentrating, and forced sexual encounters were the most consistent and substantial contributors to the explanation of the difference in use rates between groups. In the second paper, risk and protective factors identified from social learning theory and minority stress theory, including perceived stress, problem-solving skills, self-esteem, self-efficacy, substance refusal skills, and peer use of substance, were generally associated with past-month substance use. Peer use of substance and substance refusal skills, in particular, were consistently and robustly associated with substance use in the sample of SGM youth, and their intersection provides insight into themes to address in future intervention development. Issues of disclosure and parental permission have made recruiting representative samples of SGM youth challenging, and the third paper offers insight into an inexpensive and time-efficient means of recruiting SGM youth for participation in such research. The specificity with which Facebook ads can be targeted to hard-to-reach populations makes it a preferred tool for researchers who seek to recruit SGM youth. Taken together, the three papers of this dissertation can serve as a guide for the development and execution of substance use prevention research that is tailored to the specific needs of SGM youth.

Healthcare big data are a growing source of real-world data with which to identify and validate medications with repurposing potential. Previously, we developed a claims-based workflow to evaluate medications with potential to treat stimulant use disorders. In order to test the workflow, the framework was applied in the context of opioid use disorders (OUDs), for which there are medications with known efficacy. Using the Truven Marketscan Commercial Claims Database, a nested case-control analysis was conducted to determine the association between OUD medications (buprenorphine, naltrexone) and remission. Cases were defined as enrollees with a remission diagnosis and matched (1:4) to controls (individuals without remission) using incidence density sampling, with age group, sex, region, and index year as additional matching variables. After adjusting for behavioral health visits, polysubstance use disorders, and psychiatric disorders using conditional logistic regression, the odds of OUD medication exposure were 3.8 (99% confidence interval: 3.0 – 4.9) times higher in cases than controls. Evaluation of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (e.g. lisinopril) as a negative control revealed no significant association between the medication and remission. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using administrative health claims data to evaluate the effectiveness of medications to treat substance use disorders.

Treating people with co-occurring or dual diagnosis disorders requires an integrated treatment approach due to the complex health and social needs of people who suffer from mental illness and drug addiction. An integrated approach is not only necessary but crucial to treat both the drug addiction and mental illness concurrently. The aim of this study is to explore the impact that non- integrated care can have on the number of relapses that dually diagnosed people can have. The study found that there is no correlation between concurrent treatment and the number of relapses that dually diagnosed people may have. Social workers will need to be able to recognize mental illness that co-occurs with substance use in order to effectively treat clients to determine what treatment approach should be used. Social workers are trained to use a biopsychosocial approach to capture all aspects of the client’s life. This I especially important for clients that may be dually diagnosed.

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) conducted a study and determined that approximately one-third to two-thirds of child neglect cases had some form of substance abuse related to the case. Further, it is reported that women who use alcohol or drugs are two times more likely to lose custody of their children than non- using mothers. The purpose of this study is to examine which treatment modalities substance use counselors find most effective when treating women with children. This study utilized a qualitative design asking eight open ended questions to fourteen substance use counselors employed at Prototypes in Pomona, CA. The substance use counselors were asked questions regarding what treatments they offered at their facility, what they believed the most effective treatment modalities are when treating women with children, and what barriers they faced when treating women with children. Findings from this study found the holistic and client centered approaches to be the most effective treatment modalities when treating women with children. The holistic approach considers every aspect of the client’s life and the client centered approach allows the counselors to develop care plans that are specific to their client’s unique needs. Social workers should strive to keep women with their children while they are in treatment. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of this population and to provide appropriate treatment, services, and resources to women and their children.

This research addresses the use of canine animals in substance abuse treatment. There is research that addresses the importance of animals regarding therapy and mental illness, as well as research on the comorbidity of severe mental illness and substance abuse disorder. However, there is no research that looks at utilizing canines in substance abuse therapy. The purpose of this research was to examine the utilization of canine animals in rehab for those with substance abuse issues. The theoretical foundation for this study is the theory of contextualism. This theory focuses on humans with animals. To address the gap in research, this quasi-experimental quantitative study looked at two independent variables, presence or absence of a canine during treatment, and gender. The method of data collection was obtaining charts of 130 discharged clients, along with retrieval of data regarding days authorized by insurance for treatment. Information was obtained on the number of days that the client stayed in treatment. There was a comparison of the numbers that created a standardization for treatment. There was not significant difference in the average duration of substance abuse treatment when comparing people who attend treatment with their canine compared to those who do not attend treatment with a canine nor was there a difference between the genders. This research may create positive social change by providing an alternative to substance abuse disorder treatment. Not only will this create a positive environment for the client, but it will also provide them the ability to have comfort in a critical time in their lives. This research shows that canines provide something to mankind that we cannot always provide to one another.

Thesis (M.A.(Social Work)) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / The problem of alcohol and other drugs abuse as well as HIV/AIDS exists globally. This problem does not, spare any institution. It occurs even in primary schools. It cuts across the colour, creed, age and ethnicity lines. The high rate of infection and death of youth in South Africa has devastating consequences, which in turn has led to a destruction of individuals, families and communities. In other words, HIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to the health and welfare of South Africans. Heightened concern about the damage brought by alcohol and other drugs as well as HIV/AIDS has led researchers, educators, social service providers and health service providers to develop an array of diversified programmes to discourage the youth from engaging in unprotected sex and abusing drugs and alcohol. However the problems persist despite measures suggested in a plethora of research studies, reports and inquiries that have been mounted towards alleviating them. An investigation of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and substance abuse was conducted among Grade 6 & 7 learners from three different primary schools in Sefateng Village, Motsepe, Bogalatladi; and Mafise. The ages of respondents ranged from 12 to 16 years of age. The findings in the study shows that primary school learners indulge in sexual activities and use of substances from as early as 12 years of age.