A multidimensional model of associations between domestic violence exposure and risk of violence and prosocial behavior was tested in a sample of Colombian adolescents, with attention to impulsivity and substance use problems as mediators of these associations. A representative sample of 1,152 school youths and a convenience group of 148 juvenile offenders aged 11-19 years was recruited from Medellin, the second largest city in this South American country. Assessment was carried out in classrooms in the school sample and in correctional institutions for juvenile offenders. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the conceptually derived models. Similarly, multisample analyses and nested model comparisons were used to explore mediator effects. Results showed strong associations between domestic violence exposure and putative mediators and outcomes, especially among offenders. Though impulsivity and substance use problems mediated the relation between family violence (i.e., exposure to interparental violence) and adolescent maltreatment (i.e., harsh parenting) and violent and prosocial behavior in both groups, impulsivity exerted a greater effect on adjustment among juvenile offenders than their counterparts. Juveniles who reported less ability to inhibit their impulsive responses engaged in more problems related to illicit substance use, violent acts (e.g., carrying weapons at school and in the streets), and less prosocial activities with their peers. Nonetheless, the best model fit indexes were obtained when paths from impulsivity to substance use problems and violent behavior were added to model comparisons. Results are discussed within the framework of Information-Processing theory for understanding pathways to violent and prosocial behavior.

Substance use is a significant problem among middle school students in the United States. Research indicates that the early use of substances increases the likelihood of negative outcomes including long-term use and abuse. Both parenting and peer variables exert strong influences on children's decisions to use or abstain from substances. As children age, peers begin to exert a stronger influence, but parenting practices can significantly reduce peers' harmful influences. In this study, three waves of data (collected at the end of 6th grade, and the beginning and end of 7th grade) from a large multi-site study were used to examine the role of peer deviance as a mediator of the influence of parental monitoring on substance use among an ethnically diverse sample of over 2,500 middle school students. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal interrelations among parental monitoring, peer deviance, and substance use among middle school students, and to investigate potential group differences by gender and family structure. The hypotheses that peer deviance and substance use would influence one another over time were upheld. The two variables were interrelated such that peer deviance produced increases in substance use over time, but so too did substance use produce peer deviance over time. The prospective relation between substance use and peer deviance was stronger than the converse relation, suggesting that substance using peers seek one another out. Parental monitoring was associated with decreases in substance use over time, but its influence was small. Parental monitoring was more strongly associated with decreases in peer deviance. However, parental monitoring's effect on substance use was not mediated by peer deviance over these 3 waves in that parental monitoring at Wave 1 did not predict substance use 1 year later. Contrary to hypothesis, substance use was not associated with changes in parental monitoring over time, although peer deviance was associated with less monitoring. In general, parental monitoring was more closely linked to peer deviance than it was to substance use. This study found no convincing evidence to suggest group differences in the overall pattern of findings according to gender or family structure.

The effects of family functioning and tangible support from family members are examined in an opiate addicted population. The study specifically assessed drug use, self-efficacy, and quality of life as treatment outcomes of interest. There have been mixed findings in the literature in regards to how families influence rehabilitation from substance use. Specially, previous research has shown that families can further patients’ recovery, while other findings have shown that families can impede patients’ recovery from substance use. The aim of this study was to analyze potentially contributing factors related to the family system, to gain a stronger understanding of how families influence recovery for patients receiving treatment for their opiate addiction. The study included 110 participants who were patients from a medically assisted recovery facility. The participants took survey measures regarding beliefs about their self-efficacy, quality of life, family functioning, and tangible support received from family members. The participant’s drug use information was verified through facility databases of current urine screens and prescription use. Survey results did not substantiate the hypotheses that tangible support influences treatment outcomes. However, hypotheses that family functioning would positively influence self-efficacy and quality of life were supported. The belief that family functioning would have a negative relationship with the participant’s drug usage was not corroborated by the data, as there was no relationship found between these variables. Finally, there was no moderating relationship observed between family functioning, tangible support, and treatment outcomes. This was contrary to expectations that a moderating relationship would be present. Implications of how the study’s findings can inform research and clinical interventions in an opiate addicted population are discussed.

Research on college student use of caffeine combined with alcohol (CAC) and public health concern over such use has been hampered by the absence of psychometrically sound measures of caffeine and CAC use. The present study examined agreement between survey (CAS) and interview (TLFB) methods for collecting data on caffeine, alcohol and CAC use. Participants were N=50 college students randomized to complete CAS followed by TLFB or the reverse. Qualitative follow-up interviews with N=15 participants were used to identify factors contributing to CAS-TLFB discrepancies. Responses varied by method of administration, with largest discrepancy magnitudes found for CAC, followed by caffeine, then alcohol use. Rates of reporting use by only one method were highest for CAC (65.5%). Lack of knowledge about caffeine was common, with over half (56%) having at least one caffeine misreport. Largest discrepancies were found for CAC use, an area of public health concern, particularly among college students.

Mobbning är ett stort globalt problem som har förekommit länge bland ungdomar. Syftet med denna föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning samt föräldrabarnkommunikation relaterar till mobbning. Studien avser att kontrollera bakgrundsvariabler såsom kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i. Följande frågeställningar formulerades: (a) Finns det något samband mellan psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation och mobbning? (b) Hur relaterar psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation till mobbning samtidigt som kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i kontrolleras? För att studera detta område har vi använt oss av kvantitativ ansats med material från LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) studie 2015. I studien ingick det 1324 elever från två små och två medelstora städer i Jönköpings och Västra Götalands län i Sverige. Resultatet indikerar att det finns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan mobbning, psykisk hälsa, tobak alkohol och droganvändning, samt föräldrabarnkommunikation. Det mest intressanta resultatet i studien visar att det finns en signifikant skillnad mellan pojkar och flickors mobbningsbeteende och vad som predicerar det. Pojkar är mer involverade i mobbning än flickor och deras mobbningsbeteende prediceras av tobak, alkohol, och droganvändning och föräldrabarnkommunikation samt upplevd trivsel i bostadsområdet medan flickors mobbning relaterar till psykisk hälsa, föräldrabarnkommunikation, etnicitet och upplevd trivsel i området. / Bullying is a major global problem that is prevalent among young people. The aim of the present study is to investigate mental health and tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure related to bullying. The study intended to verify background variables such as gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area one lives in. The following questions were formulated: (a) Is there any connection between mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, child disclosure and bullying? (b) How does bullying relate to mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure while controlling for gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area? To study this area, we used a quantitative approach with material from the LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) study in 2015. The study included 1324 students from two small and two medium-sized cities in Jönköping’s and Västra Götaland’s county in southern Sweden. The result indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between bullying, mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, as well as child disclosure. The most interesting result of the study shows that there is a significant difference between boys and girls bullying behavior: Boys are more involved in bullying than girls, and their bullying behavior is predicted by tobacco, alcohol, and drug use and child disclosure and perceived enjoyment of the area they live in, while girls bullying related to mental health, child disclosure, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area they live in.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Introduction: Sustained attention is known to be dysfunctional in psychotic disorders. Sustained attention is the ability to remain focused on a specific time-locked stimulus within a task. We aimed to determine whether there are specific group differences between CON and three psychotic disorders: SCZ, MPD and BPD, then to determine differences between these psychotic disorders. This included differences in behavioural performance and prominent electrophysiological event-related potential (ERP) wave components during cueing and target processing of a visual sustained attention task. Further we aimed to characterize ERP waveform component relationships across and within these groups for demographics, substance use, behavioural performance, and clinical variables, the last limited to the psychotic groups. Lastly, we investigated the effects of prescribed medications on ERP wave components within the psychotic groups. Methodology: 103 participants (29 schizophrenia (SCZ), 28 bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis (BPD), 21 methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MPD), and 30 controls (CON)) underwent electroencephalography (EEG) record while completing a visual continuous performance task. Participants were presented with 60 trials with three consecutive S’s, the presentation of the third S required a behavioural response. Prominent ERP waveform components were extracted from cues and target stimulus. Group differences were determined by ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc correction or multivariate Kruskal-Wallis test dependent on data distribution. Relationships between ERP wave components were determined appropriate with Spearman’s Rank order correlation analyses.

Este estudo objetivou analisar a concepção dos profissionais de saúde do Centro de Referência para Álcool, Tabaco e Outras Drogas (CRATOD) acerca da estratégia da Reabilitação Psicossocial, bem como a inserção desta nas intervenções práticas focalizadas nos usuários de álcool e outras drogas. A amostra constituiu-se de 11 sujeitos, para a análise dos dados utilizou-se a abordagem qualitativa hermenêutica dialética norteada pelos pressupostos teóricos da Reforma Psiquiátrica Brasileira. A análise dos dados possibilitou a construção de duas categorias empíricas: Reabilitação Psicossocial e Projeto Institucional. Os resultados apontam que a Reabilitação Psicossocial desenvolvida no serviço encontra-se alinhada à reabilitação psiquiátrica tradicional e aos modelos adaptativos, isto é, atrelada à lógica da normalidade social, sendo esse o principal desafio a ser superado quando se considera o modelo psicossocial de atenção à pessoa com transtornos mentais e comportamentais devido ao uso de álcool e outras drogas, contrapondo-se a esse modelo, a abstinência aparece como a meta a ser atingida no tratamento, o que demonstra uma contradição com a atual Política Nacional sobre Drogas, que pauta-se nos princípios do campo psicossocial da atenção e, portanto, na lógica da Redução de Danos. A Reabilitação Psicossocial destes usuários necessita da construção de um referencial teórico próprio, pois trata-se de um processo complexo, que envolve várias instâncias, tais como: indivíduo família, instituição, comunidade, sociedade e políticas de saúde mental / This study has as objective to analyze the conception held by health professionals of the Reference Center for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (CRATOD) about the strategy of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation, as well as the insertion of this strategy in practical interventions focused on alcohol and other drugs users. The sample was composed of 11 subjects, for the data analysis the qualitative research with hermeneutic-dialectical approach was used guided by the theoretical presuppositions of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform. The data analysis made possible the construction of two empirical categories: Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Institutional Project. The results pointed out that the Psychosocial Rehabilitation developed in the service is found aligned to Traditional Psychiatric Rehabilitation and to adaptive models, that is, it is attached to the logic of social normality, which is the main challenge to be overcome when we consider the psychosocial model of attention to people with mental and behavioral disturbances due to the use of alcohol and other drugs, opposing itself to this model, the abstinence is shown as the main goal to be achieved during the treatment, what shows a contradiction with the current National Drug Policy, which is guided by the principles of the psychosocial attention field and, consequently, by the logic of the Harm Reduction. The Psychosocial Rehabilitation of these users needs the construction of its own theoretical referential, because it is a question of a complex process, that involves several instances, as well as: individual, family, institution, community, society and mental health policy

A maioria dos jovens emite alguns comportamentos antissociais; uma minoria, porém, irá manifestar tais procedimentos de modo mais frequente, o que pode representar um risco à persistência e ao agravamento dos mesmos, ao longo do tempo. Dentre os comportamentos antissociais encontram-se as condutas delituosas e o uso de sustâncias. Estudos apontam que o uso de substâncias em meio aos adolescentes infratores é maior do que na população em geral de adolescentes e acontece de forma mais preocupante. O presente estudo, ao utilizar dados de uma amostra de 120 adolescentes em conflito com a lei, objetivou caracterizar os comportamentos delituosos bem como os de uso de substâncias, buscando verificar as associações existentes entre eles. Os adolescentes foram recrutados no contexto da custódia inicial, após a elaboração do Boletim de Ocorrência, e convidados a participar do estudo. Seus pais/responsáveis foram contatados e solicitados a autorizarem a participação dos filhos na pesquisa, seguindo as normativas éticas. Para a coleta de dados, foram empregados: Roteiro de Entrevista Sociodemográfica; a Entrevista Estruturada de Delinquência Autorrevelada; DUSI-R (Drug Use Screening Inventory). Análises descritivas e, posteriormente, Análises de Clusters foram realizadas. Para observar as diferenças internas e externas estatisticamente significativas entre os subgrupos, utilizaram-se os testes estatísticos apropriados. Resultados obtidos indicaram que os adolescentes revelaram ter cometido outros delitos além daquele pelo qual estavam custodiados, a maioria não violentos. Com relação às substâncias psicoativas, 84% dos adolescentes referiram ter feito uso e 70%, uso no último mês. Em relação aos que referiram uso das mesmas, as drogas mais usadas na vida e no mês foram a maconha e o álcool. Destaca-se que a maioria dos jovens que referiu uso de substância no último mês, apresentou uso bastante frequente de maconha (mais de 20 vezes). O padrão do uso de substâncias dos adolescentes, em termos médios, pode ser descrito do seguinte modo: início do uso aos 12 anos de idade e utilização simultânea de mais de uma substância distinta. A frequência de uso no último mês entre estes foi alta, praticamente, diário. Observou-se, contudo, que a maioria dos adolescentes apresentou padrão de uso considerado não problemático (abstinente e uso experimental) e que as dificuldades associadas ao uso se concentraram na relação com os pares e na escola. As análises de clusters em termos de engajamento infracional, levando em conta os parâmetros idade de cometimento do primeiro delito, número de delitos diferentes cometidos e frequência total dos cometidos na vida, concorreram para o estabelecimento de três agrupamentos. Estes se diferenciaram no tocante aos padrões de uso de substâncias, denotando-se relação positiva entre maior engajamento infracional e padrão de uso mais problemático. Os agrupamentos formados também se diferenciaram externamente em função dos constructos mensurados pelo DUSI-R, sendo que em oito dos dez constructos investigados pelo instrumento, observaram-se diferenças com significância estatística. Diferentes relações droga-crime foram notadas; não é possível estabelecer com exatidão a direção de tais relações. De todo modo, notou-se no presente trabalho as diferenças em meio aos infratores nas duas variáveis focadas, o que impõem reflexões sobre a necessidade de intervenções especializadas e diferenciadas. / Most young emits some antisocial behaviors; a minority, however, will manifest these behavior often, which may pose a risk to the persistence and aggravation of these, over time. Among the antisocial behaviors are criminal and use of substances behaviors. Studies show that substance use among the young offenders is higher than in the general population of adolescents and happens more worryingly. The purpose of this study was characterizing the offending behavior and the substance use, using data from a sample of 120 juvenile offenders. The adolescents were recruited in the context of initial custody, after the police report. They were invited to participate and their parents/guardians were contacted and asked to authorize their participation in the research, following the ethical standards. To collect data, we used: Sociodemographic Interview; Self-Report Delinquency Interview; DUSI-R (Drug Use Screening Inventory). Descriptive analyzes and subsequently Clusters tests were performed. To observe the internal and external statistical differences between subgroups, we used appropriate tests. Results revealed that teenagers have committed other offenses beyond that for which they were held in custody, most nonviolent. With regard to psychoactive substances, 84% reported having used and 70% use in the last month. Cannabis and alcohol was the substances with a higher prevalence of lifetime use and use in the month. The most adolescents who reported substance use in the past month, has quite frequent use of cannabis (more than 20 times). The pattern of substance use on average was: initial use to 12 years of age and simultaneous use of more than one distinct substance. The frequency use in the last month among these was substantially high, with everyday use. However, most adolescents have usage pattern considered abstinent and experimental and the major problems related to substance use was the relationship with peers and school. The criminal engagement, taking into account the age of initiation of offenses, number of different offenses committed and overall frequency of crimes committed in life, contributed to the establishment of three clusters. The clusters was significantly diferentes in the substance use patterns, indicating a positive relationship between greater infraction engagement and standard more problematic use. The clusters also differed externally in the marjority of the DUSI-R constructs - eight of the ten constructs investigated by the instrument showed statistical differences. Different drug-crime relationships were noted; however, we can not be established with accuracy the direction of these relationship. Anyway, it was noted in this study the differences among the offenders in the two focused variables, which require some reflection on the need for for specialized and differentiated interventions.

Friends have been implicated in the acquisition of adolescent substance use, but little attention has been given to how the origins of substance use similarity vary across groups. The first aim of this study is to examine whether friend selection, de-selection, and socialization differ as a function of friendship group's substance use. The second aim of this study is to extend Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analyses (SIENA) by demonstrating how group-level interactions can be included in the mode, and to demonstrate a new method to follow-up statistically significant group-level interactions in SIENA. Participants include 1419 Finnish students (729 females, 690 males) from upper secondary schools in Finland. Two waves of data were collected, starting when most participants were between 15 and 17 years of age. Waves of data collection were separated by one year. Results indicate that friends are selected, deselected, and socialized for substance use. Follow-up illustrations indicate that the magnitude of these processes vary as a function of substance use in the friendship group. / by Dawn DeLay. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

INTRODUCTION: While research indicates that Motivational Interviewing (MI) is effective for reducing substance use, little is known about whether brief MI-based interventions reduce drug use in a primary care setting, or what processes impact outcomes. Mixed findings in MI process studies have led investigators to call for research exploring alternative process variables that may predict outcomes. The current study is a secondary data analysis using coded audio-recordings from a randomized controlled trial that tested the efficacy of two brief MI-based interventions as part of the `Assessing Screening Plus brief Intervention's Resulting Efficacy to stop drug use' (ASPIRE) trial. It was hypothesized that skill in affirming clients and enhancing self-efficacy (also assessed as a composite self-enhancement variable) would be associated with lower frequency of drug use at 6 weeks and 6 months after controlling for baseline drug use and indicators of general MI proficiency. METHODS: Audio-recordings from two intervention conditions [Enhanced Motivational Intervention (EMI; N=176) and Brief Negotiated Interview (BNI; N=174)] were coded with behavior counts and global interventionist skill ratings using an established coding system for MI and a study-specific coding manual. A series of negative binomial regression models were conducted that were stratified by intervention due to the different goals and characteristics of the two interventions. Secondary and tertiary analyses examined moderators including MI Spirit and patient baseline ratings of self-efficacy. RESULTS: There were no significant findings for the main effects models (Incidence Rate Ratio range .71-1.29). Only patient self-efficacy moderated the relationship between self-enhancement composite and 6 week outcome in the BNI condition; Self-enhancement composite was associated with lower frequency of drug use at 6 weeks in the BNI condition for those with low self-efficacy at baseline. Discussion: Overall, the results provided little support for the view that therapist skill in affirmation or enhancing self-efficacy was predictive of drug use outcomes in one-session interventions in primary care. The restricted range of interventionist skill ratings may account, in part, for these intervention process findings. Future work should explore the role of these interventionist variables on proximal indicators of change (i.e., intention) and drug use in MI-based interventions with demonstrated efficacy.