This study analyzed the effects of acculturation, locus of control, and incidence of inhalant use on Mexican Americans. Information was collected from 275 subjects at three middle schools and one treatment center. The instrument consisted of Levenson's Locus of Control Scale, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans, and an incidence of use and family relationship questionnaire developed for this study. Statistical analysis indicated a relationship between acculturation and inhalant use. Further examination revealed relationships between a family members' use and subjects' inhalant use; subjects' alcohol use and inhalant use; and subjects' marijuana use and inhalant use. Information implied that prevention and intervention programs should focus on children of substance users and further research is needed surrounding the role of acculturation.

Background. Caregivers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are a highly stressed group and their parenting stress has been linked to increased depression, anxiety, and reduced parenting self-efficacy (Osborne & Reed, 2008; Rezendes & Scarpa, 2011; Weiss & Lunsky, 2011). Given these areas of concern that parents of children with autism experience, there is a need to look more closely at modifiable factors that improve parental well-being. As such, health habit behaviors, including sleep, diet, exercise, and substance use are modifiable factors demonstrated to be causally related to well-being in adults. The present dissertation consists of two studies that explored how parents’ engagement in health habits (sleep, diet, exercise, and substance use) related to their well-being (stress and depression) and explored the possible determinants of health habit engagement. Specifically, how parental characteristics (both psychological and demographic), social support (both relationship-based and resource-related), and child factors (child behavior and demographic variables), relate to parents’ engagement in these habits. And, in study two, these exploratory analyses went further by examining how parent’s engagement in healthy habits relates to the observed parenting quality. Methods and Results: Study 1. Study one was a needs assessment completed by mothers and fathers (n=68) of children in an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) early intervention program in the northeastern United States, all at-risk for a developmental disability, many of whom were at risk for developing ASD. Parents completed questionnaires that included questions about their healthy habit engagement adapted from the Promise Neighborhoods RFA Indicators and the Promise Neighborhoods Research Consortium [PNRC] Measurement System (Promise Neighborhoods Research Consortium: Measures, 2001) as well as those related to parent, social support, and child characteristics. Parental characteristics included demographic characteristics of caregiver age and education level along with questionnaires on the parent’s psychological functioning; a measure of well-being (WHO-5; Topp, Østergaard, Søndergaard, & Bech, 2015), parental stress (PSI-4; Abidin, 2012), and caregiver depressive symptoms (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001). Questionnaires covering the second domain of social support included a measure of perceived social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12); Cohen & Hoberman, 1983), marital satisfaction (Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale; Schumm et al., 1986a), household income, and caregiver nativity. Questionnaires covering the third domain of child factors included a measure of child sleep problems (Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire; Owens, Spirito, & McGuinn, 2000), the ratio of children to adults in the home, child age, and child gender. Overall, about half of the caregivers reported an insufficient amount of sleep (less than 7 hours on average). A third of caregivers reported they did not exercise at all. Only a third reported eating breakfast every day, half ate only one serving of fruit most days and one serving of vegetables a day, half ate family meals prepared at home almost every day, a third ate fast food regularly, about half were told to lose weight. Most did not smoke or drink alcohol regularly. Additionally, about 30% reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms and elevated levels of parental stress. Significant relationships were found between parental characteristics, social support, child factors, and healthy habit engagement. Of note, caregiver stress, depression, and well-being were related adversely to mother’s sleep, diet, and substance use. Perceived social support was positively related to sleep, marital satisfaction negatively to smoking, household income negatively to diet and alcohol consumption, and nativity positively to sleep, diet, and alcohol consumption. No correlations were found with child factors and healthy habits. Examining a regression model of the facilitators and barriers to healthy habit engagement, caregiver well-being positively related (t=4.015, p<.001) while child sleep disruptions negatively related to healthy habit engagement (t=-2.344, p=.026). Additionally, depression was found tomediate the relationship between healthy habit engagement and parental stress using PROCESS (CI= (-1.811, -.324), R2=.274). Methods and Results: Study 2. Study two aimed to narrow in on a specific population of mothers of preschool-aged children with autism. Participants were 46 mother-child dyads, with children ages 2-6 to 5-6 recruited from a preschool utilizing an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach to schooling. Children had a classification of ASD, verified by the Autism Diagnostic Observation System – Two (ADOS-2) (Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, Risi, Gotham, & Bishop, 2012). Parenting behaviors, categorized as positive and harsh parenting, were observed across three tasks and coded using the Psychological Multifactor Care Scale — ASD Adapted Preschool Version (Brassard, Donnelly, Hart, & Johnson, 2016). Mothers completed the same questionnaires as study one for measures of healthy habit engagement, parental characteristics (excluding the WHO-5), and social support, There were additional child factor measures; however, including the child sleep problems and child externalizing behavior subscales from the CBCL (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000), child language functioning (Vineland-III Communication subscale; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Saulnier, 2016), ASD severity (ADOS-2), along with ratio of children to adults in the home, child age, and child gender. Overall, more than half of the mothers reported an insufficient amount of sleep (less than 7 hours on average). Almost half of mothers reported they did not exercise at all. Almost half reported eating breakfast every day, a third ate only one serving of fruit most days, and half ate one serving of vegetables a day, a third ate family meals prepared at home almost every day, a third ate fast food regularly, and a third were told to lose weight. Most did not smoke. Additionally, 11% of the sample had elevated depressives symptoms and 20% had elevated levels of parental stress. Similar significant relationships were found between parental characteristics, social support, child factors, and healthy habit engagement in study two. Of note, caregiver stress and depression were related negatively to caregiver’s sleep, diet, exercise, and being overweight. More perceived social support was related to better diet, household income to not being overweight, and nativity to smoking. Correlations were also found with child factors and healthy habits; child sleep with mother’s sleep, externalizing behavior problems withsmoking, and high child to adult ratio with mother’s sleep. Examining a regression model of the facilitators and barriers to healthy habit engagement, caregiver depressive symptoms related negatively to healthy habit engagement (t=-.380, p=.049). ASD severity (t=-.511, p=.045) and child age (t=-.523, p=.014) came out as negatively related to mother’s diet in a similar model analysis. Additionally, mothers sleep directly related to both positive (R2=.213) and harsh (R2=.165) observed parenting quality. Conclusion. The results from study one and study two suggest that sleep, diet, exercise and substance use are important for parent’s well-being in both parents of children in early intervention and mothers of preschool-aged children with autism. Furthermore, parental wellbeing was the most predictive of engagement in healthy habits when examining possible facilitators and barriers. Child sleep was an important potential barrier in parents of children in early intervention and autism severity and child age were important potential barriers to mother’s diet in mothers of preschool-aged children with ASD. Furthermore, in study two, mothers sleep was an important factor not only for well-being but also for an objective measure of parentingquality, further strengthening the importance and value of sleep for a highly stressed population.

Wan Lei Nei. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-160). / Abstract and questionnaires in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.vi / Abstract --- p.vii / List of abbreviations --- p.xii / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Club drugs --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1. --- "Pattern of ""club drug"" use in Hong Kong" --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2. --- "Popular ""club drugs"" used in Hong Kong and their effects" --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.2.1. --- MDMA ('ecstasy') --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.2.2. --- Ketamine --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1.2.3. --- Cannabis --- p.10 / Chapter 1.1.2.4. --- Methamphetamine ´(بIce'） --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2 --- Neurobiology of drug addiction --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Introduction to reward pathways and animal models of addiction --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Behavioural processes of addiction --- p.18 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Other neurotransmitter systems in addiction --- p.21 / Chapter 1.2.5 --- Molecular plasticity in addiction: signaling and gene expression --- p.23 / Chapter 1.3 --- Association of Personality Traits and Drug Abuse --- p.26 / Chapter 1.4. --- Association between genetics and drug abuse --- p.31 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- "Family, twin and adoption studies" --- p.32 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Transgenic and knock out animal models --- p.33 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Candidate genes for drug abuse --- p.33 / Chapter 1.4.3.1 --- Dopamine receptor genes --- p.34 / Chapter 1.4.3.2 --- Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) gene --- p.35 / Chapter 1.4.3.3 --- Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene --- p.35 / Chapter 1.4.3.4 --- Serotonergic genes --- p.37 / Chapter 1.4.3.5 --- Opioid receptor genes --- p.38 / Chapter 1.4.4 --- Linkage studies of drug abuse --- p.39 / Chapter 1.5 --- Genetic factor and personality trait --- p.39 / Chapter 1.5.1 --- Twins study --- p.41 / Chapter 1.5.2 --- Candidate gene studies --- p.41 / Chapter 1.5.3.1 --- Dopamine (DA) --- p.42 / Chapter 1.5.3.2 --- COMT --- p.43 / Chapter 1.5.3.3 --- MAO-A --- p.44 / Chapter 1.5.3.4 --- Serotonin (5-HT) --- p.44 / Chapter 1.5.3.5 --- Opioid receptor --- p.46 / Chapter 1.5.4 --- Interaction between genes --- p.47 / Chapter 1.6 --- Aim of study --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- MATERIALS AND METHODS --- p.50 / Chapter 2.1 --- Recruitment of Subjects --- p.50 / Chapter 2.1.1. --- Club drug users --- p.50 / Chapter 2.1.2. --- Controls --- p.50 / Chapter 2.2 --- Phenotype assessment --- p.51 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Questionnaire (Appendix la 226}0ؤ Chinese version used; lb - English translated version for reference only) --- p.51 / Chapter 2.2.1.1 --- Demographics --- p.51 / Chapter 2.2.1.2 --- Pattern of drug use --- p.52 / Chapter 2.2.1.3 --- First time drug use --- p.52 / Chapter 2.2.1.4 --- Reason of drug use --- p.52 / Chapter 2.2.1.5 --- Effects of drug use --- p.52 / Chapter 2.2.1.6 --- Potential dependence/ withdrawal --- p.53 / Chapter 2.2.1.7 --- Knowledge about drug of abuse and psychological well-being. --- p.53 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Personality assessments (Appendix 2a - Chinese version of SSS-V scale; 2b -Chinese version of BIS/BAS scale) --- p.53 / Chapter 2.3 --- DNA extraction --- p.53 / Chapter 2.4 --- Genotyping --- p.54 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- "G1947A, Val108/158 Met polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene" --- p.55 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- T941G polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene --- p.55 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- TaqI A Polymorphism of the DRD2 Gene --- p.56 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- 7-repeat allele of a 48 bp repeat polymorphism (DRD4-7) in exon 3 of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) --- p.57 / Chapter 2.4.5 --- -521C/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) I the promoter region of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) --- p.58 / Chapter 2.4.6 --- G861C polymorphism in the serotonin receptor 1B (5-HT1B) gene --- p.59 / Chapter 2.4.7 --- The 44 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) --- p.60 / Chapter 2.4.8 --- T921C Polymorphism in Exon 3 of the Human DOR (hDOR) Gene --- p.60 / Chapter 2.4.9 --- A118G polymorphism in Exon 1 of the Human MOR (hMOR) Gene --- p.61 / Chapter 2.5 --- DNA sequencing --- p.62 / Chapter 2.6 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.63 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- RESULTS --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1 --- Results from questionnaire --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Demographics of club drug users --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.1.1 --- Gender and age --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.1.2 --- District of residence --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.1.3 --- Type of living quarters and cohabitation --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.1.4 --- Educational attainment and employment status --- p.66 / Chapter 3.1.1.5 --- Parents'details --- p.66 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- First time drug use --- p.67 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Prevalence of drug use --- p.68 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Frequency and quantity of drug used --- p.69 / Chapter 3.1.7 --- Drug spending --- p.70 / Chapter 3.1.8 --- Pattern of drug use in and outside Hong Kong --- p.71 / Chapter 3.1.9 --- Cause of drug use --- p.75 / Chapter 3.1.10 --- The negative effects of drug use --- p.77 / Chapter 3.1.11. --- Potential tolerance/ dependence --- p.79 / Chapter 3.1.12 --- Knowledge about drugs of abuse --- p.80 / Chapter 3.1.13 --- Psychological well-being --- p.80 / Chapter 3.2 --- Personality trait assessments --- p.81 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Personality traits between club drugs users and controls --- p.81 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Personality trait by gender --- p.81 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Reliability --- p.83 / Chapter 3.3 --- Genotyping --- p.84 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- "G1947A,Vall08/158 Met polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyl- transferase (COMT) gene" --- p.84 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- T941G polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) --- p.87 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- T921C Polymorphism in Exon 3 of the Human DOR (hDOR) Gene --- p.90 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- G861C polymorphism in the serotonin receptor 1B (5-HT1B) gene --- p.92 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- TaqI A Polymorphism of the DRD2 Gene --- p.94 / Chapter 3.3.6 --- The All 8G polymorphism in exon 1 of the human MOR (hMOR) gene --- p.96 / Chapter 3.3.7 --- The 44 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) --- p.97 / Chapter 3.3.8 --- 48bp repeat polymorphism (DRD4) in exon 3 of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) --- p.98 / Chapter 3.3.9 --- -521C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) --- p.99 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- DISCUSSION --- p.100 / Chapter 4.1 --- Demographics and pattern of club drug use --- p.100 / Chapter 4.2 --- Personality traits assessment --- p.108 / Chapter 4.3 --- Gene polymorphisms --- p.110 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- "COMT G1947A, Val108/158 Met polymorphism" --- p.111 / Chapter 4.3.2. --- MAO-A T941G polymorphism --- p.114 / Chapter 4.3.3. --- hDOR T921C polymorphism --- p.115 / Chapter 4.3.4. --- hMOR A118G polymorphism --- p.117 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism --- p.118 / Chapter 4.3.6 --- DRD4 48bp VNTR polymorphism --- p.120 / Chapter 4.3.7. --- DRD4 -C521T polymorphism --- p.121 / Chapter 4.3.8. --- 5-HT1B G861C polymorphism --- p.121 / Chapter 4.3.9. --- 5-HTTLPR SLC6A4 44 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism --- p.122 / REFERENCES --- p.125 / APPENDIX 1a Questionnaire (Chinese version) / APPENDIX 1b Questionnaire (English translated version) / APPENDIX 2a Chinese version of SSS-V scale / APPENDIX 2b Chinese version of BIS/BAS scale

An exploratory study was conducted to understand work related stress and substance use among the cemetery workers of the Ethekwini Municipality Anecdotal evidence suggested that in order to cope with the work related stress, this group of workers used substances like dagga and alcohol to cope with the stressors. A qualitative study was done in which focus group discussions were used to understand the cemetery workers' stressors and coping strategies with particular interest in the use of substances. A purposive sampling technique was used and six cemeteries out of twelve within the Ethekwini Municipality were chosen. All the workers in these cemeteries performed similar duties. The participants were on permanent contracts and were mainly adult males, with only a few female workers. They were from Indian and African ancestry. Thematic content analysis was used to explore their stressors and coping strategies. The cemetery workers' stress revolved around the intense and strenuous nature of their work with special reference to the exhumation of graves. Organisational structures and management practices that allowed for inadequate communication and little participation in the making of decisions, impacted negatively on their job satisfaction. The stresses were managed by a general acceptance of their working conditions, and the use of substances like dagga and alcohol during working hours. The data suggested that the stressors would be lessened if attention is paid to the improvement of communication between the participants and management, and to allow for a more participatory decision making, regarding aspects that directly influenced their daily activities. Proper induction and selection procedures are needed, and health promotion activities are needed on the dangers of substance use and healthy stress management strategies. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Addiction is one of the most significant problems facing contemporary society. Consequently many scholars, institutions and clinicians have sought to understand this complex phenomenon, as is evident in the abundance of etiological models of addiction in existence today. A literature review pointed that there is little consensus regarding the nature and etiopathogenesis of addiction, and integrative models have not yet been able to provide the sought-after integration. In addressing this problem, this study offers a theoretical analysis of the paradigmatic and meta-paradigmatic suitability of Integral Theory in the design of an integrated metatheory of addiction. The data consisted of the most prominent etiological theories and models of addiction. The study focused on several essential features constituting the architectonic of any metatheory that attempts to provide conceptual scaffolding for the construction of a comprehensive metatheory of addiction. The criteria for the construction of a metatheory were conceptual integration, ontological span, ontological depth, empirical validity and internal consistency. Integral Theory was critically assessed in terms of each of the abovementioned criteria. The study suggests that Integral Theory is eminently suitable as a philosophical foundation for the development of an integrated metatheory of addiction. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

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

Addiction is one of the most significant problems facing contemporary society. Consequently many scholars, institutions and clinicians have sought to understand this complex phenomenon, as is evident in the abundance of etiological models of addiction in existence today. A literature review pointed that there is little consensus regarding the nature and etiopathogenesis of addiction, and integrative models have not yet been able to provide the sought-after integration. In addressing this problem, this study offers a theoretical analysis of the paradigmatic and meta-paradigmatic suitability of Integral Theory in the design of an integrated metatheory of addiction. The data consisted of the most prominent etiological theories and models of addiction. The study focused on several essential features constituting the architectonic of any metatheory that attempts to provide conceptual scaffolding for the construction of a comprehensive metatheory of addiction. The criteria for the construction of a metatheory were conceptual integration, ontological span, ontological depth, empirical validity and internal consistency. Integral Theory was critically assessed in terms of each of the abovementioned criteria. The study suggests that Integral Theory is eminently suitable as a philosophical foundation for the development of an integrated metatheory of addiction. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)