This research aimed at identifying patterns of substance abuse among South African adolescents and exploring the relationship between psychological well-being and substance abuse. A thorough understanding of the numerous aetiologies suggested to account for substance abuse were set out at the beginning of the study, as these are crucial to the effective understanding of any high risk behaviour. Psychological well-being was examined as a psychological construct so as to allow for a proper understanding of the term. In this study, 1 918 learners from 13 schools in the Tshwane area participated. The sample consisted of learners from 12 to 19 years of age, 802 males and 1 005 females, from Indian, Coloured, White and Black cultural groups. The students completed a life skills questionnaire that comprised of a Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire as well as various questions regarding high risk behaviours including substance use. A factor analysis was used to explore characteristics of the Psychological Well-Being Scale. It was found to be a reliable measure for this sample group. Self-report substance abuse patterns of the respondents were recorded. It was found that substance abuse (drinking, binge drinking, drug use) increases with age and that nearly twice as many male adolescents abuse substances. Culture was found to be a determining factor with regard to drinking and binge drinking, however, it was not found to influence drug use. In multifactorial analyses of variance it was found that both psychological well-being and life satisfaction had a significant relationship with drug abuse although no causality can be attributed from the results. Engel’s Biopsychosocial Model and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model were used to explain the complexity of the relationship between psychological well-being and substance abuse. Both models highlighted that in order to understand the adolescent, it is crucial to examine his or her cultural and familial behaviours that support their high risk activities. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

We investigated the effects of the Gulf War on two groups of Kuwaiti children and youth. Those children experiencing war-related traumatic events and those who did not experience or witness a war-related traumatic event participated. Data were obtained from the mother of each child. Each mother completed a structured Interview which Included Child Traumatic Reaction Index, developed according to the DSM-IV (1994) criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The data indicated a significant interaction effect observed by mothers according to the child's gender, experience of war traumatic events, and PTSD. The results are discussed In terms of the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, the necessity of early Identification, and the difficulty associated with the diagnosing PTSD in children.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed disorder that is associated with many negative outcomes. For many children, the disorder is comorbid with externalizing and/or internalizing problems. Understanding the correlates of comorbid problems in children with ADHD could be important for better treatment and/or prevention strategies. The purposes of this study were (a) to determine what parent-related and child-related characteristics are associated with externalizing or internalizing problems in children with ADHD, and (b) to determine if there are differences in these characteristics between a group of children with ADHD and externalizing problems, and a group of children with ADHD and externalizing and internalizing problems. Results indicated that parent anxiety, parent aggression, and child hostility were associated with internalizing problems. Child aggression was associated with externalizing problems. Results also indicated that children with ADHD and externalizing and internalizing problems had significantly more hostility than children with ADHD and externalizing problems only.

Doctor Educationis / Background: South Africa has the largest burden of HIV in the world with 7.9 million people living with HIV and 4.4 million registered on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2017. KwaZuluNatal is hardest hit by the HIV epidemic with a prevalence of 27% among adults aged 15 to 49 years old. With the widespread ART uptake, the spectrum of HIV related admissions in hospitals has changed over the last decade. Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and renal failure have become significant reasons for inpatient care. Increased life expectancy, rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and easier access to ART have played a significant change in the landscape of inpatients as compared to the pre-ART era. To provide integrated healthcare to the patient, it is necessary to understand the prevalence and patterns of HIV comorbidities for efficient and effective service delivery to HIV patients at facility-level. Aim: The current study aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of HIV-related comorbidities in adult hospital admissions in iLembe, KwaZulu-Natal. Methodology: A retrospective, cross-sectional survey was conducted of all adult HIV-related admissions between 1st October and 31st December 2019. Clinical and demographic characteristics were extracted from admission and discharge records, and laboratory data was collected via the National Health Laboratory Services using Labtrack. Summative and inferential analyses were done using SPSS v 23.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(社会健康医学) / 甲第21266号 / 社医博第89号 / 新制||社医||10(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科社会健康医学系専攻 / (主査)教授 辻川 明孝, 教授 中山 健夫, 教授 小杉 眞司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Public Health / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), a complex disorder linked to adverse behavioral outcomes and impaired functioning, is associated with difficulties in emotion regulation (ER)—including both ER abilities and use of ER strategies. BPD commonly co-occurs with other disorders that are themselves linked to emotion dysregulation. Thus, it is important to consider the potential role of these comorbidities when examining ER difficulties in BPD. The present study investigated relationships between ER abilities, ER strategies, and BPD, while considering key comorbidities, among a sample of participants: (a) diagnosed with BPD, (b) without BPD but matched to BPD group members on key classes of psychopathology (i.e., mood, anxiety, substance use, trauma-related, and other personality disorders; matched psychiatric control [MPC] group), or (c) free of assessed psychopathology (healthy control [HC] group). Results revealed few significant differences between the BPD and MPC groups, who both demonstrated greater impairments than the HC group across most ER abilities and strategies. Notable exceptions were greater impulse control difficulty (ability) and anger rumination (strategy) in the BPD relative to both other groups. Additionally, lower composite maladaptive ER strategies and higher composite adaptive strategies distinguished the HC from BPD group, with neither composite ER abilities nor strategies differentiating the MPC from BPD group, though this result is limited by statistical overlap between variables. By elucidating the potential role of psychiatric comorbidity in two key components of ER in BPD, this study contributes to a growing literature that may help inform therapeutic interventions targeting the severe emotional and behavioral dysregulation commonly seen in this complex disorder. / Psychology

No description available.

No description available.

Some local health organizations in Ontario (e.g., Local Health Integration Network or LHINs) have put forward a strategic objective to identify patients with preventable high cost healthcare service usage (e.g., hospitalizations, emergency department [ED] visits). To attain this goal, primary care service providers, who are considered the entry point to the health system, need tools to help diagnose, treat and refer those patients identified as being potential high users of the health care system. The goal of this study was to develop a management and referral tool to identify, manage and refer patients living with multiple comorbidities to specialized care teams such as Health Links. Data used in this analysis were obtained from the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) primary care data holdings. The dataset created for this study contained 14,004 patient records. Data analysis techniques included use of both statistical and predictive analytic tools. The base models included four data mining classification algorithms: Decision Tree, Naïve Bayes, Neural Network and Clustering. The predictive modeling approach was complemented by an association analysis. The one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that age and health status (number of conditions, and individual medical conditions) identified statistically significant differences in patient utilization of health services. Results from the predictive analytics showed that patient age and patient medical conditions, as well as number of medical conditions for each patient (5 or more) could be used as criteria to develop tools (e.g. searches, reminders). Specifically, Parkinson disease, dementia and epilepsy were found to be important predictors (i.e. most frequently associated with) the top 4 most prevalent conditions (hypertension, osteoarthritis, depression and diabetes) within the population of the study. The association analysis also revealed that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was closely associated with the top 4 most prevalent conditions. Based on the findings of this study, Parkinson Disease, dementia, epilepsy and COPD can be used to identify patients with complex medical needs who are likely to be high users of the healthcare system and to be considered for early, personalized intervention. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)