There is a perception that drug use is a serious and growing problem to be solved by medicine, social work and drug enforcement agencies. This thesis takes a critical standpoint again such populist views and interprets drug use as one of any number of normal activities that people engage. This qualitative research utilising a bricoleur ethnographic methodology focuses on the drug taking of non-treatment seeking illegal drug users. The data reveals that they manage several social identities and the potential stigma of being discovered as an illicit user of illegal drugs utilising several strategies to remain intentionally unseen. The thesis explores how and in what way socially competent drug users differ from visible treatment seeking drug users. In order to develop this understanding, several gatekeepers were identified and within their social networks the participants were recruited into this research. The participants (n=24) were recruited from a wide range of age groups (21-52) and geographical locations within Scotland. One to one interviews, a focus group, and several pair bonded partners were interviewed together providing rich sources of data. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically from a social constructionist perspective. The findings illuminate the ways in which the intentionally unseen identify and manage risks from drugs, drugs policy and the potential shame and stigma were their hidden social worlds revealed. The practical implications of the results of this thesis are explored and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Le présent mémoire explore les liens entre les différents types de capitaux (social, familial, délinquant et individuel) et certains actes déviants, soit la consommation de substances psychotropes et l’implication criminelle violente chez un groupe de décrocheurs scolaires canadiens. Dans un premier temps, il s’agit d’établir la prévalence et les habitudes de consommation de cette population aliénée du système éducatif. De plus, cette étude concerne l’implication criminelle violente des décrocheurs. Plus précisément, il s’agit de déterminer la fréquence des manifestations agressives et les types de violence perpétrés par ces jeunes, ainsi que d’examiner les liens qui se tissent entre la consommation de substances psychotropes et la commission d’actes violents. Ensuite, il est question d’étudier l’impact des différents capitaux (social, familial, délinquant et individuel) sur la consommation de substances psychoactives et l’implication criminelle violente des décrocheurs. En outre, dans une perspective davantage clinique, le dernier objectif aura pour but d’identifier différentes typologies de décrocheurs scolaires. Les analyses s’appuient sur un échantillon de 339 jeunes décrocheurs scolaires de Montréal et Toronto. Les informations amassées par rapport à l’usage de substances psychotropes et la commission d’actes violents concernent les douze mois qui ont précédé la passation du questionnaire. Succinctement, les taux de prévalence de consommation des décrocheurs apparaissent plus importants que ceux de la population estudiantine, leur usage est plus inquiétant de même que l’auto-évaluation de leur dépendance. Les résultats révèlent également une implication criminelle violente importante, surtout chez les garçons et les consommateurs de substances psychotropes. Qui plus est, le capital délinquant semble avoir un impact majeur sur l’usage d’alcool et de drogues de même que sur les manifestations de violence perpétrées par les décrocheurs. Enfin, trois typologies de décrocheurs scolaires ont été identifiées, soit les invisibles, les détachés et les rebelles. / This paper explores the links between different types of capital (social, familial, criminal and individual) and some deviant acts, consumption of psychotropic drugs and violent criminal involvement among Canadian school drop-outs. In first place, the prevalence and habits of alcohol and drug consumption of this population alienated from the education system will be established. Moreover, this study concerns violence involvement of school drop-outs. More specifically, in determining the frequency of aggressive events and types of violence perpetrated by these young people, and to examine the relationships between the use of psychotropic substances and the commission of violent acts. Then, there is the impact of various capitals (social, familial, criminal and individual) on the consumption of psychoactive substances and violent criminal involvement of school drop-outs. In a more clinical perspective, the last goal will be to identify different types of school drop-outs. This analysis is based on a sample of 339 young school leavers in Montreal and Toronto. The information collected in relation to the use of psychotropic substances and the commission of violent acts involve the twelve months preceding the award of the questionnaire. Briefly, the prevalence of consumption of drop-outs is more important than the student population; their use is even more disturbing as well as the self-assessment of their dependency. The results also show a significant violent criminal involvement, especially among boys and consumers of psychotropic substances. Moreover, the criminal capital appears to have a major impact on the use of alcohol and drugs as well as the manifestations of violence perpetrated by drop-outs. Finally, three types of school dropouts have been identified: the invisible, the detached and the rebels.

Objectifs : Étudier l’incidence de la dépendance à l’alcool ou aux drogues chez les étudiants exposés à la fusillade du Collège Dawson dans les 18 mois suivant celle-ci. Identifier les précurseurs au développement d’une dépendance à une substance psychoactive en tenant compte de la sévérité d’exposition à l’événement. Examiner si la consommation d’alcool 18 mois après les événements est en lien avec les différents groupes de symptômes d’état de stress post-traumatique. Méthode : La population à l’étude est composée de l’ensemble des étudiants du Collège Dawson au moment de l’événement. Les analyses ont été faites auprès de 854 étudiants inscrits au Collège au moment de la fusillade. Résultats : Cinq pourcent des femmes et 7 % des hommes présentent pour la première fois de leur vie un problème de dépendance à une substance suite à la fusillade. Pour les hommes, leur jeune âge, la présence de pensées suicidaires au cours de leur vie, ainsi que le fait d’avoir vu le tireur au moment de la fusillade sont les principaux précurseurs de cas incidents de dépendance. Aucun des précurseurs étudiés n’est significatif pour les femmes. Les hommes et les femmes se distinguent également quant aux symptômes d’état de stress post-traumatique qui prédisent la consommation d’alcool 18 mois après la fusillade. Conclusion : La principale retombée de l’étude est de souligner l’importance de considérer le sexe des individus pour étudier leur consommation de substances psychoactives suite à un traumatisme. / Objectives: To determine the incidence of a drug or alcohol addiction among the students who witnessed the Dawson shooting, in the 18 months that followed the event. Identify predictors of development of an addiction to a psychoactive substance, taking into account the severity of the exposure to the event. Consider whether alcohol consumption, 18 months after the event, is connected to the different categories of symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Method: The population under study includes the students at Dawson College at the time of the event. Analyses were conducted with data from 854 students enrolled at the College when the shooting took place. Results: In the 18 months following the shooting, 5 % of women and 7 % of men developed an addiction to a substance for the first time in their lives. For men, younger age (< 20 years old), the prevalence of suicidal thoughts throughout their lives, as well as having seen the perpetrator at the time of the shooting, were key predictors. No predictors were significant for women. Men and women also differed with regards to post-traumatic stress symptoms that predict alcohol consumption, 18 months after the shooting. Conclusion: The main outcome of this study stresses the importance of considering the gender of individuals, when evaluating their consumption of psychotropic drugs or alcohol after a trauma.

The point of concentration for this study was to estimate the extent to which health-promoting habits might predict medication-compliant practices among older adults. The purpose was to recognize potentially non-adhering persons, identify attitudes leading to healthy habits, and signal any practices contributing to non-compliant behaviors. Selected were patients who ranged in age from minimum 62, lived independently, self-administered medication regimes, had a chronic ailment that had persisted for at least 12 months, and regularly attended a geriatric clinic sited in the midwestern United States. A non-probability convenience sample (n = 100) was analyzed by a descriptive correlational approach to test self-proclaimed relations between health habits and compliant practices. The instrument used to measure health habits that would enrich life was the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II created and promoted by Walker, Sechrist, and Pender (1995). The tool used to decide levels of medication adherence was a compliance profile created specifically for this study. Demographic information was collected for age, race, marital status, gender, and education. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was utilized to decide what, if any, real and measurable interrelationships exist between the health-promoting habits and medication-compliant practices among an older population. The t-test was utilized in determining differences in both healthpromoting lifestyle habits and medication-compliant practices between older males and females. The significance level used to evaluate every theory was p < .05. Discovery gave no statistically critical relationship between overall health-promoting lifestyle habits and medication-compliant practices among the constituents of an older populace. Findings gave no significant variance between men and women in either lifestyle habits or compliance practices as a whole, but the HPLP II categories of Interpersonal Relations and Nutrition did mirror a significant difference between genders. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

Introduction: Social networks have shown promise in curbing drug dependency and infectious diseases among marginalized populations. The purpose of this study is to elucidate how relationship strength in social networks is associated with risk behaviours for infectious diseases. Methods: Two reviews were conducted: 1) a systematic review exploring the association between risk behaviours and relationship strength 2) a review on the utilization of respondent driven sampling (RDS). We also analyzed network data to determine the association between recent injection drug use and recent crack use. Results: Our reviews revealed that few studies link relationship strength and risk behaviours; moreover, RDS is effective method of sampling from marginalized populations. Finally, our analysis demonstrated that close relationships are associated with drug use. Conclusion: “Close” relationships are important in arbitrating injection drug use and crack smoking. More research addressing the issues of using data from dynamic social processes and hard-to-reach populations is needed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-169). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xi, 169 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of peer, community and religious influences on alcohol and tobacco use among high school adolescents from three different dominant groups of South Africa i.e. African, coloured and white adolescents. The investigations were based on two perceived major factors such as their familiy structure and their family's socio-economic status, which may either increase or decrease the likelihood of adolescent substance use.

<p>Substance abuse among adolescents is a global problem and South Africa is no exception. In the Western Cape there is an alarming popularity and increased use of an illicit highly addictive substance, locally known as 'tik-tik'/methamphetamine. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of this substance and there is an urgent need to address the 'tik-tik' problem in the Westen Cape. Tik/methamphetamine has thus become a great concern to educators, social workers and health practitioners in the province. The goal of this study was to explore the life-world of the adolescent methamphetamine/'tik-abusers' in order to describe their experiences of personal, social and environmental issues in the process of tik-addiction.</p>

Introduction Child sexual abuse is a common problem. Psychological and behavioural problems in children and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse have been associated with the abuse. Little research has been conducted which has been long-term, prospective, involved substantiated sexual abuse, included a control group, took into account mediating factors, utilised multiple data sources, relied on standardised measures and had a high follow-up rate. Aim The aims of this study were to compare a cohort of sexually abused young people with a group of nonabused peers and to establish predictors of psychological and behavioural outcome. Method This study was a follow-up which was long-term, prospective, involved a sample of children with substantiated sexual abuse, included a control group, took into account mediating factors, utilised multiple data sources, relied on standardised measures and had a high follow-up rate. Eighty-four sexually abused young people were followed up five years after presenting to Children�s Hospitals� Child Protection Units for sexual abuse and were compared to a group of 84 nonabused young people of similar age and sex. The two groups were compared on the basis of demographic variables, family functioning, mother�s mental health and life events; the outcome measures of depression, self-esteem, anxiety, behaviour, criminal activity, alcohol and other drug use, eating problems, running away, suicide attempts, self-injury, hopefulness, despair and attributional style; and potential mediating factors such as further notifications to the Department of Community Services, receipt of psychological treatment, legal action against offenders and victims compensation. Potential predictors of outcome were (1) demographic variables, (2) sexual abuse characteristcs, (3) intake data and (4) five year follow-up variables. Main findings Follow-up rates were 81percent (n equals 68) for cases and 89percent (n equals 75) for controls. Five years after presenting for the sexual abuse, the sexually abused young people were performing more poorly than their nonabused peers on various measures of psychological state and behaviour. Although the abused children had experienced more negative life events (p<.001), were from lower socio-economic groups (p<.0001), had more changes in parent figures (p<.001) and had mothers who were more psychologically distressed (p equals .03), multiple regression analysis showed that after allowing for these and other demographic and family factors, there were still significant differences between the groups after the 5 years. The abused children displayed more disturbed behavior (p equals .002), had lower self-esteem (p<.001), were more depressed or unhappy (p<.001) and were more anxious (p equals .03) than controls. Sexually abused children had significantly higher levels of bingeing (p equals .02), self-injury (p equals.009) and suicide attempts (p equals .03). Significant predictors of psychological and behavioural outcome were significantly related to family and parent functioning variables. Abuse status was not a significant predictor when offered to each of the predictive models. Significant predictors of outcome included the following intake variables: family functioning, mother�s mental health, whether parents were employed or not, behaviour scores, prior notifications for neglect, history of parental discord and whether there were caregiver changes or not prior to intake. The classification of the index sexual abuse event as indecent assault and whether there were notifications for sexual abuse prior to the index event also significantly predicted outcome. Five year follow-up variables which were significant predictors of outcome were the young person�s age, number of negative life events, attributional style, self-esteem, depression, number of parent changes, anxiety, despair, whether there were notifications for abuse/neglect after intake and having a parent with a history of drug/alcohol problems. Conclusions Difficulties associated with child sexual abuse continue for some years after the abuse event. Child sexual abuse needs to be considered as a possible antecedent of behaviour and psychological difficulties in young people. Treatment and monitoring should continue for some years after the abuse. Treatment may need to be directed more towards young people�s psychological states rather than focusing specifically on the sexual abuse. Family and parent functioning may need to be addressed early in order to prevent some of the behavioural and psychological difficulties associated with the long-term outcome of child sexual abuse.

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