Background: Referral from the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is a key, common route into drug misuse treatment. It is important to know whether, and how, it impinges on treatment outcome, particularly in relation to motivational states that may influence behaviour change.Aim: To assess the association between motivational state and level of treatment coercion, and the effects of these on treatment engagement and outcome, among a sample of drug misuse treatment seekers in England.Setting: Patients were sampled from 342 community and residential drug misuse treatment services within 94 (of 149) commissioning areas in England during 2006-07. All patients seeking drug misuse treatment at these services were eligible for inclusion. Methods: The Circumstances, Motivation, and Readiness scale provided measures of propensity for treatment including specific sub-scores for circumstances, motivation and readiness for treatment. The degree of referral coercion was categorised according to the level of CJS involvement: CJS referral with a condition of attendance; voluntary CJS (no attendance condition); non-CJS. Predictors of propensity were examined using linear regression, with particular emphasis on level of coercion. The predictive nature of coercion and propensity in relation to treatment uptake and threshold points for duration of treatment retention was examined using logistic regression models. Cox proportional hazard models examined associations with linear measures of treatment duration. Analysis of treatment outcome focussed on changes in: the value of drugs used; severity of dependence score; and level of offending. Relationships between these measures and coercion and propensity were examined using quantile, linear and logistic regression models. These were further supported by longitudinal models, incorporating instrumental variables for continuous outcomes to account for potential time related confounding. Results: No negative association was observed between level of coercive referral and levels of motivation or readiness for treatment and conditional referral was positively associated with motivation at the point of treatment entry. Both readiness for treatment and coercion predicted treatment retention for three months, although previous treatment experience treatment and use of heroin were the most consistent predictors of retention. Increasing pre-treatment motivation predicted greater reduction in the value of drugs used but not changes in the level of offending. Neither propensity sub-scores nor coercive referral predicted change in dependence severity. However, coercion was associated with cessation of offending among opiate /crack users. Conclusions: Propensity and coercion have mutually exclusive effects on different aspects of behaviour change. Coercion can positively affect treatment retention but changes in drug taking behaviour are more strongly associated with level of intrinsic motivation. Assessment of propensity, including its motivational components, at treatment entry could inform treatment delivery but its importance should not overshadow that of other factors, which may exert more important effects. Coercive CJS referral is not detrimental to treatment success and may have particular benefits for specific populations, but the cost effectiveness of diversionary schemes should be considered.

Misuse of prescription anxiolytic and sedative medication is a widespread phenomenon in Canada and a topic of increasing concern among health care providers. While anxiolytics and sedatives have important therapeutic uses in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, these substances have psychoactive properties that render them vulnerable to misuse. Understanding the correlates and contexts of misuse is essential for developing targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This dissertation is comprised of a series of four studies conducted with adults in the Halifax Regional Municipality, recruited from the community and from a local substance use disorder treatment program. Study 1 investigated misuse of anxiolytics and sedatives among currently prescribed users of these medications in the general community. Misuse and diversion were associated with a more extensive history of other substance use and with personality dimensions, including hopelessness and impulsivity. Study 2 investigated motives for misuse among non-prescribed anxiolytic and sedative users recruited from the community. This study also included non-prescribed stimulant medication users to facilitate comparisons across differing classes of psychiatric medications. Non-therapeutic motives were associated with substance use history and, for anxiolytics and sedatives, with the personality dimension sensation-seeking. Study 3 involved an analysis of prescription regimens and misuse among all participants of Studies 1 and 2 who had ever held a prescription for an anxiolytic or sedative. Misuse of benzodiazepine anxiolytics and sedatives was more frequent than that of non-benzodiazepines, but was unrelated to prescription regimen. Study 4 examined the misuse of quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic medication with anxiolytic and sedative effects, among clients of a methadone maintenance program. Misuse of quetiapine was widespread, but was typically associated with therapeutic motives. Quetiapine misuse was linked with a history of misusing other anxiolytic and sedative drugs. Collectively, these studies provide evidence that anxiolytic and sedative misuse is a heterogeneous phenomenon encompassing varying patterns of use and motives for misuse. Furthermore, these investigations suggest that anxiolytic and sedative misuse is linked to individual-level and medication-related variables. By providing a more comprehensive characterization of this important public health issue, these findings have practical implications in both clinical and research contexts.

The mass media nowadays hold a high position in the educational world, / and have a strong influence over societies. They influence and shape people's thoughts and behaviour. They have been used for a long time in many western countries in drug prevention campaigns, both successfully and unsuccessfully, Drug abuse has recently become a serious problem in Saudi Arabia . At first the Government tried to tackle the problem only by using the police force and without any publications . However, recently the Government has tried to utilize the advantage of the widespread mass media in teaching the population about the dangers of drug abuse. It started to publish a large amount of information about drugs in the mass media. This study is an evaluative research to assess the Saudi Arabian mass media coverage of the drugs issue in two respects. First is a study of the content of the coverage with regard to its presentation, style, and appeal. The second part concentrates on the effect of that coverage on the target audience: Saudi Arabian pupils, their knowledge and attitudes toward drugs, and whether those publications have benefitted them or not. This study has adopted the information-processing model as a theoretical framework. According to that model the first step in the change process is exposure to the message with a certain level of attention, that will lead to increase in knowledge and that automatically will lead to attitude change. The respondents' exposure to the newspaper messages about drugs has been measured and the result indicates that the majority of the respondents received the messages and are interested, like and believe them. Statistical tests indicate that their knowledge about drugs has been increased. Their attitudes have been assessed and the results indicate that most Saudi Arabian pupils aged from 12 to 25 years old have negative attitudes towards drugs. The results indicate that the newspaper coverage of the drugs issue has had some influence upon the Saudi Arabian pupils' knowledge and their attitudes towards drugs.

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This webinar will describe East Tennessee State University’s efforts to curb the opioid epidemic along the continuum of addiction. ETSU’s Academic Health Science Center has engaged multiple constituents to conduct federally funded research, community based practice and more importantly, to foster cross-sector engagement and education. The team hosts monthly meetings to facilitate partnerships across sectors with multiple aims. These aims include regional health improvement, research capacity development and community outreach. By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: Describe multiple evidence-based approaches for the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder. Describe techniques for engagement in community and cross-sector collaboration to address the opioid use disorder crisis.

<p>The aim of this study was, with a theoretical approach, to examine women’s alcohol- and drug problems. Our questions at issues considered early debut, heredity and environment as well as which factors can explain women’s use of alcohol and drugs. This study is based on 5 international published articles, Swedish literature and reports and a minor questionnaire meant to be at help in our analysis of the material. We examine our material with the control theory, the social learning theory, the masculinity theory and developmental psychological theory. Research shows an increase in young women’s alcohol and drug abuse and possible reasons are increase of media exposure, changed gender roles, sexual abuse, stress and mental health problems and social marginalization. Our questionnaire shows similar results as earlier research. We found that peers and boyfriends influenced the women in our study in their early onset and that heredity and environment also is pertinent factors for developing abuse of drugs and alcohol. For the women in our study, there seems to be a lack of protective factors which researchers find important. On the contrary, there seemed to be several numbers of risk factors who could explain the women’s development of alcohol and drug abuse.</p><p>Keywords: Abuse, addict, adolescence, alcohol, drugs, drug misuse and women.</p>

The aim of this study was, with a theoretical approach, to examine women’s alcohol- and drug problems. Our questions at issues considered early debut, heredity and environment as well as which factors can explain women’s use of alcohol and drugs. This study is based on 5 international published articles, Swedish literature and reports and a minor questionnaire meant to be at help in our analysis of the material. We examine our material with the control theory, the social learning theory, the masculinity theory and developmental psychological theory. Research shows an increase in young women’s alcohol and drug abuse and possible reasons are increase of media exposure, changed gender roles, sexual abuse, stress and mental health problems and social marginalization. Our questionnaire shows similar results as earlier research. We found that peers and boyfriends influenced the women in our study in their early onset and that heredity and environment also is pertinent factors for developing abuse of drugs and alcohol. For the women in our study, there seems to be a lack of protective factors which researchers find important. On the contrary, there seemed to be several numbers of risk factors who could explain the women’s development of alcohol and drug abuse. Keywords: Abuse, addict, adolescence, alcohol, drugs, drug misuse and women.

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No description available.