Substance abuse is a major problem amongst the youth worldwide. The goal of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions on the dangers of substance abuse among the affected youth attending St John of God Community Services, in Mzuzu, Malawi. The participants in the study were selected on the basis that they had been diagnosed as having a substance induced psychotic disorder and are currently receiving treatment from the hospital either as hospitalised or as outpatients. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research designs. The purposive sampling method was used to identify the quantitative sample while the qualitative sample was selected by using the theoretical sampling method. Forty-five participants completed the questionnaire to provide the quantitative data and 7 participants were interviewed to provide the qualitative data. The quantitative data was analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the results were presented in tables and graphs. The qualitative data was analysed manually and the results were presented by using the participants' direct quotes. The findings of the study revealed that lack of knowledge and perceptions of the dangers of substance abuse are not the only contributing fac tors to substance abuse amongst the youth. As the results showed, that the youth had vast knowledge on the dangers of substance abuse and they also perceived these dangers negatively. However, it was found that other factors such as the enjoyment aspect and unemployment influenced the youth to start abusing substances. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between several aspects of family environment and adolescent substance use. Participants included 372 (M = 15.45 years, range = 15-17) adolescent males with and without a paternal history of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Participants completed measures of family functioning, family communication, parentadolescent communication, living arrangement, temperament, and substance use. Results indicated that family functioning and communication predicted a significant reduction in the number of drugs used, frequency of drug use, and problems associated with drug use beyond the effects of demographic covariates. Additionally, temperament and family history of SUD were examined as moderators of the associations between family environment and adolescent substance use. Neither temperament nor family history of SUD significantly altered these relationships. The results of this study highlight the importance of elucidating family environment and the role it may play in prevention and interventions efforts for adolescent substance use.

Substance use during pregnancy can adversely affect both health and social outcomes for the infant and the mother. Many practices related to the care of infants with prenatal substance exposure are not consistent from one facility to another and have been developed on an anecdotal basis rather than based on empirical research. A replication study of a 2002 national practice survey is being planned that will describe some of the practices related to daily care, discharge planning, and community support for this group of infants and their caregivers. In this thesis, I present the findings of a pilot study that was conducted as a prelude to this larger national study. A summary of a literature review of recent survey research is presented along with a description of the process of revising a previously developed instrument to survey the practices used when caring for infants with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure and their mothers in the hospital setting. Content validity of this revised instrument was established with the support of a content expert group and the revised instrument was pilot tested with a small sample of nurses who practice in hospitals that will not be eligible for the national study. The findings from this pilot study will guide the research team in developing and conducting the national survey. / Graduate / 0539 / 0380 / 0573

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-264). / Microfiche. / viii, 264 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This thesis examined the correlates of delinquency and substance use by focusing on the psychosocial environmental influences that lead to sibling similarities and differences in these areas. It was shaped by data from studies strongly suggesting that environmental influences played the most important role in development and adjustment, but that these influences were not shared by siblings in the same family. The evidence for the importance of nonshared environment has led to the conclusion that family variables, such as parenting style and family events, which are shared between siblings, are less important. Adopting this conclusion is highly relevant to the study of the environmental influences that place an adolescent at-risk for problem behaviours, because family variables are important in most sociological treatments of criminal and delinquent behaviour. Therefore, a key issue of this thesis was to investigate the extent of sibling similarity for delinquency and substance use, as well as the significance of a range of variables of theoretical interest in the study of adolescent problem behaviour. A second issue of interest was to determine whether there were associations between differences in sibling experiences and differences in their delinquency and substance use. These issues were examined in 361 primarily opposite-sex adolescent sibling pairs from Wave 1 of the “Sibling Study”, a longitudinal study designed to identify those factors that contribute to adolescent engagement in illegal behaviours and those that inhibit such engagement. The design of this study provided several advantages over previous investigations of within-family differences. First, the sample used in the study consisted of siblings at the extremes of the dimensions of problem behaviour rather than based solely on a sample of students, making it possible to investigate the relative influence of shared and nonshared environment at the extremes. Second, a broad set of factors across the domains of school, family, peer, and individual were assessed rather than solely focussing on parental treatment, which is where much research is concentrated. Third, the relationship between shared family context effects and differential experience was considered. Finally, the associations between the correlates of differences for delinquency and substance use were investigated, whereas the relatively small body of previous research on sibling differences has largely ignored substance use. The results indicated substantial within-family differences in experiences of the environment and problem behaviour. Although all siblings differed, sibling pairs where one sibling was identified as an offender or at-risk for offending were significantly more different from one another than siblings identified as normative. Sibling constellation variables were less important in accounting for differential experiences than were the shared family context characteristics. Almost 60% of the variance in sibling delinquency difference scores and 38% of the variance in sibling substance use difference scores could be accounted for by differences in sibling experiences. In general, extra-familial experiences, such as peer influence, school involvement, and stressful events, and individual characteristics, such as self-control, definitions, and attitudes to authority were more important sources of systematic nonshared environment than parental treatment and sibling interaction items. In addition, different patterns were found for low and high risk families, and for delinquency and substance use. These results support the importance of nonshared environmental factors although future research is needed to confirm that these sibling differential experiences are the most important for explaining problem behaviour. The empirical, theoretical, and practical implications of this thesis for the development of problem behaviour were discussed.

abstract: The present study tested the factor structure of the externalizing disorders (e.g. attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (SE), and substance experimentation (SE) ) in adolescence. In addition, this study tested the influence of the GABRA2 gene on the factors of the externalizing spectrum. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factor structure of the externalizing spectrum. Specifically, three competing alternate confirmatory factor analytic models were tested: a one-factor model where all disorders loaded onto a single externalizing factor, a two-factor model where CD and SE loaded onto one factor and ADHD loaded onto another, and a three-factor model, where all three disorders loaded onto separate factors. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effect of a GABRA2 SNP, rs279858, on the factors of the externalizing spectrum. Analyses revealed that a three-factor model of externalizing disorders with correlated factors fit the data best. Additionally, GABRA2 had a significant effect on the SE factor in adolescence, but not on the CD or ADHD factors. These findings demonstrate that the externalizing disorders in adolescence share commonalities but also have separate sources of systematic variance. Furthermore, biological mechanisms may act as a unique etiological factor in the development of adolescent substance experimentation. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a more focused understanding of the role of substance use and burglary. The data for this effort comes from interviews that were collected by Richard T. Wright and Scott H. Decker. The data was obtained through extensive interviews with 105 active offenders, specifically offenders who were active at the time of interview, but also who were residential burglars. The interviews were informally conducted on an individual basis, and participants were assigned nicknames or aliases rather than using real names. The findings of this thesis revealed that substance use plays a modest role in burglary, as does the perception of how drugs altered the mental consciousness. In a test of drug-crime nexus arguments, this study examined this relationship through disinhibition, motivation of drug use, the existence of a shared space, and the association of a delinquent subculture. The role of narcotics and alcohol use are included in the analysis, as there are notable effects described by participants.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore how intimate partner conflict changes over time. Patterns of conflict were explored based on the presence of substance use, name calling/threats, physical violence, jealousy, and conflict topic. Groups, or classes of couples, were identified based on conflict patterns. Next, the effects of the covariates on group membership were examined. Age, relationship length, intimate partner violence, substance use, and depression were investigated as covariates. Participants in this study included young couples from the Oregon Youth Study-Couples Study that included men who were at risk for delinquency and their women partners. The men and their partners were assessed at three waves between the ages of 25 and 31. Proximal contextual aspects of conflict, including substance use, threats and yelling, physical violence, and jealousy, were explored at three time points. Results suggest that conflict patterns change over time based on age and stage of relationship. Further, conflict patterns differ for men and women and the covariates predicted classes for men but were not predictive for women.

abstract: There has been a rise in heroin use throughout the United States due to doctors increasingly prescribing painkillers to patients with chronic pain (Kanouse & Compton, 2015; Compton, Boyle, & Wargo, 2015). Individuals get addicted to painkillers and, when their doctor will no longer prescribe them, turn to alternative methods of relief; heroin is often their cheapest option (Kolodny, Courtwright, Hwang, Kreiner, Eadie, Clark, & Alexander 2015). Heroin users are three to four times more likely to die from overdose than other types of drug users (Darke & Hall, 2003). The purpose of this study is to determine the likelihood that heroin users successfully reenter the community upon release from prison in comparison to other types of drug users. There are several re-entry outcomes that can be considered “success”; this study measures success as an index of the quality of the returning offender’s familial relationships as well as recidivism. The data used for this analysis is the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI). The sample consists of male offenders, aged 18 years and older, who have been convicted of and imprisoned for a serious or violent crime. Findings suggest familial social support does not have an effect on heroin use, but heroin use increases the risk of recidivism. These findings will provide a context for rehabilitation of heroin offenders and will launch future research focusing on the differences between heroin users and other types of drug users. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2016

abstract: There were two primary goals of this study, the first of which was to replicate previously established curvilinear associations between school affluence and substance use, while assessing potential relations between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic success during the transition to college. The second goal of this study was to establish patterns of perceived parenting factors in order to assess predictive value of such latent profiles with respect to student outcomes relevant to wellbeing and retention in college. Results indicated that substance use was, in fact, associated in a “U-shaped,” curvilinear fashion with high school affluence. Additionally, students grouped into three primary perceived parenting profiles, characterized broadly as “authoritative,” “warm and permissive,” and “uninvolved.” While “optimal” outcomes were associated with students in the authoritative group, these latent profiles lacked predictive value. Supplemental analyses revealed differential associations of various parent factors with males and females, as well as advantaged and disadvantaged youth. Taken together, these results emphasized the importance of parenting during high school in order to promote healthy, safe habits and sufficient self-agency during the transition to college. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2019