The role of executive functioning in substance dependence and addiction has received
increased attention in recent years; however, the findings of empirical studies are at times
contradictory and difficult to compare at face value. To address the current state of
fragmentation and to delineate the current body of knowledge a systematic review of
existing studies was conducted. The synthesis of the findings from these studies confirmed
that lower neuropsychological performance scores of executive functioning are observed
in substance dependent populations. Furthermore, the synthesis of the components of these
studies provided a comprehensive overview and revealed a number of critical gaps in the
current body of knowledge. The gaps include limitations concerning specific
demographics of the samples studied (under-representation of females, adolescents, the
elderly, individuals with limited education, and individuals from Africa, Oceania, Asia,
Latin America and the Caribbean), as well as the scarce number of studies investigating
specific substances; insufficient longitudinal studies; and the fragmentation of executive
functioning as a theoretical construct. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26859 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Jansen van Vuuren, Jacques |
| Contributors | Terre Blanche, M. J. (Martin J.) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (ix, 129 leaves), application/pdf |
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