scholarly journals Syrian refugees perspectives on substance use

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Lindert ◽  
Ingo Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
Tailored Interventions ◽  
Ecological Understanding ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Professional Treatment ◽  
Context Specific

Abstract Background Little is known about Syrian refugees ‘perspectives on substance use. Syrians have been the largest groups of refugees in Germany since 2014. To investigate Syrian refugees’ perspectives on substance use we applied a qualitative study design. Methods Five semi-structured focus group discussions with a total of 19 refugees were conducted in 2019 among the difficult to reach population of Syrian refugees. Audio recordings were translated and transcribed, and inductive thematic was analysis conducted. Results The following common themes were identified: (a) perception that substances are widely accepted and available in Germany; (b) availability of substances is linked to rules and norms in Germany which are different in Syria, (c) and to the intention to escape not only the past (d) but the present and finally that (e) mental health professional treatment for substance use is associated with shame. Conclusions Findings support Syrian refugees ‘perspectives of substance use as a way of escaping past and present in a socio-ecological understanding which includes past and present exposures. Understanding the explanatory model of Syrian refugees can inform future interventions to prevent substance abuse and design tailored interventions. Further studies with Syrian refugees in more countries are needed to better understand resettled refugees’ perspectives on substance use. Messages The intention to escape past and present elucidates links between the context of using substances and context of feeling rejected. Context specific knowledge of substance use is necessary which includes past and present factors.

scholarly journals Escaping the past and living in the present: a qualitative exploration of substance use among Syrian male refugees in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Lindert ◽  
Ulrike Neuendorf ◽  
Marta Natan ◽  
Ingo Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Psychosocial Difficulties ◽  
Professional Treatment ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Abstract Background Syrians have been the largest group of refugees in Germany since 2014. Little is known about Syrian refugees` perspectives on substance use. The aim of this study is to investigate the perspective of male refugees from Syria and to foster specific knowledge and understanding of substance use. Methods We applied a qualitative study design. Five semi-structured focus group discussions with a total of 19 refugees were conducted in 2019 among the difficult to reach population of Syrian refugees. Audio recordings were translated and transcribed. We used a hybrid approach by integrating inductive and deductive thematic frameworks. Results We identified common themes. Firstly, refugees perceived that substances are widely available and accepted in Germany. Secondly, refugees perceived that rules and norms in Germany differ from rules and norms in the home country and favor availability of substances. Thirdly, substance use is related to the intention to escape the past. Fourthly, substance use is related to living in the present through connecting with others and being part of the community. Finally, mental health professional treatment for substance use is associated with shame. Conclusions Findings support Syrian refugees` perspectives of substance use as a way of both escaping the past and coping with psychosocial difficulties in the present in a socio-ecological understanding. Understanding the explanatory model of Syrian refugees can inform future interventions to prevent substance abuse and design tailored interventions. Further studies with Syrian refugees in more countries are needed to better understand resettled refugees` perspectives on substance use.

Suicidality and Treatment Experience Among Young People Who Inject Drugs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ellen Mackesy-Amiti ◽  
Lawrence J. Ouellet
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
People Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Psychiatric Research ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
The Past

Background. We examined correlates of past year suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB) and described past year treatment experiences among young people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods. Participants were 570 adults (18-25 years) who injected primarily heroin. Interviews were conducted at field stations operated by Community Outreach Intervention Projects in Chicago, Illinois (USA). Interviewers administered the Psychiatric Research Instrument for Substance and Mental Disorders. Substance use and mental disorders were based on DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Past year STB was based on multiple questions. Results. Sixteen percent of men and 25% of women reported STB in the past year. In multivariable analysis, STB was associated with non-heterosexual orientation, foster care, and being raised by two parents. Primary major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, other anxiety disorders, and borderline personality disorder had independent effects on suicidality. Among those reporting past year STB (n=111), 83% ever received mental health treatment, while 44% did so in the past year. While 24% of respondents indicated that at least one treatment matched their needs very well, 30% reported treatment that did not match their needs at all. The most common reason for ending treatment was program completion (about 50%) while getting better was endorsed by about 25%. Nearly half reported ending treatment due to a bad experience, logistical issues, or expense. Conclusions. Young PWID are at high risk for suicidal behavior and their mental health treatment experiences often do not meet their needs. There is a pressing need for more integrated substance use and mental health treatment.

scholarly journals The Profound Heterogeneity of Substance Use Disorders: Implications for Treatment Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 096372142110269
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Treatment Development ◽  
Computer Based Training ◽  
Tailored Interventions ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Disorder Type

A single treatment approach will never be sufficient to address the diversity of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). SUDs have historically defied definition through simple characterizations or models, and no single characterization has led to the development of broadly effective interventions. The range of dimensions of heterogeneity among individuals with SUDs, including severity of the disorder, type of substance, and issues that frequently co-occur, underscores the need for highly tailored approaches. Personalized medicine for individuals with SUDs will require two major developments. First, given the diversity of individuals with SUDs, multivariate phenotyping is needed to identify the particular features driving addictive processes in a given individual. Second, a wider range of interventions that directly target core mechanisms of addiction and the problems that co-occur with them is needed. As clinicians cannot be expected to master the full range of interventions that may target these core processes, developing interventions that can be delivered easily, flexibly, and systematically via technology will facilitate the ability to truly tailor them to this highly complex and challenging population. One such technology-delivered intervention, Computer-Based Training for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT4CBT), is used as an example to illustrate a vision for the future of highly tailored interventions for individuals with SUDs.

scholarly journals Prevalence and demographic, substance use, and mental health correlates of fasting among U.S. college students

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle T. Ganson ◽  
Rachel F. Rodgers ◽  
Stuart B. Murray ◽  
Jason M. Nagata
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Past ◽  
Self Injury

Abstract Background Fasting is an unhealthy behavior that has been frequently used as part of weight loss attempts. To date, little research has been conducted to determine the prevalence and substance use and mental health correlates of fasting among college students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and associations between any (≥ 1 time) and regular (≥ 13 times) occurrences of fasting in the past 4 weeks and substance use and mental health correlates among a large sample of college students from 2016 to 2020. Methods Data from four academic survey years (2016–2020; N = 8255) of the national (USA) Healthy Minds Study were analyzed. Unadjusted prevalence of any and regular fasting by survey year and gender was estimated. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the associations between any and regular fasting and the demographic (age, body mass index, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, highest parental education), substance use (cigarette use, marijuana use, other illicit drug use, alcohol use), and mental health (depression, anxiety, eating disorder symptoms, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury) correlates. Results Any fasting in the past 4 weeks was common among both men (14.77%) and women (18.12%) and significantly increased from 2016 (10.30%) to 2020 (19.81%) only among men. Regular fasting significantly increased among both men and women from 2016 (men: 1.46%; women: 1.79%) to 2020 (men: 3.53%; women: 6.19%). Among men and women, both any and regular fasting in the past 4 weeks were associated with higher odds of all mental health symptoms, including a positive depression, anxiety, and eating disorder screen, suicidal ideation, and non-suicidal self-injury. Among women, but not men, any and regular fasting in the past 4 weeks were associated with higher odds of marijuana use and other illicit drug use (e.g., cocaine, ecstasy). Conclusions The results from this study underscore both the high and increasing prevalence of fasting among a national sample of college students, as well as the substance use and mental health symptoms associated with this behavior. Healthcare professionals both on and off campus should consider screening for fasting behaviors among college students and provide appropriate intervention when needed.

Traditional water knowledge: challenges and opportunities to build resilience to urban floods

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rumana Asad ◽  
Iftekhar Ahmed ◽  
Josephine Vaughan ◽  
Jason von Meding
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Global South ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Water Values

Purpose Urban flooding in developing countries of the Global South is growing due to extreme rainfall and sea-level rise induced by climate change, as well as the proliferation of impervious, built-up areas resulting from unplanned urbanisation and development. Continuous loss of traditional knowledge related to local water management practices, and the de-valuing of such knowledge that goes hand-in-hand with globalised aspirations, is inhibiting flood resilience efforts. This paper aims to address the need to include traditional water knowledge (TWK) in urban living and development processes in the Global South. Design/methodology/approach This paper commences with a review of existing frameworks that focus on natural resource management, critically assessing two existing frameworks of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). The assessment of the existing approaches contributes to this paper’s development of a novel framework to promote TWK with regard to resilience and risk reduction, specifically for developing flood adaptive strategies, which is the second stage of this paper. Finally, the paper explains how the framework can contribute to the field of urban design and planning using examples from the literature to demonstrate challenges and opportunities related to the adaptation of such a framework. Findings The framework developed in this paper reveals three proposed vertices of TWK, named as place-based landscape knowledge, water use and management and water values. This framework has the potential to produce context-specific knowledge that can contribute to flood-resilient built-environment through urban design and practices. Research limitations/implications The framework developed in this paper reveals three proposed vertices of TWK, named place-based landscape knowledge, water use and management and water values. This framework has the potential to produce context-specific knowledge that can contribute to flood-resilient built-environment through urban design and practices. Originality/value Within the field of TEK research, very few researchers have explored the field of developing flood resilience in an urban context. The proposed TWK framework presented in this paper will help to fill that gap.

Context-specific Knowledge Is the “Key” to Salsa Music

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Laura M. Getz ◽  
Scott Barton ◽  
Lynn K. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Salsa Music ◽  
Context Specific

Substance Use and Self-Harm: Case Studies From Patients Admitted to an Urban Hospital Following Medically Serious Self-Harm

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (14) ◽  
pp. 2201-2210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Breet ◽  
Jason Bantjes
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Urban Hospital ◽  
Adaptive Function ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Analyze Data

Few qualitative studies have explored the relationship between substance use and self-harm. We employed a multiple-case study research design to analyze data from 80 patients who were admitted to a hospital in South Africa following self-harm. Our analysis revealed, from the perspective of patients, a number of distinct ways in which substance use is implicated in self-harm. Some patients reported that substance intoxication resulted in poor decision making and impulsivity, which led to self-harm. Others said substance use facilitated their self-harm. Some participants detailed how in the past their chronic substance use had served an adaptive function helping them to cope with distress, but more recently, this coping mechanism had failed which precipitated their self-harm. Some participants reported that substance use by someone else triggered their self-harm. Findings suggest that there are multiple pathways and a host of variables which mediate the relationship between substance use and self-harm.

scholarly journals Factors Associated With Willingness to Use Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Among Fishing Communities in Peri-urban Kampala, Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Ssuna ◽  
Anne Katahoire ◽  
Mari Armstrong-Hough ◽  
Dennis Kalibbala ◽  
Joan N Kalyango ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Fishing Communities ◽  
Key Populations ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Past ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Oral Prep

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in key populations at elevated risk for exposure to HIV. If used effectively, PrEP can reduce annual HIV incidence to below 0.05%. However, PrEP is not acceptable among all communities that might benefit from it. There is, therefore, a need to understand perceptions of PrEP and factors associated with willingness to use PrEP among key populations at risk of HIV, such as members of communities with exceptionally high HIV prevalence. Objective: To examine the perceptions and factors associated with willingness to use oral PrEP among members of fishing communities in Uganda, a key population at risk of HIV. Methods: We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study at Ggaba fishing community from February to June 2019. Survey data were collected from a systematic random sample of 283 community members. We carried out bivariate tests of association of willingness to use PrEP with demographic characteristics, HIV risk perception, HIV testing history. We estimated prevalence ratios for willingness to use PrEP. We used backward elimination to build a multivariable modified Poisson regression model to describe factors associated with willingness to use PrEP. We purposively selected 16 participants for focus group discussions to contextualize survey findings, analysing data inductively and identifying emergent themes related to perceptions of PrEP. Key results: We enrolled 283 participants with a mean age of 31±8 years. Most (80.9%) were male. The majority of participants had tested for HIV in their lifetime, but 64% had not tested in the past 6 months. Self-reported HIV prevalence was 6.4%. Most (80.6%, 95%CI 75.5-85.0) were willing in principle to use PrEP. Willingness to use PrEP was associated with perceiving oneself to be at high risk of HIV (aPR 1.99, 95%CI 1.31-3.02, P= 0.001), having tested for HIV in the past 6-months (aPR 1.13, 95%CI 1.03-1.24, P=0.007), and completion of tertiary education (aPR 1.97, 95%CI 1.39-2.81, P<0.001). In focus group discussions, participants described pill burden, side-effects, drug safety, and accessibility as potential barriers to PrEP use. Conclusions and recommendations: Oral PrEP was widely acceptable among members of fishing communities in peri-urban Kampala. Programs for scaling-up PrEP for fisherfolk should merge HIV testing services with sensitization about PrEP and also address issues of access to drugs.

scholarly journals Opioid overdose in public libraries: Results from a five state survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Feuerstein-Simon ◽  
Margaret Lowenstein ◽  
Roxanne Dupuis ◽  
Xochitl Luna Marti ◽  
Abby Dolan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Past ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One

AbstractIntroductionPublic libraries are increasingly impacted by the overdose crisis. A 2017 survey of public librarians in the state of Pennsylvania revealed that 12% had reported an on-site overdose in the previous year. There are increasing public and private efforts to equip public libraries with the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey of all public library branches in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, and Virginia. Survey questions. We used descriptive statistics to report frequencies of responses and crude odds ratios were calculated to predict the dichotomized variable of endorsement of naloxone uptake.ResultsLibrary staff reported witnessing on-site alcohol (45%) and injection drug (14%) use in the past month. The one-year cumulative incidence (12% overall) of on-site overdose ranged from a low of 10% in MI, to a high of 17% in FL. Among libraries with on-site overdoses, a minority (21%) stocked naloxone, and 12% had administered naloxone. Overall, 11% of libraries stocked naloxone on-site. Although 24% of respondents reported attending at least one training regarding SUD in the past year, 91% wanted more training on the topic.ConclusionsPublic library staff routinely address issues related to substance use and overdose in their institutions. This work highlights the importance of including public libraries as part of a comprehensive public health strategy to address substance use-related morbidity and mortality in the U.S.

Concept Science

2017 ◽  
pp. 103-116
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Learning Objects ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Conceptual Content ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Unstructured Text ◽  
Meaning Equivalence ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The University

This chapter describe the evolution of Concept Science that gave rise to Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA). Concept Science developed ways to clarify conceptual content encoded in unstructured text that communicate context-specific knowledge in a sublanguage within a discipline. It was developed and tested since the early 1990s at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University in Toronto (Shafrir and Etkind, 2010). Concept Science lead to Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking with Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO) that offer a powerful tool for engaging and motivating students, and enhancing learning outcomes. This chapter describe some of Concept Science-based tools that provide new ways to discover, encode, and manage knowledge in large digital libraries of unstructured text in educational, governmental, NGO, and business organizations.

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