Common Elements in Youth Drug Abuse: Peer Clusters and other Psychosocial Factors

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Oetting ◽  
Fred Beauvais
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Psychosocial Characteristics ◽  
Best Friends ◽  
Prevention And Treatment

Psychosocial factors are the principle determinants of youth drug abuse. Among those factors, the most important direct influence on drug use is that of the peer cluster: “gangs,” best friends, or couples. Other psychosocial characteristics, however, set the stage for this involvement with drug-using peer clusters. Social characteristics that influence drug use in this way include the community, socioeconomic status, neighborhood environments, family, religion, and the school. Psychological characteristics tend to have only low correlations with drug use, but there is some influence on peer clusters from traits such as self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and introversion, particularly when these lead to anger. Implications for prevention and treatment are considered.

scholarly journals A systematic review of the factors predicting the interest in cosmetic plastic surgery

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (03) ◽  
pp. 397-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Milothridis ◽  
Leonidas Pavlidis ◽  
Anna-Bettina Haidich ◽  
Efharis Panagopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Psychosocial Characteristics ◽  
Cosmetic Procedure

ABSTRACT Background: A systematic review of the literature was performed to clarify the psychosocial characteristics of patients who have an interest in cosmetic plastic surgery. Methods: Medical literature was reviewed by two independent researchers, and a third reviewer evaluated their results. Results: Twelve studies addressing the predictors of interest in cosmetic surgery were finally identified and analysed. Interest in cosmetic surgery was associated with epidemiological factors, their social networks, their psychological characteristics, such as body image, self-esteem and other personality traits and for specific psychopathology and found that these may either positively or negatively predict their motivation to seek and undergo a cosmetic procedure. Conclusions: The review examined the psychosocial characteristics associated with an interest in cosmetic surgery. Understanding cosmetic patients’ characteristics, motivation and expectation for surgery is an important aspect of their clinical care to identify those patients more likely to benefit most from the procedure.

Excess body weight and abdominal obesity in relation to selected psychosocial characteristics in primary school children

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-750
Author(s):  
Ioannis Vassiloudis ◽  
Vassiliki Costarelli
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
School Children ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Excess Body Weight ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Psychosocial Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Anxiety Levels

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate excess body weight and abdominal obesity in relation to selected psychosocial characteristics such as self-perception, self-esteem and anxiety, in primary school children. Design/methodology/approach A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 528 students 10-12 years of age, randomly selected, from the area of Athens, Greece. The Greek versions of the self-perception profile for children (SPPC) and the state-trait anxiety inventory for children (STAI-C) questionnaires have been used to determine the children’s self-perception/self-esteem and the status of anxiety, respectively. Standard anthropometric measurements were also taken. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to test for possible linear correlations between data variables. One-way ANOVA and independent t-test were used to determine statistically significant differences between the means of children’s body mass index (BMI) – abdominal obesity groups. For multiple comparisons, Bonferroni post-tests were run. Findings Overweight and obese children and children with abdominal obesity had lower scores in all of the domains of SPPC self-perception, the SPPC global self-esteem and the STAI-C anxiety levels in comparison to normal weight children. BMI and abdominal obesity correlated negatively with each one of the five domains of the SPPC self-perception (p < 0.001) and the SPPC global self-esteem (p < 0.001) and positively with the STAI-C anxiety levels (p < 0.005). One-way ANOVA and independent t-test revealed statistically significant differences between the means of children’s BMI and abdominal obesity groups in all the domains of SPPC self-perception (p < 0.001), the SPPC global self-esteem (p < 0.001) and the STAI-C anxiety levels (p < 0.005). There were no gender differences in the psychometric characteristics assessed in this study. Originality/value Primary school children with excess body weight and abdominal obesity have increased anxiety levels and they score lower in key psychosocial characteristics, in comparison to normal weight children.

Euphoria

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Wilmot
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Clear Definition ◽  
Definition Of

Euphoria is by definition ambiguous. Some researchers have noted it is a cause for drug taking while others have viewed it as the effect of taking drugs, To date there is no clear definition of what “euphoria” is or how it enters into career drug use or abuse. This article proposes that “euphoria” is metaphoric, and on that basis may be learned. Learning to use drugs euphorically is the key to controlled drug use and ultimately the control of drug abuse.

Psychological Characteristics of Age-Group Competitive Swimmers

1979 ◽  
Vol 48 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1265-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred F. Morris ◽  
Paul Vaccaro ◽  
David H. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Young Athletes ◽  
Competitive Swimmers

Measures of locus of control and self-esteem were gathered from 20 competitive age-group swimmers aged 7 to 17 yr. These young athletes were more internal than their non-athletic contemporaries. Also, on self-esteem the competitive swimmers were significantly elevated.

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