Perceived need for substance use treatment among young women from disadvantaged communities in Cape Town, South Africa

Although physical and sexual abuse exposure is a well-established risk for poor health, the dimensions of abuse associated with health among socially vulnerable adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain underexamined. This article describes associations between combinations of abuse type and timing with mental health, substance use, and sexual risk outcomes among a sample of 499 AGYW (aged 16 to 19) who had left school early and were recruited for a cluster randomized trial in Cape Town, South Africa. Approximately one-third (33.5%; 95% CI: 28.7, 38.6) of participants reported lifetime abuse. Exposure to more than one type of abuse was associated with increased risk of depression (β = 3.92; 95% CI: 2.25, 5.59) and anxiety (β = 3.70; 95% CI: 2.11, 5.28), and greater odds of polydrug use (OR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.02, 4.34) and substance-impaired sex (OR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.31, 3.86). Exposure to multiple types of abuse during childhood/early adolescence and again in late adolescence was associated with increased risk of depression (β = 4.65; 95% CI: 3.15, 6.14), anxiety (β = 4.35; 95% CI: 2.70, 6.02), and polydrug use (OR = 2.37; 95% CI: 1.03, 5.73). Findings underscore the need for trauma-informed interventions that reduce mental health, substance use, and sexual risks among AGYW who have experienced multiple forms of abuse and recurrent abuse.

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Substance use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among out-of-school adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town, South Africa

South African Medical Journal ◽

10.7196/samj.2020.v111i1.14520 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 111 (1) ◽

pp. 40

Author(s):

C P Bonner ◽

T Carney ◽

F A Browne ◽

J W Ndirangu ◽

B N Howard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Substance Use ◽

Adolescent Girls ◽

Young Women ◽

Cape Town ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Out Of School

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Substitute Behaviors following Residential Substance Use Treatment in the Western Cape, South Africa

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182312815 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (23) ◽

pp. 12815

Author(s):

Deborah Louise Sinclair ◽

Steve Sussman ◽

Maarten De Schryver ◽

Cedric Samyn ◽

Sabirah Adams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Substance Use ◽

Self Report ◽

Substance Use Treatment ◽

Targeted Prevention ◽

Service Users ◽

Western Cape ◽

Satisfaction Scale ◽

Middle Income ◽

Brief Assessment

The dynamics of substitute behaviors and associated factors remain poorly understood globally, and particularly in low- and middle-income contexts. This prospective study describes the prevalence and types of substitute behaviors as well as predictors, correlates, and motivations associated with substitution in persons (n = 137) admitted to residential substance use treatment in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The brief assessment of recovery capital, overall life satisfaction scale, and an adapted version of the addiction matrix self-report measure were completed during and post-treatment. Results indicate that substitutes were employed consciously for anticipated appetitive effects, for time-spending, (re)connecting with others, and enjoyment. At follow-up, 36% of service users had substituted their primary substance(s) with another substance or behavior; 23% had relapsed and 40% had maintained abstinence. While some service users may be especially vulnerable to developing substitute behaviors, targeted prevention and intervention efforts can reduce this risk.

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Age-disparity, sexual connectedness and HIV infection in disadvantaged communities around Cape Town, South Africa: a study protocol

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/1471-2458-11-616 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Wim Delva ◽

Roxanne Beauclair ◽

Alex Welte ◽

Stijn Vansteelandt ◽

Niel Hens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Study Protocol ◽

Cape Town ◽

Disadvantaged Communities ◽

Age Disparity

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Motivated Reasoning and HIV Risk? Views on Relationships, Trust, and Risk from Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa, and Implications for Oral PrEP

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-018-2044-2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 3468-3479 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Miriam Hartmann ◽

Margaret McConnell ◽

Linda-Gail Bekker ◽

Connie Celum ◽

Thola Bennie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Young Women ◽

Hiv Risk ◽

Cape Town ◽

Motivated Reasoning ◽

Oral Prep

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Femme Fatales: Girl Gangsters and Violent Street Culture in Cape Town

Feminist Criminology ◽

10.1177/1557085120914374 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 438-463

Author(s):

Dariusz Dziewanski

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Young Women ◽

Cape Town ◽

Violent Victimization ◽

Cultural Participation ◽

Street Culture ◽

Income Status ◽

Cultural Performances

This article examines the ways that 21 girl gangsters perform violent street culture in Cape Town, South Africa. It examines their participation in the city’s township gangs, with a particular focus on female involvement in gang-related acts of aggression and violence. Research looks to move beyond portrayals of girl gangsters in Cape Town as either victims or accessories. It shows how they leverage street cultural performances in reaction to intersectional oppression, and in an attempt to empower themselves. Young women in this study joined gangs and took part in violence for many of the same reasons that men do—protection, income, status, and so on—as well as due to threats of sexual violence faced specifically by females. But street cultural participation for females in Cape Town also often perpetuates cycles of violent victimization, incarceration, and substance abuse that keep girl gangsters trapped in a life on the streets. In this way, females in this study broke from the binary view of girl gangsterism as either totally liberating or totally injurious, embodying both simultaneously.

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