scholarly journals Socio-demographic and social support factors related to substance use in South African in-school adolescents: Insights from the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial in three peri-urban settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Kerry Gordon ◽  
Alison Kutywayo ◽  
Sasha Frade ◽  
Nicolette Naidoo ◽  
Saiqa Mullick

Background: Substance use is a significant public health problem worldwide, with consequences including violence, risky behaviours, and even death. Substance use amongst adolescents is increasing in South Africa, and limited research on frequency, risk and protective factors means that prevention interventions are difficult to design. This paper aims to describe and discuss factors associated with substance use among school-going adolescents in three peri-urban South African settings. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from participants in the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial. Grade 8 learners (N=2383), aged 11-18, were recruited from 26 lowest quintile public high schools in three townships: Soweto and Thembisa in Gauteng Province, and Khayelitsha in Western Cape Province. A baseline survey gathered demographic and behavioural data. Questions relevant to substance use and social support were used for this analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with substance use. The final variables were included in an unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression for current substance use, and a multinomial logistic regression for frequency of substance use. Results: A total of 22.5% (534) of participants indicated they had ever used substances. Being male was strongly associated with substance use (P<0.001), and less strongly with frequency of substance use. Age significantly predicted substance use, with older adolescents being more likely to engage in substance use (P<0.001); having a parent/guardian employed was negatively associated with substance use (P=0.021). Family-related social support variables were predictive of substance use. Being able to count on friends when things went wrong was predictive of lower frequency of substance use (P=0.019). Conclusions: These results can inform the targeting of prevention interventions to males and younger learners, as well as ensuring youth interventions build family and peer support to make substance use less likely and less frequent.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1124-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha E Wade ◽  
Kara S Bagot ◽  
Claudia I Cota ◽  
Aryandokht Fotros ◽  
Lindsay M Squeglia ◽  
...  

Background: Identifying neural characteristics that predict cannabis initiation is important for prevention efforts. The orbitofrontal cortex is critical for reward response and may be vulnerable to substance-induced alterations. Aims: We measured orbitofrontal cortex thickness, surface area, and volume prior to the onset of use to predict cannabis involvement during an average nine-year follow-up. Methods: Adolescents ( n=118) aged 12–15 years completed baseline behavioral assessment and magnetic resonance imaging scans, then were followed up to 13 years with annual substance use interviews. Logistic regression examined baseline (pre-substance use) bilateral medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex characteristics (volume, surface area, or cortex thickness) as predictors of regular cannabis use by follow-up. Post-hoc multinomial logistic regression assessed whether orbitofrontal cortex characteristics significantly predicted either alcohol use alone or cannabis+alcohol co-use. Brain-behavior relationships were assessed through follow-up correlations of baseline relationships between orbitofrontal cortex and executive functioning, reward responsiveness, and behavioral approach traits. Results: Larger left lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume predicted classification as cannabis user by follow-up ( p=0.025, odds ratio=1.808). Lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume also predicted cannabis+alcohol co-user status ( p=0.008, odds ratio=2.588), but not alcohol only status. Larger lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume positively correlated with greater baseline reward responsiveness ( p=0.030, r=0.348). There were no significant results by surface area or cortex thickness ( ps>0.05). Conclusions: Larger left lateral orbitofrontal cortex measured from ages 12–15 years and prior to initiation of substance use was related to greater reward responsiveness at baseline and predicted classification as a cannabis user and cannabis+alcohol co-user by final follow-up. Larger lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume may represent aberrant orbitofrontal cortex maturation and increasing vulnerability for later substance use.


Author(s):  
Dian-Jeng Li ◽  
Shiou-Lan Chen ◽  
Cheng-Fang Yen

Illegal substance use in sexual minorities is an important health issue worldwide. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the multi-dimensional factors associated with illegal substance use among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. This questionnaire-survey study recruited 500 gay or bisexual men aged between 20 and 25 years. Their experiences of using eight kinds of illegal substances in the preceding month were collected. Their previous experiences of homophobic bullying, satisfaction with academic performance, truancy, perceived family and peer support in childhood and adolescence, and social-demographic characteristics, were also collected. Potential factors associated with illegal substance use were identified using univariate logistic regression, and further selected into a forward stepwise logistic regression model to identify the factors most significantly related to illegal substance use. A total of 22 (4.4%) participants reported illegal substance use in the preceding month, and mean age was 22.9 ± 1.6. Forward stepwise logistic regression revealed that being victims of homophobic cyberbullying in childhood and adolescence (odds ratio (OR) = 1.26; p = 0.011), disclosure of sexual orientation at junior high school (OR = 4.67; p = 0.001), and missing classes or truancy in senior high school (OR = 2.52; p = 0.041) were significantly associated with illegal substance use in early adulthood. Multi-dimensional factors in childhood and adolescence that were significantly associated with illegal substance use in early adulthood among gay and bisexual men were identified. Besides traditional bullying, the effect of cyberbullying and school performance on illegal substance use should not be ignored. This study is limited to the cross-sectional design and possible recall bias. Mental health professionals must routinely assess these significant factors to prevent and intervene in illegal substance use among gay and bisexual men.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088626051989842
Author(s):  
Jane C. Daquin ◽  
Leah E. Daigle

Historically, criminologists have examined offending and victimization in the community as separate outcomes. Recently, however, researchers have begun to explore the shared commonalities of being an offender and a victim. The victim–offender overlap literature shows that victimization and offending are not different and distinct outcomes, but rather these outcomes share numerous risk factors. A close examination of the victim–offender overlap has not been done within the prison literature. Thus, it remains unclear whether there are commonalities among prisoners who offend while incarcerated and those who experience victimization. The focus of the current study is to (a) identify the proportion of the prisoners who were victims-only, offenders-only, victim–offenders, or neither victim nor offender and (b) identify the factors that predict membership into the four categories of the overlap. The current study used the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities with multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine which factors are associated with group membership into the victim–only, offender–only, or victim–offender groups in prison. Findings show that although the victim–offender overlap exists among prisoners, the majority of prisoners were neither a victim nor an offender. Victim–offenders and victims-only comprise only a small proportion of the sample. Findings also indicate that there are few unique factors across the groups. Results of the study have implications policy and future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S130-S131
Author(s):  
Nicole Kozloff ◽  
Aristotle Voineskos ◽  
George Foussias ◽  
Alexia Polillo ◽  
Sean Kidd ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite the body of evidence supporting early psychosis intervention (EPI) programs for young people with psychotic disorders, approximately 30% of individuals with first-episode psychosis disengage from care. To date, two factors, lack of family involvement and presence of a substance use disorder, have emerged as robust predictors of EPI disengagement. Several factors associated with service disengagement in mental health care more broadly have not been well-studied in EPI; some of these, such as homelessness and ethnicity, may be of particular importance to urban, multicultural populations, and ethnicity in particular has been shown to affect pathways into EPI services. Early missed appointments may signal risk for subsequent service disengagement. We sought to identify early predictors of disengagement risk in an urban EPI program. Methods We conducted a prospective chart review of consecutive patients accepted for services in a large, urban EPI program in Toronto, Canada in a 3-month period from July 4-October 3, 2018. Patients were observed in their first 3 months of treatment. The primary outcome of interest was risk of disengagement, defined as having missed at least 1 appointment without cancellation. Extracted data included a variety of demographic and clinical information. The principal investigator trained 2 data abstractors on the first 50 charts; subsequent agreement on the next 5 charts was 88%. Based on previous literature, we hypothesized that risk of disengagement would be increased in individuals with problem substance use, experiences of homelessness, and nonwhite race/ethnicity and decreased in individuals with family involvement in their care. We used logistic regression to examine the odds of disengagement associated with univariate predictors individually, and then together in a multivariate model. Results Seventy-three patients were consecutively admitted to EPI services in the 3-month period. Of these individuals, 59% (N=43) were identified as being at risk of disengagement based on having missed at least 1 appointment without cancellation. In the full sample, 71% (N=52) identified as nonwhite, 23% (N=17) had a documented experience of homelessness, 52% (N=38) had problem substance use, and 73% (N=53) had family involved in their care. In univariate logistic regression, only problem substance use was associated with risk of disengagement (OR=2.91, 95% CI 1.11–7.66); no significant associations were identified with race/ethnicity, experience of homelessness, or family involvement. In multivariate logistic regression, once we controlled for these other factors, the association between risk of disengagement and problem substance use was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (OR=2.15, 95% CI 0.77–5.97). Discussion In this small study of early disengagement in an urban EPI program, only problem substance use was associated with increased odds of missing an appointment, but not when we controlled for other factors thought to be associated with disengagement. Larger studies may be required to identify factors with small but important effects. These factors may be used to identify young people at risk of disengagement from EPI services early in care in order to target them for increased engagement efforts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinluan Wang ◽  
Mingyue Xue

Abstract Objective To explore the social and psychological factors associated with male Temporary Ejaculation Failure (TEF) during In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), with the goal of providing a theoretical basis for clinical intervention and treatment. Methods The study included 75 TEF patients and 223 non-TEF patients undergoing IVF treatment at the center of reproduction and genetics of Integrated Chinese and Western medicine in the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May 2019 to May 2020. A questionnaire survey was then administered to the study subjects. The questionnaires included general information, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Stigma Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ). Logistic regression analysis was then used to analyze the social psychological factors associated with the research objectives. Results Comparison of social demographic factors and clinical data between TEF group and non-TEF group: there were significant differences in the age and educational level between the two groups (P< 0.05), and the average age of the TEF group (37.01±7.11) was significantly higher than that of the non-TEF group (34.89±6.24). In addition, patients with high school or technical secondary school education levels had the lowest probability of TEF(X2=7.662, P=0.022). 2. The difference of related social and psychological factors between the two groups: the scores of perceived stress (17.57±6.51) and stigma (4.52±3.87) in the TEF group were significantly higher than those in the non-TEF group, which were (15.50±5.00, P< 0.05) and (2.61±3.52, P< 0.05), respectively. On the other hand, the scores of social support (55.31±14.04) and psychological capital (121.73±25.93) in the TEF group were significantly lower than those in the non-TEF group, which were (60.74±10.93, P< 0.05) and (130.31±17.32, P< 0.05), respectively. Results Obtained after conducting univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age (OR=1.051, P=0.016), perceived stress (OR=1.073, P=0.005), stigma (OR=1.139, P< 0.001), family support (OR=0.901, P< 0.001), friend support (OR=0.932, P=0.023), other support (OR=0.915, P=0.004), self-efficacy (OR=0.947, P=0.009), resilience (OR=0.947, P=0.013), hope (OR=0.930, P=0.002), and optimism (OR=0.953, P=0.032) can all significantly affect male TEF.4. Moreover, the multivariate logistic regression analysis results indicated that age (OR=1.071, P=0.002) and stigma (OR=1.132, P=0.003) can positively predict TEF, while family support (OR=0.877, P=0.012) can negatively predict TEF. Conclusions The results obtained in this study have indicated that age and stigma are independent risk factors for male TEF, while family support is a protective factor of TEF. Analyzing the treatment of TEF from a socio-psychological perspective provides a new intervention target for effectively reducing its incidence, thereby helping to improve the success rate of IVF.


Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hakansson ◽  
L. Bradvik ◽  
F. Schlyter ◽  
M. Berglund

Background: The present study examines a population of criminal justice clients for suspected substance-related problems. Aims: It aims to identify variables associated with a history of suicide attempt (SA). Method: 6,836 clients were interviewed with the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Attempters were compared to nonattempters regarding substance use, medical/psychiatric status, family history, and social relationships in a stepwise forward logistic regression. Results: Attempters (21%) were more likely to report binge drinking, intake of illicit drugs, injection of drugs, physical and mental illness, problematic family history, and history of being abused. After logistic regression, SA was independently associated with older age, female gender, binge drinking, delirium tremens, injection, overdose, medical problems, psychiatric symptoms, family history of alcohol or psychiatric problems, and sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. The psychiatric and family/social domains (including being abused) most strongly separated attempters from nonattempters. Conclusions: Family background factors, psychiatric symptoms, severity of substance use, and sexual, physical, and emotional abuse appear to be factors associated with SA among criminal justice clients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110269
Author(s):  
Julie Maslowsky ◽  
Haley Stritzel ◽  
Elizabeth T. Gershoff

Women who begin childbearing as teenagers attain lower levels of education than women who delay childbearing until age 20 and later. Little is known about post-pregnancy factors that predict educational attainment among teen mothers. The current study examined whether teen mothers’ environment and experiences 2 years after their first birth contribute to their educational outcomes by age 30, net of selection factors associated with teenage childbearing. Data were from two cohorts, the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth 1979 ( N = 241) and 1997 ( N = 378). Multinomial logistic regression modeling was used to assess associations of post-pregnancy factors with teen mothers’ educational attainment. Having child care was associated with increased odds of attaining a high school diploma and of attending college in both cohorts. Providing regular and subsidized child care for teen mothers is an opportunity to support teen mothers in achieving higher levels of educational attainment.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamus MN ◽  
Stephanie Lozano ◽  
Charles CM ◽  
Guida JP ◽  
Parpinelli MA ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There are no accurate estimates of the prevalence of non-severe maternal morbidities. Given the lack of instruments to fully assess these morbidities, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed an instrument called WOICE. Objective To evaluate the prevalence of non-severe maternal morbidities in puerperal women and analyses factors associated to impaired clinical, social and mental health conditions. Method A cross-sectional study with 519 postpartum women in a single encounter 6 to 12 weeks postpartum. The WOICE questionnaire included three sections: the first with maternal and obstetric history, sociodemographic data, risk and environment factors, violence and sexual health; The second considers functionality and disability, general symptoms and mental health; and the third includes data on physical and laboratory tests. Data collection was supported by Tablets with REDCAP software. Initially, a descriptive analysis was performed, with general prevalence of all variables contained in the WOICE, including scales on anxiety and depression (GAD-7 and PHQ-9- altered if ≥10), functionality (WHODAS- altered when ≥37.4) and data on violence and substance use. Subsequently, an evaluation of cases with alterations was performed, with a logistic regression to investigate factors associated to impaired non-clinical and clinical conditions. Results 517 women were included, majority (54.3%) multiparous, ages between 20 and 34 years (65.4%) and with partner (75,6%). Over a quarter had (26.2%) preterm birth, however good perinatal outcomes. Around a third (30.2%) reported health problems informed by the physician, although more than 80% considered having good or very good health. About 10% reported any substance and 5.9% suffered violence. Anxiety was identified in 19.8% of cases, depression in 36.9% and altered functioning in 4.4% of women. Logistic regression identified that poor overall health rating was associated to increased anxiety/depression and impaired functioning. Having a partner reduces the perception of women on the presence of clinical morbidities. Conclusion During postpartum care, women presented high frequency of anxiety and depression and relevant frequency of substance use and violence. These aspects of women´s health need further evaluation and specific interventions to improve quality of care.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Narvaez Lamus ◽  
Stephanie Lozano ◽  
Charles MPoca ◽  
Jose Paulo Guida ◽  
Mary Angela Parpinelli ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThere are no accurate estimates of the prevalence of non-severe maternal morbidities. Given the lack of instruments to fully assess these morbidities, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed an instrument called WOICE.ObjectiveTo evaluate the prevalence of non-severe maternal morbidities in puerperal women and analyses factors associated to impaired clinical, social and mental health conditions.MethodA cross-sectional study with 519 postpartum women in a single encounter 6 to 12 weeks postpartum. The WOICE questionnaire included three sections: the first with maternal and obstetric history, sociodemographic data, risk and environment factors, violence and sexual health; The second considers functionality and disability, general symptoms and mental health; and the third includes data on physical and laboratory tests. Data collection was supported by Tablets with REDCAP software. Initially, a descriptive analysis was performed, with general prevalence of all variables contained in the WOICE, including scales on anxiety and depression (GAD-7 and PHQ-9- altered if ≥ 10), functionality (WHODAS- altered when ≥ 37.4) and data on violence and substance use. Subsequently, an evaluation of cases with alterations was performed, with a logistic regression to investigate factors associated to impaired non-clinical and clinical conditions.Results517 women were included, majority (54.3%) multiparous, ages between 20 and 34 years (65.4%) and with partner (75,6%). Over a quarter had (26.2%) preterm birth, however good perinatal outcomes. Around a third (30.2%) reported health problems informed by the physician, although more than 80% considered having good or very good health. About 10% reported any substance and 5.9% suffered violence. Anxiety was identified in 19.8% of cases, depression in 36.9% and altered functioning in 4.4% of women. Logistic regression identified that poor overall health rating was associated to increased anxiety/depression and impaired functioning. Having a partner reduces the perception of women on the presence of clinical morbidities.ConclusionDuring postpartum care, women presented high frequency of anxiety and depression and relevant frequency of substance use and violence. These aspects of women´s health need further evaluation and specific interventions to improve quality of care.


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