scholarly journals Subtypes of Illicit Drug Users: A Latent Class Analysis of Data From an Australian Twin Sample

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Lynskey ◽  
Arpana Agrawal ◽  
Kathleen K. Bucholz ◽  
Elliot C. Nelson ◽  
Pamela A. F. Madden ◽  
...  

AbstractThis article applies methods of latent class analysis (LCA) to data on lifetime illicit drug use in order to determine whether qualitatively distinct classes of illicit drug users can be identified. Self-report data on lifetime illicit drug use (cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens, sedatives, inhalants, cocaine, opioids and solvents) collected from a sample of 6265 Australian twins (average age 30 years) were analyzed using LCA. Rates of childhood sexual and physical abuse, lifetime alcohol and tobacco dependence, symptoms of illicit drug abuse/dependence and psychiatric comorbidity were compared across classes using multinomial logistic regression. LCA identified a 5-class model: Class 1 (68.5%) had low risks of the use of all drugs except cannabis; Class 2 (17.8%) had moderate risks of the use of all drugs; Class 3 (6.6%) had high rates of cocaine, other stimulant and hallucinogen use but lower risks for the use of sedatives or opioids. Conversely, Class 4 (3.0%) had relatively low risks of cocaine, other stimulant or hallucinogen use but high rates of sedative and opioid use. Finally, Class 5 (4.2%) had uniformly high probabilities for the use of all drugs. Rates of psychiatric comorbidity were highest in the polydrug class although the sedative/opioid class had elevated rates of depression/suicidal behaviors and exposure to childhood abuse. Aggregation of population-level data may obscure important subgroup differences in patterns of illicit drug use and psychiatric comorbidity. Further exploration of a ‘self-medicating’ subgroup is needed.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Karlsson ◽  
Mats Ekendahl ◽  
Josefin Månsson ◽  
Jonas Raninen

Background: It is often assumed that illicit drug use has become normalised in the Western world, as evidenced for example by increased prevalence rates and drug-liberal notions in both socially advantaged and disadvantaged youth populations. There is accumulating research on the characteristics of young illicit drug users from high-prevalence countries, but less is known about the users in countries where use is less common. There is reason to assume that drug users in low-prevalence countries may be more disadvantaged than their counterparts in high-prevalence countries, and that the normalisation thesis perhaps does not apply to the former context. Aim: This article aims to explore to what extent such assertions hold true by studying the characteristics of young illicit drug users in Sweden, where prevalence is low and drug policy centres on zero tolerance. Material and Method: We draw on a subsample ( n = 3374) of lifetime users of illicit drugs from four waves of a nationally representative sample of students in 9th and 11th grade (2012–2015). Latent class analysis (LCA) on ten indicators pertaining to illicit drug use identified four classes which we termed “Marijuana testers”, “Marijuana users”, “Cannabinoid users” and “Polydrug users”. Findings: Indications of social advantage/disadvantage such as peer drug use, early substance-use debut and truancy varied across groups, particularly between “Marijuana testers” (low scores) and “Polydrug users” (high scores). Conclusions: Our findings corroborate the idea that the majority of those who have used illicit drugs in the Swedish youth population have tried marijuana a few times only. We discuss whether or not the comparably large share of socially advantaged “Marijuana testers” in a comparably small sample of lifetime users can be interpreted as a sort of normalisation in a prohibitionist drug policy context.


Addiction ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve F. Dash ◽  
Nicholas G. Martin ◽  
Arpana Agrawal ◽  
Michael T. Lynskey ◽  
Wendy S. Slutske

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-312
Author(s):  
Mehdi Noroozi ◽  
Azam Rahmani ◽  
Ali Farhoudian ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Farhadi ◽  
Katherine Waye ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (spe) ◽  
pp. 763-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaqueline da Silva ◽  
Carla Aparecida Arena Ventura ◽  
Octavio Muniz da Costa Vargens ◽  
Cristina Maria Douat Loyola ◽  
Daniel Gonzalo Eslava Albarracín ◽  
...  

This cross-sectional multi-centre study explored how family members and friends of illicit drug users perceived protective and risk factors, treatment facilities and policies and laws regarding illicit drug use. Family members and friends of illicit drug users were recruited in 10 urban health care outpatient units in 7 Latin American countries (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico) to complete a questionnaire. The majority of the respondents chose psycho-social factors over genetic or biological explanations as causes of drug problems. Respondents felt that families and governments were responsible for preventing drug problems. Church/religious institutions were most often mentioned in the context of accessible treatment. When asked about access to treatment facilities, the majority said that there were not enough. Shame about drug use, cost, and limited treatment options were most often cited as barriers to treatment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. e2016013
Author(s):  
Kazem Khalagi ◽  
Mohammad Ali Mansournia ◽  
Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar ◽  
Keramat Nourijelyani ◽  
Masoumeh Amin-Esmaeili ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
Dan Beamish ◽  
Jude Dzevela Kong ◽  
Jianhong Wu

Background and Aims: Illicit drug use is an ongoing health and social issue in Canada. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of illicit drug use and its implications for suicidal behaviors, and household food insecurity in Canada. Design: Cross-sectional population survey. Setting: Canada, using the 2015–2016 Canadian Community Health Survey, a nationally representative sample selected by stratified multi-stage probability sampling. Participants: A total of 106,850 respondents aged ≥ 12 years who had completed information on illicit drug use. Measurements: Illicit drug use was assessed through a series of questions about illicit drug use methods. Respondents who reported lifetime illicit drug use but no past-year use were considered to have prior illicit drug use. In this survey, illicit drug use included cannabis use. Findings: Overall, the prevalence of lifetime, past-year, and prior illicit drug use was 33.2% (9.8 million), 10.4% (3.1 million), and 22.7% (6.7 million), respectively. In models adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, prior illicit drug use was significantly associated with increased odds of past-year suicidal ideation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.04–1.40), and plans (1.48, 1.15–1.91), and past-year household food insecurity (1.27, 1.14–1.41), and the odds were much higher among prior injecting drug users than prior non-injecting drug users. No significant correlation was found between prior illicit drug use and past-year suicidal attempts, but there was a strong association between past-year illicit drug use and past-year suicidal attempts. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that even after people have stopped taking illicit drugs, prior illicit drug use, especially for prior injecting drug use, continues to be associated with increased risks of subsequent suicidal ideation, and plans, and household food insecurity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003435522199073
Author(s):  
Chungyi Chiu ◽  
Jessica Brooks ◽  
Alicia Jones ◽  
Kortney Wilcher ◽  
Sa Shen ◽  
...  

Resilience is central to living well with a spinal cord injury (SCI). To provide a timely, targeted, and individualized intervention supporting resilience, it is necessary to assess an individual’s resilience level and characteristics of resilience on an ongoing basis. We aimed to validate the different types of resilient coping among people with SCI (PwSCI), using the Connor–Davidson resilience scale, and to identify the relationships between resilience and other psychosocial factors among the types of resilient coping. We recruited 93 PwSCI, who took the self-report measures of resilience, depression, life satisfaction, and spirituality. Using latent class analysis, we found three types: (a) goal-pursuing, bouncing-back, and persevering, named GP; (b) uncertainty about coping with setbacks, named UC; and (c) loss of resilient coping, named LOSS. The multivariate tests indicated that the three types differed on a linear combination of resilience, depression, and life satisfaction, with a large effect size. We discussed the three types of resilient coping and the implications for psychosocial interventions. We also recommended that rehabilitation clinicians examine PwSCI’s resilience levels and types of resilience during initial and follow-up visits. In doing so, PwSCI will have timely, targeted supports for developing and/or re-building their resilience.


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