scholarly journals Mathematical Analysis of the Concomitance of Illicit Drug Use and Banditry in a Population

Author(s):  
John Olajide Akanni ◽  
Afeez Abidemi

Abstract One of the majors global health and social problem facing the world today is the use of illicit drug and the act banditry. The two problems have resulted into lost of precious lives, properties and even a devastating effects on the economy of some countries where such acts were been practiced. Of interest in this work is to study the global stability of illicit drug use spread dynamics with banditry compartment using a dynamical system theory approach. Illicit drug use and banditry reproduction number was evaluated analytically, which measures the potential spread of the illicit drug use and banditry in the population. The system exhibits supercritical bifurcation property, telling us that local stability of an illicit drug and banditry-present equilibrium exist and it is unique. In addition, the illicit drug and banditry-free and illicit drug and banditry-present equilibria were shown to be global asymptotically stable, this was achieved by construction of suitable Lyapunov functions. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to know the impact of each parameter on the dynamical spread of illicit drug use and banditry in a population. Numerical simulations were used to validate the obtained quantitative results, and examine the effects of some key parameters on the system. It was discovered that, to reduce the burden of banditry in the population, stringent control measures must be put in place to reduce the use of illicit drug in a population. Suggested control measures to use in curtail the menace of the illicit drug use and banditry were recommends.

Author(s):  
Emina Mehanović ◽  
Federica Vigna-Taglianti ◽  
Fabrizio Faggiano ◽  
Maria Rosaria Galanti ◽  
Barbara Zunino ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Adolescents’ perceptions of parental norms may influence their substance use. The relationship between parental norms toward cigarette and alcohol use, and the use of illicit substances among their adolescent children is not sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze this relationship, including gender differences, using longitudinal data from a large population-based study. Methods The present study analyzed longitudinal data from 3171 12- to 14-year-old students in 7 European countries allocated to the control arm of the European Drug Addiction Prevention trial. The impact of parental permissiveness toward cigarettes and alcohol use reported by the students at baseline on illicit drug use at 6-month follow-up was analyzed through multilevel logistic regression models, stratified by gender. Whether adolescents’ own use of cigarette and alcohol mediated the association between parental norms and illicit drug use was tested through mediation models. Results Parental permissive norms toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use at baseline predicted adolescents’ illicit drug use at follow-up. The association was stronger among boys than among girls and was mediated by adolescents’ own cigarette and alcohol use. Conclusion Perceived parental permissiveness toward the use of legal drugs predicted adolescents’ use of illicit drugs, especially among boys. Parents should be made aware of the importance of norm setting, and supported in conveying clear messages of disapproval of all substances.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. e23830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Poustchi ◽  
Saeed Esmaili ◽  
Ashraf Mohamadkhani ◽  
Aghbibi Nikmahzar ◽  
Akram Pourshams ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 867-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin M Nance ◽  
Maria Esther Perez Trejo ◽  
Bridget M Whitney ◽  
Joseph A C Delaney ◽  
Fredrick L Altice ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Substance use is common among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) and a barrier to achieving viral suppression. Among PLWH who report illicit drug use, we evaluated associations between HIV viral load (VL) and reduced use of illicit opioids, methamphetamine/crystal, cocaine/crack, and marijuana, regardless of whether or not abstinence was achieved. Methods This was a longitudinal cohort study of PLWH from 7 HIV clinics or 4 clinical studies. We used joint longitudinal and survival models to examine the impact of decreasing drug use and of abstinence for each drug on viral suppression. We repeated analyses using linear mixed models to examine associations between change in frequency of drug use and VL. Results The number of PLWH who were using each drug at baseline ranged from n = 568 (illicit opioids) to n = 4272 (marijuana). Abstinence was associated with higher odds of viral suppression (odds ratio [OR], 1.4–2.2) and lower relative VL (ranging from 21% to 42% by drug) for all 4 drug categories. Reducing frequency of illicit opioid or methamphetamine/crystal use without abstinence was associated with VL suppression (OR, 2.2, 1.6, respectively). Reducing frequency of illicit opioid or methamphetamine/crystal use without abstinence was associated with lower relative VL (47%, 38%, respectively). Conclusions Abstinence was associated with viral suppression. In addition, reducing use of illicit opioids or methamphetamine/crystal, even without abstinence, was also associated with viral suppression. Our findings highlight the impact of reducing substance use, even when abstinence is not achieved, and the potential benefits of medications, behavioral interventions, and harm-reduction interventions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Thompson ◽  
Scott E. Gillespie ◽  
Jasper Hood ◽  
Lateshia Seaton ◽  
Andres Camacho-Gonzalez

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Currie ◽  
Suzanne C Tough

Abstract Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with illicit drug use among pregnant women who are socioeconomically vulnerable. While it is assumed that the impact of ACEs on illicit drug use in pregnancy is reduced among women with higher socioeconomic status (SES), this assumption is not well tested in the literature. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of maternal ACEs on illicit drug use in a community-based sample of pregnant women with middle to high SES. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study that collected data from 1,660 women during and after pregnancy in Calgary, Canada between 2008-2011 using mailed surveys. Illicit drug use in pregnancy was self-reported by women at 34-36 weeks gestation. An established scale examined maternal ACEs before 18 years. Logistic regression models and 95% confidence intervals tested associations between maternal ACE scores and illicit drug use in pregnancy. Results: Overall, 3.1­­­% of women in this predominantly married, well-educated, middle and upper middle income sample reported illicit drug use in pregnancy. Women with 2-3 ACEs had more than a two-fold increase, and women with 4 or more ACEs had almost a four-fold increase in illicit drug use in pregnancy, relative to women with 0-1 ACEs after adjustment for confounders. Exposure to child abuse was more consistently associated with illicit drug use in pregnancy than exposure to household dysfunction in childhood. Conclusions: Maternal ACEs were common and associated with a moderate increase in the odds of illicit drug use in pregnancy among Canadian women with middle to high SES.


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