Adolescent Peer Pressure, Leisure Boredom, and Substance Use in Low-Income Cape Town Communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaironeesa Hendricks ◽  
Shazly Savahl ◽  
Maria Florence

The aim in this study was to determine whether or not peer pressure and leisure boredom influenced substance use among adolescents in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Nonprobability sampling was used to select 291 adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years who were attending schools in 2 low-income communities in Cape Town. The research instruments were the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, the Resistance to Peer Influence measure, and the Leisure Boredom Scale. Multiple regression analysis showed that the combined influence of peer pressure and leisure boredom predicted substance use among the adolescents. Of the two factors, peer pressure was the stronger predictor of substance use.

Author(s):  
Kelly Rulison ◽  
Megan E. Patrick ◽  
Jennifer Maggs

The development of substance use during adolescence occurs against a backdrop of considerable changes in the social context, but these simultaneous changes alone are not conclusive evidence of a strong causal link between peers and drug use. Clarifying how peers shape the development of substance use is difficult because researchers often do not distinguish between different peer relationships (e.g., friendships, groups, networks), different social processes within these relationships (e.g., direct peer pressure, normative regulation, modeling), or adolescents’ own social motives and perceptions. The chapter discusses how peer relationships change across adolescence, how social processes within different relationships might contribute to substance use, and the methodological challenges that researchers face when documenting these contributions. The chapter also highlights how studies could better match the complexity of research questions about peer influence with appropriate data collection and analytic strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manar Khafagy ◽  
Zeinab Gomaa ◽  
Mohamed Elwasify

Abstract Background In the past few years, there has been an expanding global interest in the problem of substance use. A variety of studies conducted within the past decade have investigated the prevalence of substance use among university students. The study aimed to detect the prevalence and associates of substance use among Egyptian students at Mansoura University. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, observational study was conducted during the period from February to July 2019 on 1138 university students at Mansoura University in Egypt. The university students were randomly divided into three classes (medical, practical, and theoretical). The data were assembled using questionnaires of sociodemographic, clinical attributes, and drug use disorders identification test (DUDIT). Results Lifetime substance use among students was 6.5%. Of the users, 18 (24.3%) used cannabis, 14 (18.9%) used tramadol, 10 (13.5%) used alcohol, 5 (6.8%) used benzodiazepines, and 1 (1.4%) used heroin. Only 35.1% used polysubstance, of those, 10 (13.5%), 12 (16.2%), 3 (4.1%), and 1 (1.4%) used cannabis and tramadol; cannabis and alcohol; cannabis and inhalant; and cannabis, alcohol, and tramadol respectively. There was a substantial association between substance use and male sex, age above 20 years, smoking, and living in urban areas. In the group that used substances, 50 (4.4%) suffered substance-related problems and 6 (0.5%) encountered dependency. Conclusion In total, using the mono substance is more than using poly substances in which cannabis, tramadol, and alcohol were the most often utilized substances. The highest percentage of drug-related problems was among medical students while dependence was highest among practical students. These results should be considered in future substance preventive programs.


Author(s):  
Devon K Check ◽  
Christopher D Bagett ◽  
KyungSu Kim ◽  
Andrew W Roberts ◽  
Megan C Roberts ◽  
...  

Abstract Background No population-based studies have examined chronic opioid use among cancer survivors who are diverse with respect to diagnosis, age group, and insurance status. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using North Carolina (NC) cancer registry data linked with claims from public and private insurance (2006–2016). We included adults with non-metastatic cancer who had no prior chronic opioid use (N = 38,366). We used modified Poisson regression to assess the adjusted relative risk of chronic opioid use in survivorship (>90-day continuous supply of opioids in the 13–24 months following diagnosis) associated with patient characteristics. Results Only 3.0% of cancer survivors in our cohort used opioids chronically in survivorship. Predictors included younger age (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 50–59 vs 60–69 = 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05–1.43), baseline depression (aRR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.06–1.41) or substance use (aRR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.15–1.78) and Medicaid (aRR vs Private = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.56–2.40). Survivors who used opioids intermittently (vs not at all) before diagnosis were twice as likely to use opioids chronically in early survivorship (aRR = 2.62, 95% CI = 2.28–3.02). Those who used opioids chronically (vs intermittently or not at all) during active treatment had a nearly 17-fold increased likelihood of chronic use in survivorship (aRR = 16.65, 95 CI = 14.30–19.40). Conclusions Younger and low-income survivors, those with baseline depression or substance use, and those who require chronic opioid therapy during treatment are at increased risk for chronic opioid use in survivorship. Our findings point to opportunities improve assessment of psychosocial histories and to engage patients in shared decision-making around long-term pain management, when chronic opioid therapy is required during treatment.


Author(s):  
Francis Vergunst ◽  
Nicholas Chadi ◽  
Massimiliano Orri ◽  
Camille Brousseau-Paradis ◽  
Natalie Castellanos-Ryan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Anis Sfendla ◽  
Björn Martinsson ◽  
Ylva Filipovic ◽  
Meftaha Senhaji ◽  
Nóra Kerekes

Research regarding mental illness and drug addiction among inmates in Morocco requires increased knowledge; previous literature reported that prisoners suffer from severe psychological distress. The present study aimed to provide information about Moroccan prisoners’ psychological distress and define the differences in psychological distress levels among inmates with and without drug-dependence. A sample of 177 male inmates completed a set of surveys, including the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). The “Drug dependence” group scored significantly higher psychological distress levels in each of the BSI domains. The strongest differences were measured in the General Severity Index (GSI), hostility, and depression scales. Moroccan prison inmates have high psychological distress, and those with drug-dependence have even higher. There is a need of psychiatric assessment, selection, and care possibilities in prison inmate populations.


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