Youth Substance Use

Mulder, J., ter Bogt, T., Raaijmakers, Q.A., Nic Gabhainn, S., Monshouwer, K. & Vollebergh, W. (2010). Is it the music? Peer substance use as a mediator of the link between music preferences and adolescent substance use. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 387-394.

by Saoirse Nic Gabhainn

Explaining Cross-National Youth Substance Use Through Modernization Approach: A Study of Students in Eight Post-Yugoslac Societies

by Andrej Kirbis

Co-authored with Sergej Flere, Marina Tavcar Krajnc, Published in Policing in Central and Eastern Europe – Social Control of Unconventional Deviance: Conference proceedings. University of Maribor, Faculty of criminal justice and security. Editors: Gorazd Meško, Andrej Sotlar and John Winterdyk, p. 87-106.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to compare mean levels of self-reported youth substance use measures in... more Purpose: The purpose of this research was to compare mean levels of self-reported youth substance use measures in eight post-Yugoslav entities in an effort to test the applicability of modernization approach in predicting substance use levels at the cross-national level. Design/methodology/approach:
2,178 first- and second-year social science students in ex-Yugoslav entities were surveyed with the aim of identifying similarities and differences in mean levels of tobacco, alcohol, and marihuana use. Findings: Three self-reported substance use measures showed high internal consistency and factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional structure. Cross-national comparisons showed that socioeconomically most developed entities (e.g., Slovenia and Croatia) had highest means on composite substance use measure, and Kosovo had the lowest, as expected based on the modernization approach. Research limitations/implications: The study results lend support to the modernization approach as being largely successful in explaining cross-national differences in youth substance use levels. Future studies should employ larger representative samples to allow generalisability. In addition, a larger array of deviance measures ought to be employed in the future.
Practical implications: The study has implications for both researchers and the policy makers in post-Yugoslav entities. Specifically, it shows that next to socioeconomic development, additional explanations and factors (e.g., predominant religious context, historical context) should be identified when explaining cross-national substance use differences among adolescents.
Originality/value: The study extends the understanding of cross-national substance use levels in post communist entities since quantitative data from the observed environments is largely missing and empirical studies largely exclude post-Yugoslav entities from their sampling frame.

Test of Resiliency Models on Depressive Symptomatology Among Substance Abusing Runaways and Their Primary Caretakers

by Gizem Erdem

MS Thesis - Unpublished manuscript

LİSE ÖĞRENCİLERİNDE ARKADAŞ ÖZELLİKLERİ VE MADDE KULLANIMI

by Gizem Erdem

Erdem, G., Eke, C. Y., Ogel, K., & Taner, S. (2006) Lise ogrencilerinde arkadas ozellikleri ve madde kullanimi. Bagimlilik Dergisi, 7(3), 111-116. (Peer characteristics and substance use among high school students.)

That Which Does Not Kill You Makes You Stronger: Runaway Youth's Resilience to Depression in the Family Context

by Gizem Erdem

Erdem, G., & Slesnick, N. (2010). That which does not kill you makes you stronger: Runaway youth’s resilience to depression in the family context. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(2), 195-203.

Korkatut pullot, pirun kusi ja alkoholistien maksat. Luonnostelmia osallistavaan päihdekasvatukseen

by Tomi Kiilakoski

Published in YHTEISÖLLISIÄ NÄKÖKULMIA NUORTEN EHKÄISEVÄÄN PÄIHDETYÖHÖN (toim. Merja Kylmäkoski, Sanna Pylkkänen, Reijo Viitanen) Humanistisen ammattikorkeakoulujen julkaisuja, sarja C. Oppimateriaaleja 21, 2010. In Finnish.

Alkoholi ja muut päihteet koskettavat kaikkia, myös heitä, jotka niistä pidättäytyvät. Päihteiden ympärille kietoutuu... more Alkoholi ja muut päihteet koskettavat kaikkia, myös heitä, jotka niistä pidättäytyvät. Päihteiden ympärille kietoutuu paljon kulttuurisia käytänteitä, asenteita ja normeja. Nämä voivat tuntua etovilta tai kiinnostavilta. Ne synnyttävät voimakkaita myönteisiä ja kielteisiä reaktioita, harvalla on niihin täysin yhdentekevä asenne. Ihmisillä on paljon tietoa päihteistä ja niihin liittyvistä käyttäytymismalleista. Päihteet myös synnyttävät ongelmia. Rehellisesti tarkastellen alkoholi ei ole vain ongelmaryhmien hankaluus: se koskettaa kaikkia. Ei pelkästään heitä, vaan myös minua. Tämän kulttuurisen aseman tarkasteleminen edellyttää paitsi tietoa, myös rehellisyyttä
ja avoimuutta. Pelkkä tiedostaminen tuskin riittää, vaaaditaan myös toimintaa, joka koskettelee laajemmin niitä tunteita ja uskomuksia, joita kulttuurina liitämme alkoholiin. Tekstin on määrä pohtia, mitä seuraamuksia osallistavalla kasvatuksella on päihdekasvatukselle. Kysymystä päihdekasvatuksesta lähestytään paikantamalla se kriittisen pedagogiikan mukaiseen näkemykseen kasvatuksesta prosessina, joka pohjautuu
dialogiseen suhteeseen ja jossa asiat nähdään keskustelun ja yhteisen merkityksenannon kohteena, eikä valmiina tietorakennelmana, joka yksilön on omaksuttava.

Estudio sobre el Comportamiento y Salud en los Jóvenes Escolares de la República Dominicana: Resultados de 2009

by Elián Cabrera-Nguyen

Co-authored with Dr. Juan B. Peña, Rosa Fernández, and Diana Chaves.

This scientific report on youth risk behaviors was prepared for the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Education.more This scientific report on youth risk behaviors was prepared for the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Education.

We administered a modified YRBS to a nationally representative sample of public high school youth in the Dominican Republic. The survey asked about mental health, sexual risk behaviors, substance use, and violent behavior. Findings are presented at the national level and for each educational district. I analyzed all data and assisted with preparing the report. I also helped present the results to a delegation from the DR's Ministry of Education.

Dr. Juan B. Peña, assistant professor at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, is the prinicpal investigator and first author. The remaining authors are presented alphabetically; contribution is equal: Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen, Diana Chaves, and Rosa Fernández

Correlates of substance use and psychopathology with academic performance and life functioning among college students

by Jonathan Freedlander

Presented at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Conference for the Dissemination of Research on Addictions, Infections Disease, and Public Health, Baltimore, MD.

Substance use, both licit and illicit, is strikingly common among college students. While a number of studies have... more Substance use, both licit and illicit, is strikingly common among college students. While a number of studies have investigated the effects that substance use has on functioning among college students, there is little consensus as to the nature of the correlations. The present study investigated the correlations among a detailed range of drug use behaviors, trait anxiety and depression, academic performance, and life functioning among college students. Trait anxiety and depression proved the most predictive of problems in life functioning and academic performance, followed by frequency of drug use variables, then age of first use variables. Life functioning measures were considerably more sensitive outcomes than measures of academic performance. The results of this study have important implications for designing behavioral intervention programs for college students.

Vocational rehab & social reintegration: The Needs of Problem Drug Users (2006)

by Julian Buchanan

National Drug Treatment Conference 2006 (Audio & PowerPoint Presentation)

Intervention strategies for tackling problem drug use tend to be dominated by a focus upon the physical (e.g. detox,... more Intervention strategies for tackling problem drug use tend to be dominated by a focus upon the physical (e.g. detox, drug testing, substitute prescribing) and psychological (motivational interviewing, the cycle of change) aspects of dependence. In contrast this paper will promote the social dimension of drug dependence. It will critically explore the structural, cultural and personal difficulties recovering problem drug user’s face when trying to engage with mainstream society. In particular it will outline the challenges posed by social exclusion and discrimination.

Evidence suggests that for many problem drug user’s social exclusion was a difficulty prior to the onset of a drug problem. A drug centred lifestyle has added further layers of exclusion and exacerbated the situation. These layers of exclusion make vocational rehabilitation, social integration and participation within the wider community extremely difficult. This paper will illustrate how attitudes, policies and practices serve to reinforce isolation and create a ‘wall of exclusion’ that effectively prevents problem drug users from engaging with mainstream society.

An alternative conceptual framework that incorporates the social context of problem drug use will be detailed and discussed. This model ‘Steps to Integration’ will be further explored as a template to consider the policy and practice implications of helping recovering problem drug users achieve social integration.

U.S. Cultural Involvement and its Association with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Youth in the Dominican Republic: A Latent Class Regression Analysis

by Elián Cabrera-Nguyen

Authors: Cabrera-Nguyen, E. P., & Peña, J.B.

Cabrera-Nguyen was presenting author

We examined the relationship of US cultural involvement with substance abuse and sexual risk behavior profiles in a... more We examined the relationship of US cultural involvement with substance abuse and sexual risk behavior profiles in a nationally representative sample of public high school students in the Dominican Republic using latent class analysis. Using a novel methodological approach, we examined explanations for the so-called Latino or Hispanic immigrant paradox while controlling for selection bias. US cultural involvement indicators were independent and robust predictors of increased substance abuse and sexual risk behaviors after adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Implications for prevention efforts targeting risk behaviors among Latino/a adolescents in the US and abroad are considered.