Substance use & misuse
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2017
Perceptions of Harm and Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Opioid Drugs and Reasons for Not Seeking Treatment for Physical or Emotional Pain Among a Sample of College Students.
Since the early 1990s, the United States has seen a significant increase in the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse. Despite benefits prescription opioids provide, misuse can be fatal. ⋯ Lifetime prevalence of prescription opioid misuse was 9.5%. Misusers of prescription opioid drugs generally reported lower ratings of perceived harm as compared to individuals not reporting misuse of prescription opioid drugs. Primary reasons for misuse of prescription opioid drugs was to relieve pain (33.9%), "to feel good/get high" (23.2%) and experimentation (21.4%). Lifetime misuse of a prescription opioid drug for physical or emotional pain was reported by 8.1% and 2.2% of respondents, respectively. Primary reasons for misuse for physical pain included because pain was temporary, immediate relief was needed, and no health insurance/financial resources. Primary reasons for misuse for emotional pain included not wanting others to find out, embarrassment and fear. Conclusions/Importance: Reasons for misuse of prescription opioid drugs vary by type of prescription opioid drug. Reasons for not seeking treatment that ultimately lead to misuse, vary by type of pain being treated and may be important considerations in the effort to stem the misuse of prescription opioid drugs among college students.
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Substance use & misuse · Jul 2016
Advertising Receptivity and Youth Initiation of Smokeless Tobacco.
Cross-sectional data suggests that adolescents' receptivity to the advertising of smokeless tobacco is correlated with use of chewing tobacco or snuff. Lack of longitudinal data has precluded determination of whether advertising receptivity precedes or follows initiation of smokeless tobacco. ⋯ Advertising receptivity at baseline was predictive of ever use by late adolescence (RR(95% CI) = 2.0 (1.5, 2.8)) and regular use by young adulthood (RR(95% CI) = 3.7 (2.1, 6.7)) in models that were adjusted for covariates. Conclusions/ Importance: The findings challenge the tobacco industry's assertion that tobacco marketing does not impact youth initiation. This is particularly relevant to tobacco control in the United States because the 2009 Tobacco Control Act places fewer restrictions on smokeless tobacco products compared to cigarettes.
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Lower rates of substance abuse are found among Black Americans compared to Whites, but little is known about differences in substance abuse across ethnic groups within the black population. ⋯ The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested.
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Substance use & misuse · Jul 2016
PTSD and Pregaming in College Students: A Risky Practice for an At-Risk Group.
College students with trauma exposure and PTSD are at risk for problem drinking. This may include more specific hazardous drinking practices such as pregaming (drinking prior to a social event), which is linked to increased alcohol-related consequences. ⋯ PTSD may confer risk both for pregaming and experiencing harmful consequences on pregaming days.
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Substance use & misuse · May 2016
Gender Comparisons Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Patients in Drug Dependency Treatment.
Few studies have focused on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), despite indications of increasing substance abuse among AAPIs in recent years. ⋯ Gender differences revealed in this study suggest a need for a greater treatment focus on psychiatric problems for AAPI women and drug use problems for AAPI men.