Likelihood of Substance Abuse for Dyslexics May Be Influenced by Socioeconomic Background and Metacognition Abstract Research into the relationship between dyslexia and substance abuse has led to inconsistent findings. Some research papers suggest that dyslexics are at increased risk of substance abuse (and related) problems, whilst some research would suggest the contrary. We suggest that these different observations can be accounted for by socioeconomic background and the effect of this on metacognition. There are also an increased number of other factors which may predominantly affect people from low socioeconomic backgrounds which could exacerbate substance abuse.

Disclosure, Stigma, and Social Support Among Young People Receiving Treatment for Substance Use Disorders and Their Caregivers: a Qualitative Analysis Abstract Relational processes (i.e., disclosure, stigma, social support) experienced by youth with substance use disorders (SUDs) and their caregivers may act as barriers to, or facilitators of, recovery but are understudied. Single-session qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 patients and 15 caregivers recruited by clinicians from a SUD program. There was variability in disclosure experiences, including how many people knew about patients’ SUD diagnosis and treatment, whether patients or caregivers primarily disclosed to others, and feelings about others knowing about one’s or one’s child’s SUD treatment. After disclosing, patients and caregivers experienced stigmatizing (e.g., social rejection) and supportive (e.g., understanding, advice) reactions from others. Disclosures may have important implications for relationship and recovery-related outcomes. Moreover, some child-caregiver pairs have significant disagreements regarding disclosure of SUD treatment. Addressing relational processes within treatment by encouraging patients and caregivers to share the disclosure decision-making process may support the recovery of youth with SUDs.

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Depression, Antisocial Behavior, Alcohol Use, and Gambling during Emerging Adulthood Abstract Emerging adults show higher prevalence of harmful risk behaviors, such as alcohol use and gambling, compared to other age groups. In existing research, it appears that patterns of risk behaviors vary by gender during emerging adulthood. However, scarce research has examined gender differences in prospective relations among risk behaviors in emerging adults. This study explores gender differences in the developmental risks of depression, antisocial behavior, and alcohol use (Wave III) on gambling (Waves III and IV) in emerging adulthood in a sample of emerging adults (N = 8282) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Results showed that antisocial behavior was associated with increased risk of alcohol use. Heavy drinking in early emerging adulthood was associated with increased risk of gambling later, but depression was marginally protective of gambling. Among men, contemporaneous associations between alcohol use and heavy drinking were stronger than among women. Among women, earlier binge drinking conferred increased risk of later gambling problems, but in men negative relationships between the two were found. The results highlight the importance of ongoing efforts in early prevention and intervention for the co-occurrence of risk behaviors in emerging adulthood.

Changes in Mental Health Providers’ Recovery Attitudes and Strengths Model Implementation Following Training and Supervision Abstract The strengths model (SM) is a recovery-oriented model of mental health care. Historically, training alone has been insufficient to ensure implementation of SM skills in practice. The aim of the current study was to determine whether improvements in recovery attitudes and attendance at Strength-Based Group Supervision (SBGS) following training are associated with greater skill implementation in practice. Mental health providers (N = 76) were trained in SM interventions and surveyed immediately before and after training and at a 6-month follow-up on various recovery attitude measures and SBGS attendance. Results showed that providers’ attitudes were significantly improved after completing the training programs; however, only willingness to support consumers in positive goal-oriented risk taking remained significantly improved at 6-month follow-up. The frequency of attendance at SBGS sessions was low, and this may have contributed to a lack of consistent evidence that SBGS attendance was associated with sustained improvements in attitudes or SM skill implementation. Future research is needed to clarify the ability of public sector mental health organizations to successfully implement and sustain SM approaches in practice. The role of ongoing SBGS in this process also requires continued investigation.

‘I’ll Just Pay the Rent Next Month’: an Exploratory Study Examining Facilitatory Cognitions Among EGM Problem Gamblers Abstract Clinical studies of problem gamblers (PGs) highlight the role of erroneous cognitions during problematic gambling, yet little is known about the role of cognitions in the maintenance of gambling problems. Twenty-nine electronic gaming machine (EGM) PGs engaged in focus groups and in-depth interviews, with a focus on understanding the relapse process in EGM gambling. Three themes and nine subthemes related to facilitatory cognitions were described; (i) creating available money (paying only essential bills, pokies money is not real money), (ii) minimising gambling as a problem (pseudo-control, ignoring harms), and (iii) struggling with overwhelming emotions. This paper expands our understanding of gambling cognitions and argues cognitions activated during problem gambling are more complicated than considered to date. These findings inform current cognitive therapy approaches by identifying a more comprehensive suite of erroneous cognitions. Addressing these cognitions may assist gamblers to maintain critical thinking about their decision to gamble, thus reducing their risk of relapse.

The Relationship Between Demographic Variables and Substance Use in Undergraduates Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between demographic variables and substance use during the last month among undergraduates. A self-administered questionnaire “Students 2004” was distributed among a convenience sample of undergraduates (n = 983; between the ages of 21 and 36) at a large, public university in the south of Poland. The data were analyzed statistically, using chi-squared test, logistic regression, and cluster analysis. The results indicated that excessive alcohol drinking and substance use among students are related to being male, studying social sciences, living in a dorm or apartment, and living in an urban area. Binge drinking is related to gender and living arrangement, whereas illicit drug use is associated with faculty and place of residence. Prevention programmes at universities should be targeted at male students, studying social sciences, living in a dorm, and living in an urban area.

Effect of Khat Use During Pregnancy on the Birth Weight of Newborn in Jimma, Ethiopia Abstract Today, drug misuse and abuse is becoming a major problem worldwide. Birth weight of a newborn remains an important predictor of infant and child morbidity and mortality. In 2006, approximately one in four newborns in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, had low birth weight. About 19% of pregnant women attending antenatal care in heath institutions of Jimma Zone were using khat during pregnancy. However, there is a lack of research on predictors of low birth weight especially the potential effect of khat use during pregnancy. To examine the effect of khat use during pregnancy on birth weight of newborn in Jimma town, Ethiopia. Institution-based case-control study design was conducted on a total of 336 mother-newborn pairs recruited at birth from public health facilities in Jimma town during April–June, 2013. One hundred twelve mothers who gave a live birth at term with a birth weight of < 2.5 kg were considered as cases, and 224 mothers who gave a live birth at term with a birth weight of ≥ 2.5 kg were considered as controls. Study subjects were selected consecutively. Maternal khat use during pregnancy was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) scale. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS) for Windows version 16. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the independent effect of maternal khat use during pregnancy on the birth weight of the newborn. The internal reliability (Cronbatch’s α) for the CIDI scale was 0.74. The odds of low birth weight among babies born from mothers who used khat during pregnancy were 12 times higher compared to those born from non-users. The odds of low birth weight among babies born from mothers who gained weight less than 10 kg during pregnancy were 11 times higher than those born from mothers who gained weight greater than 10 kg during pregnancy. The odds of low birth weight among babies born from mothers who had a birth interval of less than 3 years from the previous delivery were 3.5 times higher compared to those babies born from mothers who had a birth interval of greater than 3 years. Maternal khat use during pregnancy is strongly associated with low birth weight of the newborn. The observed association between maternal khat use during pregnancy and low birth weight of the newborn calls for public health interventions to reduce maternal khat use during pregnancy and its consequence on the health of the newborn.

Loneliness, Depression, Social Support Levels, and Other Factors Involving the Internet Use of High School Students in Turkey Abstract This descriptive study was carried out to examine problematic Internet use among high school students, and its relationship with the students’ family characteristics, loneliness, depression, and social support levels. For this study, 881 students were chosen by simple random sampling method from 8346 high school students in 18 secondary institutions of Edirne, Turkey. Data were collected using Online Cognition Scale, Depression Scale for Children, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. The study found that younger students, especially males, who used the Internet in the mornings and evenings at home and on their mobile phones exhibited more signs of problematic Internet use. Problematic Internet use was also found to be increased among the students who spent more time on the Internet, showed more signs of depression and loneliness, had more siblings, and whose mothers had higher levels of education. The results of the study indicate training programs should be offered by relevant experts in internet usage.

Systematic Review of Suicidal Behaviour in Individuals Who Have Attended Substance Abuse Treatment Abstract Worldwide, more than 1 million people take their life every year. In Australia, 3027 deaths by suicide were reported in 2015, the highest rate reported in 10 years. There is an alarming disparity between suicide rates across Indigenous and non-Indigenous people documented in many countries around the world. Between 2001 and 2010, the overall suicide rate for Indigenous Australians was twice that for non-Indigenous individuals. Compared to the general population, those with substance abuse disorders are almost 10 times more likely to die from suicide. In alcohol and other drug treatment (AOD) services, one in seven (15%) clients are Indigenous, despite representing only 3% of the entire Australian population. In order to better understand the current status of research in the field, a systematic review was completed aimed at identifying studies that reported the prevalence of suicidal behaviour in substance abuse treatment settings, with the additional aim of comparing rates and risk profiles across Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We identified 20 studies reporting rates of suicidal behaviour in individuals who have attended AOD treatment. Rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and death by suicide were reported across multiple studies. Eleven studies reported rates of lifetime suicide attempts with prevalence rates ranging from 17.1 to 47% (median = 30.2%; mean = 29.2%). No studies were identified reporting Australian Indigenous rates of suicidal behaviour in substance abuse treatment settings, highlighting a significant gap in the literature.

Affective-Somatic Symptoms of Depression, Suicide Risk and Exposure to Childhood Maltreatment: Data from Emerging Adults to Older-Age Males Abstract Major depression is typically conceptualised as a disturbance of mood and behaviour. In primary care presentations however, somatic symptoms often dominate the clinical picture of depression, though investigations of organic causes may delay diagnosis. Attention to somatic symptoms may be a particularly useful means of earlier detection of men’s depression and suicidality. Utilising data from 530 Canadian men (mean age 47.91 years, range 19–88), confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor affective-somatic model of depression (CFI = .953, TLI = .934, RMSEA = .092, SRMR = .041). Controlling for affective symptoms, somatic symptoms accounted for unique variance in men’s suicidality. When examining static childhood risk factors, a somatic symptom × maltreatment exposure interaction indicated elevated suicidality in men reporting 3–5 childhood maltreatment types but not those reporting 1–2 types. Greater attention to somatic symptoms may improve detection of men’s depression in the context of widely held perceptions of affective symptoms being associated with vulnerability or weakness among males.