Editor’s Note: These entries are part of an ongoing drug-related dissertation bibliography being compiled by Jonathon Erlen. They were formerly published in the Social History of Alcohol and Drugs journal but are now periodically featured on the Points blog. For more information, contact Dr. Erlen through the above link.
Factors Related to Prescription Drug Abuse Among Young Adults in Florida
Author: Gonzalez, Mabel
Abstract: A lack of available data exists regarding environmental factors related to prescription drug abuse (PDA), which could explain the ineffectiveness of efforts to reduce PDA in Florida. Prescription drug abuse among adults older than age 18 varies with the level of education achieved, and these metrics potentially reflect socioeconomic differences. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the connections between contextual aspects of prescription opioid abuse among Florida’s middle and high school students to understand youth PDA in relation to their environments. This study consisted of a secondary analysis of existing PDA data (dependent variable) in relation to a number of independent variables, including the incidence of female-headed households, the nature of residential environment, adherence to religious precepts, and students’ ability to achieve educational goals. Incidence of female-headed households, the nature of residential environment, and adherence to religious precepts were not found to predict youth PDA. The only finding of significance was that PDA predicted lowered students’ ability to achieve educational goals ( p = .015). Data collected from this study might be used by school counselors and administrators when developing drug abuse prevention, intervention, and educational programs, thereby leading to positive social change in helping to reduce PDA among youth.
Publication year: 2016
ISBN: 9781369235104
Advisor: Dunn, Michael
Committee member: Frasncavillo, Gwendolyn; Sharma, Manoj
University/institution: Walden University
Department: Public Health
Coping with Discrimination: The Roles of Discrimination, Coping, and Group Identity in Alcohol Use among Filipin@ American Young Adults
Author: Paves, Andrew Philip
Abstract: Filipin@ Americans (Fil-Ams) are currently the second largest Asian and Pacific Islander (API) American group in the United States. Compared to other APIs, Fil-Ams are a suspected at-risk group for problematic alcohol use. Fil-Ams also report experiencing discrimination at higher rates than other APIs, and it has been hypothesized that alcohol use is a means to cope with discrimination. Group identity, the extent to which one identifies with a specific social group (e.g. ethnic, national), may moderate the association between discrimination and health outcomes, including problem drinking. The present research examined the extent to which coping responses to discrimination are associated with alcohol-related problems, and whether different dimensions of group identity are related to this process. The specific aims were to: (1) develop measures for group identity and discrimination that accurately assess experiences of Fil-Ams; (2) pilot test the new measures for validity and reliability; (3) assess the relations among discrimination, coping, and alcohol-related problems; and (4) assess the role of group identity as a potential moderator in the association between discrimination/coping, and alcohol use. In accomplishing Aims 1-2, item development process and subsequent pilot testing ( N = 390) resulted in two ethnic-specific scales: the Filipin@ American Microaggressions Scale (FAMS) and the Filipin@ American Identity Measure (FilAmIM). For Aims 3-4, moderated mediation analyses ( N = 444) revealed a near significant indirect effect between perceived discrimination and alcohol-related problems through avoidant coping; in turn, this mediating relationship was moderated by Filipino (ethnic) and American (national) identity. The conditional indirect effect was strongest for individuals having an Assimilated Identity profile, i.e. high in American and low in Filipino identity. The findings highlight the need to consider multiple dimensions of group identity in understanding the relationship between discrimination and health, the conditions one may utilize specific coping strategies in response, and in understanding the efficacy of specific coping. Overall, the research addresses important knowledge gaps regarding the variability in alcohol use across specific API groups and the potential health effects of exposure to discrimination. It provides the basis for developing culturally appropriate interventions to prevent and treat problematic drinking among Fil-Ams as well as etiological research with other API subgroups.
Publication year: 2016
ISBN: 9781369231700
Advisor: Larimer, Mary
Committee member: George, William; Harachi, Tracy; Simoni, Jane
University/institution: University of Washington
Department: Psychology
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: Explanatory Models of Illness and Utilization of Care Among American Indians Receiving Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services at a Midwestern Urban Clinic
Author: Weaver, Isaac
Abstract: Few studies have examined mental health treatment and utilization among urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (UAI/AN) diagnosed with psychiatric and substance abuse related disorders (P/SA). What little is known makes clear that UAI/AN experience P/SA at elevated rates, and that in spite of efforts to culturally tailor treatment, utilization rates remain low among UAI/AN (Sue, 1977). It is likely that utilization rates remain low among UAI/AN because there are few studies that directly examine the perspectives of P/SA among UAI/AN, rendering it a challenge to develop treatments that are culturally appropriate, relevant, and effective (Campbell et al., 2015; Dickerson, Brown, Johnson, Schweigman, & D’Amico, 2016; Hartmann & Gone, 2012; Kropp, Lilleskov, Richards, & Somoza, 2014; Moghaddam, Momper, & Fong, 2015; West, William, Suzukovich, Strangeman, & Novins, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how UAI/AN experience, explain, and make treatment decisions related to their P/SA, and how this may influence mental health care utilization. A semi-structured interview of questions adapted from three versions of Kleinman’s “Eight Questions” (Kleinman, 1980, 1988; Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 1978), as well as several questions from protocols used in studies that have examined explanatory model of illness narratives (Hsiao, Klimidis, Minas, & Tan, 2008; Shyu, Tsai, & Tsai, 2010; Waite & Killian, 2009; Wilcox et al., 2007) was used to elicit the narratives of 13 AI/AN who had received behavioral health and substance abuse services at an Urban Indian Healthcare Organization (UIHO) in a midwestern city. Narratives were analyzed using a grounded theory analytic approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) to further develop knowledge of how UAI/AN experience, explain, and make treatment decisions related to their P/SA, and how this may influence treatment utilization at a UIHO.
Publication year: 2016
ISBN: 9781369051865
Advisor: Kang, Ezer
Committee member: Neal Kimball, Cynthia; West, Amy E.
University/institution: Wheaton College
Department: Clinical Psychology