Search

A study examines sex differences among dentists with respect to oral effects of eating disorders.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2005.10.001 Byline: James Alan Neff (a), Clayton T. Shorkey (b), Liliane Cambraia Windsor (b) Keywords: Substance abuse treatment; Faith-based treatment; Health disparities; Concept Mapping Abstract: This article (a) discusses the definition of faith-based substance abuse treatment programs, (b) juxtaposes Durkheim's theory regarding religion with treatment process model to highlight key dimensions of faith-based and traditional programs, and (c) presents results from a study of seven programs to identify key program dimensions and to identify differences/similarities between program types. Focus group/Concept Mapping techniques yielded a clear 'spiritual activities, beliefs, and rituals' dimension, rated as significantly more important to faith-based programs. Faith-based program staff also rated 'structure and discipline' as more important and 'work readiness' as less important. No differences were found for 'group activities/cohesion' and 'role modeling/mentoring,' 'safe, supportive environment,' and 'traditional treatment modalities.' Programs showed substantial similarities with regard to core social processes of treatment such as mentoring, role modeling, and social cohesion. Implications are considered for further research on treatment engagement, retention, and other outcomes. Author Affiliation: (a) College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA (b) School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA Article History: Received 29 December 2003; Revised 31 August 2005; Accepted 6 October 2005

Despite increasing attention directed to conceptual and methodological issues surrounding spirituality and despite the centrality of 'spiritual transformation' in the recovery literature, there is little systematic evidence to support the role of spiritual change as a necessary condition for substance abuse behavior change. As an explicit conceptualization of mechanisms underlying behavior change is fundamental to effective interventions, this article: 1) briefly reviews relevant behavior change theories to identify key variables underlying change; 2) presents an integrative conceptual framework articulating linkages between program components, behavior change processes, spiritual change mechanisms and substance abuse outcomes; and 3) presents a discussion of how the mechanisms identified in our model can be seen in commonly used substance abuse interventions. Overall, we argue that spiritual transformation at an individual level takes place in a social context involving peer influence, role modeling, and social reinforcement. Keywords: Substance abuse treatment, spiritual change, behavior change models, INTRODUCTION Recently, there has been increasing attention directed to conceptual and methodological issues surrounding spirituality, religiosity, and their implications for health and well being (1). Unfortunately, systematic empirical research regarding [...]

The study discussed in this article examined the relationship between depression symptomatology and functional impairment among white and African American elderly people and investigated the effect of race, religiosity, and social support on this relationship. Study results indicate that although African American elderly people were more impaired in the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) than white elderly people, they did not experience higher levels of depression. However, African Americans did report significantly higher levels of religiosity and social support. Key words: depression, elderly people, functional impairment, social support, religiosity, Depression constitutes a major and growing health problem for older adults. Depressive symptoms are considered to be the most common mental health problem in later life and afflict up to [...]

Studies of accidental needlestick exposure to blood containing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have shown that the volume of blood in an exposure is a strong predictor of subsequent infection. Illicit drug injectors, a group at elevated risk for HIV transmission, use syringes manufactured in two styles, one of which (the integral cannula type) retains substantially less blood after intravenous use than the other (the detachable needle type). In this report, we examine some of the factors associated with use of syringes with detachable needles among drug injectors in San Antonio, Texas using data from epidemiological surveys, ethnographic studies, and historical observations. We compare personal history of syringe type use with HIV serostatus in a sample of 501 active drug injectors interviewed and screened for HIV in 1997-1998. Ninety-nine percent of these respondents reported that they currently used only integral cannula syringes, but 13% had used a syringe with a detachable needle within the past 2 years, and 37% had used one in their lifetime. Only 9% had ever used one [greater than or equal to] 20 times in a year. Hispanic (Mexican American) respondents were significantly less likely than other ethnic groups to have ever used a detachable needle syringe. HIV seroprevalence was < 1% among heterosexual injectors who had never used a detachable needle syringe compared to 4% among those who had used one (p< 0.05). Keywords: Injecting drug users; HIV; Syringes; Texas; USA

The predictive validity of a treatment readiness measure designed for out-of-treatment drug users, tapping dimensions of perceived problem severity, perceived need for formal treatment, motivation for treatment, and negative attitudes toward treatment is examined using data from a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded HIV outreach intervention in San Antonio, Texas. Logistic regression is used to predict use of substance abuse treatment services three months after program intake on the basis of readiness scores, controlling for demographic and drug history variables. Analyses of data from 673 drug users in an HIV outreach intervention indicated that treatment readiness dimensions accounted for a 12% increase in variation in 'use of any modality' and 14% for 'use or attempted service use'. Only Motivation to Quit was a significant predictor of 'use of any modality' and both Perceived Need for Treatment and Motivation to Quit were significant predictors of 'use or attempted use'. Findings support the importance of the individual's perception of 'readiness' to change their substance-abusing behavior and enter treatment., INTRODUCTION Identification of injection drug users (IDUs) as an HIV risk group in the early 1980s focused substantial research efforts in the United States (1) and other countries (2) on [...]

Three models of continuing education - full-day, half-day, and brief workshop - for health providers treating patients with HIV/AIDS were compared on measures of effectiveness with regard to knowledge, attitude, and practice outcomes. Analyses of pre- and postintervention data from two years of training events suggest consistent, modest, program effects in the full-day and half-day approaches, specifically in the area of knowledge enhancement.

A study of the influence of parental alcoholism and parental mental illness on adult children from racially and ethnically diverse random communities reveals that higher estimates of depression, worry and somatization are seen among male drinkers whose parents had a history of alcoholism. Parental mental illness causes depression, worry, somatization and high drinking among females. The occurrence of these effects in males who reported parental alcoholism indicates the resilience of male Adult Children of Alcoholics who do not drink or drink to mediate parental alcoholism.

A recent development in the provision of substance abuse services has been the rise of the harm-reduction model and non-abstinence-based services. Harm reduction is based on the suppositions that drug [...]

Evaluates a causal model of the Health Belief Model in HIV infections. Emphasis on possible indirect paths linking distal demographic susceptibility variables to HIV infections; Ethnic comparison of the data; Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS.