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OBJETIVO: Establecer la relación entre las expectativas hacia el consumo de alcohol, los patrones de su uso y los problemas asociados a su consumo en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de México. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal realizado en octubre de 1998, en el que participaron 678 estudiantes, hombres y mujeres entre los 17 y 25 años de edad, provenientes de universidades públicas y privadas. En él se midieron las expectativas a partir de un cuestionario de autorreporte, el Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ), que fue adaptado a esta población obteniendo una consistencia interna global elevada (alpha=0.93). RESULTADOS: Del total de los estudiantes, 31% presentó un consumo alto (mayor a cinco copas por ocasión de consumo en el último año), principalmente en los varones, mientras que 17% fueron no consumidores. Mediante un modelo estructural de ecuaciones se estudió la relación entre las subescalas de expectativas, el patrón de consumo y problemas asociados. El análisis de varianza mostró una relación estadísticamente significativa entre seis subescalas de expectativas (el alcohol como facilitador de la interacción grupal, expresividad verbal, desinhibición, incremento de la sexualidad, reducción de la tensión psicológica e incremento de la agresividad) y las variables sexo, consumo de alcohol y problemas asociados (F=5.23, gl=1, p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONES: De manera consistente con lo informado en otros países, se encontró que los efectos que las personas atribuyen al consumo de alcohol, anticipándose a la experiencia de estar bebiendo (expectativas), están estrechamente relacionadas con su consumo. Los resultados de este estudio indican que los estudiantes con un consumo alto de alcohol tuvieron mayores puntuaciones en seis de las subescalas de expectativas, además de que éstas fueron más elevadas entre quienes informaron que tuvieron problemas relacionados con el consumo en el último año. Las expectativas del alcohol como facilitador de la interacción grupal, como reductor de la tensión psicológica y como agente que incrementa la conducta agresiva se relacionaron con un consumo de alcohol más alto. El texto completo en inglés de este artículo está disponible en: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html

Social rejection of drug use is greater than that directed at other psychiatric conditions, like depression and anxiety, which may lead to social exclusion of substance users and prevent them from seeking and receiving treatment. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the stigma and discrimination related to addiction in treatment centers in Mexico City. Methods: Data are from a broad mixed methods study. The present study is a qualitative analysis of 35 in-depth interviews of drug users, family members, and providers, using guidelines for the exploration of experiences of stigma and discrimination related to substance abuse. A thematic analysis was carried out using specialized software (Atlas.ti 6.2.23). Results: The common practices of stigma and discrimination (e.g., judging, mockery, inappropriate comments, overprotection, and hostile looks), were identified in participant testimonies. The narratives provide evidence of varied conditions of social and gender inequality, as well as experience of violence and abuse, that refer to a structural context of discrimination surrounding addiction, and that constitute obstacles to treatment. Conclusions: The findings allow for a description of the stigmatization process surrounding addiction as a shared problem that requires the implementation of coordinated treatment strategies. They also suggest the need for more comprehensive policies of inclusion, based on human rights, which favor prevention and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to test the factorial validity of the Symptom Rating Test (SRT) on women (mothers and wives of alcohol and drug users) coping with alcohol and drug use m a close relative (n = 155). The purpose was to develop a common model of symptoms that would serve as the basis for establishing comparative analyses based on variables such as type of relationship with the drug user and country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mexico, addictions among the middle- and high-school student population have been widely studied, which has shed light on certain risks associated with alcohol abuse, including a higher probability of experiencing with other drugs particularly in the case of males-, engaging in risky sexual practices and attempting suicide, a situation that is twice as common among those who drink and drive. Nevertheless, research on alcohol abuse among the university population has been less explored, particularly as regards the identification of the variables that predict excessive alcohol consumption. A review of the international literature on factors associated with alcohol abuse in this type of population indicates that it is among university students that high or explosive consumption tends to be largest, even among young people who do not attend school, and that the period of higher consumption is between 17 and 21 years of age. Other factors that have been identified include exposure to negative life events, inappropriate coping styles, personality variables, resorting to alcohol to reduce tension, and environmental and socio—cognitive variables, foremost among which arc expectations of the positive effects of alcohol. These expectations not only predict alcohol consumption but also differentiate between problem and non-problem drinking. For example, while social drinkers tend to harbor more social expectations when drinking alcohol, excessive drinkers expect alcohol to increase their aggressive and social behavior, while reducing stress or tension. This paper seeks to evaluate the impact of expectations regarding alcohol, in predicting alcohol abuse among students at public and private universities in Mexico City. Indicators of alcohol abuse include consumption of five or more drinks on each occasion, drunkenness during the past month and year as well as associated problems. The study also seeks to determine the way in which sub-scales of expectations interact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To obtain information about emotional ailments based on the experience of adults in a socially underserved urban community, their social support resources to cope with them, and their health care expectancies., Material and Methods: The study began in 2000, in the Magdalena Contreras District of Mexico City. Data collection was conducted in 2001-2003, using a multimethodological approach that included in depth interviews of female and male adults (n= 16) performed during 2000-2002. A semistructured questionnaire (n=204) was applied in the first semester of 2002 and data entering was performed in the second semester of that year. Quantitative analysis was performed in 2003., Results: The community informants evidenced a lack of social support networks. For women, the expected support to cope with emotional disorders should come from the nuclear family, although in practice their partner represented a source of discontent. For men, the main expected source of support was their wives., Conclusions: Based on these results, some reflections are proposed around intervention programs considering both the perspective of the community members and the multidisciplinary work.