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Tag Archives: social

Psychiatrists Call For Northern Ireland Executive To Follow Scottish Lead On Minimum Price For Alcohol

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland has called on the Executive to take the advice of the Health and Social Development Ministers and follow Scotland’s lead in proposing a minimum price for alcohol of 45 pence a unit…

Four Mass. Hospitals Investigate Trashing Of Patient Health Records, Calif. Employers Worry About Workers Using Marijuana On Job

The Boston Globe: “Four Massachusetts community hospitals are investigating how thousands of patient health records, some containing Social Security numbers and sensitive medical diagnoses, ended up in a pile at a public dump…

2 Programmes Focus On Addiction Awareness And Control

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) the study designed the two programmes and examined their effectiveness in helping excessive drinkers reduce their drinking. The AACTP and LEAP programmes address the challenges faced by excessive drinkers, including a preoccupation with drinking made worse by alcohol-related stimuli around them…

Using theories of behaviour change to inform interventions for addictive behaviours

Aims This paper reviews a set of theories of behaviour change that are used outside the field of addiction and considers their relevance for this field.Methods Ten theories are reviewed in terms of (i) the main tenets of each theory, (ii) the implications of the theory for promoting change in addictive behaviours and (iii) studies in the field of addiction that have used the theory. An augmented feedback loop model based on Control Theory is used to organize the theories and to show how different interventions might achieve behaviour change.Results Briefly, each theory provided the following recommendations for intervention: Control Theory: prompt behavioural monitoring, Goal-Setting Theory: set specific and challenging goals, Model of Action Phases: form ‘implementation intentions’, Strength Model of Self-Control: bolster self-control resources, Social Cognition Models (Protection Motivation Theory, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Health Belief Model): modify relevant cognitions, Elaboration Likelihood Model: consider targets’ motivation and ability to process information, Prototype Willingness Model: change perceptions of the prototypical person who engages in behaviour and Social Cognitive Theory: modify self-efficacy.Conclusions There are a range of theories in the field of behaviour change that can be applied usefully to addiction, each one pointing to a different set of modifiable determinants and/or behaviour change techniques

Increased risk for hepatitis C associated with solvent use among Canadian Aboriginal injection drug users

Background: Solvent abuse is a particularly serious issue affecting Aboriginal people. Here we examine the association between solvent use and socio-demographic variables, drug-related risk factors, and pathogen prevalence in Aboriginal injection drug users (IDU) in Manitoba, Canada. Methods: Data originated from a cross-sectional survey of IDU from December 2003 to September 2004.

New PhD studentships – alcohol

Three research council funded studentships in Cardiff and Bristol are being made available through the collaboration between two internationally known research groups: the Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement ( DECIPHer ), which is a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence and the Violence and Society Research Group , recent winner of the 2010 Queen's Anniversary Prize .

Greater Religiosity During Adolescence May Protect Against Developing Problem Alcohol Use

Phenotypes are measurable and/or observable traits or behaviors. The heritability of an alcohol-related phenotype depends upon the social environment within which it is measured, such as urbanicity, marital status, or religiosity…

Peer substance involvement modifies genetic influences on regular substance involvement in young women

Aims Peer substance involvement (PSI) is a robust correlate of adolescent substance use. A small number of genetically informative studies suggest that shared genetic and environmental factors contribute to this association. We examine mechanisms by which PSI influences the etiology of regular substance involvement (RSI), particularly in women.Design Population-based cohort study of twin women from the US Midwest.Participants 2176 twin women.Measurements To examine the relationship between self-reported PSI during adolescence and a composite RSI representing regular tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use during young adulthood, using genetically informative correlation, moderation and joint correlation-moderation models

DrugScope Responds To Government’s Decision To Rethink Welfare Reform Plans For Drug Users, UK

DrugScope has responded to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announcement that the coalition government will not be implementing the Welfare Reform Drug Recovery Pilot schemes proposed by the previous Labour government. The news came after a report published by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) found that the welfare drug pilots are unlikely to be effective…

Psychiatrists Support Call For Alcohol Minimum Pricing, Northern Ireland

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland wholeheartedly supports Health Minister Michael McGimpsey’s call for minimum pricing for alcohol, saying that this could save lives as well as money. The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) issued a report showing that the cost of alcohol abuse in Northern Ireland is up to £900 million a year…