bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cannabis use correlates with schizotypy in healthy people
Authors: WILLIAMS J. H. , WELLMAN N. A. , RAWLINS J. N. P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractCannabis use or high scores on self‐report schizotypy questionnaires predict an increased risk of developing clinical psychosis. We tested whether cannabis use correlated with schizotypal and other personality traits in 211 healthy adults. Subjects who had used cannabis showed higher scores on schizotypy, borderline and psychoticism scales than never‐users. Multivariate analysis, covarying lie scale scores, age and educational level indicated that high schizotypal traits best discriminated subjects who had used cannabis from never‐users, whether or not they reported having used other recreational drugs. These results indicate that cannabis use is related to a personality dimension of psychosis‐proneness in healthy people.
Expectancies relate to symptoms of alcohol dependence in young adults
Authors: WILLIAMS R. J. , RICCIARDELLI L. A. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA significant relationship between the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS, Skinner & Allen, 1982) and positive expectancies for alcohol use (AEQ, Brown et al., 1987) is reported that has implications for educational programmes designed to promote sensible drinking. Expectancies predicted current drinking and dependence scores among a sample of young adults that contained 14.6% of subjects scoring above the cut‐off point on the ADS. AEQ scores were found to predict ADS scores over and above current drinking and the AEQ subscales successfully differentiated between heavy drinking and dependent drinking. Canonical correlations revealed that for males higher scores on Increased social assertiveness, Sexual enhancement and Arousal and power were related to higher symptoms of loss of control over drinking. The picture was more complex for females in that three canonical variates were found. First, personal expectancies elevated across all the subscales of the AEQ were related to Loss of control. Secondly, females with high scores on Global positive changes and Sexual enhancement showed more symptoms of obsessive drinking and finally, females with higher Arousal and power expectancies but lower Sexual enhancement also had higher scores on the Perceptual withdrawal subscale from the ADS.
Combining methods to identify new measures of women's drinking problems. Part II: The survey stage
Authors: SALTZ ROBERT , AMES GENEVIEVE 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis is the second of a two‐part report on a study aimed at investigating novel indicators of drinking problems among women drinkers. The study was motivated by the suspicion that most measures of drinking problems grew out of studies of ‘male populations with the likelihood that such measures would be less relevant for female drinkers. The first pan of this report describes the background for the study and the steps that were taken to generate a short list of “novel” indicators which were then incorporated into an instrument for a general population survey. Using several measures of alcohol consumption as criteria for evaluating the indicators, this paper reports on which indicators may uncover dimensions of alcohol problems not already subsumed by a standard population screen, the CAGE. In particular, results suggest that indicators of “high capacity for alcohol”, “seeking out a ‘wet’ environment”, and “planning opportunities to drink” are promising for both women and men, with more qualified support for less “frequent illness” (for women) and “excessive behavior” (for men). These results must be viewed within the context of an exploratory study and indicate avenues for further research.
Addictive drugs as reinforcers: multiple partial actions on memory systems
Authors: WHITE NORMAN M. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis review applies some new experimental findings and theoretical ideas about how reinforcers act on the neural mechanisms of learning and memory to the problem of how addictive drugs affect behaviour. A basic assumption of this analysis is that all changes in behaviour, including those involved in drug addiction and the initiation of drug self‐administration, require the storage of new information in the nervous system. Animal studies suggest that such information is processed in several (this review deals with three) more or less independent learning and memory systems in the mammalian brain. Reinforcers can interact with these systems in three ways: they activate neural substrates of observable approach or escape responses, they produce unobservable internal states that can be perceived as rewarding or aversive, and they modulate or enhance the information stored in each of the memory systems. It is suggested that each addictive drug maintains its own self‐administration by mimicking some subset of these actions. Evidence supporting the notion of multiple memory systems and data on the actions of several drugs (amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol and morphine) on these systems are briefly reviewed. The utility of the concept of “reward” for understanding the effects of drugs on behaviour is discussed. Evidence demonstrating actions of drugs on multiple neural substrates of reinforcement suggests that no single factor is likely to explain either addictive behaviour in general or self‐administration in particular. Some of the findings on the development and maintenance of self‐administration by animals of the five exemplar drugs are discussed in the context of these ideas.
Incidence of death and hospitalization from assault occurring in and around licensed premises: a comparative analysis
Authors: LANGLEY JOHN , CHALMERS DAVID , FANSLOW JANET 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe aim of the research was to: determine the incidence of serious assault in and around licensed premises in New Zealand, and to compare the circumstances of assault with those that occurred in other locations. For the period 1978–87, inclusive, 49 assault fatalities occurred in or around licensed premises representing 9.4% of all homicides and 12.9% where a place was specified. The comparable figures for assaults resulting in hospitalization in 1988 were: 251, 10.2% and 18.4%, respectively. Further analyses suggests that our estimate of the incidence rate is likely to be an underestimate due to changes over time in the large number of assault cases which have no specific place of occurrence identified. In comparison with homes homicides in licensed premises were more likely to involve: males; Maori, unarmed fights and brawls; unknown assailants; alcohol; occur during the evening and toward the end of the week; and result in head injury. For non‐fatal events similar differences were found. In comparison with homes non‐fatal assaults were more likely to involve: males; young adults, Maori, the unemployed, unanned fights and brawls, and head injury. There have been a number of significant policy changes in New Zealand since 1988 which may have resulted in a change to the situation reponed here.
Comparison of methadone and high dosage buprenorphine users in French care centres
Authors: Barrau Karine , Thirion Xavier , Micallef Joëlle , Chuniaud‐Louche Christine , Bellemin Béatrice , San Marco Jean Louis 
Published: March 2003

Aims. In France, maintenance programmes for opiate users were adopted later than in other countries. Two maintenance treatments are available: methadone is only delivered in specialized centres while high dosage (HD) buprenorphine can be prescribed by all general practitioners and in specialized centres. The aim of this study was to compare the socio‐demographic profiles, the practices and drug consumption patterns of the two groups attending specialized centres.

Methodology. The Oppidum Programme (observation of illegal drugs and misuse of psychotropic medications), a multi‐centric survey, surveys drug‐dependent subjects attending specialized care centres throughout France annually. Data were collected by questionnaire on socio‐demographic variables and drug use during the preceding week.

Results. During October 1998, 46 centres took part in the survey. The methadone group (

n = 424) was older, with a better economic situation; 16% used cocaine regularly. The HD buprenorphine group (

n = 616) consumed more heroin (12% vs. 8%) and engaged in more misuse, such as intravenous use, illicit acquisitions or irregular consumption. These practices were more frequent for patients consuming the drug "outwith protocol" or for patients obtaining the drug from a general practitioner.

Conclusion. Our results suggest that patterns of consumption of methadone and buprenorphine are different in several respects: concomitant use of licit or illicit psychoactive substances, route of administration, and illegal acquisition. They also suggest that the behaviours of maintenance treatment users depend less on the nature of the maintenance drug (methadone or high dosage buprenorphine), than the nature of the delivery and monitoring practices.
Evaluation of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis instrument in a Swiss sample of drug abusers
Authors: Bolognini Monique , Plancherel Bernard , Laget Jacques , Chinet Léonie , Rossier Valérie , Cascone Pablo , Stéphan Philippe , Halfon Olivier 
Published: March 2003

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate a French language version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument in a Swiss sample of adolescent illicit drug and/or alcohol users.

Participants and setting. The participants in the study were 102 French‐speaking adolescents aged 13‐19 years who fitted the criteria of illicit drug or alcohol use (at least one substance ‐ except tobacco ‐ once a week during the last 3 months). They were recruited in hospitals, institutions and leisure places.

Procedure. The ADAD was administered individually by trained psychologists. It was integrated into a broader protocol including alcohol and drug abuse DSM‐IV diagnoses, the BDI‐13 (Beck Depression Inventory), life events and treatment trajectories.

Results. The ADAD appears to show good inter‐rater reliability; the subscales showed good internal coherence and the correlations between the composite scores and the severity ratings were moderate to high. Finally, the results confirmed good concurrent validity for three out of eight ADAD dimensions.

Conclusions. The French language version of the ADAD appears to be an adequate instrument for assessing drug use and associated problems in adolescents. Despite its complexity, the instrument has acceptable validity, reliability and usefulness criteria, enabling international and transcultural comparisons.
Adverse outcomes of alcohol use in adolescents
Authors: Bonomo Yvonne , Coffey Carolyn , Wolfe Rory , Lynskey Michael , Bowes Glenn , Patton George 
Published: March 2003

Aims. To compare the occurrence of behaviours occurring under the influence of alcohol in 16‐17‐year‐olds and determine associated risk factors for the different behaviours.

Design/setting. Cross‐sectional survey administered by laptop computers in secondary schools across the state of Victoria, Australia.

Measurement/findings. The participation rate was 79%. Seventy per cent of participants drank alcohol; 17% of drinkers reported alcohol‐related violence (accidents or injuries) and 15% reported problems relating to sex under the influence of alcohol (having sex and later regretting it or having had unsafe sex) in the previous 12 months. Males were more likely to report alcohol‐related violence (20% compared to 14% females). Almost one in 10 young people reported having sex while under the influence of alcohol and later regretting it and 10% reported having had unsafe sex. There were no significant gender differences in the reporting rates of alcohol‐related sexual risk taking (prop. cum. OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.68‐1.9). For alcohol‐related injuries, strong independent associations were found with dose of alcohol consumed (prop. cum. OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3‐4.0), frequency of alcohol consumption (prop. cum. OR 2.7, 95% CI 0.94‐7.5), antisocial behaviour (prop. cum. OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4‐4.1) and peer drinking (prop. cum. OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4‐8.1). For alcohol‐related sexual risk‐taking, psychiatric morbidity (prop. cum. OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.9‐9.0) and high frequency of alcohol consumption (prop. cum. OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.87‐4.6) had strong independent associations.

Conclusions. Physical injury and high‐risk sexual behaviour under the influence of alcohol are common in teenagers. Alcohol‐related physical injury appears closely related to patterns of alcohol consumption whereas alcohol‐related sexual risk‐taking is most closely associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Naltrexone for alcohol dependence: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Morris Philip L. P. , Hopwood Malcolm , Whelan Greg , Gardiner John , Drummond Elizabeth 
Published: March 2003

Aim. We examined the efficacy of naltrexone (an opioid antagonist) for alcohol dependence in a sample of alcohol‐dependent men.

Design. A 12‐week randomized placebo‐controlled clinical trial.

Setting. The outpatient clinic of a combined war veteran and general teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Participants. Male alcohol‐dependent subjects recruited from the community and from veteran groups.

Intervention. Alcohol‐dependent subjects were treated with 50 mg of naltrexone or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Both treatment groups attended a weekly education support group. Subjects were assessed weekly.

Measurements. Primary study outcomes were the maintenance of abstinence and relapse to drinking.

Findings. Fifty‐five subjects were randomized to naltrexone and 56 to placebo. Forty subjects did not complete 12 weeks of therapy (17 naltrexone, 23 placebo). In the intention‐to‐treat sample (

N = 111) fewer naltrexone treated subjects relapsed (

p = 0.001). Among patients who completed the 12‐week trial, naltrexone reduced the consumption of alcohol. Naltrexone was well tolerated and there were few adverse experiences.

Conclusions. These findings demonstrate that naltrexone is effective in preventing relapse to drinking in the setting of limited psychosocial treatment. Further studies should examine the duration of treatment needed to maintain the effect long term.
IQ and personality traits assessed in childhood as predictors of drinking and smoking behaviour in middle‐aged adults: a 24‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Kubička Luděk , Matějček Zdeněk , Dytrych Zdeněk , Roth Zdeněk 
Published: March 2003

Aims. The identification of childhood personality predictors of drinking and smoking behaviour in adults.

Design. A 24‐year follow‐up study.

Setting. Prague, the Czech Republic.

Participants. Combined cohorts of 220 males and females born of unwanted pregnancies, and 220 control subjects, examined with low attrition rates at ages 9‐10, 21‐23, 28‐31 and 32‐35.

Measurements. In childhood IQ was assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Children (WISC), and personality characteristics were rated by teachers, mothers and classmates. In adulthood questionnaires and face‐to‐face interviews were used to assess drinking and smoking.

Findings. Unwanted pregnancy was not related to adult drinking and smoking. The ratings of childhood personality characteristics were condensed into three personality dimensions, i.e. conscientiousness, extroversion and neuroticism, interpreted as three of the Big Five personality dimensions, and found to show some stability into adulthood. Gender, IQ and the three childhood personality traits were used as predictors of adult drinking and smoking behaviour. Adult drinking behaviour was significantly predicted by the block of the three childhood personality traits, low conscientiousness predicting high drinking quantity per occasion (and heavy episodic drinking) whereas extroversion predicted subjects' average daily consumption. Smoking in adulthood was predicted by low IQ and low conscientiousness.

Conclusions. IQ and personality traits in children explain to some degree the drinking and smoking behaviour of adult men and women, but the roles of the different components vary according to the form of substance use.
A 10‐year follow‐up study on the health status of heroin addicts based on official registers
Authors: Sánchez‐Carbonell Xavier , Vilaregut Anna 
Published: March 2003

Aims. To determine the health status of a cohort of heroin addicts.

Design. Longitudinal follow‐up study of a cohort for 10.5 years (March/July 1985‐December 1995) based on official registers.

Setting. Catalonia, Spain.

Participants. One hundred and thirty‐five heroin addicts who started treatment in four specialized drug addiction services in Catalonia in 1985.

Measurements. (a) Total and annual numbers of AIDS and tuberculosis diagnoses and admissions to drug treatment; (b) annual morbidity rate; (c) average annual morbidity rate; and (d) standardized morbidity ratio. Kaplan‐Meier (log rank test) was used to assess predictive factors.

Findings. During the follow‐up period, 34 heroin addicts were diagnosed with AIDS (25%), the average annual morbidity rate was 2.7% and the standardized morbidity ratio was 82. The most frequent diseases indicative of AIDS were Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (11 cases) and tuberculosis (seven cases of disseminated or extrapulmonary tuberculosis and two cases of pulmonary tuberculosis). Twenty addicts were diagnosed with tuberculosis and 15 were co‐infected with AIDS and tuberculosis. Seventy‐six addicts were readmitted to treatment and generated 124 drug treatment episodes, 94 of whom were drug‐free and 30 on methadone maintenance.

Conclusions. Follow‐up through registers is a novel, low‐cost technique that may provide important and comparable information on the long‐term evolution of drug addicts in different European regions. The measures of disease frequency and association obtained allow us to describe and compare the distribution of patterns of infectious complications (AIDS and tuberculosis) and relapses in such a pervasive disorder as heroin addiction. Other advantages of follow‐up based on official registers are efficiency, reliability, sensibility and comparability.
Heroin use, ethnicity and the environment: the case of the London Bangladeshi community
Authors: White Rupert 
Published: March 2003

Aims. To describe the emergence of heroin use in the London Bangladeshi community, to delineate its key features and generate hypotheses to account for these.

Design. Analysis of all reports of treatment‐related episodes to a central data base. Detailed interviews with 21 Bangladeshi heroin users and a comparison group.

Setting. Treatment centres in three London boroughs with large Bangladeshi populations.

Findings. For young Bangladeshi men living in London, the prevalence of problematic heroin use has increased from negligible levels in the early 1990s to levels proportionally higher than in the white population of the same age and sex. The proportion of first episode reports has remained constant during this time. Bangladeshi heroin use has certain distinct features: users are nearly all male, and are apparently less disadvantaged than comparable white users. They also have much greater contact with their non‐drug‐using families.

Conclusions. Because the population of Bangladeshis continues to grow, the epidemic may continue to grow in step with this. However, Bangladeshis may represent a group of heroin users with a good prognosis, and treatment services should, arguably, be aiming for better outcomes for them. Greater involvement of families may help to achieve this.
Study of 2708 heroin‐related deaths in north‐eastern Italy 1985–98 to establish the main causes of death
Authors: Quaglio Gianluca , Talamini Giorgio , Lechi Alessandro , Venturini Luca , Lugoboni Fabio , Mezzelani Paolo 
Published: March 2003

Aims. To ascertain the causes of deaths among a very large cohort of heroin injecting drug users (IDUs) who, from 1985 to 1998, attended 36 Public Health Authority Centres for Drug Users (PCDUs) in north‐eastern Italy.

Design. Retrospective analysis of data, obtained from the Annual Register of each Centre and the Municipal Registry Office of each local health district.

Setting. Thirty‐six PCDUs in north‐eastern Italy and Medical Service for Addictive Disorders of the University of Verona.

Participants. All IDUs who had sought medical care at least once in the PCDUs during the study period.

Findings. Of 2708 deaths, overdose was found to be the major cause (37%), followed by AIDS (32.5%) and road accidents (9.4%). The percentage of deaths due to AIDS increased steadily from 2.7% in 1985 to 42.2% in 1996, and then decreased to 16.9% in 1998. Deaths due to overdose remained almost constant. The average age of death per year rose from 26 in the mid eighties to 34 in 1998. The mortality rate among IDUs proved much higher compared to the general population of the same age (13‐fold, 95% CI, 11.3‐14.6). The proportion of all deaths attributable to regular use of illegal opiates in the 15‐34 age group in the general population in 1991 was 16%. HIV prevalence was not a significant factor in suicides and deaths by overdose.

Conclusions. The mortality rate was 13 times greater than in the general population. To be female and to have dropped out of any kind of treatment proved an important risk factor for overdose. The fall in deaths from AIDS enhances the problem to prevent and treat HCV infection. Decisions in drug projects, in research and in training should be influenced by the strikingly high percentage of deaths due to drug use.
Randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive‐behavioural interventions among regular users of amphetamine
Authors: Baker Amanda , Boggs Tracy G. , Lewin Terry J. 
Published: March 2003

Aims.
To identify whether brief cognitive‐behavioural interventions are feasible among regular users of amphetamine, to assess the effectiveness of intervention overall and to pilot two‐ and four‐session interventions.

Design. Subjects were assigned randomly to individually receive a cognitive‐behavioural intervention (

n = 32) of either two or four sessions' duration or a self‐help booklet (control condition;

n = 32).

Setting. Subjects were volunteers recruited from needle exchange schemes and treatment centres in Newcastle, Australia.

Participants. Regular (at least monthly) users of amphetamine were recruited.

Intervention. Either four sessions of cognitive‐behaviour therapy, consisting of a motivational interview and skills training in avoidance of high‐risk situations, coping with craving and relapse prevention, or two sessions consisting of a motivational interview and discussion of skills.

Measurements. The Opiate Treatment Index was the main measure at pre‐treatment and 6‐month follow‐up.

Findings. There was a significant reduction in amphetamine use among the sample as a whole, with inconclusive differences between intervention subgroups. There was a moderate overall intervention effect, with the intervention group reporting over twice the reduction in daily amphetamine use as the control group. Significantly more people in the cognitive‐behavioural intervention condition abstained from amphetamine at 6‐month follow‐up compared to the control condition.

Conclusion. Brief cognitive‐behavioural interventions appear feasible among regular users of amphetamine. A larger randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of such interventions appears warranted.