International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction
Year:2018 | Volume:7 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Background: Empirical studies show social and psychological supports are pivotal for maintaining physical, psychological, and social health in patients living with HIV/AIDS. Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating social and psychological support and the relationship between these two factors among HIV/AIDS patients receiving services form health centers of Zahedan province, south eastern Iran. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted. HIV/AIDS patients, who received services from health care facilities of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences were recruited in the study. Psychological well-being and social support were assessed using the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being and medical outcomes study Social Support Scale (MOS-SSS) questionnaires, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analysis using backward stepwise method was conducted to determine factors related to psychological health and social support. Results: A total 110 patients aged over 16 years old (83 males) were included in the study. Unsafe injecting drug use was the major HIV transmission route (59. 1%). Mean psychological health score was significantly higher in males compared to females (P = 0. 048). Also, a gender difference was observed for mean social support score, although it was non-significant. The regression analysis showed that females versus males and AIDS patients versus HIV infected patients had lower score of psychological well-being, moreover, social support positively and independently related to the score of psychological well-being ( =-0. 505; 95% confidence interval: 0. 360 to 0. 649). Conclusions: The findings suggest that female patients, those living in the AIDS stage, and those with poor social support are more vulnerable to having lower level of psychological well-being. Harm reduction programs should be reinforced in such groups.

Background: One mode of HIV transmission is through the high-risk behaviors among people who are HIV-positive. It is, therefore, exceedingly important to understand the factors predicting preventive healthy behaviors regarding HIV transmission in this population. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the extended Health Belief Model (HBM) in predicting preventive behavior changes among HIV-infected patients in Iran. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the census sampling was applied and 139 HIV-positive patients in Saravan, Zarandieh, and Sarbaz cities of Iran were selected to participate in this study. In total, 131 participants completed and returned the anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaire included demographic questions, HBM constructs, and the questions of Zimet social support. Data analysis was performed using SPSS18. P-values less than 0. 05 were considered significant. Results: The HBM constructs with and without social support accounted for 62% and 56% of the behavior variance, respectively. In the first model (HBM construct alone), perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and benefits were the significant predictors. In the second model (HBM developed with social support), perceived barriers, social support, self-efficacy, and benefits were the better predictors of preventive behaviors, in sequence (P < 0. 05). Conclusions: The findings indicated that the extended model of HBMpredicted preventive behaviors better than the originalHBM did. However, more studies are needed to examine the efficacy of the extended HBM in predicting preventive behaviors.

Background: Although Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is acommonmental disorderamongadults, until recently, it was seldom diagnosed in adults. The significance of this disorder as a disease afflicting adults is increasing on a daily basis due to the complications associated with it such as disrupting occupational and educational functionality, as well as increasing the probability of drug abuse among those suffering from it. Objectives: With due regard to the significance of the subject. This study was conducted with the purpose of investigating the ADHD symptoms exhibited by students at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. Patients and Methods: The present investigation is a descriptive-analytical study conducted at Zahedan Universitsy of Medical Sciences. The consensus sampling method was implemented to a sample volume consisting of 1000 persons. Based on the goals set in this research, two questionnaires were presented to the students to be completed arbitrarily: the demographic questionnaire and the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale Screening Version (CAARS-O: SV) questionnaire. The obtained information was then fed as input to the SPSS Software for analysis. Results: Of the 1000 questionnaires, 913 were completely answered by participants: 589 (64. 5%) by female and 324 (35. 5%) by male students. The average age of the participants was 21. 7  3. 2. About 8% of the students reported drug abuse during the previous month. Compared with the symptom-free group, 27. 1% in the inattention group, 30. 3% in the hyperactivity group, 28. 1% in the impulsiveness group, and 36. 7% in the self-image problem group mentioned cases of drug abuse. Conclusions: The obtained results seem to indicate frequent occurrences of ADHD symptoms among the students. This requires further clinical evaluation and, if possible, diagnosis and consequent medical treatment for preventing the loss of educational performance or possible drug abuse, as well as decreasing impulsiveness.

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is increasingly prevalent in North America. Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is an opioid substitution therapy used to relieve symptoms of withdrawal, and to manage OUD symptoms. Despite MMT’ s overall effectiveness, individual treatment outcomes vary, and little research explores why these differences exist. Objectives: Considering the association between genetic vulnerability, including family factors, and substance use disorders (SUDs), this study investigated the relationship between family factors and treatment outcomes in individuals with OUD receiving MMT. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a sample of 973 adult patients with OUD in MMT. Family factors were defined as number of relatives with an SUD, and their degree of genetic relatedness to the proband. Patient-related outcomes were determined by measuring illicit opioid and non-opioid use during MMT. Results: A significant association was found between number of family members with an SUD and the proband’ s illicit opioid use (OR = 1. 08, 95% CI = 1. 01, 1. 16; P = 0. 03). No significant association was found between genetic relatedness and the proband’ s illicit opioid and non-opioid use, nor between number of family members with an SUD and the proband’ s non-opioid use. Conclusions: These results suggest a role of shared familialenvironmental factors inOUDtreatment outcomes. Specifically, OUDpatients with a family history of substance use are at higher risk of relapse duringMMT. Based on these findings, healthcare providers should consider stratifying their OUD patients based on family history of SUDs, and providing additional support to those with a positive history to improve their MMT outcomes.

Background: Substance-related disorders has become an important challenge in family, social, and individual health. Given the risks caused by ignoring substance related disorders, it is necessary to analyze factors effective on reckless driving. Objectives: Theaimof this studywasto predict substance-related disorders basedonaggressionandsleep quality in reckless drivers in Kermanshah city. Patients and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional research. Overall, 644 reckless drivers were selected by simple random method among drivers referred to the Iranian traffic police. Data collection was performed by means of the Aggression questionnaire (compiled by Zahedifar et al. ) and Petersburg Sleep Quality questionnaire, and the data was analyzed by SPSS (version 22) and discriminant analysis test. Results: The standardized discriminant function coefficients showed that time of sleep, aggression, and sleep latency had the highest effect on the discriminant function; variables including obstinacy, daily dysfunction, sleep disturbance, sleep quality, anger and the amount of taken sleep medication played the most negligible role in discriminant function and its success. Furthermore, the discriminant analysis method showed that the linear combination of the above-mentioned variables could explain approximately 86. 4% of the variance in both groups. Conclusions: As aggression and sleep quality play a highly critical role in inclination towards substance-related disorders, the two factors should be considered in prevention, treatment, and recovery programs of substance-related disorders.

Background: Health risk behaviors among teenagers are common and schools considered as an ideal place for conducting preventions programs. Objectives: The current study aimed at determining the effect of interactive multimedia on knowledge and attitudes of high school teachers regarding prevention of students‘ health-risk behaviors. Patients and Methods: A total of 150 high school teachers were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Data were collected using a written test on knowledge and a rating scale for attitude towards health-risk behaviors. The educational contents were presented as booklets and multimedia CD-ROMs to the control and intervention groups, respectively. Pretest and posttest were administered before and four weeks after the intervention, respectively. Results: There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding the pre-and post-test knowledge and attitude mean scores. However, posttest mean scores of knowledge and attitude showed a significant increase in the two groups. Conclusions: Interactive multimedia, similar to booklets, could enhance teachers’ knowledge and improve their attitudes toward the prevention of health-risk behaviors.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a major neuropsychiatric disorder diagnosis in children and adolescents. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of neurofeedback on executive functions and tendency towards high-risk behaviors in adolescents with ADHD. Patients and Methods: The current quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest, follow-up, and control group design was conducted on two experimental and control groups of eight ADHD adolescents referred to counseling clinics in Tehran, Iran. The age range of the participants (both the control and experiment groups) was 14 to 18 years. The control group did not receive any treatment and subjects just were given pre-test and post-test. The Conners ADHD rating scales-short self-report, Iranian adolescents risk-taking scale, and Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) were used in the current study. The Levene, the Shapiro-Wilk, repeated measures, and Bonferroni tests were performed to analyze data with SPSS. Results: Repeated measures showed that intervention had a significant effect on risky behaviors and executive functions of adolescents with ADHD (P < 0. 05) and effects of neurofeedback sustained after one month. Conclusions: The findings of the current study showed that neurofeedback can be used to improve the executive functions and to decrease tendency towards high-risk behaviors in adolescents with ADHD.

Background: Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder and there are several factors influencing its commencement and continuance. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the effective factors in first drug use experience among male and female addicts in recovery. Methods: Interviews were performed with 40 individuals (20 females and 20 males) at addiction treatment centers across the city of Kerman, using criterion sampling. Transcripts were analyzed for themes, which represented the shared consensus of the research participants and the utilization of MAXQDA12 software helped in the analysis of data. Results: Participants of the present study reported four factors, including family (addiction of a family member, family’ s positive attitude towards drug use, family’ s belief that drugs are curative, and selling drugs by a family member), friends (having addict friends at school, military service, marital life, and blindly following friends’ opinion towards addiction), partner (addiction of a spouse and their compulsions), and stress (stress as a result of loss or bereavement and physical pain) as the most effective factors paving the way for their first drug use experience. Three factors of family, friends, and stress were common for both males and females yet, interestingly, partner’ s addiction was only referred to by females as the main reason for their first drug use experience. Conclusions: The findings of the present study stress the need to focus on the role of family in preventive addiction programs, as well as educating individuals to learn better partner-seeking and friendship skills, and stress management.