Addiction and Health
Year:2019 | Volume:11 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Background: The exponential growth of smartphones has afforded many users with ubiquitous access to socialization as seen in the various mobile apps used to communicate and connect with others. The present study employed mixed-method approaches to analyse the impact of phubbing on social connectedness among adolescents in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 568 adolescents were participated in quantitative surveys, and of these participating adolescents, 6 were further invited to join focus group interviews. Findings: Quantitative findings supported the mediating role of communication disturbance in the relationships between phone obsession and familial connectedness, school connectedness, and self-connectedness, but not for friendship connectedness. Qualitative findings further elucidated the detrimental effect of phone obsession on their sense of belonging from the perspectives of adolescents. Conclusion: This study reaffirms that phubbing behaviour is predictive of social disconnectedness. Therefore, preventive and treatment interventions should be developed to avoid and control a potential risk of social disconnectedness epidemics attribute to phubbing.

Background: Opium is the most commonly-used narcotic in Iran and some Asian countries. There are many reports of lead poisoning in opium users. Lead poisoning encompasses a wide range of symptoms the incidence and severity of which depend on the concentration and duration of contact with lead. The present study compares blood levels of lead in two groups of non-addicted patients and opiate addicts admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a trauma referral hospital in Kerman, Iran. Methods: Two groups of about 30 patients were compared. The first group was the patients who were known as opium addict according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4th Edition (DSM-IV) and the second group was the patients who had no history of opium abuse. Patients' data were collected through a questionnaire. After determining the blood lead concentration by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) with graphite furnace, the data were analyzed by statistical tests. Findings: Blood lead levels (BLLs) in both addicted and non-addicted groups showed a significant difference (P < 0. 050), but there was no meaningful relationship between blood lead concentration and other factors such as age, gender, type of opium, method of consumption, amount of use, and duration of dependence. Conclusion: Many of opium-addicted ICU patients in Kerman had a high BLL due to opium pollution that can be harmful for these patients.

Background: Acute use of methamphetamine affects the sympathetic system and causes symptoms like tachycardia, hypertension (HTN), tachypnea, peripheral blood vessels constriction, hyperthermia, and mydriasis that can lead to many medical complications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the use of methamphetamine, clinical symptoms, and admission causes in patients referred to emergency ward of Imam Khomeini General Hospital in Sari, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 3263 patients were enrolled in the census. The population was patients referred to emergency ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, in 2017. Clinical signs and symptoms, test results, primary and definite diagnosis, and patients' status during discharge or referral were extracted from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Findings: A total of 3263 people were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of positive methamphetamine test in patients referred to the emergency department was 1. 2%, which was significantly higher in men (P = 0. 017). The mean age was 39. 9 ± 17. 2 years. Methamphetamine users were more likely to be traumatized than the general population. There was a statistically significant difference in seizure (P = 0. 003), chest pain (P < 0. 001), tachycardia (P < 0. 001), palpitation (P < 0. 001), HTN (P = 0. 002), tachypnea (P = 0. 001), visual hallucinations (P = 0. 001), auditory hallucinations (P = 0. 001), paranoia (P = 0. 001), grandiosity (P = 0. 035), talkativeness (P = 0. 001), suicidal ideation (P < 0. 001), homicidal ideation (P = 0. 001), violence (P < 0. 001), and disorientation (P < 0. 001) in positive methamphetamine test group. Conclusion: Methamphetamine use is more frequent in young men in the second and third decades of life. The most common clinical symptoms in these patients were HTN, chest pain, palpitations, tachycardia, seizure, aggression, anxiety, delusions, and hallucinations.

Background: The transtheoretical model (TTM) is used as a framework to implement smoking cessation programs. This model has some subscales based on which the smoking temptation scale is proposed as stages movement factor. This study aimed to translate and validate the temptation subscales of the TTM questionnaire in the Iranian population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 387 smokers. The participants were selected using convenience sampling method. First, the smoking temptation scale designed by Velicer et al. was translated into Persian, and then, factorial validity of the hierarchical three-factor structure for this subscale was studied using factor analysis and measurement invariance (MI) methods. All analyses were performed using Mplus software. Findings: It was observed that the hierarchical three-factor structure model had a good fit to the data [confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0. 944, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0. 915, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0. 067, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0. 042]. This study showed that this factorial structure had an identical measurement and structural model in subgroups of the population such as rural and urban residence, highly educated and low educated, high income and low income, three stages of quitting, and across the three ethnicities. Conclusion: Given the validity and reliability of the hierarchical three-factor structure for smoking temptation scale, this measure can be used in interventional programs for smoking cessation in the Iranian male population.

Background: Both hypertension (HTN) and tobacco addiction pose a threat to the health, environment, and socioeconomic status (SES) of the people. When tobacco use disorder exists in people with HTN, it hastens the disease progress and causes early complications. The present study aimed to study the knowledge and practice of tobacco addiction in patients with HTN and find out the correlates of knowledge and practice of tobacco addiction. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of one year in the Jamnagar District of Western Gujarat, India. Out of total 400 samples, 50% were collected from the five selected Community Health Centers (CHCs) by random sampling and the rest from non-communicable disease (NCD) clinics at the tertiary care hospital of the district. Findings: Most of the patients were in their fifties or above (67. 0%), women (57. 0%), and married (86. 5%). Only 12. 0% had awareness about the hazards of tobacco addiction and the prevalence of tobacco addiction was 11%. It was found that use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) among samples was the highest (72. 7%) followed by dual consumption, i. e., SLT and smoking (20. 5%). The frequency of consumption was ≥ 5 times/day in 54. 5%, 70. 4% were addicted for > 10 years, and only 15. 9% had ever tried to quit tobacco while only 11. 4% had successfully quit it. It was seen that those who were aged < 50 years, men, literates, employed, and those belonging to higher SES and urban residence had better knowledge of the health hazards. This was found to have significant statistical association. Conclusion: The results provide valuable insight into the tobacco addiction in patients with HTN on which non-pharmacological treatment of HTN can be based.

Background: Substance abusers show extensive self-destructive behavior due to the nature of the disorder and chronic and recurrence conditions. Various plans are presented for treating substance abuse. The purpose of this study is to compare the residential and therapeutic community (TC) centers in preventing substance abuse recurrence and reducing self-destructive behaviors of substance abusers. Methods: The statistical population was all the substance abusers who referred to TC and residential centers that were under the supervision of Welfare Organization of North Khorasan Province, Iran. Five centers were selected by cluster random sampling method. The data colleting tools were self-reporting questionnaires of Resuscitation Predictor Scoring Scale (RPS Scale) and Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) filled out by patients who were staying in treatment for minimum of two weeks. Findings: There was no significant difference between two treatment methods in terms of reducing tendency to use substance. Also in terms of reducing self-destructive behavior, TC was more effective than residential treatment. Conclusion: Considering the positive consequences of TC, motivational programs need to be established in order to increase the longevity of substance abusers in treatment.

Background: Divorce and addiction are the source of numerous social damages. The main reasons for divorce include spouse addiction, sexual dissatisfaction, low living and communication skills of couples, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes, and irrational expectations of marriage. The present study was carried out with the aim to investigate the relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and communication skills among women with an addicted husband on the verge of divorce referring to the forensic medicine and family court. Methods: This study was a descriptive and correlational study. The participants were selected from among all women on the verge of divorce with addicted husbands who referred to the forensic medicine and family court from October 2015 to March 2016. Thus, 190 individuals were selected using convenience sampling method. The researcher visited the study environment and after explaining the method and purpose of the study and obtaining informed consent from the subjects, distributed the questionnaires among the women. The questionnaire contained a demographic information form, the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) (Weissman and Beck), and the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) (Christensen and Sullawa). Data were analyzed using the Pearson test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS software. Findings: There was a significant and inverse relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and communication skills of women. In addition, a significant and inverse relationship was observed between dysfunctional attitudes and constructive interaction among women. Moreover, there was a direct and significant relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and the mutual avoidance relationship among women. Furthermore, a direct and significant relationship was found between dysfunctional attitudes and the expectation/isolation relationship among women. Conclusion: The findings of this study could be used in cognitive training of spouses, the correction of their dysfunctional attitudes, and improvement of their communication skills.

Background: Social capital (SC) is one of the most important assets and a vital determinant of sustainable development of any country. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the relationship between SC and substance use (SU) in Southeast Iranian adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among high school students in three cities located in south east of Iran. We recruited 600 adolescents (329 girls and 271 boys) through multistage sampling during September to November 2018. The data collection instrument was a self-administered standardized questionnaire that included basic demographic characteristics, SC constructs items, and questions about SU behavior in the participants. Findings: The mean SC score among boys and girls studied was 3. 46 and 3. 33, respectively (from 5 score). Among the SC constructs, respectively, the lowest and highest score belonged to social trust and [2. 84 in girls and 2. 98 in boys with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0. 06-0. 21, P < 0. 001] and bonding to family (3. 92 in girls and 4. 25 in boys with 95% CI of 0. 22-0. 44, P < 0. 001). The ever use prevalence of at least one substance abuse was 55. 9% (n = 181) for boys and 36. 6% (n = 68) for girls. Hookah (41. 8%) and alcohol (16. 9%) were the most substances abused by participants. One-point increase in score of the constructs of social participation, social cohesion, bonding with family, and bonding with schools was associated with a reduce of 17%, 22%, 26%, and 46% in the probability of ever SU, respectively. Conclusion: There was a strong relationship between SU and SC. Thus, rising SC as an effective community-based and indirect approach can help policy makers and professionals in preventing SU in Iran. However, prior to any intervention, identification of more causality may be required.