CLO 5

Article 1

Section 1

Source: HCT Libraries page >Discover >Electronic Resources

Search terms: Drug use

Section 2

Title:   Breaking the Taboo: Illicit Drug Use among Adolescents with

            Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of illicit drug use in a      group of Polish adolescents with type 1 diabetes (DM1) in comparison with a national cohort of their healthy peers. Methods. Two hundred and nine adolescents with DM1, aged 15–18 years, were studied in 2013 with an anonymous questionnaire prepared for the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). The control group was a representative sample of 12114 students at the same age who took part in ESPAD in 2011. Metabolic control was regarded as good if self-reported HbA1c was <8% or poor if HbA1c was ≥8%. Results. Lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use was lower among adolescents with DM1 than in the control group [58 (28%) versus 5524 (46%), p=10-5]. Cannabis preparations were the most frequently used substances [38 (18.3%) versus 3976 (33.1%), p=10-5], followed by tranquilizers, sedatives, and amphetamine. Lifetime and last 12-month use of cannabis were associated with poorer glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 8%), p<0.01 and 0.02, respectively. Conclusions. Adolescents with a DM1 report using illicit drugs to a lesser extent than their healthy peers. The use of cannabis is associated with a poorer metabolic control in teens with DM1.

References

Hogendorf, A. M., Fendler, W., Sieroslawski, J., Bobeff, K., Wegrewicz, K., Malewska, K. I., & ... Mlynarski, W. (2015). Breaking the Taboo: Illicit Drug Use among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Disease Markers, 1-8. doi:10.1155/2016/4153278

Section 3

Population

The research used two sets of groups with one of the groups acting as the control group. The first group consisted of a total of two hundred and nine participants suffering from Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The two hundred and nine participants were adolescents between the ages of 15 to 18 years born in 1994-1997. On the other hand, the control group consisted of about 12144 students from Poland. The control group participants were also adolescents between the ages of 15-18 years born in the years 1992-1995.

Research Approach

The two hundred and nine students with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus took part in the study in the year 2013. During the study, an anonymous questionnaire was prepared to facilitate the study project. Complete anonymity got ensured by allowing medical students who were not involved in the management of diabetes to engage in the recruitment process. The participants were patients scheduled for a routine visit in each of the sites where the study got performed. The participants of the study in the first group were expected to have suffered from Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus for at least one year. The study of the group of participants took place in the months of May and June in three diabetes centers. On the other hand, the control group comprised of Polish students who had no history of Diabetes Mellitus. The control group participants took part in the fifth data collection of the ESPAD in the months of May and June the year 2011. After the data collection process, the differences in the prevalence of illicit drug use between the two groups got evaluated using a test known as the Pearson’s Chi-square. The calculation of Odd ratios that had intervals of 95% Confidence also got calculated appropriately during analysis of data. Assessment of the differences between the control groups and the group of participants with Type 1 Diabetes for continuous variables was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Finally, the analysis of data also considered comparisons that had p values lower than 0.05 as significant statistically.

Participant selection

The article or study consisted of two groups, namely, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and the control group. For a participant to be a member of the first group, he or she was required to be between the ages of 15 to 18 and born between the years 1994-1997. Additionally, participants in this first group were required to have suffered from diabetes for at least one year. Additionally, since the exercise was intended to be as anonymous as possible, medical students who played no role in the management of diabetes were put in charge of the participant recruitment process. Conversely, the way the selection of the 12144 students that took part in the study as the control group happened is not addressed extensively as far as illicit drug use is concerned. We are only made aware that the students were between the ages of 15-18 born between the years 1992 to 1995.

Main results

The study discovered that the frequency of illicit drug use amongst the participants in the control group was higher compared to illicit drug use in participants with Type 1 Diabetes. In other words, participants that did not have health issues were found to be more willing to indulge in the use of illicit drugs. The drugs that were used by the students in order of the most used drug to the least used drug included Cannabis, tranquilizers, sedatives, and amphetamine.

Article 2

Section 1

            Source: HCT Libraries page >Discover >Electronic Resources

            Search terms: Drug use

Section 2

            Title: Suicide Risk in College Students: The Effects of Internet

                        Addiction and Drug Use

 Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors in suicide risk among college students by examining the direct and indirect effects of drug use, internet addiction, gender, and alcohol use on suicide risk. The sample of the study is composed of 975 students studying at different faculties of the Ahi Evran University during the academic year 2011-2012. They were selected through convenience sampling. This study used the University Form of Risk Behaviors Scale and Internet Addiction Scale as the data collection instruments. A path analysis was conducted to view the effects of independent variables on suicide risk. Results showed that college students' suicide risk is predicted by drug use and Internet addiction; and while gender and alcohol use do not have a significant direct effect on suicide risk, their indirect effects are significant. According to these results, suicide risk in university students is predicted by other risk behaviors. Thus, the importance of demonstrating the causal relationship between risk behaviors is discussed in the light of literature.

Reference

Kurt, D. G. (2015). Suicide Risk in College Students: The Effects of Internet Addiction and Drug Use. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 15(4), 841-848. doi:10.12738/estp.2015.4.2639

Section 3

Population

The study comprised of 975 students from different faculties in the University of Ahi Evran in the 2011-2012 academic year. Amongst the 975 students that took part in the study, 26.5% (258 students) were from the Faculty of Science and Letters. Conversely, 10.2% (99 students) and 14.7% (143 students) were from the faculties of Agriculture and Economics and Administration Sciences respectively. Additionally, 10.2% (99 students), 20% (195 students) and 18.6% (181 students) were from Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vocational Health College and School of Physical Education and Sports respectively. Amongst the 975 students that participated in the study, 39.1% (381 students) were male, whereas 60.9% (594 students) were female. Lastly, 42.8% (417 students), 28.8% (281 students), 14.8% (144 students) and 13.6% (133 students) were in the first, second, third and fourth-year grade of their studies respectively.

Research Approach

The study used a questionnaire in the form of a Risk Behaviors Scale that was intended to measure risk behaviors such as drug use amongst the university students. Risky behaviors such as smoking, drug use, alcohol use as well as antisocial behaviors coupled with suicidal risks got measured in the Risk Behaviors Scale. The students participating in the study were also asked a series of questions to obtain information about their grades, areas of study and gender. Before the study commenced, permission was sought from the relevant University authority. Students then got information about the subject and purpose of the study. Data gathering occurred with the help of students who volunteered to help out in the study. The data collection process happened during class time with the ample support of the lecturers. Just before the analysis of data collected began, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the variables got computed. The path analysis also was conducted for the determination of the effects that independent variables had on dependent variables. Analysis of data was done using AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures). 

Participant selection

The 975 students that participated in the study were selected using the convenience sampling method. In other words, the students that took part in the study could be reached easily and asked questions required for the success of the study. The selection of students was therefore just done randomly for those students that were readily available and willing to participate in the study.

Main Results

The study discovered that drug use was a predictor of suicide risk amongst college students. For that reason, the study ascertained the fact that an increase in suicide incidences would become rampant in students who constantly use drugs. On the other hand, alcohol use was found not to have significant effects on suicide risks among college students. Alcohol use amongst college students was, however, determined to have indirect effects that could lead to suicide.

Section 4

The study is a direct indication that drug use among college students could be used as a predictor of suicidal tendency in college. The results confirm that students that use drugs bear the highest risks related to suicide. On the other hand, internet addiction was also studied in the research, and it was also found that students with Internet addiction are also more likely to commit suicide. The study shows the importance of conducting more investigations concerning the risks of using drugs as a means of fostering suicide prevention. The study could also help improve the services for students who are at the risk of committing suicide because of drug abuse. The studies could come in handy in making the lecturers and counselors in the college to make more informed decisions about the safety of a student using drugs. The counselors and lectures in the college would have the ability to know how to deal at-risk students because of their awareness of the dynamics surrounding drug use and suicide risks. It is, therefore, a belief that the study acts as a significant contribution to knowledge accumulation in the field of drug use and suicide. That is because it sheds light on the other risks that underlie the risk of college student committing suicide because of drug use.