Prevention and Determinants

Question 1

What do risk factors predict?

Answer 1

the initiation of drug use and risk problems associated later in life

Question 2

What do protective factors do?

Answer 2

mediate or moderate risk factors

Question 3

What have the rates of smoking in Australia changed since the 1980’s?

Answer 3

declined significantly

Question 4

What is the trend of age initiation?

Answer 4

generally increasing

Question 5

What are determinants?

Answer 5

The range of risk and protective factors that make someone more or less likely to develop a drug use disorder

Question 6

List some risk factors

Answer 6

• social disadvantage
• family breakdown
• genetic influences
• maternal smoking and alcohol use

Question 7

What is the trend of AOD use amongst low socioeconomic status?

Answer 7

economic discrepancies producing personal and interpersonal insecurities, tensions, and conflict, which negatively influence physical and mental health, well-being, coping, and competence of individuals in the community
(Bonomo, 2004).

Question 8

What is the trend of AOD use amongst people with childhood trauma (e.g. neglect or abuse)?

Answer 8

higher risk of problems later in life

Question 9

What are genetic risk factors that could influence AOD use?

Answer 9

○ Variations in the metabolism of substances
○ Temperament
○ Behavioural problems
○ Personality factors

Question 10

What are some ethnicity protective factors?

Answer 10

• born outside of Aus. due to family cohesion, rules and cultural norms
• but can also be a risk factor due to low SES, family trauma, social isolation

Question 11

What is the indigenous risk factor?

Answer 11

related to poverty, disadvantage, cultural dispossession & exclusion, & some other cultural factors

Question 12

How is education a risk factor?

Answer 12

• academic failure or learning and behavioural difficulties at school may be a contributor to and a result of drug use
• timing is important e.g. grade 5 is a bigger risk than grade 1

Question 13

How is education a protective factor?

Answer 13

• pro-social behaviour
• minimises boredom
• an environment supporting positive health behaviours

Question 14

What are some systemic protective factors?

Answer 14

• attachment to family
• low parental conflict
• parental communication and monitoring
• religious involvement

Question 15

How is personality a risk factor?

Answer 15

• Rebelliousness, non-conformity, low sense of responsibility, resistance to authority…
• Sensation-seeking traits / adventurous personality

Question 16

How is the age of initiation a risk factor?

Answer 16

• Earlier initiation increases risk of later abuse

Question 17

What are the reasons for the earlier onset of AOD use?

Answer 17

○ Peer associations
○ Familial and societal norms
○ Trauma/mental health issues

Question 18

How are peer factors a risk factor?

Answer 18

• Strong predictor of later drug abuse
• Not “just” peer pressure
• Peers have a strong immediate influence on choices
• Peer modelling (social learning theory)
• Shared sense of:
○ Alienation/Rebelliousness/Sensation seeking

Question 19

What are Macro-environmental risk factors?

Answer 19

• social norms

- society/culture

Question 20

What was established in the Rat Park Experiments?

Answer 20

connections can reduce addiction

- although they could have drugs they reduced intake when with other rats

Question 21

What does prevention mean?

Answer 21

refers to measures that prevent or delay the onset of drug use as well as measures that protect against risk and reduce harm associated with drug supply and use (Loxley et al., 2004)

Question 22

What exactly are we trying to prevent?

Answer 22

• Drug use
○ Or at least delay initiation
• Harm associated with drug use
○ Route of administration risks
○ Overdose/excessive use risks
○ Avoidance of help seeking – e.g. due to legal concerns
○ Risks of associated problems – e.g. accidents
○ Harm to others – e.g. Laws prohibiting smoking in public places
• Rather than preventing something:
○ Increasing resilience/other protective factors?

Question 23

How can resilience be taught or built?

Answer 23

relationships with people build resilience

Question 24

What are the levels of prevention strategies?

Answer 24

Primary: Preventing uptake
Secondary: Preventing harm
Tertiary: Reducing harm

Question 25

What is the Primary: Preventing uptake level?

Answer 25

• Preventing non-users starting or delaying first use

- E.g. Supply reduction methods, education on harms to developing body, school-based and parent education programs

Question 26

What is the Secondary: Preventing harm level?

Answer 26

• Reducing risks to experimental/social users & avoiding transition to more regular use or possible harms
• E.g. education on risks of addiction, advice on route of administration options

Question 27

What is the Tertiary: Reducing harm level?

Answer 27

• Reducing use or potential harms among regular users

- E.g. NSPs, controlled drinking, drink driving campaigns

Question 28

What is the Universal prevention strategy target?

Answer 28

• targeting whole populations

- national campaigns, advertising programs

Question 29

What is the Selective prevention strategy target?

Answer 29

• subgroups with above-average risk

- school-based programs, Alcohol free communities

Question 30

What is the Indictated prevention strategy target?

Answer 30

• individuals with detectable symptoms

- counselling, advice lines, educational pamphlets

Question 31

When is the best time to target people at risk?

Answer 31

early intervention; as early as possible in developmental pathway

Question 32

What are some adolescent interventions?

Answer 32

• classroom based education programs
• life skills training programs
• family based interventions
• more regulation around young peoples accessability to tobacco

Question 33

What are some Universal interventions for illicit drug use?

Answer 33

• Diversion programs
• Prohibition
• drink driving laws
• public education campaigns
• Multi-faceted campaigns are the most effective (advertising, laws, taxes, etc…)