Knowledge and (Ab)Use in Connection with Novel Psychoactive Substances: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Iraqi Medical Students

Ahmed Al-Imam,Farah Al-Mukhtar,Mustafa M Saleh,Aisha Shafiq,Manolia Irfan

doi:10.5539/gjhs.v9n11p61

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The extent of (ab)use of the Novel Psychoactive substances has been thoroughly mapped in the developed world, particularly in the US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. However, there are still untapped geographic locations particularly in the developing world including the Middle East.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is observational in nature and cross-sectional in design; it is based on a survey that will aim is to estimate the level of knowledge and the extent of (ab)use of psychoactive substances, traditional and novel, in a population of undergraduate medical students from Iraq. There will be an implementation of inferential statistical analyses for the purpose of hypothesis testing. Ethical approvals were granted from the College of Medicine at the University of Baghdad and the University of Hertfordshire.RESULTS: There was some degree of knowledge in connection with psychoactive substances among a population of medical students. However, the extent of (ab)use is still minimal when compared to that of the developed countries. In general, the knowledge and the extent of NPS (ab)use did not vary substantially as the students progressed through the medical college.CONCLUSION: The use of observational analytic tools for assessing the diffusion of the phenomenon of psychoactive and novel psychoactive substances is indispensable. The extent of knowledge and (ab)use of NPS in the Middle East may still be considered minute or insignificant. Further analyses are required in the Middle East; different populations are to be targeted including; students, academics, researchers, medical and paramedical staff, psychiatric patients, prisoners, military and para-military organisations, and even terrorists.

Highlights

The extent ofuse of the Novel Psychoactive substances has been thoroughly mapped in the developed world, in the US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
Materials and Methods: This study is observational in nature and cross-sectional in design; it is based on a survey that will aim is to estimate the level of knowledge and the extent ofuse of psychoactive substances, traditional and novel, in a population of undergraduate medical students from Iraq
Further analyses are required in the Middle East; different populations are to be targeted including; students, academics, researchers, medical and paramedical staff, psychiatric patients, prisoners, military and para-military organisations, and even terrorists

Summary

Introduction

The extent of (ab)use of the Novel Psychoactive substances has been thoroughly mapped in the developed world, in the US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The answer is yes; it can be inferred by modes other than web analytics, for example; cross-sectional studies and survey in a real (non-virtual) population of users, and retrospectively from; seized batches of illicit substances, databases from criminal records, hospital emergency units, border patrol agencies, police departments, and counter-terrorism units Some of these modalities of research have been already extensively implemented by regulating bodies including; the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the INTERPOL, and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) (Burns, 2014 ; Ferri et al, 2015; Mackey & Liang, 2013). The advent of intranet networks and virtual social communication media enabled studies to be carried out promptly and with an unrivalled efficiency (Hadgar, 2016; Joh et al, 2017; Moorhead et al, 2013)

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