Incidence Of Substance Abuse Research Articles

A Qualitative Study of Risk Factors of Substance Abuse among Women

Background: The rate of substance abuse by women is growing over last several decades. However, most addiction studies have been conducted on men with a quantitative approach.
 Methods: The present study examined the risk factors of addiction among women through qualitative research. This research was a content analysis. Sampling was done in a targeted manner from addicted women referred to substance abuse treatment centers in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in 2022. The research tool was an in-depth interview. The research data were analyzed by open coding, axial coding, and selective coding.
 Results: The research findings showed that the main categories are individual factors, family factors, socio-cultural factors and economic factors were effective in the incidence of substance abuse among women. In terms of priority, individual factors (41%), family factors (29%), socio-cultural factors (21%) and economic factors (9%) were effective in the incidence of substance addiction among women.
 Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that individual, family, socio-cultural and economic factors play a significant role in women's tendency to substance abuse. This requires providing training and solutions about these factors.

Assess the Prevalence and Pattern of Substance Abuse and to Evaluate the Effectiveness of an Informational Booklet on Substance Abuse in Terms of Knowledge and Attitude of Higher Secondary School Students

Adolescence are periods of experimentation, exploration, identity formation, risk taking, and assertion for independence in every person's life. Naturally, the incidence of drug abuse in children and adolescents is higher than the general population. [1] A wide variety of substances are produced for medicinal purposes. These include central nervous system (CNS) stimulants (e.g., amphetamines), CNS depressants (e.g., sedatives, tranquilizers), as well as numerous over-the-counter preparations designed to relieve nearly every kind of human ailment, real or imagined.[2]Substance use among adolescents is one such risky behaviour that had emerged as a global concern. [3] In India, consumption of tobacco and alcohol has become common among adolescents, and in the case of tobacco consumption, the age of initiation was observed to be as low as 12 years.[4] The supreme Court (14 December,2022) told the government that 1.58 crore children aged between 10 and 17 years are addicted to substance in the country.[5] Materials and Methods: A quantitative quasi experimental one group pre-test, post-test design was use to evaluate the effectiveness of an informational booklet on substance abuse in terms of knowledge and attitude of higher secondary school students. The study conducted on 200 samples. Data was collected using following tools – 1. Structured Questionnaire on substance abuse 2. Structured Knowledge questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge on prevention of substance abuse 3. Structured attitude scale to assess the attitude regarding prevention of substance abuse. Results: The mean post-test knowledge score 20.97 was higher than the mean pre-test 13.25 with mean difference of 7.72 which was found statistically significant with "t" value t (199) =35.97 at 0.05 level of significance. Majority (86.5%) of higher secondary school students in post-test had positive attitude towards the prevention of substance abuse. The mean post-test attitude score 69.66was higher than the mean pre-test 58.20 with a mean difference of 11.46 which was found statistically significant "t" value t(99)=21.31 at 0.05 level of significance. Above findings reveals that the informational booklet was effective in enhancing both the knowledge and attitude of higher secondary school students. There was a positive correlation (r=0.550) between the post-test knowledge and post-test attitude score on prevention of substance abuse. Conclusion: After the detailed analysis of the study findings showed that pre-test finding showed that, most of the higher secondary school students had average knowledge and neutral attitude regarding substance abuse. but after the administration of information booklet, it enhancing knowledge and positive attitude of the higher secondary school students regarding substance abuse. There was no significant association found between the post-test knowledge score of higher secondary school students with selected variables. There was a significant association between the post attitude score of higher secondary school students with type of family.

Incidence of Drug Abuse -Crystal Methamphetamine among Secondary School Students in Awka Educational Zone, Anambra State

The study determines the incidence of drug abuse (crystal methamphetamine) among secondary school students in Awka Educational Zone in Anambra State. Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. A sample of 660 out of 1,984 Senior Secondary School (SSS II) students in the 18 public secondary schools in Awka Educational Zone in Anambra State was used for the study using purposively sampling technique. An adapted instrument with reliability co-efficient of 0.78 was used for data collection. Frequency count and simple percentages were used to answer the research questions while chi-square was used for testing the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between category of school type and incidence of crystal methamphetamine use among students in Awka Educational Zone in Anambra State. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between the incidence of crystal methamphetamine use and category of schools as students in mixed schools had more cases of crystal methamphetamine use than boys or girls’ schools. Among others, it was recommended that secondary schools should set up functional drug addiction counseling programmes under the authority of trained school guidance and counselors to ensure that students who are using crystal methamphetamine to access specialised interventions to discourage students from engaging in drug abuse.

Prevalence of drug abusers in patients undergoing elective surgeries at the Cairo University Teaching Hospital; Prospective cohort study

ABSTRACT Background and Aim : Drug abusers are presenting a challenge to the anaesthetist because of the added potential risks involved in the administration of anaesthesia to this subset of patients. In this study, we aimed at screening all patients scheduled for elective orthopaedic, general, vascular, and plastic at the Cairo University Teaching Hospital during a set period of time for the most commonly abused drugs in Egypt. Methods : All patients included in the study were consented for taking part in this study. Each patient was asked to answer a form and submit a urine sample in order to be screened for the most commonly abused drugs in Egypt (hashish, tramadol, benzodiazepine, and morphine). Patients were then followed up both intra and post-operatively. Incidence of drug abuse among those patients was set as primary outcome, intraoperative hemodynamic, Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) scores as well as clinical recovery scores (CRS) were set as secondary outcomes. Results : Out of a total of 1106 patients screened during the study period, only 500 met inclusion criteria and consented to be part of the study. Results showed evidence of drug abuse among 14.4% of study patients, with frequencies of drugs abused as follows: hashish (11.4%); tramadol (5%); benzodiazepines (1.6%); and morphine (0.4%). Most patients that showed evidence of drug abuse were among those scheduled for orthopaedic surgeries, and a higher percentage of them were males. Conclusions : Within the study group, cannabinoids were the most frequent substance of abuse, followed by tramadol and then other opioids.

Assessment of Substance Use Behavior and Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on Prevention and Ill Effects of Substance Abuse among Adolescents

Background: Substance abuse has become a major problem in any growing society, the pattern ofconsumption of medical and non-medical use of drugs, especially by pre adolescents, adolescents and youngadults, is both complex and changing. In 1992, WHO declared June 26 as the International Day againstsubstance abuse and illicit trafficking1.Methods: It was a two-phase study, during phase-I of the study 485 adolescents were assessed for substanceuse behavior. During phase-II 100 adolescents were given structured teaching programme, pre-test and posttestknowledge and attitude were assessed.Results: The study results revealed that out of 485 adolescents only 3.2% (16) of the adolescents hadtried or experimented with substances and 11.1% (54) of the adolescents reported that their friends use thesubstance in the school. The calculated Z score value was found to be 11.316 which was greater than the tablevalue (1.98) indicates the effectiveness of structured teaching programme.There was a moderate positivecorrelation (0.568) between the post-test knowledge scores and post-test attitude scores of adolescents.Conclusion: The incidence of drug abuse among children and adolescents is higher than the generalpopulation. Therefore, keeping in focus, the investigator felt the need to conduct a research study to assessthe knowledge and attitude regarding the ill effects of substance abuse and its prevention among adolescents,and the study was found to be effective in increasing the knowledge and attitude among adolescents.

Incidence of substance abuse in health staff through digital application surveys

This article aims to evaluate substance abuse in a sample of personnel who works in the Military Central Hospital through the digital application of two clini-metrical scales, the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT).

The Strategies for the Curtailing of Drug Abuse Behaviors among Youths in Yobe North, Nigeria

‘Drugs are as important as food, water and air to man, yet harmful when abused or misused’ It is apparent that the abuse of drugs constitutes a menace to the society and has a divesting effect on the youth of Yobe North, Yobe State and Nigeria at Large. It affects their future since they engage in the habit at transitional period of life between childhood and adulthood. The effects of Drug abuse have become endemic in our society to the extent that youths have also indulge themselves in drug abuse because of peer group influence and carelessness of their parents. They become stubborn and recalcitrant as they grow in the society. The main aim of this paper is to assess the main causes of drug abuse and to examine its major effects among youths in Yobe State and Yobe North in particular. The result shows that drug abuse affects the performance of students at school and the findings also revealed that its affect both male and female since they were all involved in the incidence of drug abuse.

The Prevalence of Substance Use Disorders Among University Students, a Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) are serious social problems that cause physiological and psychological disorders. Adolescents and youth are known as high-risk groups for SUD. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the pattern, prevalence, incidence, and etiology of SUD among all students studying at the Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam (Iran), during the academic year 2018 - 2019. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a multistage random sampling method was used to select the participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. This questionnaire was designed to collect information about the participant’s demographic data, social data, medical and behavioral data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS 16 software. Results: Participants’ ages mean ± SD was 23.5 ± 3.2 years old. The incidence of substance abuse was higher among men compared to women. The main observed pattern of SUD was Marijuana among consumers. The curiosity and increased memory had the highest and lowest incidence, respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of SUD is high among Iranian students, and most of them have begun SUD in adolescence and because of curiosity. It is necessary to augment adolescents’ and young people’s awareness of the SUD and addiction consequences.

A Dynamical System Approach in Modeling Drug Abuse in Isfahan Province, Iran

Background: The use/abuse of drugs, both legally and illegally, is a worldwide public health problem, and has serious impacts on the individual, family, society, and crimes. In order to assess the scope of the drug use/abuse issue, it is critical, first, to determine the number of individuals using/abusing drugs, the epidemiological/demographic features of the using/abusing population, and the type of drugs used/abused. Currently, data on the prevalence and incidence of substance abuse in Iran cannot be directly obtained. We propose the next phase of determining the prevalence and incidence of drug abuse by introducing system thinking and system dynamics modeling to estimate the number of addicts, recreational drug users, and drug-related deaths. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated a dynamical system approach to model drug-related deaths in the next 10 years in Isfahan province. Methods: We proposed a general model for drug abuse that can easily be specified to study the dynamics of drug-related deaths. Results: Based on the estimated parameters, we calculated the total population of Isfahan province, the future susceptible population of drug users/abusers, recreational users, and addicts, and the growth rates and death rates for the latter three groups for the years 2013 - 2023. These estimations were based on an epidemiological mathematical model to predict the proportions of drug abusers over the next ten years in Isfahan. As expected, this model shows an increase of about 10 folds in deaths related to drug abuse in addicts by 2023 and a 14% increase in the addict population in Isfahan province. Conclusions: The dynamical system approach is suitable to address the dynamic complexity of many public health issues. It has the potential to integrate our awareness about multilevel causes of health and their template of action, reaction, and feedback, and to promote our knowledge about how policy interventions affect the health of communities and populations.

Incidence of Drug Abuse in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty Population.

Substance abuse can have strong negative impacts on surgical outcomes. Therefore, this study assessed the effects of drug abuse in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. Specifically, we identified revision TKA (RTKA): (1) incidence, (2) causes, (3) time to revision, and (4) patient demographics in patients with a history of drug abuse. The Medicare database within the PearlDiver Supercomputer (Warsaw, IN) was queried to identify 2,159,221 TKAs performed between 2005 and 2012. Drug abuse was subdivided into cocaine, cannabis, opioids, sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics (SHA), amphetamines, and alcohol abusers. The effect of drug use on the incidence and cause for RTKA, time to revision, as well as patient demographics were correlated using multivariate, analysis of variance, and regression analyses. There was a significant increase in the number of primary TKAs in cocaine (p = 0.011), cannabis (p < 0.001), opioid (p < 0.001), SHA (p < 0.001), amphetamine (p < 0.001), and alcohol (p < 0.001) users. Amphetamine users had the fastest mean time to revision (691 days, standard deviation: 679 days). At 30-, 90-day, and 6-month postoperative, cocaine had the highest proportion of patients requiring RTKA (7, 12, and 20%, respectively), and at 1-year alcohol abusers (38%, p < 0.001). Infection was the most common cause of revision in all drug abuse/dependent cohorts. Age distributions varied significantly by group for primary TKA (p < 0.001). Comorbidity status was similar in all RTKA patients as determined by comparison of the mean Charlson comorbidity index scores (p = 0.091). Based on these results, drug abuse patients are at increased risk for RTKA. These high-risk patients should, therefore, be appropriately risk stratified and receive comprehensive postoperative pain management.

Childhood Adversity and Factors Determining Resilience among Undergraduate Students

Childhood adversity experiences, when not properly managed may result to anti-social behaviour, health risk or psychological problems like severe depression, suicidal behavior in undergraduate students. Hence the study examined childhood adversity experiences and its factors determining resilience among undergraduate students in Oyo State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research; multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 341 undergraduate students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho and Oyo State. Two research instruments were used to test childhood adversity scale and factors determining resilience (protective family, birth order, community protective factors). The study formulated four research hypotheses which were tested with Pearson Product moment correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis at coefficient level of 0.05. The result of the analysis revealed that level of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) among respondents is slightly low with half of the respondents between the ages of 18 years to 20 years. The prominent ACE identified by respondents is physical assaults, home with incidence of substance abuse, victim of sexual abuse, and humiliation from parents. The level of resilience among the respondents is moderate. There was a positive significant relationship between childhood adversity and lifetime resilience undergraduate student in Oyo State (r = 0.272), protective family factor was also associated with lifetime resilience undergraduate student in Oyo State (r = 0.018) there was a significant relationship between birth order and lifetime resilience undergraduate student in Oyo State. (r = 0.794) there was a significant relationship between community protective factor and lifetime resilience undergraduate student o in Oyo State (r = 0.835). The magnitude of relative contribution showed protective family factor (β = 0.987), had significant relative contribution; community protective factor (β = 0.762), had significant relative contribution; childhood adversity (β = 0.724), had significant relative contribution; and then birth order (β = 0.687), had significant relative contribution to resilience of the undergraduate students. Educational institutions should tackle issues on educator-student relationships through various channels, especially social work, counseling units and students affairs department. There is need for initial psychosocial assessment for fresher to test resilience and adverse childhood experiences, mental health service should be contextualize in health care service for undergraduate students, the parents should be educated on the impact of childhood adversity on wellbeing and academic performance of undergraduate students in Nigeria.

The relationship between ocular trauma and substance abuse in emergency department patients

IntroductionEye injury is the second most common cause of visual impairment and a leading cause of monocular blindness in the United States. There are approximately 6 million ED visits related to drug use annually, including misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals and illicit drug use. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between ocular trauma and substance abuse among emergency department patients and to assess that relationship with demographic factors, including age and gender. MethodsThis study was a retrospective, observational study conducted at Miami Valley Hospital, an urban hospital ED, in Dayton, Ohio. Eligible participants included consecutive ocular trauma patients identified by the Trauma Registry from January 2014 through January 2016. Data were collected from the ED medical record including demographic information, mechanism of injury, visual acuity, slit lamp exam findings, ED procedures, inpatient procedures, toxicology results, ED diagnosis, ED disposition, and eye exam. ResultsAmong 229 patients, the mean age was 44 (range 14–93). 73% of patients were male. Most patients were White (74%), followed by African American (21%), Hispanic (2%), and other (3%). Most patients arrived by ambulance (62%), followed by helicopter (30%), and walk-ins (18%). Most patients were admitted to the hospital (79%). Mechanisms of injury included motor vehicle accidents (31%) and cases of assault (28%). Most ocular trauma involved the external eye (44%), the anterior chamber (28%), the orbit (25%) and the globe (22%). The incidence of substance abuse in this patient population was high. Of the patients tested for alcohol (N=143), 49% tested positive. Among 98 patients who received a urine toxicologic screen, 63% tested positive for at least one illicit substance, including opiates (39%), cocaine (12%), benzodiazepines (25%), and/or THC (27%). There was no significant association between substance abuse and ED disposition. ConclusionMechanisms of eye injury included primarily motor vehicle accidents and assault. Most ocular trauma involved the external eye, the anterior chamber, the orbit, and the globe. The incidence of alcohol and illicit substance abuse is high among ED patients with ocular trauma.

Accountable or not accountable: A profile comparison of alleged offenders referred to the Free State Psychiatric Complex Forensic Observation Ward in Bloemfontein from 2009 to 2012.

BackgroundThe crime rate in South Africa is extraordinarily high. The problem of crime is further complicated when a person, who suffers from a mental illness, becomes involved in a crime. Furthermore, the forensic evaluation of a person suspected of having a mental illness involved in alleged criminal behaviour can be challenging. However, a dearth of information exists in South African literature regarding the link between crime and mental illness.AimTo determine the percentage of alleged offenders, referred to the Free State Psychiatric Complex (FSPC) for observation, found accountable and not accountable, and to compare the biographical, diagnosis and offence profiles of these two groups. The analysis of differences can contribute to a better understanding of the complex process of forensic assessments.SettingForensic Observation Ward, FSPC, Bloemfontein.MethodsIn this comparative, retrospective study, all 505 trial-awaiting alleged offenders (observati) referred from 2009 to 2012 for a 30-day observation period, according to Sections 77 and/or 78 of the Criminal Procedures Act, were included. Results were summarised as frequencies and percentages, and means or percentiles. Significant differences between the groups were determined by sample t-tests or chi-squared tests.ResultsObservati found not accountable were in the majority (64.5%). Significant differences were found regarding marital and employment status, substance abuse, type of offence and diagnoses between the two groups. Almost all of the observati found to be not accountable were diagnosed with mental illness at the time of the assessment, whereas most observati found to be accountable for their actions at the time of the alleged offence were not found to be mentally ill. Observati found not accountable were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, intellectual disability and substance-induced psychotic disorder, and committed mostly assault, murder and vandalism. Observati found accountable committed mostly rape, murder and theft.ConclusionThe majority of observati were found not accountable, with significant differences found between the two groups regarding demographic characteristics, type of diagnosis and offences committed. The identified differences can be used to assist in establishing criteria for the appropriate referral of alleged offenders by courts. Unnecessary referrals have a serious financial impact on the Department of Health. Furthermore, the high incidence of substance abuse among persons referred to the FSPC highlights the need for more substance rehabilitation centres in the Free State Province.

Neighborhood linking social capital as a predictor of drug abuse: A Swedish national cohort study

AimsThis study examines the association between the incidence of drug abuse (DA) and linking (communal) social capital, a theoretical concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions. MethodsWe present results from an 8-year population-based cohort study that followed all residents in Sweden, aged 15–44, from 2003 through 2010, for a total of 1,700,896 men and 1,642,798 women. Linking social capital was conceptualized as the proportion of people in a geographically defined neighborhood who voted in local government elections. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and between-neighborhood variance. ResultsWe found robust associations between linking social capital and DA in men and women. For men, the OR for DA in the crude model was 2.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02–2.21] for those living in neighborhoods with the lowest vs. highest level of social capital. After accounting for neighborhood level deprivation, the OR fell to 1.59 (1.51–1-68). The ORs remained significant after accounting for age, family income, marital status, country of birth, education level, and region of residence, and after further accounting for comorbidities and family history of comorbidities and family history of DA. For women, the OR decreased from 2.15 (2.03–2.27) in the crude model to 1.31 (1.22–1.40) in the final model, adjusted for multiple neighborhood-level, individual-level variables, and family history for DA. ConclusionsOur study suggests that low linking social capital may have significant independent effects on DA.

Incidence of Substance Abuse Among Cab-drivers Involved in Non Fatal Accidents

Incidence of Substance Abuse Among Cab-drivers Involved in Non Fatal Accidents

Neighborhood Linking Social Capital as a Predictor of Drug Abuse: a Swedish National Cohort Study

Aims This study examines the association between the incidence of drug abuse (DA) and linking (communal) social capital, a theoretical concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions. Methods We present results from an 8-year population-based cohort study that followed all residents in Sweden, aged 15-44, from 2003 through 2010, for a total of 1,700,896 men and 1,642,798 women. Social capital was conceptualized as the proportion of people in a geographically defined neighborhood who voted in local government elections. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and between-neighborhood variance. Results We found robust associations between linking social capital and DA in men and women. For men, the OR for DA in the crude model was 2.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02-2.21] for those living in areas with the lowest vs. highest level of social capital. After accounting for neighborhood level deprivation, the OR fell to 1.59 (1.51-1-68), indicating that neighborhood deprivation lies in the pathway between linking social capital and DA. The ORs remained significant after accounting for age, family income, marital status, country of birth, education level, and region of residence, and after further accounting for comorbidities and family history of comorbidities and family history of DA. For women, the OR decreased from 2.15 (2.03-2.27) in the crude model to 1.31 (1.22-1.40) in the final model, adjusted for multiple neighborhood-level and individual-level variables. Conclusions Our study suggests that low linking social capital may have important independent effects on DA.

The Prevalence of Positive Drug and Alcohol Screens in Elderly Trauma Patients

ABSTRACT. Background: Alcohol and drug abuse are recognized to be significantly prevalent in trauma patients, and are frequent harbingers of injury. The incidence of substance abuse in elderly trauma patients has, however, been limitedly examined. The authors sought to identify the spectrum of positive alcohol and drug toxicology screens in patients ≥65 years admitted to a Level I trauma center. Methods: Patients ≥65 years old admitted to an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Level I trauma center over a 60-­month period were identified from the trauma registry. Demographic data, blood alcohol content (BAC), and urine drug screen (UDS) results at admission were obtained and analyzed. The positive results were compared with individuals below 65 years in different substance categories using Fisher's exact test. Results: In the 5-year period studied, of the 4139 patients ≥65 years, 1302 (31.5%) underwent toxicological substance screening. A positive BAC was present in 11.1% of these patients and a positive UDS in 48.3%. The mean BAC level in those tested was 163 mg/dL and 69% of patients had a level >80 mg/dL. Conclusions: These data show that alcohol and drug abuse are an issue in patients ≥65 years in our institution, though not as pervasive a problem as in younger populations. Admission toxicology screens, however, are important as an aid to identify geriatric individuals who may require intervention.

Alternative Drugs of Abuse

The incidence of drug abuse with alternative agents is increasing. The term "alternative drugs of abuse" is a catch-all term for abused chemicals that do not fit into one of the classic categories of drugs of abuse. The most common age group abusing these agents range from 17 to 25 years old and are often associated with group settings. Due to their diverse pharmacological nature, legislative efforts to classify these chemicals as a schedule I drug have lagged behind the development of new alternative agents. The potential reason for abuse of these agents is their hallucinogenic, dissociative, stimulant, anti-muscarinic, or sedative properties. Some of these drugs are easily obtainable such as Datura stramonium (Jimson Weed) or Lophophora williamsii (Peyote) because they are natural plants indigenous to certain regions. The diverse pharmacology and clinical effects of these agents are so broad that they do not produce a universal constellation of signs and symptoms. Detailed physical exams are essential for identifying clues leading one to suspect an alternative drug of abuse. Testing for the presence of these agents is often limited, and even when available, the results do not return in a timely fashion. Intoxications from these agents pose unique challenges for health care providers. Physician knowledge of the physiological effects of these alternative agents and the local patterns of drug of abuse are important for the accurate diagnosis and optimal care of poisoned patients. This review summarizes the current knowledge of alternative drugs of abuse and highlights their clinical presentations.

Substance Abuse, Familial Factors, and Mental Health: Exploring Racial and Ethnic Group Differences Among African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic Juvenile Offenders

The present study examined racial, ethnic, and gender differences in family composition substance abuse, and mental health issues, such as depression and self-esteem among adjudicated juvenile offenders. Results revealed a negative relationship between depression and self-esteem among all ethnicities and family compositions. Caucasians reported greater incidence of substance abuse than did African American and Hispanic youth. Moreover, in reconstituted families, Caucasians had lower self-esteem scores than did other ethnicities. The findings illustrate the complexities of risk to substance use among high-risk populations, particularly as they relate to familial factors and the importance of intensive family therapy among this population.

Detection of Some Substances of Abuse During Daily Practice in Emergency Hospital, Mansoura University

Illicit drug abuse represents a worldwide problem. Urine drug screening is an effective tool for monitoringillicit drug consumption. However, true clinical utility of toxicology screens is still controversial.Diagnosis of substance abuse may be challenging and some clinicians believe that just sending a urinesample to the lab will give conclusive results. This study aimed to evaluate laboratory based toxicologicalanalysis of urine and to identify its clinical utility in detecting the prevalence of substance abuse among agroup of overdosed patients presented to Mansoura Toxicology Unit. A total of 390 urine samples werecollected. All samples were subjected to preliminary screening by Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique(EMIT). The study revealed that the overall prevalence of positive drug screen using EMIT was(65.12%). GC-MS confirmation showed that incidence of drug abuse is 43.83%. It is concluded that goodcommunication between the physicians and laboratory can minimize lab errors and provide a clearer pictureof possible problematic drug use. It is emphasized that diagnosis of substance abuse needs thoroughhistory and clinical assessment integrated with judicious ordering of urine screen, accurate knowledge ofits advantages and possible pitfalls with careful interpretation of toxicological results.