Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs最新文献

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of traumatic experiences and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in treatment-seeking individuals with ongoing substance use disorder (SUD) compared to individuals who have recovered from SUD. Methods: Patients with SUD recruited from the STAYER study (N = 114) underwent an examination of alcohol and drug use, childhood trauma, negative life events and PTSD symptomatology. In this study, only participants with 12-month concurrent polysubstance use was included. Using historical data from the STAYER study, alcohol and drug trajectories were dichotomised as (1) current SUD (current SUD) or (2) recovered from substance use disorder (recovered SUD). Crosstabs and chi-tests were used to measure differences between groups. Results: Childhood maltreatment, traumatic experiences later in life and symptoms of concurrent PTSD were highly prevalent in the study population. We found no significant difference between the current and recovered SUD groups. Recovered women reported a lower prevalence of physical neglect (p = 0.031), but a higher prevalence of multiple lifetime traumas (p = 0.019) compared to women with current SUD. Both women with current SUD and recovered women reported a significantly higher prevalence of sexual aggression than men (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, men who have recovered from SUD reported a lower prevalence of PTSD symptoms over cut-off 38 (p = 0.017), of re-experiencing (p = 0.036) and of avoidance (p = 0.015), compared to recovered women. Conclusion: Reported trauma did not differ between persons with current SUD and those who had recovered from SUD. Gender differences discovered in this study indicate the importance of developing individualised and gender-specific treatment models for comorbid PTSD/SUD.

Background: While English is only the native language of 7.3% of the world's population and less than 20% can speak the language, nearly 75% of all scientific publications are English. Aim: To describe how and why scientific contributions from the non-English-speaking world have been excluded from addiction literature, and put forward suggestions for making this literature more accessible to the non-English-speaking population. Methods: A working group of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors (ISAJE) conducted an iterative review of issues related to scientific publishing from the non-English-speaking world. Findings: We discuss several issues stemming from the predominance of English in the scientific addiction literature, including historical drivers, why this matters, and proposed solutions, focusing on the increased availability of translation services. Conclusion: The addition of non-English-speaking authors, editorial team members, and journals will increase the value, impact, and transparency of research findings and increase the accountability and inclusivity of scientific publications.

Aim: To develop and measure the psychometric properties of the Gambling and Gambling Problem Perception Questionnaire (GGPPQ); a scale to evaluate professionals' attitudes towards people with problem gambling in the Japanese context. Data collection: We held 12 workshops in Japan targeted at mental health professionals who consult people with gambling problems. Participants completed the survey before the workshop. Some were also asked to complete the survey after the workshop to measure workshop influence. Setting: Public and private healthcare facilities in all 47 prefectures of Japan. Participants: Medical doctors, nurses, social workers, clinical psychologists, and other professionals working in the aforementioned facilities (n = 653, response rate = 98.5%). Measurements: licence; knowledge about gambling and gambling problems (questionnaire); self-rating of knowledge and general confidence for helping problem gamblers; years of practice; frequency of working with clients; experience in attending workshops; overall satisfaction with the workshop. Results: A five-factor structure extracted by exploratory factor analysis showed a good fit by confirmatory factor analysis (CFI = .973, TLI = .967, RMSEA = .060, AIC = 28913.6, BIC = 29110.8). The GGPPQ showed good internal consistency and good concurrent validity with participants' self-rating of their knowledge, general confidence, frequency of working with clients who have gambling problems, and experience in attending workshops. The workshop had a positive influence on participants' attitudes. Japan's unique gambling industry and lack of training opportunities on problem gambling were assumed to have influenced the psychometric properties of the measurement tool. Conclusion: The GGPPQ is a valid tool to measure the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards people with gambling problems, as well as workshop effectiveness in Japan.

Aims: The Finnish alcohol law was reformed in January 2018. The availability of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores increased as the legal limit for retail sales of alcoholic drinks was raised from 4.7% to 5.5% alcohol, and the requirement of production by fermentation was abolished. We analysed how the inclusion of strong beers, ciders, and ready-to-drink beverages in grocery stores was reflected in alcohol purchases, and how these changes differed by age, sex, level of education and household income. Design: The study sample included 47,066 loyalty card holders from the largest food retailer in Finland. The data consisted of longitudinal, individual-level information on alcohol purchases from grocery stores, covering the time period between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018. The volumes of absolute alcohol during a calendar year from beers, ciders, ready-to-drink beverages, and in total, were calculated. Alcohol purchases in 2017 and 2018 were compared. Results: There was no overall change in the total alcohol (0.04 [95% CI -0.03, 0.11] litres/year) or beer purchases (-0.05 [95% CI -0.11, 0.02] litres/year). Purchases of ready-to-drink beverages increased by 0.10 [95% CI 0.09, 0.11] litres/year (+ 84%). Total alcohol purchases increased in the three highest income groups, whereas they decreased in the two lowest groups (p for the interaction < 0.0001). Conclusions: The increased purchases of alcohol as ready-to-drink beverages were, on the average, compensated for by a decrease in purchases of other alcoholic beverages. Higher prices probably limited the purchases among lower income groups and younger consumers, while the increase was sharper in higher income groups.

Aims: The media can influence gambling policy formation and public opinion. Previous research has established that the tension between political or public interest in gambling revenue and gambling harm is fundamental for understanding gambling policy. There are two opposing gambling policy positions: (1) gambling revenue or the economic benefits of gambling, and (2) the harmful impacts of gambling. This study is the first study to estimate these gambling policy positions of newspapers on a common scale. The objective is to estimate how the gambling policy positions of major Finnish daily newspapers evolved between 2004 and 2020. This knowledge deepens our understanding about the changes in the relative balance between harm and revenue in gambling policy. Methods and data: The data consisted of newspaper editorials (N = 58) on gambling policy from five major Finnish daily newspapers between 2004 and 2020. The data were analysed with the automated content analysis algorithm Wordfish. Results: The results show that there has been a clear shift in the gambling policy positions of the major Finnish newspapers towards increased acknowledgement of the importance of prevention and reduction of gambling harm. Conclusions: Due to the interplay between the media, politics, and the public, it is likely that the importance of prevention and reduction of gambling harm will be recognised and addressed to a larger extent when gambling policy is formulated in Finland in the future. More generally, if the gambling policy positions of media and other stakeholders change, this can facilitate a promotion of harm prevention policies.

Aims: With the spread of COVID-19, the Norwegian government introduced restrictions on cross-border travel starting March 2020. Purchase of tobacco when travelling, especially from Sweden and duty-free shops, has comprised a substantial part of Norwegian tobacco consumption for many years. We investigated whether COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations led to changes in tobacco purchases from Norway, Sweden, duty-free, other countries, possible illicit sources and web shops. Design: Based on a survey conducted by Ipsos, we examined: (i) the prevalence of smoking and snus use and where smokers and snus users reported having purchased tobacco consumed during the last 24 hours from 2015 to 2019, by county; and (ii) the probabilities of having purchased tobacco from different sources in the period before and after COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations. Results: The proportion of smokers varied from 12% to 19% and the proportion of snus users varied from 12% to 21% across counties. Cigarettes bought in Norway comprised from 27% to 79% of the previous day's consumption, depending on the respondent's county of residence. For snus, the percentages ranged from 20% to 70%. The probability of buying tobacco in Norway increased by around 30 percentage points during the period of COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations, compared with previous years. The increase was greatest in border regions and was accompanied by fewer purchases in Swedish and duty-free shops. Conclusion: The increased share of tobacco purchases from shops in Norway means that, for many tobacco users, buying tobacco become more expensive and that taxes on tobacco to a greater extent were paid in Norway. However, whether these extraordinary circumstances will affect future cigarette and snus use, and place of purchase of tobacco products, remains to be seen.

Background and aims: Drug-related death (DRD) is a major public health concern in the Nordic countries, in the rest of Europe and in the US. After a DRD, approximately 10-15 next of kin will be left behind. People bereaved after sudden and unexpected deaths have a documented higher risk of reduced quality of life, daily functioning, and early death. It is important to know the resources professional helpers have available to them, the barriers and possibilities they face in their work, and how they can respond to the needs of the bereaved. This knowledge can help prevent severe health and social consequences of bereavement following a DRD. In this systematic review, the aim was to explore knowledge regarding professional helpers' experiences of providing assistance to people bereaved after a DRD. Methods: Inclusion criteria were empirical studies of professional helpers' first-person perspectives on meeting the bereaved after a DRD. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies were included. Results: The results show that there are no studies addressing professional helpers' experiences of providing assistance to the bereaved after a DRD. Conclusion: There is a vital need to develop more knowledge of professional helpers' perspectives. This knowledge is important not only to improve education and the quality of health and social services, but also to help raise awareness of the bereaved after a DRD.