| 1. |
- Alexius, Susanna
(author)
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Assigning responsibility for gambling-related harm : scrutinizing processes of direct and indirect consumer responsibilization of gamblers in Sweden
- 2017
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 25:6, s. 462-475
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study is an inquiry into how actors in the Swedish gambling industry, gambling problem prevention and support structures articulate responsibility for the problems that arise from gambling. A main point made in the study is that responsibility for the gambling-related harm is actively constructed and reproduced in a hegemonic way that situates the main responsibility for the emergence and handling of gambling-related harm on the individual gambler and that relies heavily on the individual's capacity to control and adjust his/her consumption to prevent gambling related harm. Drawing on extensive ethnographical fieldwork on responsible gambling practices in the Swedish context, the author brings attention to the often-unproblematized view of contemporary responsible gambling measures, and the need to develop a self-reflexive critical analysis of the ways in which responsibility is divided and assigned in this politicized market and wider policy field. As a conceptual contribution, an analytical distinction is suggested between measures of direct responsibilization (teaching and training gamblers to be responsible) and measures of indirect responsibilization (teaching and training intermediaries in the market, such as gambling agents and support association staff, to relinquish responsibility on behalf of the gambling consumer). The results indicate that such a distinction is fruitful for a nuanced understanding of contemporary responsibility policies and practices.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Annika, 1981, et al.
(author)
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Participation in leisure activities and binge drinking in adults – findings from a Swedish general population sample.
- 2012
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In: Addiction Research & Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 20:2, s. 172-182
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the associations between participation in different leisure activities and binge drinking in Swedish adults. The study was based on a questionnaire in a general population sample (n=3567) of individuals aged 19–64 years old. Men and women were defined as binge drinkers if they reported that they had consumed alcohol at least once a month, and stated that at a typical drinking occasion they consumed five or more standard glasses (12g of alcohol). Multivariate analyses found associations between binge drinking and socializing with friends among men aged 19–30 years (odds ratio, OR 2.88), in the 31–64 years old age group (OR 1.87). Corresponding results was found in younger women (OR 2.36). A higher OR was also found for younger men who regularly attended sporting events as spectators (OR 1.83), and among respondents in the older age group who regularly played computer or video games (OR 2.11 for women and 1.61 for men). A lower OR for binge drinking was found for men who regularly participated in religious services in both age-groups. Lower prevalence of binge drinking among women was only found in the younger group among those who regularly participated in sports/athletics or other training (OR 0.51). Our findings suggest that prevention strategies could benefit from an everyday life approach, but also that different interventions should be used in relation to specific leisure activities.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Christina, 1955, et al.
(author)
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Drinking context and problematic alcohol consumption in young Swedish women : Drinking context and problematic alcohol consumption
- 2013
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 21:6, s. 457-468
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous research has indicated that a variety of contextual factors are involved in the development of drinking behavior. An integrated perspective can extend our understanding of the context and circumstances in which individuals drink. In this study, a person-oriented approach, cluster analysis, was used to identify drinking context clusters in a population of 20- and 25-year-old Swedish women. A further aim was to analyze how these clusters were associated with problematic alcohol consumption (high episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol use disorder (AUD)). A total of 760 respondents were interviewed, some in 1996 and some in 2001. Self-reported effects of drinking and situational factors associated with drinking alcohol were used in the cluster analysis procedure. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations with problematic alcohol consumption. The results revealed four distinct clusters of drinking patterns: coping drinkers, social drinkers, controlled drinkers, and moderate drinkers. Differences between clusters concerning problematic alcohol consumption were found. HED was significantly more common among the social drinkers and alcohol use disorder was more prevalent among the coping drinkers. Age differences and to a lesser extent secular trends in drinking pattern could be observed. The findings suggest that information on drinking context can help to explain differences in patterns of risky drinking and AUD. This highlights the importance of identifying groups of individuals with potentially harmful drinking patterns, which could be the target of specific preventive actions.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Berg, Noora, et al.
(author)
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The relevance of macroeconomic conditions on concurrent and subsequent alcohol use : results from two Northern Swedish cohorts
- 2020
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 28:6, s. 501-509
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ackground: The aim of this study is to examine the relevance of macroeconomic conditions (boom vs. recession) and own labor market status on alcohol use in youth and midlife.Method: Two Northern Swedish cohorts, born in either 1965 (boom at age 21 years) or 1973 (recession at age 21 years), included all pupils attending the last grade of compulsory school in Luleå, in 1981 (n = 990) or 1989 (n = 686), respectively. Questionnaires were completed at ages 21 and 43/39 years. Alcohol use was measured as volume of consumption (cl/year) and heavy episodic drinking (HED).Results: Women aged 21 years during the boom (Cohort65) consumed less alcohol and were less likely to be heavy episodic drinkers at age 21 years compared to those who were exposed to recession at the same age (Cohort73). In men there were no such cohort differences. Women, and to some extent men, in Cohort65 increased their consumption at midlife, whereas this decreased for those in Cohort73. HED decreased in both cohorts, but the decrease was steeper in the recession cohort. Analyses stratified by labor market status revealed between-cohort differences in consumption among women who were either employed or students at baseline; but not for men. Alcohol use for those unemployed did not differ between the cohorts.Conclusions: In our study, comparing two cohorts that experienced either macroeconomic boom (1986) or recession (1994) at age 21 years in Sweden, the association between individual alcohol use and concurrent unemployment in youth was not affected by macroeconomic conditions.
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| 6. |
- Björk, Alexander, 1983-
(author)
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Stabilizing a fluid intervention : The development of Motivational Interviewing, 1983-2013
- 2014
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 22:4, s. 313-324
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduced in 1983, Motivational Interviewing (MI) is now widely regarded as an efficacious psychosocial intervention in the addiction treatment field. Drawing on research literature, this article asks how this was achieved. Contrary to common conceptions of the dissemination of psychosocial interventions within the addiction treatment field, this analysis takes neither MI's identity nor its efficacy to be inherent qualities, but sees them as being constructed by various actors. This construction work is described as stabilizing processes. Being loosely structured and flexible, it is suggested that MI can be regarded as a fluid intervention. This has presented difficulties for its subsequent stabilization. As MI has been differently operationalized in clinical trials, it was not obvious at first to talk about the efficacy of MI as a single object of concern in systematical reviews and meta-analyses. The article discusses some of the complexities involved in the production and dissemination of efficacious psychosocial interventions. Compared with other cases, MI displays a somewhat different mode of stabilization. It is argued that MI has been stabilized enough to be considered an efficacious intervention while simultaneously incorporating fluidity, which makes it useful in a wide range of clinical settings.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Blomqvist, Jan, 1946-
(author)
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Perceptions of addiction and recovery in Sweden : The influence of respondent characteristics
- 2012
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 20:5, s. 435-446
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Respondents to a representative population survey were asked to rate four psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and ‘hard’ drugs) with regard to their severity to society and addictiveness, as well as the options for recovery, with and without treatment, from an addiction to the same substances. This article explores if and how these ratings differ with regard to respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, their own and close persons’ substance use experiences, and, their attitudes towards people with substance use problems. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic or linear regressions. Although the main difference goes between respondents’ perceptions of various substances and addictions, the results also point to some interesting differences with regard to respondents’ experiences and characteristics. Thus for example, women and respondents with no personal substance use experiences, tend to play up the severity and addictiveness of most substances, and to play down the options for untreated recovery from an addiction, whereas current risk users tend to take an opposite view. Main interpretations are that there is a general tendency to exaggerate the hazards of and risks with habits that are perceived as unfamiliar and alien, that current risk users at the same time dwell on a ‘false hope’ of being able to quit, and that women are, for various reasons, more inclined than men to worry about their own substance use habits, as well as those in their close environment. Potential implications, for further research as well as for policy and prevention, are discussed.
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| 9. |
- Blomqvist, Jan
(author)
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Recovery with and without treatment : A comparison of resolutions of alcohol and drug problems
- 2002
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 10:2, s. 119-158
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An earlier Swedish study compared assisted and unassisted misusers of alcohol, with different long-term drinking outcomes, with regard to drinking patterns, significant life events, and attributions as to what initiated and maintained recovery. It was found that environmental influences had a great, albeit somewhat different impact on the recovery processes in both assisted and unassisted subjects. A subsequent replication of this study, but on drug misusers, produced similar findings. The present paper uses data from both those studies to explore substance-specific characteristics in treated and untreated recovery from addiction problems. Comparisons include background data, substance use and life event data over an extended period surrounding the resolution, and subjects' perceived reasons for the resolution and for being able to maintain an alcohol problem-free or a drug-free lifestyle. The results are discussed from the perspective of differences in the social significance of drinking and drug use and the institutionalised response in Sweden to alcohol- and drug-related problems.Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16066350290017248?journalCode=art
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Bogren, Alexandra
(author)
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Alcohol short-circuits important part of the brain' : Swedish newspaper representations of biomedical alcohol research
- 2017
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 25:3, s. 177-187
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The media has a central role in communicating and constructing health knowledge, including communicating research findings related to alcohol consumption. However, research on news reporting about alcohol is still a relatively small field; in particular, there are few studies of the reporting of biomedical alcohol and drug research, despite the assumed increasing popularity of biomedical perspectives in public discourse in general. The present article addresses the representational `devices' used in Swedish press reporting about biomedical alcohol research, drawing on qualitative thematic analysis of the topics, metaphors, and optimist versus critical frames used in presenting biomedical research findings. In general, the press discourse focuses on genetic factors related to alcohol problems, on the role of the brain and the reward system in addiction, and on medication for treating alcohol problems. Metaphors of `reconstruction' and `reprograming' of the reward system are used to describe how the brain's function is altered in addiction, whereas metaphors of `undeserved reward' and `shortcuts' to pleasure are used to describe alcohol's effects on the brain. The study indicates that aspects of the Swedish press discourse of biomedical alcohol research invite reductionism, but that this result could be understood from the point of view of both the social organization of reporting and the intersection of reporting, science, and everyday understandings rather than from the point of view of the news articles only. Moreover, some characteristics of the media portrayals leave room for interpretation, calling for research on the meanings ascribed to metaphors of addiction in everyday interaction.
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| 13. |
- Bogren, Alexandra, 1976-
(author)
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‘But I’m not a doctor’ : pending trust in science among laypeople discussing the brain disease model of addiction
- 2019
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Routledge. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 27:4, s. 337-346
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: In recent decades, the notion of addiction as a brain disease has become influential among scientists, public institutions, and addiction treatment professionals, and its popularity raises the question of how biomedical science affects public perceptions of illness. Although existing research has examined how laypeople interpret disease models of addiction, few studies address how they interpret the brain disease model as presented by the media, the version that most citizens are likely to encounter in their everyday lives. This article contributes to existing research by examining Swedish laypeople’s interpretations of a news article presenting biomedical research on addiction and analyzing how trust intervenes in their interpretations. Methods: Drawing on an audience study design with qualitative interviews, the participants were asked to read and discuss a newspaper article that explained how alcohol, amphetamine, and nicotine affect the brain. Results: The analysis shows that their interpretations depended on how they perceived their own ability to assess the science portrayed in the article. The participants trust doctors and scientists but doubt their own ability to assess the science, and trust is therefore provisional or pending until this situation changes. In addition, trust requires that the participants are able to recognize and identify with the contents of the news article. Conclusion: This pattern can be understood as a way of dealing with the contradictory expectations laypeople face–they are expected to trust scientific knowledge and to evaluate knowledge claims rationally, but they do not have access to the knowledge that would, supposedly, enable them to do so.
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| 14. |
- Bogren, Alexandra, 1976-
(author)
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Women's intoxication as ‘dual licentiousness’: An exploration of gendered images of drinking and intoxication in Sweden
- 2008
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 16:1, s. 95-106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, it is suggested that an important cultural image of intoxication in some Western societies appears to be 'intoxication as ecstasy', intoxication as escape from the everyday into a 'wild' and 'natural' state. The purpose of this article is to discuss this cultural image and its link to gendered ideas about sexuality and, on the basis of this discussion, to develop a hypothesis for further testing. The hypothesis developed proposes that women - via the cultural linking of their sexuality to biological processes of reproduction - are placed closer to nature than men. This makes women's drinking and intoxication seem more dangerous than men's, because drinking and intoxication would seem to make women come even closer to nature. It is suggested that women's 'dual licentiousness' threatens the distinction between nature and culture.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Cunningham, J.A., et al.
(author)
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Maturing Out of Drinking Problems : Perceptions of Natural History as a Function of Severity
- 2005
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 13:1, s. 79-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study tested the hypothesis that maturing out descriptions of change were more common among respondents whose drinking problems were less severe prior to reduction and that consequence driven changes were more common among those who had a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence, prior to resolution. As part of a general population telephone survey, former heavy drinkers were asked their reasons for change. These responses were tape-recorded, transcribed and then coded into three categories – consequence driven reasons, drifting out reasons and reflective maturational reasons. As predicted, drifting out reasons were more often provided by those with less severe alcohol use and consequence related reasons appeared associated with respondents who had had more severe alcohol problems. The differing descriptions of pathways to change observed in natural history studies may be the result of research that captures only partial samples of the larger population of former heavy drinkers.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Delle, Simone, et al.
(author)
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Motives for not drinking alcohol : why adults in late middle age abstain
- 2022
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 30:2, s. 126-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Older individuals are not only more sensitive to the impact of alcohol but also face significant health risks from alcohol-drug interactions. To alter current drinking patterns, it is crucial to understand the motives for abstention of adults in late middle age.Objectives: We hypothesized that, for adults in late middle age, socio-demographic characteristics and health-related factors predict alcohol abstinence; and that current motives for abstention vary between subgroups of abstainers.Method: Data on adults aged 50-64 years (n = 2,308) came from the German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between different types of abstinence and socio-demographic and health-related variables.Results: Low income, low education and poor self-rated physical health predicted 12-month abstinence. Men with a chronic disease had a 9.5 % chance to be abstinent, whilst it was 17.7 % for women. Main motives for older lifetime abstainers were 'dislike of taste or smell', 'loss of control' and 'family constraints'. For 12-month abstainers, it was 'loss of control', 'health constraints' and 'dislike of taste or smell'.Conclusion: Poor health in middle-aged drinkers offers an opportunity to recommend reduction or cessation of alcohol use by explaining the negative health effects from alcohol. Future research investigating abstention needs to differentiate between lifetime and 12-month abstainers.
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| 19. |
- Edman, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Oniomaniacs : the popular framing of consumption as a disease
- 2018
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 26:6, s. 431-438
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this article is to examine the framing of excessive consumption as a disease-like condition in the Swedish press during the years 1992-2012. Against a theoretical background discussing medicalisation, we have analysed the characteristics of problematic consumption framed as a disease, as well as the presumed causes of and responses to this problem. Alongside and intertwined with a structural and a rationalisation perspective, we find discussions and explanations of problematic consumption as a disease all through the investigated period. Class and gender are noticeable components of the core problem description, but the reductionist assumption of addiction as a brain disease seems to point to a problem beyond historical and social context. The disease conceptualisation of problematic consumption can be seen as a compensatory perspective in an individualising and consumption affirming society. However, this perspective is ultimately decided by politics and not by research. Despite being a frequently occurring perspective on a conceptual level in Sweden, it is not a legitimate description in legislation or as a cause for public treatment interventions.
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| 20. |
- Ekendahl, Mats
(author)
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Danish heroin prescription in Swedish print media : exploring the silent agreements of harm reduction and zero tolerance
- 2012
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 20:5, s. 423-434
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sweden's response to drug problems has long been governed by zero tolerance, as manifested by the motto 'a drug-free society' and the criminalisation of drug use. In this context, the legitimacy of methadone maintenance treatment and other interventions often depicted as harm reduction has been questioned. This highlights that solutions to drug problems are circumscribed by culture-specific ideologies and definitions of reality that are articulated in different discourses. The study aims to elucidate how Denmark's decision in 2008 to launch heroin prescription (a controversial form of maintenance treatment) was addressed in Swedish print media, and identify how key concepts such as 'heroin users' and 'treatment' were attributed with meaning. In order for the analysis to go beyond apparent differences between the discourses of harm reduction and zero tolerance, specific interest was placed in constructions that were shared by protagonists on the issue of heroin prescription. The data encompasses 29 articles (news agency announcements plus daily press) that were analysed with focus on binary oppositions and then coded thematically. Four themes were identified: 'Users as passive victims'; 'Methadone as benchmark'; 'Treatment as necessity' and 'Swedish drug policy as unique'. These themes appear as presuppositions, or silent agreements, that precede different understandings of heroin prescription in Swedish press. It is concluded that the media representations reproduced traditional constructions of heroin users as victims in need of society's help. The relevance of characterising heroin prescription as a 'new way' of handling heroin dependence problems is discussed.
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| 21. |
- Ekendahl, Mats, 1971-
(author)
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The limits of legitimacy : service providers’ views on maintenance treatment in Sweden
- 2011
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - London : Gordon and Breach. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 19:5, s. 427-437
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: It is widely acknowledged that the social meaning of maintenance treatment (MT) with methadone is context-dependent and that different discourses influence how this approach to opiate addiction problems is practised. In Sweden, MT has long been ideologically controversial, even if the past decade’s emphasis on evidence-based interventions has made it more accepted and prevalent in the treatment system. MT may thus be seen as a discursive field where science and values are intertwined and impact practice jointly, which emphasises the importance of analysing how MT is attributed with meaning. Objectives: The study aims to identify and analyse the discourses that service providers in Swedish opiate addiction treatment refer to in their efforts to legitimise MT. Methods: Twenty-eight interviews focused on MTrelated issues were conducted with Swedish social workers and health care workers. The material was analysed qualitatively according to discourse theory. Findings: Three key features of MT were identified: as therapeutic intervention; as beyond harm reduction and as pragmatic solution. The respondents constructed MT as a necessary medical and psychosocial treatment aimed at rehabilitation and patients’ complete break with drug abuse, which reflects a policy-context where solutions to drug problems are supposed to be resolute, thorough and abstinence-oriented. Conclusions: The service providers handled the controversy between science and values by drawing on a decent-life discourse, where opiate addiction problems are solved with a pragmatic stance towards evidence and where only interventions that make patients’ lives allegedly decent are considered legitimate (excluding, e.g. heroin prescription and liberal methadone distribution).
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| 22. |
- Ekendahl, Mats
(author)
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Time to Change : an exploratory study of motivation among untreated and treated substance abusers
- 2007
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 15:3, s. 247-261
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This exploratory study examines whether the attitudes towards change and treatment of untreated non-abstinent substance abusers differ from those of patients undergoing treatment in residential care. The sample (n=97) consists of untreated, voluntarily and compulsorily treated substance abusers who completed a questionnaire in 2003. Attitudes were measured with scales on e.g. problem recognition, desire for help, treatment readiness and aspects of time perspectives, e.g. past, present and future orientation. The attitudes of the three groups -- untreated, voluntarily and compulsorily treated subjects -- differed with respect to lifestyle change. Factor analysis of the measures revealed one component of primary interest, general willingness to change. Results show that willingness to change was correlated with other attitudinal characteristics in the three groups. The stability of substance abusers’ motivation is discussed with the focus on different social contexts’ influence on change-compliant attitudes and behaviour.
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| 23. |
- Ekman, Mats, et al.
(author)
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The impact of earlier pub closing hours on emergency calls to the police during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
- 2024
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 32:2, s. 138-142
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- On 20 November 2020, the government of Sweden banned on-premise alcohol sales after 10:30 p.m. and then after 8 p.m. on December 24. This study aims to estimate the impact of earlier pub closing hours on emergency calls to the police. We use a quasi-experimental hybrid differences-in-differences design, drawing on data for emergency calls in Sweden. The primary outcome measure is the daily number of emergency calls to the police in Sweden 70 days before the intervention and 70 days after the intervention. The primary control series is the daily number of emergency calls to the police in Sweden during the preceding year, 70 days before the intervention and 70 days after the intervention. We fail to find an effect on daily emergency calls, or nighttime emergency calls to the police, from the restrictions on the sale of alcohol. There is, however, some evidence indicating that weekend emergency calls may have been affected, but that potential effect does not translate into an overall effect. While our study is limited in its focus, it contributes to using a wide range of time windows and a large geographical area (the whole of Sweden) to inform on displacement effects, as well as in considering a broader set of robustness checks. We suggest that our results and future work should be seen in light of our limitations and our contribution, respectively.
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| 24. |
- Forsström, David, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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A systematic review of educational programs and consumer protection measures for gambling : an extension of previous reviews
- 2021
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 29:5, s. 398-412
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Besides supply reduction, preventive interventions to reduce harm from gambling include interventions for the reduction of demand and to limit negative consequences. Several interventions are available for gamblers, e.g. limit-setting. Reviews have been published examining the evidence for specific measures as well as evaluating the effect of different measures at an overall level. Only a few of these have used a systematic approach for their literature review. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is twofold. First, to assess the certainty of evidence of different preventive measures in the field of educational programs and consumer protection measures, including both land-based and online gambling. The second is to present shortcomings in eligible studies to highlight what type of information is needed in future studies.Method: This systematic review included measures administered in both real-life settings and online. Twenty-eight studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria and had low or moderate risk of bias.Results: The results showed that only two measures (long term educational programs and personalized feed-back) had an impact on gambling behavior. Follow-up period was short, and measures did not include gambling as a problem. The certainty in most outcomes, according to GRADE, was very low. Several shortcomings were found in the studies.Discussion: We concluded that the support for preventive measures is low and that a consensus statement regarding execution and methods to collect and analyze data for preventive gambling research is needed. Our review can serve as a starting point for future responsible gambling reviews since it evaluated certainty of evidence.
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| 25. |
- Gmel, G., et al.
(author)
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Contrasting individual and aggregate studies in alcohol research? Combining them is the answer!
- 2004
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 12:1, s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The reprint of Rose's (1985) seminal paper reiterated the distinction between two etiological questions: What are the causes of individual cases, and what are the causes of population incidence? The first question deals with within-population variability and the second with between-population variability, suggesting that individual level studies should be used to answer the first question and aggregate level studies to answer the second. What findings should be trusted, however, when the results from aggregate and individual level studies on the same topic diverge? One example of the divergence of findings in the alcohol field is that of studies on coronary heart disease. The overwhelming majority of individual level studies have shown the protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption for coronary heart disease, however aggregate level studies have failed to corroborate this finding. This discrepancy has been taken by some as evidence that the aggregate level disproved a causal relation at the individual level. This implies that the same hypothesis could be tested at both levels. The present editorial will reiterate the notion of Rose (1985) that both types of analyses answer different questions and cannot be expected to coincide in results.
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| 26. |
- Heimdahl, Karin, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Psychosocial interventions for substance-abusing parents and their young children : A scoping review
- 2016
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 24:3, s. 236-247
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this scoping review was to give an overview of efficacy research on psychosocial interventions aimed at substance-abusing parents with children of up to the age of three. Throughout the overview, there was a focus on underlying assumptions and how the problem descriptions motivating the interventions corresponded with the solutions, i.e. the interventions in question. The data consisted of peer reviewed intervention studies (n = 22) identified through literature searches in online databases. Randomised controlled trial studies as well as quasi-experimental and pre-post studies were included. The results showed that all the studies included bar one focused exclusively on women as parents. Moreover, while the problem descriptions in the studies tended to be quite broad, framing parental substance abuse as a problem influenced by social and structural conditions, the solutions presented in the form of interventions generally had a narrower focus, addressing the individual parent from a psychological perspective only. In conclusion, the review points out the need for developing and evaluating interventions aimed at substance-abusing fathers as well as mothers, and also underscores the importance of these interventions being focused on a broader range of factors rather than just addressing deficits at the level of the individual.
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Härkönen, Janne, et al.
(author)
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Changes in Finnish drinking occasions between 1976 and 2008 – The waxing and waning of drinking contexts
- 2013
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 21:4, s. 318-328
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A deeper understanding of drinking practices of a population requires a study of the situations in which people drink, i.e. the context of drinking. This study explores the changes and continuities in the prevalence and nature of drinking in terms of place, company, time and the social drinking context, during a period when overall alcohol consumption in Finland grew by half and drinking culture at large was transformed radically. Analyses were based on two national drinking habits surveys with a representative sample of the Finnish population aged 15–69 years in 1976 (N = 2835) and 2008 (N = 2725). In addition, original semi-qualitative data in 2008 were utilized, using a 15-category social drinking context typology, with the results contrasted to previously reported results from 1976. Overall, the number of drinking occasions increased between 1976 and 2008. A major part of the increase comprised drinking in home settings and with one's partner. The weekly rhythm of drinking was also concentrated on weekends even more than before. Changes in the nature of drinking showed that the typical degree of intoxication decreased for men and increased for women. The proportion of heavy drinking occasions decreased for men especially in home settings and for women, remained the same across drinking contexts except for single gender contexts. Changes in social drinking contexts reflected an overall shifting of drinking into the private sphere, with a major increase in the proportion of evenings at home and sauna drinking.
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| 29. |
- Jarl, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Wage penalty of abstinence and wage premium of drinking-A misclassification bias due to pooling of drinking groups?
- 2010
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In: Addiction Research & Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 18:3, s. 284-297
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several studies have found protective effects of low/moderate (hereafter 'light') alcohol consumption compared with 'abstinence' on mortality, health and wage. Some of these studies have been criticised because former drinkers have been included among the abstainers, which may overstate the protective effect of light alcohol consumption. It has also been proposed, but not shown, that the commonly pooled group of light drinkers and former heavy drinkers would understate the protective effect of light drinking. We also suggest that former abstainers might cause the same effect when pooled with light drinkers. The aim of this article is to study whether the pooling of consumption groups creates bias in the form of misclassification and confounding. The analysis focuses on: 'former drinker error' (pooling of lifelong abstainers and former drinkers); 'former abstainer error' (pooling of former abstainers and lifelong light drinkers) and 'former heavy drinker error' (pooling of light drinkers with and without a history of heavy drinking). Swedish panel data were used in a multinomial logit model, presenting odds ratios when comparing the subgroups. The results demonstrate that commonly pooled groups are heterogeneous with respect to a number of variables, which may implicate confounding. Given appropriate controls, misclassification bias is likely in the pooled group of light drinkers. The direction of the misclassification bias, however, is to underestimate the beneficial effect of light alcohol consumption on wage and therefore cannot explain the wage penalty of abstinence compared to light drinking.
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| 30. |
- Johnson, Björn, et al.
(author)
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A comparison of privileged access interviewing and traditional interviewing methods when studying drug users in treatment
- 2016
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 24:5, s. 406-415
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: Privileged access interviewing (PAI) has traditionally been used to reach illicit drug users and other ‘hidden’ populations. How PAI data compare to other self-reported data have seldom been discussed. We compare data from patients in opioid substitution treatment (OST), gathered through PAI and researcher interviews, respectively, to investigate whether PAIs and researchers are reaching comparable populations, and whether differences in answers are due to the sensitive nature of the questions. Methods: Structured interviews were conducted with 368 patients from nine OST clinics in three Swedish cities. 237 interviews were carried out by researchers, and 131 by nine PAIs (OST patients). Data were analyzed with χ2 test, Fisher’s exact test, t-test and logistic regression analysis. Results: PAIs and researchers recruited comparable populations, with few differences in terms of individual, treatment and social factors. However, self-reported behaviors revealed several significant differences. Alcohol consumption and drinking to intoxication was more commonly reported among patients interviewed through PAI (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the PAI group reported selling medication (p < 0.001 last month, p < 0.001 during treatment episode) and snorting buprenorphine (p = 0.010 last month, p = 0.001 during treatment episode) more frequently. Conclusions: PAI is a useful method in studies of illicit drug use and a valuable complement to more traditional interviewing methods. Specifically as regards revelations of a sensitive or controversial nature, PAI seems to produce different results than researcher interviews, and possibly also more truthful responses. PAI may have considerable potential as a data-gathering method also when studying other, more easily accessible populations.
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| 31. |
- Kraus, Ludwig, et al.
(author)
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Alcohol screening and alcohol interventions among patients with hypertension in primary health care : an empirical survey of German general practitioners
- 2017
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 25:4, s. 285-292
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Alcohol is one of the least intervened risk factors in the management of hypertension at the primary care level. In order to improve alcohol interventions, a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of lifestyle interventions in the management of hypertension is needed.Method: As a part of a European study (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), 211 German general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in Bavaria and Hamburg and surveyed via an Internet-based questionnaire. Results were compared with the European sample (n=2870).Results: One-third of the patients seen by German GPs had hypertension (36.2%, standard deviation (SD): 14.6) and among cases with hypertension, less than half were ever screened for alcohol (4.5 out of 10 patients). The foremost reasons for not screening for alcohol were that alcohol was not considered a major risk factor for hypertension plus the lack of knowledge of appropriate alcohol screening instruments. The majority of German GPs managed patients with hazardous drinking levels themselves or in their practice (71.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 64.6-77.2%), but only 42.0% (95% CI: 35.2-49.0%) managed alcohol dependent patients. German screening rates were slightly lower but interventions of screened positive patients higher than the European average.Conclusions: Rates of alcohol screening in patients with hypertension in primary health care may be increased by improving GPs knowledge of alcohol as a major risk factor for hypertension, increasing GPs education on alcohol and screening instruments, and providing reimbursement. This may increase treatment of alcohol problems in patients with hypertension and reduce hypertension.
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| 32. |
- Kraus, Ludwig, et al.
(author)
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Long waves of consumption or a unique social generation? Exploring recent declines in youth drinking
- 2020
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 28:3, s. 183-193
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: There is growing evidence for recent declines in adolescent alcohol use in the Western world. While these changes have been subject to scientific debate, the reasons for this downward trend are not yet understood.Method: We consider broader theoretical framings that might be useful in understanding declines in youth drinking. In particular, we reflect on the historical observations of ‘long waves of alcohol consumption’, the ‘Total Consumption Model’, and the ‘Theory of Social Generations’. Based on this, we explore some of the main hypotheses that are presently discussed as possible explanations for changes in youth drinking.Results: We suggest there may have been a change in the social position of alcohol as a social reaction to the negative effects of alcohol, but also emphasize the importance of changes in technology, social norms, family relationships and gender identity, as well as trends in health, fitness, wellbeing and lifestyle behavior. As a result of the interplay of these factors, the ‘devaluation’ of alcohol and the use of it may have contributed to the decrease in youth drinking.Conclusions: For interrupting the recurrent cycle of the ‘long waves of alcohol consumption’, we need to take advantage of the present change in sentiment and “lock in” these changes by new control measures. The model of change presented here hinges on the assumption that the observed change in the position the present young generation takes on alcohol proceeds through the life course, eventually reducing alcohol use in the whole population.
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| 33. |
- Laslett, Anne-Marie, et al.
(author)
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Children's experience of physical harms and exposure to family violence from others' drinking in nine societies
- 2020
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 28:4, s. 354-364
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To study caregiver reports of children's experience of physical harm and exposure to family violence due to others' drinking in nine societies, assess the relationship of harm with household drinking pattern and evaluate whether gender and education of caregiver affect these relationships. Method: Using data on adult caregivers from the Gender and Alcohol's Harm to Others (GENAHTO) project, child alcohol-related injuries and exposure of children to alcohol-related violence (CAIV) rates are estimated by country and pooled using meta-analysis and stratified by gender of the caregiver. Households with and without heavy or harmful drinker(s) (HHDs) are compared to assess the interaction of caregiver gender on the relationship between reporting HHD and CAIV, adjusting for caregiver education and age. Additionally, the relationship between caregiver education and CAIV is analyzed with meta-regression. Results: The prevalence of CAIV varied across societies, with an overall pooled mean of 4% reported by caregivers. HHD was a consistent correlate of CAIV in all countries. Men and women in the sample reported similar levels of CAIV overall, but the relationship between HHD and CAIV was greater for women than for men, especially if the HHD was the most harmful drinker (MHD). Education was not significantly associated with CAIV. Conclusions: One in 25 caregivers with children report physical or family violence harms to children because of others' drinking. The adjusted odds of harm are significantly greater (more than four-fold) in households with an HHD, with men most likely to be defined as this drinker in the household.
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| 34. |
- Maron, Julian, et al.
(author)
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Occupational inequalities in psychoactive substance use : A question of conceptualization?
- 2016
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 24:3, s. 186-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Three different conceptualizations of occupational prestige were contrasted by applying social stratification to four exemplarily selected psychoactive substances. Although these conceptualizations partly measure the same construct, it is hypothesized that the gradient of occupational inequality differs depending on the type of conceptualization. Method: Data were taken from the 2012 German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse. The study sample comprised n = 9084 individuals of the general population aged 18–64 years. Use and heavy use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis and analgesics were stratified by (a) employment status (six groups: employed, marginally employed, apprenticeship, unemployed, retired and other), (b) occupational status (five groups: low to high) and (c) occupational social class (two groups: blue-collar and white-collar). Absolute and relative differences between occupational groups were calculated. All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: Risk for smoking was increased amongst unemployed males and blue-collar workers. Retired persons, people with low occupational status and female blue-collar workers had a diminished risk for alcohol consumption; apprentices had an increased risk. Amongst males, low occupational status and blue-collar work was associated with episodic heavy drinking. Unemployment and blue-collar work was related to cannabis use. Risk for heavy analgesics use was increased amongst unemployed women, men with low occupational status and male blue-collar workers, respectively. Conclusions: The results suggest that occupational inequality differs depending on the applied conceptualizations of occupational prestige. Consequently, they should not be used interchangeably.
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| 35. |
- Myers, T., et al.
(author)
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How drug using men who have sex with men account for substance use during sexual behaviours : Questioning assumptions of HIV prevention and research
- 2004
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 12:3, s. 213-229
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Much HIV prevention research ignores the underlying reasons why drug-using men who have sex with men (DU-MSM) use substances during sex. The present study explores DU-MSM descriptions of the relationships among substance use, sex, and risky sex practices. Twenty-seven in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with sexually active DU-MSM. The research findings illustrate six roles of substances within the sexual lives of DU-MSM: Enhancing the sexual experience, increasing sexual arousal, facilitating sexual encounters, increasing the capacity for sexual behaviours, prolonging sexual experiences, and increasing the capacity to “turn a trick.” While acknowledging experiences of substance use leading to risky sex practices, participants expressed scepticism of any reductive causal relationship. The findings question recurrent assumptions that underpin HIV prevention initiatives and redirect research efforts in ways that may better inform HIV prevention.Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16066350310001640161?journalCode=art
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| 36. |
- Månsson, Elinor, et al.
(author)
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Health, risk, and pleasure : The formation of gendered discourses on women's alcohol consumption
- 2014
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 22:1, s. 27-36
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on a summary and discussion of our previousstudies of media portrayals of gender and alcohol inrelation to the general, societal discourses of risk andpleasure, we aim to develop the gender theoreticalunderstanding of alcohol as a health issue. We arguethat even though the media provide various implicitor explicit instructions for women on how to act,both warnings and encouragements to drink areframed within basic gendered assumptions thatconcern women’s dealing with alcohol. Because ofthis, the discourses that construct women’s drinkingas either risky or pleasurable are in fact not separate,but rather two sides of the same coin. Drawing onthis analysis, we argue that much of the research onalcohol consumption and sex difference – and inparticular on women’s drinking – lacks in itsunderstanding of the gendered ideas and assumptionsthat frame and influence these practices.
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| 37. |
- Månsson, Josefin, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Legitimacy through scaremongering : the discursive role of alcohol in online discussions of cannabis use and policy
- 2013
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 21:6, s. 469-478
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Sweden, prohibitionist drug policy has contributed to making cannabis an illegal drug, viewed as dangerous, while alcohol is considered a legitimate recreational commodity. But the official Swedish cannabis discourse is now being contested on internet. In virtual environments an often employed way to try to legitimize cannabis use is by comparing it to alcohol. This indicates the importance of analyzing how substances are attributed with meaning in various contexts. This study aims to describe and analyze the discursive role of alcohol in Swedish online discussions of cannabis use and policy. Approximately 700 alcohol-related comments, posted during one year period, were retrieved from the cannabis-section of Swedish Flashback Forum (a website open for public viewing). The sample was analyzed qualitatively with analytical tools such as nodal points, analogies, distinctions and typological examples. Two concepts, danger and discrimination, were identified as nodal points in a cannabis legalization discourse, and provided a backdrop from which comparisons between alcohol and cannabis were made meaningful. We have found that cannabis and alcohol ‘‘changed places’’ in these online discussions. The participants drew on a prohibitionist cannabis discourse but applied its arguments to alcohol; alcohol was thereby given the role of the ‘‘ideal enemy’’ while cannabis was presented as a harmless plant rejected by society on moral rather than scientific grounds. The relevance of acknowledging and reflecting upon the influence that online ‘‘talk’’ has on young people’s attitudes towards drugs is discussed.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Room, Robin
(author)
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Multicultural contexts and alcohol and drug use as symbolic behaviour
- 2005
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - Amsterdam? : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 13:4, s. 321-331
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diverse forms of cultural contact, from living together in the same society to tourism, are considered in terms of what they mean for substance use. In a multicultural society, ethnicities are partly assigned and partly constructed, and can also be a performance in front of an audience of others. Alcohol or drug use or nonuse often becomes an ethnic marker, which helps to sustain differentiations in patterns. Drinking and drug use patterns in immigrant communities are thus not simply a matter of acculturation to some "mainstream”. Cultural diffusion may flow in both directions. In the modern world, mass tourism has also become a vehicle for cultural contact and transmission of drinking and drug use, although tourists' behaviour is often different from their behaviour back home. Studies of psychoactive substance use in multicultural contexts need to take account both of the symbolism of the use, particularly in the context of the performance of ethnicity, and of the influence of power and status relations on the ethnic performance and its reception.
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| 43. |
- Room, Robin, et al.
(author)
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Supranational changes in drinking patterns : factors in explanatory models of substantial and parallel social change
- 2020
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 28:6, s. 467-473
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: That there have been 'long waves' of consumption in parallel in different societies has previously been noted. Now there is a sustained drop in drinking among youth in most of Europe, Australia and North America. Can such changes be understood in a common frame? In terms of inexorable historical phenomena or forces, like Kondratieff waves? In terms of generational shifts, with a younger generation reacting against the habits of an older? Method: Such conceptual models for understanding the dynamics of social change are examined in terms of their potential contribution in explaining when and how substantial changes in levels of consumption occur roughly in concert in different societies, with particular reference to the decline in drinking and heavy drinking in current youth cohorts. Results and Conclusion: Timing tends to rule out economic change as a factor in the current widespread decline in youth drinking. The technological revolution of the electronic web and the smart phone seems a primary explanation, with the widespread change in social presentation and interaction - in habitus - between parents and children also involved. Directions for further research are suggested.
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| 44. |
- Roumeliotis, Filip, 1980-
(author)
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Drug prevention, politics and knowledge : Ideology in the making
- 2014
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 22:4, s. 336-347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The quest for rational and effective methods for political action has long been at the forefront of Swedish drug policy and prevention. This article focuses on the ideological dimension of Swedish drug prevention policy during the years 1981–2011 by examining the knowledge utilisation in the construction of drugs as a political problem. Ten public reports have been analysed in terms of how drugs are constructed as problems in policy proposals, including an analysis of how knowledge is used in proposals for preventive measures. There was a marked shift in the 1990s in how the drug issue was constructed as a problem and what preventive measures should be taken. What used to be an issue of social exclusion that should be managed politically on a structural level now became a behavioural concern and a matter of liberal drug values. Values, then, were to be addressed by methods aimed at modifying individual behaviour. The analysis suggests that drug prevention today has been constructed in a way that precludes reading drugs as a problem of social exclusion. Drugs are constructed as a problem to be handled by experts rather than politics, which helps to circumvent demands for political accountability and the very possibility of constructing drugs as a political problem.
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| 45. |
- Rødner Sznitman, Sharon
(author)
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An examination of the normalization of cannabis use among 9th grade school students in Sweden and Switzerland
- 2007
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 15:6, s. 601-616
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article attempts to improve the models and theories researchers use when investigating drug use in the normal population. The study systematically investigates two dimensions of the normalisation thesis, namely behavioural and cultural normalisation. Whilst the former is measured based on national prevalence rates, the measurement of the latter dimension is based on parameters used in social control theory. More concretely, cultural normalisation is measured based upon the comparative strength of social bonds of cannabis users vs. non-users. The regression analysis, conducted on a Swedish and Swiss student sample, suggests that cannabis users in both the countries are reasonably bounded to conventional society, yet total cultural normalisation does not exist as social bond factors successfully separate users from non-users. Furthermore, the study shows that cultural cannabis normalisation does not necessarily follow behavioural cannabis normality. As such the study brings light to the fact that the normalisation concept may be useful to the investigation of drug-taking in very different drug-taking contexts.
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| 46. |
- Samuelsson, Eva, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Configurations of gambling change and harm : qualitative findings from the Swedish longitudinal gambling study (Swelogs)
- 2018
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 26:6, s. 514-524
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Gambling participation and problems change over time and are influenced by a variety of individual and contextual factors. However, gambling research has only to a small extent studied gamblers’ own perceptions of transitions in and out of problem gambling.Method: Qualitative telephone interviews were made with 40 gamblers who had repeatedly participated in the Swelogs Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study. The framework approach was used for analyses, resulting in a multiple-linkage typology.Results: Our analyses revealed four configurations of gambling: (a) stable low frequency with no or minor harm, (b) decreasing high frequency with occasional harm, (c) fluctuating with moderate harm, and (d) increasing high frequency with substantial harm. Natural recovery and return to previous levels of gambling intensity were common. Change occurred either gradually, as a result of adjustment to altered personal circumstances, or drastically as a consequence of determined decisions to change. Personal and contextual factors such as psychological well-being, supportive relationships, and meaningful leisure activities played a part in overcoming harmful gambling and keeping gambling on a non-problematic level. Gambling advertising was commonly perceived as aggressive and triggering.Conclusions: The experience of harm is highly subjective, which should be taken into account when developing preventive measures. Considering the fluid character of gambling problems, help and support should be easily accessible and diversified. To repeatedly be interviewed about gambling and its consequences can contribute to increased reflection on, and awareness of, one’s own behaviours and the societal impacts of gambling.
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| 47. |
- Samuelsson, Eva, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Disentangling practitioners' perceptions of substance use severity : a factorial survey
- 2014
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa Healthcare. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 22:4, s. 348-360
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to examine the influence of user, staff and work unit characteristics on addiction care practitioners’ assessments of the severity of alcohol and drug use. A factorial survey was conducted among 489 social workers, therapists, nurses, doctors and executives from 77 addiction care units in the three largest Swedish counties. Staff assessed the severity of 10 fictive scenarios, vignettes (n = 4724), describing persons with varying social characteristics who were users of alcohol, cannabis or cocaine. The effects of user, respondent and work-unit variables on the practitioners’ severity assessments were estimated using multilevel regression analysis. The results show that perceived severity was influenced not only by the substance, the frequency and character of the negative consequences of the use, but also by the age, socio-economic status and family situation of the user. Women, older respondents and respondents with a medical education rather than a social work education were on average more inclined to assess the vignettes as being more severe. Analyses of various interactions revealed that practitioners viewed the drinking of young men as being less severe than that of young women. Doctors saw women's use as more problematic than men's, irrespective of the context. To conclude, alcohol and drug consumption is judged by different norms, depending on various characteristics of the users, of the practitioners and also of their workplaces. To avoid potential negative consequences of the application of such varying standards in addiction care, more individual reflection and workgroup discussion are needed.
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| 48. |
- Samuelsson, Eva, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Perceptions of treatment needs – A factorial survey of Swedish addiction care practitioners
- 2015
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-6989 .- 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 23:6, s. 469-480
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the study was to analyze addiction care staff (N=447) perceptions of needs for psychosocial and medical treatment, and possibilities for self-change in relation to fictitious cases. By means of a factorial survey and multilevel analysis, the importance of user, respondent and work characteristics were estimated, with a particular focus on the comparison between healthcare staff and social services staff. Healthcare staff were more skeptical than social services staff towards self-change and assessed the need for medical treatment to be greater. Despite the ongoing medicalisation of Swedish addiction care, psychosocial interventions were still seen as a central part of treatment by both groups. The importance of user characteristics for the assessments was surprisingly similar across the two groups of staff, suggesting that staff perceptions are analogous to the governing images of substance use and treatment needs that prevail in society.
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| 49. |
- Simonen, Jenni, et al.
(author)
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Femininities of drinking among Finnish and Swedish women of different ages
- 2014
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 22:2, s. 98-108
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article discusses femininities of drinking in Finland and in Sweden. It compares how Finnish and Swedish women define accepted and desired drinking-related femininity. It also asks how femininity related to drinking is constructed and to what traits it is associated with. According to the general assumption increased intoxication oriented drinking among women means that drinking habits and behavior between women and men have becomemore similar. We rather suggest that women have not only adopted intoxication oriented drinking but they connect it to their feminine identity by shapingit according to their own needs and actions. The analysis is made by using focus group interviewsfrom Finland and Sweden from four different agegroups (20 years, 25–30 years, 35–40 years and 50–60 years) and from two educational levels. The data has been analyzed by examining how Finnish and Swedish women construct femininities of drinking while interpreting the pictures of drinking situations.The analysis shows that there is variety offemininities of drinking. Age seems to be animportant factor in the construction of femininities; younger and older Finnish and Swedish women relate different traits to drinking-related femininity.It seems that the composition of drinking related gender identity has broadened from traditional hegemonic feminine values to versatility. This relates to the expansion of drinking related actions and the strengthening of drinking related agency among women. Based on these findings, younger generations seem to have a wider variety of drinking related repertoires and ways to interpret femininity than older generations.
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| 50. |
- Skogens, Lisa, 1962-, et al.
(author)
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A 30-year follow-up of substnace misusers in Sweden – differences and predictors of mortality between women and men
- 2019
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In: Addiction Research and Theory. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1606-6359 .- 1476-7392. ; 27:4, s. 328-336
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Differing results on gender specific factors related to mortality risks among substance misusers highlights the need for further research. The present article is based on a 30-year follow-up study on substance misusers treated in residential care for drug problems in Sweden in 1982-1983 aiming to identify and compare gender differences in predictors of mortality.Method: Original data consists of personal interviews with 1163 substance misusers treated in inpatient units in Sweden during 1982-1983. The outcome variable is death retrieved from the National Cause of Death Register held by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Gender differences and similarities regarding predictors of mortality was estimated in univariate and multivariate models, using Cox proportional hazards models.Results: School failure, imprisonment and being a parent without custody of the child seem to constitute risk factors for mortality among women, but not among men. A social network of friends seemed to be more important for men. Treatment-dropout was a significant risk factor for premature death among men, but not among women. Both gender reporting alcohol as their self-reported most dominant substance misuse showed higher mortality risks compared with those with stimulants as dominant substance misuse.Conclusions: Imprisonment was highly predictive of mortality for the women, suggesting that this group is important to pay particular attention to. Suggested differences in the importance of social factors need to be investigated more thoroughly. The substantial hazard revealed for women with polydrug misuse including alcohol calls for attention to this in treatment for substance misuse.
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