Randomized clinical trial to change parental practices for drug use in a telehealth prevention program: a pilot study

Telehealth interventions for substance use disorders in low- and- middle income countries: A scoping review

The increasing prevalence and magnitude of harmful effects of substance use disorders (SUDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) make it imperative to embrace interventions which are acceptable, feasible, and effective in reducing this burden. Globally, the use of telehealth interventions is increasingly being explored as possible effective approaches in the management of SUDs. Using a scoping review of literature, this article summarizes and evaluates evidence for the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of telehealth interventions for SUDs in LMICs. Searches were conducted in five bibliographic databases: PubMed, Psych INFO, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Professionals and the Cochrane database of systematic review. Studies from LMICs which described a telehealth modality, identified at least one psychoactive substance use among participants, and methods that either compared outcomes using pre- and post-intervention data, treatment versus comparison groups, post-intervention data, behavioral or health outcome, and outcome of either acceptability, feasibility, and/or effectiveness were included. Data is presented in a narrative summary using charts, graphs, and tables. The search produced 39 articles across 14 countries which fulfilled our eligibility criteria over a period of 10 years (2010 to 2020). Research on this topic increased remarkably in the latter five years with the highest number of studies in 2019. The identified studies were heterogeneous in their methods and various telecommunication modalities were used to evaluate substance use disorder, with cigarette smoking as the most assessed. Most studies used quantitative methods. The highest number of included studies were from China and Brazil, and only two studies from Africa assessed telehealth interventions for SUDs. There has been an increasingly significant body of literature which evaluates telehealth interventions for SUDs in LMICs. Overall, telehealth interventions showed promising acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness for SUDs. This article identifies gaps and strengths and suggests directions for future research.

Parenting practices and referral to a juvenile psychosocial care reference center

Abstract In this study, the parenting practices of adults who are legal guardians of youths referred to the Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infantojuvenil (Psychosocial Care Center for Children and Adolescents) due to the use of psychoactive substances and/or aggression (Referral Group) were compared with parenting practices of legal guardians of youths who have never been referred to Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infantojuvenil (Non-Referral Group). Forty participants from the Non-Referral Group and 17 from the Referral Group answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Parenting Styles Inventory. Referral Group participants reported lower frequencies of positive monitoring and moral behavior, and more frequent responses related to neglect, inconsistent punishment, and physical abuse. A bivariate logistic regression model showed that having the mother as the legal guardian and primary caregiver was a predictor of non-referral to Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infantojuvenil, with neglect being a predictive factor of referral. The results indicate that differences in parenting practices can be associated with the outcome of referral to mental health services. Therefore, the importance of population interventions focused on promoting positive parenting practices is emphasized.

Strong Association between Serotonin Transporter 5-HTTVNTR Variant and Psychoactive Substance (Nicotine) Use in the Turkish Cypriot Population

BACKGROUND

The use of psychoactive substances is one of the most dangerous social problems worldwide. Nicotine dependence results from the interaction between neurobiological, environmental and genetic factors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a wide range of central nervous system activities. The serotonin transporter gene has been previously linked to psychological traits.

OBJECTIVE

A variable number of tandem repeats within the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic gene region are believed to alter the transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between this polymorphic site and smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population.

METHODS

A total of 259 (100 smokers, 100 non-smokers and 59 ex-smokers) Turkish Cypriots were included in this population-based cross-sectional study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and the 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms were determined by the PCR-RFLP.

RESULTS

The allelic frequency and genotype distribution results of this study showed a strong association (P<0.0001) between smokers and non-smokers. No statistical significance was found between non-smokers and ex-smokers.

CONCLUSION

This is the first genetic epidemiology study to investigate the allelic frequencies of 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms associated with smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population. Based on the results of this study, genome-wide association studies should be designed for preventive medicine in this population.

How far do parenting programmes help change norms underpinning violence against adolescents? Evidence from low and middle-income countries

Recent years have seen an upsurge in parent education programmes in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that aim to help reduce violence against children. This article draws on a narrative review that examined the impact of 42 programmes working with parents of adolescents in LMICs. Here we focus on 17 initiatives that aimed to reduce neglect of, or physical, emotional or sexual violence against adolescents, or to reduce child marriage. Programmes aiming to prevent sexual violence or child marriage generally focused more strongly on understanding and challenging prevailing norms, while those oriented to preventing physical and emotional violence emphasised sharing information and practising new communication skills. We argue that key elements of programme design (group-based participatory sessions, formative research that enabled sensitive framing and adaptation of content) have strong potential to help shift norms that underpin violence against adolescents. To fulfil their potential to change norms underpinning violence against adolescents, programmes should expand their reach, with a particular focus on embedding initiatives within institutions that can take them to scale, promoting male engagement, and support participants to maintain changes over the long-term.

Los contenidos de la formación parental y sus implicaciones en el comportamiento de los adolescentes: elementos desde una revisión

Resumen Los padres buscan apoyo para enfrentar los desafíos que sus hijos tienen en la adolescencia. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los tópicos abordados en la formación de padres con hijos adolescentes y su relación con las tendencias comportamentales de estos. Para ello, se llevó a cabo una revisión cualitativa de intervenciones y programas centrados en fortalecer el proceso de crianza, estableciéndose una concentración en los aspectos regulatorios, comunicativos y emocionales de la relación padre-hijo. Por medio de un análisis cuantitativo, también se pudo establecer que los tópicos abordados tienen efectos significativos sobre los adolescentes, como la reducción en problemas de comportamiento, manejo adecuado de la sexualidad y disminución en la tendencia al consumo de sustancias. Teniendo en cuenta la información registrada, es posible plantear que la formación parental puede abordarse en diferentes formatos de acuerdo con los objetivos y condiciones disponibles, lo que puede representar beneficios importantes para el desarrollo saludable de los adolescentes.