‘Crack down on the celebrity junkies’: Does media coverage of celebrity drug use pose a risk to young people?

Celebrity drug use reporting in Indian media and its impact on drug-related online search behavior: An infodemiology study

AIM

We aimed to examine and interpret the changes in internet search volumes for keywords representing different drug use-related themes before and after the drug use started being discussed in the Indian news media during recent celebrity drug trials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were extracted using Google Trends framework in health-related research. Search keywords were prepared under four broad themes: General interest in cannabis use, drug use being a criminal/unlawful act, help seeking for cannabis use, and help-seeking for drug-related problems. The mean relative search volume was analyzed and compared pre- and post-media discussion about celebrity drug use using SPSS V23.0.

RESULTS

A significant increase was noted in online search interest for keywords related to themes of general interest in cannabis use and drug use being a criminal/unlawful act once the media discussion on the celebrity drug use started. However, no corresponding increase was noted in online search interest for themes of help seeking for drug-related problems in general and cannabis use in particular.

CONCLUSION

Media discussions on celebrity drug use may impact the online search behavior of the general public adversely. There is an need to develop and adhere to drug use reporting guidelines by media professionals.

Representations of Psychoactive Drugs' Use in Mass Culture and Their Impact on Audiences

Drug use has been increasing worldwide over recent decades. Apart from the determinants of drug initiation established in numerous studies, the authors wish to draw attention to other equally important factors, which may contribute to augmenting this phenomenon. The article aims to draw attention to the content of mass culture, especially representations of drug use in mass media, which may influence the liberalization of attitudes towards drugs and their use. The role of mass culture and its impact on the audience is discussed. It presents an overview of drug representations in the content of mass culture, e.g., in film, music, literature, and the occurrence of drug references in everyday products, e.g., food, clothes, and cosmetics. Attention was drawn to liberal attitudes of celebrities and their admissions to drug use, particularly to the impact of the presented positions on the attitudes of the audience, especially young people for whom musicians, actors, and celebrities are regarded as authorities. Indications for further preventive actions were also presented. Attention was drawn to the need to take appropriate action due to the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people staying at home (due to lockdown or quarantine) have the possibility of much more frequent contact with mass culture content, which may distort the image of drugs.

A lethal imitation game? Exploring links among psychoactive substance use, self-harming behaviors and celebrity worship

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Higher celebrity worship predict self-injury and suicide attempts.

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Higher celebrity worship predict drunkenness and illicit substance use among males.

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The contribution of celebrity worship to psychoactive substance use is limited.

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Celebrity worshipers are more likely to encounter severe excesses.

Recently, psychoactive substance use and suicidal behaviors have become general themes in popular culture, raising concerns that celebrity admirers may have become more affected in such health-risk behaviors. This study aimed to provide a more nuanced understanding of the role of celebrity worship in psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors. An online questionnaire was used recruiting 1,763 Hungarian adult participants (66.42% male, M_age = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4). Linear and binary logistic regressions were performed to investigate the contribution of celebrity worship to psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors for males and females. It was found that higher celebrity worship levels consistently predicted intentional self-injury and suicide attempts for both genders. Generally high levels of celebrity worship also predicted drunkenness and the use of illicit drugs and sedatives or tranquilizers for nonmedical purpose among males, while these behaviors were predicted only by excessive levels of celebrity worship among females. However, the explanatory power of celebrity worship for psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors was small for both genders (below 5%), indicating that these health-risk behaviors are largely independent of celebrity admiration. The present findings also suggest that individuals with excessive celebrity worship are more likely to encounter severe, potentially life-threatening excesses than more benign forms of maladaptive behaviors relating to substance use.

Discourse as Social Representations: A Historical Perspective of Illicit Drugs in People’s Daily (1949–2016)

This article draws on critical discourse analysis to examine how China’s mainstream newspaper People’s Daily represents illicit drugs from 1949 to 2016. The quantity of drug reports varies but has steadily increased with the severity of drug situations. Lexical variations show the prevalence of synthetic drugs and the newspaper’s major concern about drugs at different times. The diverse representations of drug types reveal the historical change in illicit drug use, production, and trafficking, and the rhetorical use of drug argots and metaphors disguises the outcomes of addiction and drug trade. The discursive variations in the reporting on illicit drugs are markedly conditioned by the social change and the domestic and global drug context and also reflect the evolution in China’s drug policies and attitudes toward drugs in society. The findings reveal the gradual shifts from the government’s strong ideological vigilance, concerns over Western imperialism, and the advocacy for strict law enforcement and draconian punishment to the people-oriented and public health approach.

Female Rock Stars and Addiction in Autobiographies

Aim

This article analyses addiction and rehabilitation as described in the autobiographies, memoirs and diaries of famous female rock artists. The article shows how female artists portray rock culture, addiction and causes to addiction.

Material

The data includes 16 autobiographical books published between 1982 and 2010. These books were published first in English. Female rock artists are marked as the first authors, and all of the books use first-person narration.

Method

The analysis relies on thematic qualitative analysis and narratology. Data were encoded for addiction, object of addiction, rehabilitation and type of recovery from addiction. Gender was analysed as a separate category. In addition, narrative strategies used in the books were analysed.

Results

Addictions and rehabilitation are prevalent themes in autobiographical rock books written by female authors. Many authors write about their personal experiences of addiction and rehabilitation. Those authors who do not portray their personal problems with alcohol or drugs write about staying sober as a way of coping in the male-dominated rock world.

Conclusions

Rock ‘n’ roll mythology is changing. Rock artists no longer celebrate their excesses, but rather write about their negative experiences with alcohol and drugs. Rock narratives by female stars portray social and gendered settings which lead to addiction.

"Nature makes you blind to the risks": An exploration of womens' views surrounding decisions on the timing of childbearing in contemporary society

OBJECTIVE

To gain an understanding of womens' views surrounding decisions on the timing of childbearing.

STUDY DESIGN

This study was based on interviews with 18 childless women, from North-West England, in three age groups: Six women aged between 18 and 24; Six women aged between 25 and 34; and six women aged 35 or more. Data were analysed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach with thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified. Women perceived themselves as living within boundaries, defined internally and externally; they aspired to being a great mother or no mother; and had a desire to contribute to family and society, at multiple levels. Risks associated with delaying childbearing had little or no influence on decision-making. The overarching phenomenon was social comparability; decisions were made in the context of women's knowledge and perceptions of others and a high degree of critical self-evaluation.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that social reality dominates womens' reproductive decisions. Whilst the biological reality is that fertility reduces and medical complications increase with maternal age, social discourses deter women from acknowledging this. Medical risks associated with advanced maternal age are undermined by the notion that women can choose when to start a family.