The relation of self-esteem and illegal drug usage in high school students

Relationship between emotional problems with self-esteem in adolescents

The emotional problem is one of many causes of a decrease in self-esteem in adolescents. This study aimed to determine the relationship between emotional problems with self-esteem in adolescents. The study used a descriptive correlative design with two sampling techniques; purposive sampling and stratified-cluster sampling. The research consisted of 268 high school adolescents in South Jakarta. Data were obtain using two questionnaires; Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. The majority of high school adolescents in South Jakarta have a moderate level of self-esteem of 54.9%. The emotional problems that adolescents have been within the normal range at 69%. Emotional problems have a significant relationship with self-esteem in adolescents. This research is expected to be the foundation for various promotion and prevention programs, such as leadership training, extracurricular activities, cognitive behavioral therapy, emotional intelligence training, group counseling, and mental health education.

Exploring substance use disorders and relapse in Mauritian male addicts

Background

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) places a heavy burden on societal and health systems given its association with high mortality and morbidity rates worldwide, including Mauritius. Illicit substances act as a positive reinforcement and stimulate addiction through its pleasure-seeking attributes.

Aim

This study focused on identifying the risk factors leading to SUD among Mauritian male addicts as well as examining the potency of those factors in SUD development. The study also aimed at determining the prevalence of relapse and its causation.

Research setting

A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of six months using a sample of 180 male addicts registered in a public hospital. A questionnaire investigating dimensions such as risk factors, self-esteem and peer pressure was administered.

Findings

A high percentage of relapse was noted amongst users within the first year of abstinence. Majority of respondents originated from nuclear or single parents’ family and were deprived of adequate social supports given their marital status. 57.5% of participants had a positive family history of SUD. Cannabis was the most commonly abused substance and 76.2% of the addicts were introduced to drugs through curiosity. Transposing the results against the Gateway Drug Theory showed a constant progression from soft to hard drugs for male addicts, a trend which was consistent with literature. Lastly, a theoretical model was developed based on the strong statistical association found between impulsivity and reduced thought processes prior to relapse; data revealing increased impulsivity which is a common trait in antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder as being largely responsible for relapse.

Conclusion

The study was successful in bringing out the most common risk factors of SUDs which are linked to low socioeconomic status. The inability of addicts to progress with their rehabilitation given the alarming 92% of relapse was related to social pressure as prime deterrent to successful remission. Programmes involving relapse prevention must implemented in the first year of abstinence to facilitate rehabilitation.

Associations between self-esteem and smoking and excessive alcohol consumption in the UK: A cross-sectional study using the BBC UK Lab database

Introduction

There is mixed evidence regarding the associations between self-esteem and smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. This study aimed to investigate whether self-esteem is associated with smoking status and alcohol consumption in a large sample of adults in the United Kingdom after adjusting for age, sex, socio-economic status and depressed mood.

Methods

Design: Cross-sectional correlational study conducted under the aegis of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2009 and 2013.Participants: 187,398 respondents (67.9% female) with a mean age of 32.82 years (SD = 12.41) providing complete data.Setting: UK.

Measures

Online self-report questionnaire. The outcomes were smoking status (current smoker, ever smoker) and alcohol consumption (current drinker, excessive drinker); the input variable was self-esteem measured using a Single Item Self-Esteem Scale; covariates were age, sex, SES, and depressed mood measured using a single item question.

Results

The odds of being an ever smoker and a current smoker were greater in people with lower self-esteem (AdjOR 0.97; 95% CI 0.95-0.99, Cohen's d = -0.02; and AdjOR 0.96; 95% CI 0.94-0.99, Cohen's d = -0.02 respectively). The odds of being a current drinker were lower in people with lower self-esteem (AdjOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.17-1.24, Cohen's d = 0.10) while being an excessive drinker was associated with lower self-esteem (β = -0.13, p < 0.001, F(5, 187392) = 997.14, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.3).

Conclusions

Lower self-esteem appears to be positively associated with ever- and current smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and negatively associated with current alcohol consumption.

The influence of coping skills training and family health education on self-esteem among adolescents in substance abuse prevention

OBJECTIVE

Substance abuse is one of the most serious problems in Indonesia and is highly prevalent among adolescents. Therefore, psychotherapy is needed in preventing substance abuse for adolescents. This study aims to analyze the influence of coping skills training and family health education on self-esteem in a sample of 87 young people.

METHOD

The sample was divided into two groups using simple random sampling. ANOVA was used to determine differences between the control group and those receiving coping skills training and family health education.

RESULTS

Self-esteem improved significantly in the group that received the experimental training (F(1.85)=44.70, p<0.001). Some practical implications can be deduced for psychiatric nurses to implemented coping skill training and family health education as a standard treatment in substance abuse prevention among adolescents.

Cigarette and hookah smoking and their relationship with self-esteem and communication skills among high school students

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the most important public health problems that may be prevented. There is limited information about its relationship with communication skills. Findings on the relationships between self-esteem and cigarette/hookah smoking are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between cigarette and hookah smoking,self-esteem and communication skills among a representative sample of high school students.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 1321 tenth-grade students (14-17 years) was selected through multi-stage proportionally cluster sampling in Tabriz, 2017. The participants completed a self–administered multiple choice questionnaire including questions about cigarette smoking, hookah smoking, self-esteem, and communication skills.

Results: After controlling for potential confounders, the results demonstrated that higher score of self-esteem protects students against being in advanced stages of cigarette smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, P=0.012). However, there was no significant association between self-esteem score and the hookah smoking. Also, there was no significant association between communication skills score and cigarette and hookah smoking.

Conclusion: According to our findings, self-esteem was associated with cigarette smoking, but not with hookah smoking. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant association between communication skills score and cigarette and hookah smoking.

Correlation between moral sensitivity and self-esteem in nursing personnel

Nurses are continuously involved with ethical problems in their area of practice and need to possess a satisfactory level of moral sensitivity in order to be able to offer moral care. Additionally, they act as agents for proper management of ethical dilemmas and are therefore required to have high self-esteem. This study aimed to determine the correlation between moral sensitivity and self-esteem in nurses. In this descriptive-correlational research, sample study included 204 nursing personnel working in hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected by convenience sampling. The data were collected using a demographic form, Lützén's Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire, and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Then, the data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Written informed consent was obtained from each subject who participated in the research. The mean score for moral sensitivity of the samples was 69.15 ± 5.70, and 20.01 ± 4.76 for their self-esteem. Pearson's correlation coefficient test indicated a meaningful and positive relationship between the two variables under study (r = 0.472 and P = 0.001). There was no correlation between the participants' demographic data and moral sensitivity (P > 0.05), but a significant relationship was found between the participants' level of education and the variable self-esteem (P < 0.05). Since there was a positive and significant relationship between moral sensitivity and self-esteem among the nursing staff, nursing managers should focus on improving the quality of patient care by promoting nurses' moral sensitivity inspired by high self-esteem.

Social Functioning and Self-Esteem of Substance Abuse Patients

AIM

This descriptive study was conducted to examine the levels of social functioning and self-esteem in individuals diagnosed with substance abuse.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The study was conducted at the AMATEM (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Center) service of a psychiatry clinic in the Elazığ province in eastern Turkey between September 1, 2014 and February 1, 2015. The population is comprised of 249 patients being treated in this clinic, and the sample included 203 patients who comply with the research criteria and agreed to participate in the study. A Socia-Demographic Questionnaire, Coopersmith Self-esteem Scale (CSI) and Social Functioning Scale (SFS) were used for data collection. Percentages, averages, standard deviations and Pearson's correlation were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

This study found that the patients' mean sore on the Self-esteem Scale is 50.97±18.01. Their score on the Social Functioning Scale is 115.76±22.41. A significant correlation between the patients' self-esteem and the age of first substance use was detected (p=0.001). A significant correlation was detected between their social functioning and the duration of their substance use (p<0.005). This study found a positive significant correlation between social functioning and self-esteem (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study found that substance abuse patients have a medium level of self-esteem and social functioning. A significant positive correlation between social functioning and self-esteem was found. It was also found that the age of first substance use and self-esteem are directly correlated. Counseling to increase patients' levels of self-esteem and improve their social functioning is recommended.

Self-Esteem and Problematic Drinking in China: A Mediated Model

Background

Although self-esteem is related to problematic drinking, the mechanisms by which it affects drinking remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine whether coping mechanisms mediate the relationship between self-esteem and problematic drinking among Chinese men and women with alcohol use disorders and to recommend appropriate interventions for drinking problems.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. A sample of 5,689 community residents was screened, and 517 male and 172 female problematic drinkers were chosen to participate in this study. A self-esteem scale, a coping questionnaire and an alcohol use disorder identification test were completed in order to assess participants’ self-esteem, coping mechanisms and alcohol use disorders, respectively. Participants’ socio-demographic data were also gathered at this stage. The resulting data were examined via descriptive statistics, correlations and bootstrap analyses.

Results

Lower self-esteem levels were related to problematic drinking, and there were no gender differences in the relationship between self-esteem and problematic drinking. A relationship between low self-esteem and negative coping was observed only in men. Negative coping thus mediated the relationship between self-esteem and problematic drinking among men, but this was not the case for women. Positive coping did not mediate the relationship between self-esteem and problematic drinking among the participants, regardless of gender.

Conclusions

Self-esteem and coping strategies are correlated among problematic drinkers. In addition, there are gender differences in the manners in which negative coping mediates the relationship between self-esteem and problematic drinking. Problematic drinking interventions directed at males should simultaneously address low self-esteem and negative coping.

Initial Findings from a Novel School-Based Program, EMPATHY, Which May Help Reduce Depression and Suicidality in Youth

We describe initial pilot findings from a novel school-based approach to reduce youth depression and suicidality, the Empowering a Multimodal Pathway Towards Healthy Youth (EMPATHY) program. Here we present the findings from the pilot cohort of 3,244 youth aged 11–18 (Grades 6-12). They were screened for depression, suicidality, anxiety, use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco (DAT), quality-of-life, and self-esteem. Additionally, all students in Grades 7 and 8 (mean ages 12.3 and 13.3 respectively) also received an 8-session cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) based program designed to increase resiliency to depression. Following screening there were rapid interventions for the 125 students (3.9%) who were identified as being actively suicidal, as well as for another 378 students (11.7%) who were felt to be at higher-risk of self-harm based on a combination of scores from all the scales. The intervention consisted of an interview with the student and their family followed by offering a guided internet-based CBT program. Results from the 2,790 students who completed scales at both baseline and 12-week follow-up showed significant decreases in depression and suicidality. Importantly, there was a marked decrease in the number of students who were actively suicidal (from n=125 at baseline to n=30 at 12-weeks). Of the 503 students offered the CBT program 163 (32%) took part, and this group had significantly lower depression scores compared to those who didn’t take part. There were no improvements in self-esteem, quality-of-life, or the number of students using DAT. Only 60 students (2% of total screened) required external referral during the 24-weeks following study initiation. These results suggest that a multimodal school-based program may provide an effective and pragmatic approach to help reduce youth depression and suicidality. Further research is required to determine longer-term efficacy, reproducibility, and key program elements.