Piloting self-help groups for alcohol use disorders in Saint Vincent/Grenadines

BACKGROUND

Although alcohol consumption is recognized as a global problem, little research to date explores treatment options for alcohol use disorders in developing nations. Given the scarce mental health resources available in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, community self-help programming for alcohol use disorders could potentially provide an important complement to the existing mental health services.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to gather baseline data on knowledge and attitudes toward alcohol consumption among community members, and subsequently, to pilot self-help rehabilitation programs for alcohol use disorders, while determining factors that affect the feasibility and sustainability of such programs.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted in 3 communities to discuss community perceptions of alcohol use and the feasibility of self-help programs. Focus group findings guided the development and implementation of the self-help groups. A postintervention focus group was held to determine the effectiveness and community-wide effect of the self-help programs.

FINDINGS

Focus group participants agreed that alcohol consumption was a problem in Saint Vincent, leading to underage drinking and violence. Suggestions to encourage self-help meeting attendance included organizing group activities and providing visuals to illustrate alcohol's effects on health. Self-help group members were surveyed about their group experience. Of the 35 members surveyed, 77% said the group was very helpful, and 91% indicated that they would attend again. Postintervention focus group participants stated that individuals had reduced alcohol consumption after attending at least 1 self-help meeting.

CONCLUSIONS

Elements that contributed to the sustainability of self-help groups included strong local leadership from district health nurses as well as willingness of participants to seek support. However, efforts need to be made to increase community awareness of alcohol use disorders and its associated dangers. Our results suggested self-help programs to address alcohol use disorders are a feasible intervention in Saint Vincent that warrants further development, dissemination, and exploration.

The association of academic tracking to depressive symptoms among adolescents in three Caribbean countries

BACKGROUND

Students who are tracked into low performing schools or classrooms that limit their life chances may report increased depressive symptoms. Limited research has been conducted on academic tracking and its association with depressive symptoms among high school students in the Caribbean. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among tenth grade students tracked within and between high schools in Jamaica, St. Vincent and St. Kitts and Nevis.

METHODS

Students enrolled in grade ten of the 2006/2007 academic year in Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). In Jamaica and St. Vincent, academic tracking was operationalized using data provided by the local Ministries of Education. These Ministries ranked ordered schools according to students' performance on Caribbean school leaving examinations. In St. Kitts and Nevis tracking was operationalized by classroom assignments within schools whereby students were grouped into classrooms according to their levels of academic achievement. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between academic tracking and BDI-II depression scores.

RESULTS

A wide cross-section of 4th form students in each nation was sampled (n = 1738; 278 from Jamaica, 737 St. Kitts and Nevis, 716 from St. Vincent; 52% females, 46.2% males and 1.8% no gender reported; age 12 to 19 years, mean = 15.4 yrs, sd = .9 yr). Roughly half (53%) of the students reported some symptoms of depression with 19.2% reporting moderate and 10.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Students in Jamaica reported significantly higher depression scores than those in either St. Kitts and Nevis or St. Vincent (p < .01). Students assigned to a higher academic track reported significantly lower BDI-II scores than students who were assigned to the lower academic track (p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

There appears to be an association between academic tracking and depressive symptoms that is differentially manifested across the islands of Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent.

A Brief Report on the Association of Academic Tracking With Depressive Symptoms in High School Students in Jamaica

There has been limited research on academic tracking and depressive symptoms among high school students in Jamaica. Students enrolled in Grade 10 of traditional and nontraditional high schools in Jamaica were surveyed ( N = 278). Students completed the Beck Depression Inventory—II along with several other measures. Seven in every 10 students reported some symptoms of depression. Results of hierarchical regression analyses controlling for social class found that students attending nontraditional high schools reported significantly higher Beck Depression Inventory—II depression scores than students in traditional high schools. This was particularly true for male students attending nontraditional high schools. The strong emphasis on academic achievement and the tracking of students may have a negative association with Jamaican students’ depressive symptoms.