Gambling disorders, gambling type preferences, and psychiatric comorbidity among the Thai general population: Results of the 2013 National Mental Health Survey

Background and aims To estimate the prevalence of problem and pathological gambling, gender and age-group differences in gambling types, and comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders among the Thai general population. Methods Analysis was conducted on 4,727 participants of Thailand’s 2013 National Mental Health Survey, a multistage stratified cluster survey, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Diagnoses of problem and pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders were based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria with the following additional criteria for gamblers: more than 10 lifetime gambling episodes and a single year loss of at least 365 USD from gambling. Results The estimated lifetime prevalence rates of pathological and problem gambling were 0.90% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51–1.29] and 1.14% (95% CI: 0.58–1.70), respectively. The most popular type of gambling was playing lotteries [69.5%, standard error (SE) = 1.9], the prevalence of which was significantly higher among females and older age groups. The most common psychiatric disorders seen among pathological gamblers were alcohol abuse (57.4%), nicotine dependence (49.5%), and any drug use disorder (16.2%). Pathological gambling was highly prevalent among those who ever experienced major depressive episodes (5.5%), any drug dependence (5.1%), and intermittent explosive disorder (4.8%). The association between pathological gambling was strongest with a history of major depressive episode [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 10.4, 95% CI: 2.80–38.4]. Conclusion The study confirms the recognition of gambling disorders as a public health concern in Thailand and suggests a need for culturally specific preventive measures for pathological gamblers and those with a history of substance use disorders or major depression

Exploring Digital School-based Interventions for Alcohol Prevention Among Adolescents: A Scoping Review Protocol

Scoping Review ProtocolThis research will be funded by Direct Sponsor Award ID: 5-D43-TW-009883-07 AWD013400 F0055241n099752-Expansion of NCD Research Capacity in Thailand with Outreach to Indonesia. The funder had or will have no role in the development of this protocol, the collection and analysis, or interpretation of results, or in the writing or publication of the review’s results.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170782/2/Appendic file 1_PRISMA-ScR and AACODS checklists.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170782/3/Additional File 2_search strategy.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170782/5/Scoping review protocol digital school-FINAL.pdfSEL

Use of Electronic Cigarettes among Secondary School Students and their Association with Depressive Symptoms: Findings from a National Secondary School Survey in Thailand

Objective: to describe: 1) the prevalence of electronic cigarette use among Thai secondary school students, stratified by grade levels and sex; 2) the extent that depressive symptoms were associated with former and current use of electronic cigarette. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from secondary school students in Thailand in years 7, 9, and 11 of the 12-years educational system. We randomly sampled 113 schools in 21 provinces and Bangkok, randomly sampled classrooms in the school, and invited all students present in the sampled classrooms to participate in the study. All data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. We measured depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) instrument, and measured electronic cigarette use with adapted versions of existing instruments. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses with adjustment for sampling weights. Results: A total of 23,659 students responded and provided adequately completed questionnaires. Approximately 12.3% of the participants reported a lifetime history of using electronic cigarette. Electronic cigarette use was more common among males and older students. There seemed to be a threshold in the association between the level of depressive symptoms and ever vs. never use of electronic cigarette, and the association was strongest at a PHQ-2 score of 6 vs. 0 (adjusted odd ratio (OR)=1.72; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.98, 3.03). A similar association was found between current vs. former or never use of electronic cigarette and having a PHQ-2 score of 6 vs. 0 (adjusted OR=1.84; 95% CI=0.96, 3.52). Conclusion: We found associations  between depressive symptoms and electronic cigarette use. However, limitations with regard to the lack of temporality, measurement issues, and lack of generalizability should be considered as caveats in the interpretation of the study findings

A Comparison of Disability Weights for Alcohol Use Disorders

Objective: This study aims to determine and compare the disability weights of alcohol use disorders (AUD) based on responses from AUD patients and a non-patient population using three valuation methods. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from three hospitals in southern Thailand. Two groups of participants were recruited: 150 patients diagnosed with AUD and a control group containing 150 persons without AUD. Both groups were asked to rate the AUD health states using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and again using either the European Quality of Life-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) instrument or the time trade-off (TTO) technique. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews. Results: The mean disability weights, based on the VAS, TTO and EQ-5D valuation methods obtained from AUD patients were: 0.485, 0.405, and 0.311, respectively, while those obtained from the control group were: 0.541, 0.330, and 0.237, respectively. Disability weights had a positive correlation with AUD severity levels. Employment status and family income were significantly associated with VAS disability weight among the control group. Conclusion: The use of three different instruments to calculate disability weights for people with AUD is feasible in Thailand. The disability weights differ depending on the valuation methods used and respondent groups

A context-specific instrument to record drinking behaviour: A pilot study on implications of identifying the context of risky drinking

A context-specific quantity-frequency (CSQF) questionnaire has been developed to accurately measure alcohol consumption using probing questions on drinking context. The study aimed to describe the drinking context associated with different drinking intensities in a community of southern Thailand using the CSQF. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults aged > 15 years in Songkhla Province, Thailand. Among 804 participants, there were 183 current drinkers with 412 drinking events (215 low-, 79 medium-, and 118 high-intensity). More than half of these events occurred in special situations (i.e., holiday, party, and cultural drinking). About half of the drinking events occurred outside the drinker’s house and most drinking events occurred among friends. Higher drinking intensity was associated with higher level of education [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.74 for medium- and aOR 5.23 for high-intensity] and with a special drinking situation (aOR 2.46 for medium- and aOR 2.78 for high-intensity)

Comparison of Socioeconomic Characteristics between Childless and Procreative Couples after Implementation of the Two-Child Policy in Inner Mongolia, China

Objective: In the context of China’s “two-child” policy, this study aims to compare socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes towards the desired number of children among couples of different family size. We describe the major reasons for and against couples raising a (further) child based on the theory of planned behavior. Material and Methods: An interview-based survey was conducted in Inner Mongolia among couples visiting marital registration offices, antenatal care clinics, kindergartens, and primary schools. Using prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals estimated from multivariate log-binomial regression models, socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes towards the two-child policy were compared between three types of couples: those without children, those with one child, and those with multiple children. Results: The sample consisted of 2,013 women aged 20-49 years and their partners. The top difficulty in raising a child was “increased economic burden”. Factors significantly associated with a reduced prevalence of raising children included the woman’s marital age and the couple’s educational achievement, employment status, and monthly income. Factors associated with an increased prevalence of raising children included a lack of inter-couple communication, having a perception of the strong influence of the two-child policy, and Han ethnicity. Conclusion: Significant socio-demographic differences were seen between couples with and without children in China. Childless couples were more affluent than single- or multi-child couples and they perceived the two-child policy to be less influential on their decision to raise children

What makes you not a Buddhist? : a preliminary mapping of values

This study sets out to establish which Buddhist values contrasted with or were shared by adolescents from a non-Buddhist population. A survey of attitude toward a variety of Buddhist values was fielded in a sample of 352 non-Buddhist schoolchildren aged between 13 and 15 in London. Buddhist values where attitudes were least positive concerned the worth of being a monk/nun or meditating, offering candles & incense on the Buddhist shrine, friendship on Sangha Day, avoiding drinking alcohol, seeing the world as empty or impermanent and Nirvana as the ultimate peace. Buddhist values most closely shared by non-Buddhists concerned the Law of Karma, calming the mind, respecting those deserving of respect, subjectivity of happiness, welfare work, looking after parents in old age and compassion to cuddly animals. Further significant differences of attitude toward Buddhism were found in partial correlations with the independent variables of sex, age and religious affiliation. Correlation patterns paralleled those previously described in theistic religions. Findings are applied to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and for the teaching of religious to pupils of no faith adherence. The study recommends that quantitative psychometrics employed to conceptualize Buddhist values by discriminant validity in this study could be extended usefully to other aspects of the study of Buddhism, particularly in quest of validity in the conceptualization of Buddhist identity within specifically Buddhist populations

An exploration of factors affecting the long term psychological impact and deterioration of mental health in flooded households

The long term psychological effect of the distress and trauma caused by the memory of damage and losses associated with flooding of communities remains an under researched impact of flooding. This is particularly important for communities that are likely to be repeatedly flooded where levels of mental health disorder will damage long term resilience to future flooding.There are a variety of factors that affect the prevalence of mental health disorders in the aftermath of flooding including pre-existing mental health, socio-economic factors and flood severity. However previous research has tended to focus on the short term impacts immediately following the flood event and much less focus has been given to the longer terms effects of flooding. Understanding of factors affecting the longer term mental health outcomes for flooded households is critical in order to support communities in improving social resilience. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore the characteristics associated with psychological distress and mental health deterioration over the longer term.The research examined responses from a postal survey of households flooded during the 2007 flood event across England. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and binomial logistic regression were applied to data representing household characteristics, flood event characteristics and post-flood stressors and coping strategies. These factors were related to reported measures of stress, anxiety, depression and mental health deterioration. The results showed that household income, depth of flooding; having to move out during reinstatement and mitigating actions are related to the prevalence of psycho-social symptoms in previously flooded households. In particular relocation and household income were the most predictive factors. The practical implication of these findings for recovery after flooding are: to consider the preferences of households in terms of the need to move out during restorative building works and the financial resource constraints that may lead to severe mental hardship. In addition the findings suggest that support with installing mitigation measures may lead to improved mental health outcomes for communities at risk

Illegal Substance Use among Italian High School Students: Trends over 11 Years (1999–2009)

Purpose: To monitor changes in habits in drug use among Italian high school students. Methods: Cross-sectional European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) carried out in Italy annually for 11 years (1999-2009) with representative samples of youth attending high school. The sample size considered ranges from 15,752 to 41,365 students and response rate ranged from 85.5% to 98.6%. Data were analyzed to obtain measures of life-time prevalence (LT), use in the last year (LY), use in the last 30 days (LM), frequent use. Comparisons utilized difference in proportion tests. Tests for linear trends in proportion were performed using the Royston p trend test. Results: When the time-averaged value was considered, cannabis (30% LT) was the most, and heroin the least (2%) frequently used, with cocaine (5%), hallucinogens (2%) and stimulants (2%) in between. A clear gender gap is evident for all drugs, more obvious for hallucinogens (average M/F LY prevalence ratio 2, range 1.7-2.4, p,0.05), less for cannabis (average M/F LY prevalence ratio 1.3, range 1.2-1.5, p,0.05). Data shows a change in trend between 2005 and 2008; in 2006 the trend for cannabis use and availability dropped and the price rose, while from 2005 cocaine and stimulant use prevalence showed a substantial increase and the price went down. After 2008 use of all substances seems to have decreased. Conclusions: Drug use is widespread among students in Italy, with cannabis being the most and heroin the least prevalent. Girls are less vulnerable than boys to illegal drug use. In recent years, a decrease in heroin use is overbalanced by a marked rise in hallucinogen and stimulant use.-