Results from a Large, Multinational Sample Using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire

Childhood maltreatment has diverse, lifelong impact on morbidity and mortality. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is one of the most commonly used scales to assess and quantify these experiences and their impact. Curiously, despite very widespread use of the CTQ, scores on its Minimization-Denial (MD) subscale—originally designed to assess a positive response bias—are rarely reported. Hence, little is known about this measure. If response biases are either common or consequential, current practices of ignoring the MD scale deserve revision. Therewith, we designed a study to investigate 3 aspects of minimization, as defined by the CTQ’s MD scale: 1) its prevalence; 2) its latent structure; and finally 3) whether minimization moderates the CTQ’s discriminative validity in terms of distinguishing between psychiatric patients and community volunteers. Archival, item-level CTQ data from 24 multinational samples were combined for a total of 19,652 participants. Analyses indicated: 1) minimization is common; 2) minimization functions as a continuous construct; and 3) high MD scores attenuate the ability of the CTQ to distinguish between psychiatric patients and community volunteers. Overall, results suggest that a minimizing response bias—as detected by the MD subscale—has a small but significant moderating effect on the CTQ’s discriminative validity. Results also may suggest that some prior analyses of maltreatment rates or the effects of early maltreatment that have used the CTQ may have underestimated its incidence and impact. We caution researchers and clinicians about the widespread practice of using the CTQ without the MD or collecting MD data but failing to assess and control for its effects on outcomes or dependent variables

Bokbussens framtid i Buskerud. Bøker på hjul i 50 år til? : en analyse av politiske dokumenter

Denne masteroppgaven handler om bokbussens framtid i Buskerud. Jeg har sett på nasjonale dokumenter og lokale dokumenter for Buskerud. Jeg analyserer to Stortingsmeldinger, to bibliotekutredninger og tre saksframlegg og en høring om drift av bokbussen i Buskerud. I tilegg har jeg sett på to handlingprogram for Buskerud fylkesbibliotek og ulike dokumenter om Norsk Bibliotekforening sitt syn /sine uttalelser om bokbussdrift. Jeg har foretatt en analyse av dokumentene ved å bruke to ulike teoretiske tilnærminger: Bourdieus feltteori og Kingdons beslutningsteori. I dokumentene som er gjennomgått legges det vekt på at fylkesbibliotekene skal være en utviklingsaktør, og at driftsoppgaver, som bokbussdrift, skal overlates til kommunene. Dette gjelder også for Buskerud der det er slått fast i Handlingsprogram for Buskerud fylkesbibliotek 2007-2010 og Handlingsprogram 2008-2011. Det står lite om bokbuss og mobile bibliotektjenester i de nasjonale dokumentene sammenliknet med andre bibliotektjenester. Bibliotekmeldingen legger opp til stor frihet om fylkeskommunen skal drive bokbuss eller ikke. Det er opp til den enkelte fylkeskommune om de vil satse på bokbuss. Bokbussvirksomheten i Buskerud er under utredning om dagen, og den siste utredningen Bokbussen har en fortid, en nåtid - men har den en fremtid? (Steinsvåg 2010) peker på at bokbussdriften må endres, ellers vil bokbusstilbudet bli lagt ned i Buskerud. Spørsmålet om videre bokbussdrift krever en nærmere faglig og politisk behandling. Om det finnes en bokbusstjeneste i Buskerud i framtida gjenstår å se. Det er opp til politikerne. Det er de som avgjør bokbussens framtid

Changes in opiate and stimulant use through 10 years: the role of contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors in a prospective SUD treatment cohort study.

AIM: To examine temporal changes in opiate and stimulant use among patients in substance abuse treatment over a ten-year observation period and to explore the role of contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors on these changes. METHODS: A cohort of 481 patients was prospectively interviewed at admission to treatment and after 1, 2, 7 and 10 years. The sample was recruited from 20 facilities in the Greater Oslo region, Norway. RESULTS: The majority of patients were poly-drug users and 80% had used both opiates and stimulants the last 30 days prior to treatment admission. Last-month use of heroin, other opiates, cocaine and amphetamines declined from 80% to 34% at the end of the observation period. The most substantial reduction was observed between baseline and one-year follow-up. Use of heroin decreased the most from 62% to 16% after 10 years (a reduction of 74%), and the reduction continued from one-year follow-up throughout the observation period. The most important multivariate risk factors for sustained use of these drugs were male gender, having one or both biological parents with severe alcohol or drug problems, having an antisocial personality disorder, and living together with a person who abuses alcohol or drugs. Employment was associated with reduced risk of drug use at 7-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial reduction in opiate and stimulant use from baseline to all follow-up assessments, most greatly for heroin. Findings regarding sustained use could suggest familial transmission and the challenges of preventive strategies and treatment efforts in an intergenerational context. Co-occurrence between drug abuse and mental health problems highlights the need of highly specialized competence in SUD treatment

Rusmisbruk, angst og depresjon etter 10 år: En prospektiv undersøkelse av stoffmisbrukere med og uten LAR-behandling

Substance abuse, anxiety and depression after 10 years: A prospective study of drug users in and outside OMT treatment AIMS - The national Opiate Maintenance Treatment (OMT) program in Norway started officially in 1998. The same year a treatment study was initiated, including the most used treatment measures for drug users in Norway. The main aim in the present study was to investigate the prevalence of live OMT patients in the total sample after 10 years, and to compare the outcome of primarily substance abuse, anxiety and depression among OMT patients versus non-OMT patients. DESIGN & METHODS - Four hundred and seven patients, in Oslo and the nearby regions, who started in 16 different in- and outpatients programs, were followed from intake to treatment and during ten years (1998-2009). Patients in the sample were interviewed after one, two, seven and ten years, and they were divided into three different treatment groups: inpatient residency for grown-ups, outpatient psychiatric youth teams and youths living in collectives. Data was collected through use of EuropASI and HSCL-25 at all follow-ups. RESULTS - After ten years 15 % were deceased. Of the 333 persons left, 73 % (n=248) were interviewed after ten years. Forty percent (n=99) were then in OMT. After ten years there were no gender differences regarding attendance to OMT, but the OMT-group was older (30 vs .28 yrs, p<0.05), and they used more benzodiazepines (p<0.000) and cannabis (p<0.01) than the others. The OMT-group reported to a larger extent more anxiety and depression throughout the total observation period than the non OMT participants. Use of heroin and criminality were significantly reduced in both groups. CONCLUSIONS - In spite of reduced use of heroin, the OMT patients seemed to have more difficulties in reducing the use of benzodiazepines and cannabis, whereas the anxiety and depression scores were high and stable through the total observation time

La finalización del tratamiento de internamiento a largo plazo para drogadictos: estudio prospectivo de 13 unidades

La finalización del tratamiento es un factor de predicción de un resultado favorable. Necesitamos saber más acerca de los factores de predicción de la finalización de los tratamientos psicosociales de pacientes internos. Este estudio prospectivo de 13 programas de este tipo sigue una muestra consecutiva de clientes (n = 307) desde su admisión hasta la finalización o el abandono del tratamiento. Los instrumentos: EuropASI, MCMI II, SCL-25. La media de finalización del tratamiento fue de un 40% (20%-71%), sin que se hiciera distinción entre los clientes que nunca antes habían estado ingresados ("debutantes") y los que sí ("veteranos "). Entre los "debutantes", el número de años de consumo de heroína estuvo negativamente asociado a la finalización del tratamiento. Entre los "veteranos", la edad y el consumo de anfetaminas estuvieron positivamente relacionados con la finalización del tratamiento, mientras que las presencia de algún trastorno de la personalidad y la cantidad de internaciones anteriores tuvieron una relación negativa. Se necesitan estrategias específicas para implicar a los clientes con trastornos de la personalidad. Tras tres internaciones, debería ofrecerse a los clientes otro tipo de tratamiento

Temporal multivariate associations between contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors with use of opiates and stimulants.

<p>Temporal multivariate associations between contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors with use of opiates and stimulants.</p

Sample characteristics and univariate changes in drug use over time.

<p>Sample characteristics and univariate changes in drug use over time.</p

Bi-variate correlations between the main variables in the study.

<p>Bi-variate correlations between the main variables in the study.</p

Temporal multivariate associations between contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors with use of opiates and stimulants.

<p>Temporal multivariate associations between contextual factors, mental health disorders and psychosocial factors with use of opiates and stimulants.</p