St. Lucian Kwéyòl on St. Croix: How gender and education affect language choice and attitudes in a multilingual context

Based on interviews conducted within a community of St. Lucian Creole (Kwéyòl) speakers on the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the authors investigated the use of and attitudes towards Kwéyòl, English, Spanish, and Crucian Creole, the four most widely-spoken languages on St. Croix. The article examines the roles of two social variables, namely gender and education, in questions of language choice and attitudes in this bilingual creolophone community. Some of the more remarkable revelations of this study were found in the many apparently conflicting responses. On the one hand, we observed a general trend towards the loss of Kwéyòl, yet on the other, pride in the language is exceedingly high. We observed a strong tendency pointing towards a taboo against speaking Kwéyòl in public on St. Croix, while at the same time, a significant number proclaimed the right to speak Kwéyòl in public.À partir d’interviews menées à l’intérieur d’une communauté de locuteurs du créole saint-lucien (kwéyòl) sur l’Île Sainte-Croix (Îles Vierges des États-Unis), les auteurs ont enquêté sur l’emploi et les attitudes envers les quatre langues les plus parlées sur l’Île Sainte-Croix, soit le kwéyòl, l’anglais, l’espagnol, et le créole crucien. Cet article examine les rôles de deux variables sociales, à savoir le sexe et l’éducation, quant aux questions du choix de langue et des attitudes dans cette communauté bilingue créolophone. Quelques-unes des révélations les plus remarquables de cette étude concernent les nombreuses réponses apparemment contradictoires : d’une part, une tendance générale vers la perte du kwéyòl et, d’autre part, une fierté relativement élevée à l’égard de cette langue. Les auteurs ont également observé une forte tendance indiquant un tabou contre l’usage du kwéyòl en public sur l’Île Sainte-Croix, alors qu’un nombre significatif de personnes se réclamait du droit de parler le kwéyòl en public

Virtual reality cue-exposure therapy in reducing cocaine craving: the Promoting Innovative COgnitive behavioral therapy for Cocaine use disorder (PICOC) study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Cocaine craving is a central symptom of cocaine use disorders (CUD). Virtual reality cue-exposure therapy for craving (VRCET) allows more immersive, realistic, and controllable exposure than traditional non-VR cue-exposure therapy (CET), whose efficacy is limited in treating substance use disorders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of VRCET, as a stand-alone and add-on intervention (i.e., combined with cognitive therapy), compared to a picture-based CET (PCET), in reducing self-reported cocaine craving in inpatients hospitalized for CUD. Methods Fifty-four inpatients hospitalized for CUD will be randomized in one of two intensive 3-week treatment arms: 10 meetings/2-week treatment of VRCET plus 5 meetings/1-week treatment of memory-focused cognitive therapy (MFCT; experimental arm), or 15 meetings/3-week treatment of PCET (active control arm). The Craving Experience Questionnaire (CEQ – F & S) will be used to assess the primary outcome, i.e., the post-treatment decrease of self-reported cocaine craving frequency (within the past 2 weeks) and intensity scores (in VR exposure to cocaine cues). Secondary endpoints include urinary, physiological, and self-reported cocaine use-related measures. Assessments are scheduled at pretreatment, after 2 weeks of treatment (i.e., VRCET vs. PCET), post-treatment (3 weeks, i.e., VRCET + MFCT vs. PCET), and at 1-month follow-up. Acceptability will be evaluated via (i) the Spatial Presence for Immersive Environments – Cybersickness along VRCET and (ii) the Client Satisfaction Questionnaires after 2 weeks of treatment and post-treatment. Discussion This study will be the first to evaluate the acceptability and efficacy of VRCET for CUD, as a psychotherapeutic add-on, to reduce both cocaine craving frequency and intensity. Additionally, this study will provide evidence about the specific interest of VRCET, compared to a non-VR-based CET, as a cue reactivity and exposure paradigm for treating substance use disorders. Trial registration NCT05833529 [clinicaltrials.gov]. Prospectively registered on April 17, 2023