TY - JOUR
KW - Afghanistan
KW - Boys
KW - Girls
KW - Opioids
KW - Response to treatment
KW - substance use
KW - Treatment entry
AU - A. S. Momand
AU - E. Mattfeld
AU - G. Gerra
AU - B. Morales
AU - T. Browne
AU - M. U. Haq
AU - K. E. O'Grady
AU - H. E. Jones
A1 - 
AB - Psychoactive substance use among children in Afghanistan is an issue of concern. Somewhere around 300,000 children in the country have been exposed to opioids that either parents directly provided to them or by passive exposure. Evidence-based and culturally appropriate drug prevention and treatment programs are needed for children and families. The goals of this study were to: (1) examine lifetime psychoactive substance use in girls and boys at treatment entry; and (2) examine differential changes in substance use during and following treatment between girls and boys. Children ages 10-17 years old entering residential treatment were administered the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test for Youth (ASSIST-Y) at pre- and post-treatment, and at three-month follow-up. Residential treatment was 45 days for children and 180 days for adolescents and consisted of a comprehensive psychosocial intervention that included education, life skills, individual and group counseling and, for older adolescents, vocational skills such as embroidery and tailoring. Girls and boys were significantly different regarding lifetime use of five substances at treatment entry, with girls less likely than boys to have used tobacco, cannabis, stimulants, and alcohol, and girls more likely than boys to have used sedatives. Differences between boys and girls were found for past-three-month use of four substances at treatment entry, with girls entering treatment with higher past-three-month use of opioids and sedatives, and boys with higher past-three-month use of tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. Change over the course of treatment showed a general decline for both girls and boys in the use of these substances. Girls and boys in Afghanistan come to treatment with different substance use histories and differences in past-three-month use. Treatment of children for substance use problems must be sensitive to possible differences between girls and boys in substance use history.
AD - UNC Horizons, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UNC at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC USA.; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna, Austria.; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna, Austria.; Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC USA.; Colombo Plan Secretariat, Colombo, Sri Lanka.; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Pakistan.; Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD USA.; UNC Horizons, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UNC at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC USA.; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, MD USA.
BT - Global journal of pediatrics & neonatal care
C5 - Healthcare Disparities; Measures; Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 1
DO - 10.33552/gjpnc.2020.02.000527
IS - 1
JF - Global journal of pediatrics & neonatal care
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - Psychoactive substance use among children in Afghanistan is an issue of concern. Somewhere around 300,000 children in the country have been exposed to opioids that either parents directly provided to them or by passive exposure. Evidence-based and culturally appropriate drug prevention and treatment programs are needed for children and families. The goals of this study were to: (1) examine lifetime psychoactive substance use in girls and boys at treatment entry; and (2) examine differential changes in substance use during and following treatment between girls and boys. Children ages 10-17 years old entering residential treatment were administered the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test for Youth (ASSIST-Y) at pre- and post-treatment, and at three-month follow-up. Residential treatment was 45 days for children and 180 days for adolescents and consisted of a comprehensive psychosocial intervention that included education, life skills, individual and group counseling and, for older adolescents, vocational skills such as embroidery and tailoring. Girls and boys were significantly different regarding lifetime use of five substances at treatment entry, with girls less likely than boys to have used tobacco, cannabis, stimulants, and alcohol, and girls more likely than boys to have used sedatives. Differences between boys and girls were found for past-three-month use of four substances at treatment entry, with girls entering treatment with higher past-three-month use of opioids and sedatives, and boys with higher past-three-month use of tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. Change over the course of treatment showed a general decline for both girls and boys in the use of these substances. Girls and boys in Afghanistan come to treatment with different substance use histories and differences in past-three-month use. Treatment of children for substance use problems must be sensitive to possible differences between girls and boys in substance use history.
PY - 2020
SN - 2689-422X; 2689-422X
SP - 527. doi: 10.33552/gjpnc.2020.02.000527. Epub 2020 Feb 7
T1 - Implementation and Evaluation of a Psychoactive Substance Use Intervention for Children in Afghanistan: Differences Between Girls and Boys at Treatment Entry and in Response to Treatment
T2 - Global journal of pediatrics & neonatal care
TI - Implementation and Evaluation of a Psychoactive Substance Use Intervention for Children in Afghanistan: Differences Between Girls and Boys at Treatment Entry and in Response to Treatment
U1 - Healthcare Disparities; Measures; Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 33681863
U3 - 10.33552/gjpnc.2020.02.000527
VL - 2
VO - 2689-422X; 2689-422X
Y1 - 2020
Y2 - Feb
ER -