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Biomedical subjects

M I Soueif

Publications and source records attributed to M I Soueif.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Use of psychoactive substances among male secondary school pupils in Egypt: a study on a nationwide representative sample.

The present work is part of a series of epidemiological studies the main aim of which is to shed light on the extent and patterns of the use of substances among various sectors of the Egyptian population. A standardized questionnaire with established item re-take reliabilities was administered to 14,656 male secondary school pupils constituting a 4% representative sample of the whole population of Egyptian secondary school boys. Demographic and drug-related findings are discussed. Among the reported results the following are deemed of special interest: (1) Percentages of arts students who smoke tobacco, ever use prescription psychotropic substances, narcotics and alcohol consistently exceed their counterparts studying science and mathematics. (2) Ages of onset for the whole menu of substances range between 12 and 16 years. (3) Those among the experimenters who admitted continuing to take drugs ranged between 8% (for alcohol) and 21.41% (for synthetic drugs). (4) Significantly more urban than rural students smoke tobacco, and try cannabis and alcoholic beverages. (5) There is a strong association between exposure to drug culture and drug taking, confirming what we repeatedly reported previously. (6) More users than non-users tend to see drug consumption as either harmless or even useful. (7) Differentiation should be made between vulnerable and non-vulnerable non-users. Vulnerable non-users share with actual users a number of components of a common "drug ideology". (8) There are very significant correlations between drug taking and various aspects of misconduct verging on delinquency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The use of psychoactive substances among Egyptian males working in the manufacturing industries.

The current work is part of a series of epidemiological studies on the extent and patterns of the non-medical use of psychoactive substances by significant sectors of the Egyptian population. A standardized interviewing schedule was especially constructed for the present survey and item re-take reliabilities were established. The interview was conducted on 5108 men working in the manufacturing industries. Findings are discussed and comparisons made between these results and the corresponding data obtained in our previous investigations on other sectors of the society. Egyptian industrial workers, compared with male university students seem to have a rather late age of onset of drug use, and to go for natural narcotics rather than prescription psychotropic drugs and alcohol. Much more workers than students take alcohol as an analgesic. There were, however, a number of commonalities among workers and various types of students concerning drug-related behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The use of psychoactive substances by female Egyptian university students, compared with their male colleagues on selected items.

A standardized questionnaire, with satisfactory retake item reliabilities and well established validities, was administered to a representative sample of female university students (N = 2366), drawn from Cairo and Ein-Shams Universities, both located in Greater Cairo. Results, relevant to demographic and drug related items, are presented. Where meaningful, comparisons are made with previously published corresponding data obtained on male university students. Among the interesting findings are the following: Female students, compared with males, had better educated parents with jobs higher on social prestige hierarchy. But more boys than girls had personal sources of income and, relatively, big amounts of pocket money. Very few girls smoked cigarettes and used natural narcotics. Tranquilizers and hypnotics were taken by, almost, equal percentages of both sexes. But stimulants were consumed by more boys. Girls did not start experimentation with narcotics before the age of 16, whereas boys began such experimentation before reaching 12 years of age. Girls tried alcohol much more than they experimented with any other psychoactive substance. Among girls as well as boys we found a measurable trend for users to be more exposed than nonusers to what we call 'drug culture'. In the case of girls, close relatives have more weight than personal friends as sources of information about drugs. For boys, it is the opposite. Similarities as well as disparities were discussed and implications were emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

The extent of drug use among Egyptian male university students.

The main aim of the present study was to provide factual information regarding the extent of non-medical use of substances among university students. A subsidiary purpose was to shed light on the aetiology of such use. A standardized questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of male students at Cairo and Ein-Shams Universities (N = 2711) both situated in Greater Cairo. Demographic and drug use related data are discussed. Among the interesting results are the following: ages of onset for using any drug are delayed, compared with corresponding ages among secondary school pupils; the percentage of young men who tried stimulants was much bigger than the respective percentage among secondary school boys; the proportions who reported continuing with drug abuse until time of interviewing ranged between about 10% and 31% of those who 'ever tried' drugs; highly significant association between exposure to elements of a 'drug culture' and drug abuse is underlined; meaningful association between drug use and beliefs about effects of such use is established.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The association between tobacco smoking and use of other psychoactive substances among Egyptian male students.

The present study is part of a large scale project on the extent of substance use among young people in Egypt. Data collected on two representative samples of secondary school boys (N = 5530) and technical school pupils (N = 3686) through the administration of a standardized questionnaire are broken down along four parameters: tobacco smoking, use of medical psychoactive substances, consumption of natural narcotics and alcohol drinking. In the present paper we concentrate on relevant answers of tobacco smokers vs. non-smokers in both secondary school and technical school students. More smokers than non-smokers were found to be living away from their families and stating that at least one of the parents was dead. More smokers than non-smokers reported participating in peers' activities. Smokers were, also, found to outnumber non-smokers in being exposed to various kinds of drug-use related stimuli. Invariably, tobacco smokers were found to be more daring than non-smokers in thinking of psychoactive substances, in trying such substances and in continuing to take them. Smokers were, moreover, reported to exceed non-smokers in being under treatment from various physical as well as psychological ailments. These findings were discussed with emphasis on their heuristic value for the development of plans for treatment and/or prevention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The non-medical use of prescription psychotropic drugs by school boys in greater Cairo.

Data, previously collected in the context of a large-scale study of the extent of substance use among male Egyptian secondary and technical school students, were broken down along a parameter of use/non-use of prescription psychoactive drugs. Users were compared with non-users on five clusters of queries included in a standardized questionnaire, relating to: family ties, participation in peers' activities, exposure to drug-related stimuli, boldness and health problems. Users were found to report weak family ties, persistent participation in peers' activities and consistent exposure to drug-related stimuli. They were daring in relating to the drug universe and were less healthy (physically and psychologically) than non-users. These findings are discussed in the light of relevant previously reported results of epidemiological studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The extent of nonmedical use of psychoactive substances among secondary school students in Greater Cairo.

The present paper reports on an epidemiological study of the nonmedical use of psychoactive substances among male secondary school students in Greater Cairo. A standardized questionnaire was administered to 5530 male pupils constituting a representative sample of all male students in Cairo secondary schools. The main aim of the study was to provide factual answers to questions pertaining to, (a) the extent of the use of psychoactive drugs, and (b) the aetiology of such use, among secondary school students. Methodological steps undertaken to provide for representativeness of the sample and credibility of the tool are described. Among the interesting results were the following: (1) consistently more arts students than pupils reading science and maths were immersed in the drug culture; (2) sizable numbers of young people get exposed to the drug culture through well defined psychosocial channels; (3) the role of mass media in effecting this exposure seems to be quite serious, ranking in most cases after the role of personal friends; (4) a differentiation between "activists" and "passivists" among subjects who "ever used" drugs seems to be important in understanding more about drug use phenomena, and (5) some findings add a new dimension to the operational definition of high risk groups: a subgroup of nonusers could be labeled "potential users".

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The nonmedical use of psychoactive substances by male technical school students in Greater Cairo: an epidemiological study.

This is the second of a series of studies planned to explore the epidemiology of nonmedical use of drugs among Egyptian youth. A standardized questionnaire with well established reliability and validity estimates was administered to a representative sample of technical school students in Greater Cairo, numbering 3686 male pupils. The questionnaire was designed to shed light on the extent of use of nonmedical drugs plus the aetiology of such use. Among the interesting findings are the following: about 5% of the students tried at least one type of synthetic drugs; slightly over 11% tried narcotics and 33% used alcohol at least once. In all cases of 'ever using' drugs those who stopped the practice were mainly motivated by fear of expected physical as well as psychological harm. An attempt was made to shed light on psychosocial factors contributing to the actual initiation of drug use as well as to being prone to such use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

The non-medical use of psychoactive substances among male secondary school students in Egypt: an epidemiological study.

The paper reports on an epidemiological study of the non-medical use of psychoactive substances by secondary school male students in Greater Cairo. The main aim of the study was to provide factual answers to the questions: (1) How prevalent is drug abuse among male school students? (2) What are the psychoactive substances most commonly used? (3) What sociopsychological variables are meaningfully associated with the use of substances?

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Differential association between chronic cannabis use and brain function deficits.

To summarize, 12 objective tests that generated 16 test variables were administered to 850 male regular cannabis users and 839 nonusers. The tests were designed to assess various modalities, including speed of psychomotor performance, distance estimation, time estimation, immediate memory, and visuomotor coordination. Most of the test variables differentiated significantly between consumers and controls. At the same time, a significant second-order interaction emerged in most cases. This interaction meant that, under certain conditions that relate to the two dimensions "literacy-illiteracy" and/or "urbanism-ruralism," the superiority of controls over cannabis users became impressive, whereas under other conditions it almost disappeared. To account for this complex pattern of results, a working hypothesis was presented to the effect that "other conditions being equal, the lower the nondrug level of proficiency on tests of cognitive and psychomotor performance the smaller the size of function deficit associated with drug usage." For an empirical examination of the hypothesis, six predictions were formulated. Three predictions defined specific relationships between level of performance, on one hand, and each of three organismic variables, on the other: literacy, urbanism, and age. The remaining predictions delineated relationships to be expected between size of function deficit and the three organismic variables. All our predictions were confirmed, showing less function impairment to be contingent with cannabis usage among the illiterates, rurals, and older subjects. Level of cortical arousal was suggested as the central process associated with the three organismic variables. Because the version of our working hypothesis was formulated with reference to chronic material, the possibility of a transposition of the paradign to research on the acute effects of the drug was discussed. The suggestion was made that our working hypothesis, in either version, is capable of establishing genuine integration between reports that present conflicting results on possible function deficits contingent with cannabis consumption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Chronic cannabis takers: some temperamental characteristics.

Two standardized interviewing schedules have been administered to 850 chronic cannabis takers and 839 nontakers, all males, ranging in age between 15 and about 50 years. The present paper is concentrated on presenting data pertaining to temperamental characteristics prevailing among takers. Some characteristics were found not to differentiate between takers and control. This was true regarding two basic personality traits, acquiescence and 'emotional lability'; three situational characteristics, aggressiveness, sense of responsibility in matters of money expenditure and the degree on attaches to one's promises in work situations; one point concerning family background, viz, death of either parent; and lastly two aspects of the complex role fathers play in the lives of their children, which is 'absence--presence' and 'showing interest in the children's future'. The two groups differed on another collection of attributes. Compared with controls, cannabis takers were low on submissiveness, impulsiveness and negativism, but at the same time showed callousness or indifference towards the presence of others. Taker were, also, low on quarrelsomeness and high on selflessness but at the same time expressed more inclination towards dishonesty. Instability in the orientation family prevailed among takers who related more incidents of separation and/or divorce between parents, and of the existence of step-parents. Takers had, moreover, spoiling fathers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chronic cannabis users: Further analysis of objective test results.

Twelve objective tests, generating 16 psychological test variables were administered to 850 chronic cannabis takers and 839 non-takers, all Egyptian males, ranging in age between 15 and 50 years, and representing various positions on continua of literacy-illiteracy and urbanism-ruralism. The tests were intended to assess different modalities of 5 broad psychological functions: speed of psychomotor performance, estimation of moderate distances, estimation of a few minutes time interval, immediate memory for digits and designs and visual-motor co-ordination. Analysis of variance based on 3 x 3 x 2 factorial design was carried out and revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups of subjects on most of the test variables. Detailed analyses showed that controls displayed better performance than drug users on the majority of the variables. Significant second order interaction effects emerged in a big number of cases denoting that, under certain conditions relating to literacy-illiteracy and urbanism-ruralism, the superiority of controls over cannabis users became much more impressive. Our findings were discussed in the light of investigations which were conducted on the psychological correlates and/or effects of long term and short term cannabis consumption. The clinical psychological literature was cited where slowness of psychomotor performance, defective visual-motor co-ordination and impaired memory for designs were reported to be associated with psychiatric disorder. It is suggested that our results point to meaningful associations between chronic cannabis consumption and manifestations of psychopathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Some determinants of psychological deficits associated with chronic cannabis consumption.

The present study was done in order to investigate the following general hypothesis: "Other conditions being equal, the lower the non-drug level of proficiency on tests of cognitive and psychomotor performance the smaller the size of function deficit associated with drug taking". Twelve objective tests generating 16 test variables were administered to 850 chronic cannabis takers and 839 comparable non-takers, all males ranging in age between 15 and 50 years and representing various positions on "literacy-illiteracy" and "urbanism-ruralism". Six specific predictions were formulated; (1) Performance on the test is expected to be correlated with the level of leteracy of the subject. (2) the lower the level of literacy the smaller the size of function deficit associated with cannabis taking. (3) Performance on the tests is expected to be correlated with the level of urbanism of the subject. (4) The lower the level of urbanism (i.e. more ruralism) the smaller the size of function deficit associated with drug taking. (5) Performance on the tests is expected to correlate inversely with age. (6) The older the subject the smaller the amount of function deficit associated with cannabis consumption. All our predictions were confirmed. The consistency of these results raises the possibility that a basic regularity governing the relationship between cannabis consumption and psychological-function deficit is being uncovered. The suggestion was made that our major hypothesis might prove valid with regard to the area of acute effects of cannabis taking as well. Our hypothesis was shown to provide a broad framework capable of integrating a number of conflicting reports both in the area of long term and that of short term cannabis use.

Adolescent↗