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Biomedical subjects

R G Smart

Publications and source records attributed to R G Smart.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Adolescent drug sellers: trends, characteristics and profiles.

This study examines drug selling among representative samples of high school students in Ontario. It involves three approaches, (i) examining the trend in drug selling between 1983 and 1989, (ii) assessing differences between sellers and non-sellers on demographic characteristics, levels of alcohol and drug use, and problems, and (iii) drawing detailed profiles of drug seller types. Drug selling declined considerably between 1983 and 1989. Sellers were more likely to be males and to use alcohol and drugs more often than non-sellers. Sellers also had more alcohol and drug problems and engaged in more delinquent acts. Drug sellers who sold cannabis only were less frequent users of drugs, less likely to have drug problems, and were also delinquent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Substance use and work disabilities among a general population.

Using data derived from a representative survey of 869 Ontario adults, we examined the association between work disabilities and substance use, i.e., drinking, alcohol problems, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers. Overall, we found a significant association between substance use and disability. For alcohol problems, we found that those with moderate limitations reported the greatest number of problems, holding constant age, gender, income, and frequency of drinking. For the use of sleeping pills and especially tranquilizers, we found a strong positive relationship to limitation status. A number of significant interactions involving tranquilizer use showed that two groups, females with total limitations and those aged over 40 years with sensory disabilities, reported exceptionally high rates of tranquilizer use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Use of the CAGE scale in a population survey of drinking.

This article examines the use of the CAGE scale, a 4-item self-report screening test designed to identify problem drinkers, among 703 drinkers aged 18 and over interviewed in a general population survey. The results showed that 10.9% of drinkers reported two or more items affirmatively, the suggested cut-off indicative of problem drinking. This rate is similar to the percentage of drinkers who consume four or more standard drinks daily, derived from aggregate per capita consumption estimates. Factor analysis of the items showed a unidimensional scale with good psychometric properties. Other cut-offs are also compared with other alcoholism estimates. In general, the results indicated some utility of the CAGE in general population surveys.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Drinking problems among employed, unemployed and shift workers.

This study investigated the relationships between drinking problems and the following: current employment status, current occupation, unemployment, shift work and alcohol-related problems. The study involved a household survey of 993 persons in Durham, an area near Toronto. A scale of 17 alcohol problems and symptoms was used. It was found that the highest rates of problems were among shift workers and the unemployed. The workers most likely to have serious problems were in processing/manufacturing, transport, artistic/literary/recreational and sales areas. Males with serious problems and shift workers reported drinking more when unemployed. Sanctions for work-related drinking problems, even for those with serious dependency, were rarely applied. This study suggests that priority targets for programs to assist employees with drinking problems should be males in processing/manufacturing, transport, artistic/literary/recreational areas and sales.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Parental and peer influences as correlates of problem drinking among high school students.

This study was concerned with the relative importance of parental, peer, and demographic variables in predicting problem drinking among young people. A survey of drinking and drinking problems was conducted among 1,439 students in two schools in Ontario. A Multiple Classification Analysis was employed to identify variables with a significant and unique predictive power. It was found that problem drinking is best predicted with situational factors and those directly connected with drinking. Parental and peer variables had little unique predictive power. Problem drinkers were more often male, had their first drinks away from home, and usually drank in cars.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Multiple predictors of dropout from alcoholism treatment.

A common problem in treating alcoholics is the high dropout rate. Many studies have identified individual factors associated with dropout, eg, poor motivation and previous dropout. We believe the present study reports the first major effort to use multivariate analyses to predict dropout in a large (792), one-year follow-up study of alcoholics, and examines the possibility that medical and nonmedical treatments lead to differential dropout rates. A multiple classification analysis technique showed that treatment variables as opposed to client characteristics were the best predictors of dropout. Patients remaining in treatment were more likely to have a variety of medical interventions, eg, medication and medical assessment, than those who dropped out. Results were similar to studies using other techniques and have interesting implications for the treatment of alcoholics, raising questions about current trends toward nonmedical treatment of alcoholism.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1978

Test-retest reliability and validity information for a high school drug use questionnaire.

This study reports test--retest reliability and validity information for an anonymous high school drug use questionnaire. All drug use items were highly reliable in testings on the same students eight weeks apart. Composite drug scores were also highly reliable. A nine-item lie scale gave virtually identical results on the two testings. The majority of students regardless of the frequency of their drug use stated that they would honestly report their cannabis and opium/heroin use. There was little evidence of defensiveness judging by the lie scores.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Characteristics of alcoholics who drink socially after treatment.

This study is concerned with the differences among groups of alcoholics who became social drinkers, abstinent, or remained nonsocial drinkers after treatment. A total of 1091 alcoholics were studied. It appears as if those who become social drinkers are those who are less serious alcoholics with more social and other supports.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1977

The effectiveness of post-detoxication referrals: effects on later detoxication admissions, drunkenness and criminality.

This study concerned the effectiveness of post-detoxication referrals to a variety of treatment facilities. The purpose was to discover (i) the proportion of men accepting referrals who actually arrived, (ii) the differences in outcome for patients attending an out-patient clinic, a halfway house, and a long-stay farm, (iii) the differences in outcomes for patients treated in one of the above facilities compared with those for similar patients not receiving treatment. In all, 114 male detoxication admissions were included. However, only 60% arrived, even when firm referrals were made. Those arriving and not arriving did not differ in social or demographic characteristics, nor did those who were referred to the various treatment facilities. However, the referral group had more detoxication admissions in the post-detoxication period. There were no post-treatment overall differences between all treated and untreated patients in detoxication admissions, arrests for drunkenness or criminal convictions. Refusals were more often successes than the treated or untreated groups but this was due to their better prognosis at intake. In general, the data provide little cause for optimism about the value of post-detoxication referrals.

Adult↗