Literature Review on Prevention in the Vulnerability to Substance Abuse - Paper Example

Glantz and Pickens (2009) defines vulnerability to substance abuse to be a psychological, physiological and genetic predisposition to engagement in addictive activities regarding abuse of substance and drugs. Prevention in the vulnerability to substance abuse entails dealing with the predisposing factors to substance abuse and thus involve using intervening strategies that reduce risk factors and promote protective factors. According to Owen (2016), there are the key prevention levels for averting vulnerability to drug and substance abuse namely primary, secondary and tertiary prevention levels. All the three prevention levels offer a firm basis for developing substance abuse education and prevention plans to reduce the degree of vulnerability in the society.

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In a research conducted by Bortes, Geidne, and Eriksson (2016), prevention techniques that avert vulnerability to drug abuse can be effective when predisposing factors are dealt with in different categories. The multifaceted prevention plans include hindering vulnerability to substance abuse in relationships, communities and the entire society. Prevention to vulnerability to drug abuse in relationships context entails dealing with risks factors such as inadequate children supervision and child abuse. The prevention and protective factors for that case are the application of parental involvement. According to NIDA (2016), parents have the greatest impact on their children's lives, and thus through actions and words they offer them concerning substance and drug abuse determines the degree of vulnerability. Since peer pressure is the leading predisposing factor to drug addiction, the parental involvement regarding disapproving drug use and delinquency is the best counteraction strategy. SAMHSA (2015) further endorses a series of parental involvement strategies in the form of family-based programs for preventing vulnerability to substance abuse. The first prevention strategy is educating parents to equip them with behavioral skills that assist in enhancing parent-child relationship for consistent monitoring of children's activities and discipline. The targets individuals for the parental involvement in vulnerability intervention are the kids at their juvenile stage. Various studies such as those conducted by Pazhiini (2015) and Bortes (2016) reveal that adolescents are more vulnerable to substance abuse. In one of the research study that Pazhiini (2015) present in the article is Jowers Keri's (2007) study involving more than 2500 5th graders who participated in substance abuse avoidance program. Furthermore, Hawkins (2016) advocate for Functional Family Therapy (FFT) as a prevention program that targets affected adolescents by improving family bond to prevent recurrence of substance abuse. The key intervention program was parent-child substance education strategy known as "Keeping a Clear Mind" (KACM) program. Furthermore, Schindler and Broning (2015) research shows that parental involvement is a useful program as it stimulates positive relationships among children and their parents. At the individual level, the most efficient primary prevention strategy is before the commencement of risk behaviors such that people deemed vulnerable to substances abuse are educated the dangers of misusing substances and drugs. The procedures entail encouraging individuals to accept their personal responsibility in preventing their vulnerability to substance abuse through setting goals for developing refusal skills.

Prevention at community level deals with exploring the risk factors that increases vulnerability to substance abuse in the whole community. The risks factors at community level include poverty, homelessness, and violence. The prevention strategies revolve around the protective factors which are school and faith-based activities. Prevention at childhood reduces the rate at which children become vulnerable and predisposed to substance abuse. The risks factors at childhood and adolescent stages of life can be best prevented through educational programs to teach children about the risks associated with drug addiction. According to Elena and Medina-Moria (2015), early intervention is one of the most important strategies that set prevent vulnerability of individuals to substance abuse and set them on healthier paths of avoiding contact with drugs. Education strategies at school and homes are efficient in reducing individuals' susceptibility to drugs. According to Hawkins (2016), school-based preventive measures should have the primary purpose of preventing censurable conduct through enhancement of behavioral, cognitive and social skills. According to Flanagan and Briggs (2015), homelessness and poverty are the leading predisposing factors in substance abuse with 15% of Americans citizens being homeless and at least 30% living in absolute poverty. Flanagan and Briggs (2015) observation in Georgia and Atlanta as examples of American cities with a high population of homeless individuals, there is an increasing rate of vulnerability to substance abuse in the communities living in such cities. Homelessness among individuals causes trauma, pain and mental disorders which Flanagan and Briggs (2015) call dual disorder that affects 30% of chronically homeless people. The prevention strategy to decrease the vulnerability of individuals to substance abuse is to reduce isolation through eradication of homelessness which mitigate pain and trauma that predispose people to abuse substances.

The prevention technique that Flanagan and Briggs (2015) describe to be the remedy for homelessness is Continuum of Care (CoC) model implemented throughout the US as a strategy for rehabilitating homeless individuals and reintegrating them into their respective communities. The purpose of Continuum of Care as a strategy for reducing vulnerability to substance abuse is to reform, guide and track individuals through series of social and health services for the primary objective of reintegration into society. Furthermore, Lucero and Bussey (2015) proposes Denver Indian Family Resource Center (DIFRC) model as a culturally responsive, trauma-informed practice-based model for reducing susceptibility to drug abuse through the reduction of re-referrals and out-of-home placements among Native individuals. At the community level, prevention of vulnerability to substance misuse should entail empowering people and impart resiliency skills to enable them to take life adversities according to their respective geographical and cultural settings. There is also preventive treatment methods against vulnerability to drug abuse. Mental illness conditions have a significant relationship with susceptibility to abuse substances. Therefore, it is necessary to have strategies for treating psychological conditions such as personality disorders, opposition defiant illness, conduct disorder, anxiety and depression (Tareen, 2015). All are the risk factors for the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which increases the vulnerability to abuse of drugs as the individual with such untreated conditions have higher chances of abusing drugs as the sole strategy for self-medication (Ponce, Lawless, & Rowe, 2014).

Prevention at society level entails the exploration of risk factors such as laws and norms within the society which increase susceptibility and vulnerability to substance abuse. Ideally, laws at federal and state levels should prohibit handling, selling, and manufacturing of illicit substances and drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and marijuana. However, the rate at which the youth access substances and drugs suggest the ineffective enforcement of such laws is responsible for the widespread availability and abuse of the illicit substances (Ghodse, 2002). It is a fact that if the society and the state enforce norms and laws that decrease the availability of substances can reduce exposure, vulnerability and susceptibility to drug abuse among individuals. However, due to the inadequate enforcement of legislation, drugs are readily and cheaply available in many of the US societies hence vulnerability to drug abuse. According to NIDA (2016), the constant availability of drugs in the US is such that there is a transmission of substance misuse culture from parent to their children leading to the concept of genetic and genetics as the risk factors contributing to susceptibility to drug addiction. NIDA (2016) research shows that children whose parents were alcoholics have vulnerability rate that is four times compared to the kids from nonalcoholic parents. The prevention strategies should deal with the elimination of protective factors such as enhancing policies and laws that prohibit handling, selling and manufacturing substances and drugs to reduce availability and exposure to the children. All the societal stakeholders from parent to stakeholders should work collaboratively towards creating a non-haven environment for drug lords and peddlers to limit the rate of vulnerability and exposure to drugs among children. In the US, substance and drug trafficking extend beyond societal role since the aspect has international relations hence the prevention programs should also deal with enhancement of border security to limit the intake of drugs and other illicit substances into the country. Community policing play a critical role in the prevention of vulnerability to substance abuse since Owen (2016) says that the success of efforts by law enforcement units such as narcotics departments is dependent on the cooperation of the community regarding reporting the presence and prevalence of illicit substances and drugs in the society.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bortes, C., Geidne, S., & Eriksson, C. (2016). Evaluating the effectiveness of the SMART contract-signing strategy in reducing the growth of Swedish Adolescents substance use and problem behaviors. BMC Public Health, 16(519):2-11. doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3131-9

Elena, M., & Medina-Moria. (2015). Prevention of substance abuse: a brief overview. International Journal of World Psychiatric Association, 5(3):25-30.

Flanagan, M. W., & Briggs, H. E. (2015). Substance Abuse Vulnerability among Homeless Adults in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Multilevel Assessment Framework. Best Practices in Mental Health, 11(2):74-95.

Ghodse, H. (2002). Drugs and addictive behaviour: a guide to treatment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Glantz, M., & Pickens, R. (2009). Vulnerability to drug abuse. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Hawkins, D. (2016). Unleashing the Power of Prevention. American Journal of Medical Research, 3(1):39-74.

Lucero, & Bussey. (2015). Practice-Informed Approaches to Addressing Substance Abuse and Trauma Exposure in Urban Native Families Involved with Child Welfare. Child Welfare, 94(4): 97-112.

NIDA. (2016, December). Diagnosis and Treatment of Drug Abuse in Family Practice. Retrieved from National Institute on Drug Abuse: https://archives.drugabuse.gov/diagnosis-treatment/diagnosis7.html

NIDA. (2016). Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood: Research-based Guide. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Owen, S. (2016). Levels of Prevention. Retrieved from Georgia State University: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/Primary%20Secondary%20Tertiary%20Prevention.htm

Pazhiini, K. (2015). Substance abuse prevention among adolescent: What works and what does not. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 6(12):1275-1277.

Ponce, A. N., Lawless, M. S., & Rowe, M. (2014). Homelessness, Behavioral Health Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence: Barriers to Services for Women. Community Ment Health Journal, 50:831840. doi:10.1007/s...