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Biomedical subjects

W Swift

Publications and source records attributed to W Swift.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Predictors of injecting and injecting risk-taking behaviour among methadone-maintenance clients.

A sample of 222 methadone maintenance clients were interviewed regarding current injecting and needle risk-taking in order to ascertain factors associated with these behaviours. Just over half (55%) of subjects had injected in the month preceding interview. Current injecting was associated with being female, having a regular sexual partner who was a current injecting drug user, polydrug use and higher levels of global psychopathology. Approximately 15% of subjects had shared needles in the month preceding interview, predominantly with one other person. Needle sharing was associated with having a regular sexual partner who was a current injecting drug user, current criminality and injecting at places other than home. Needle-sharing episodes in the study period were considered safe by practically all sharers. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

To drink or not to drink? Assessing conflicting desires in dependent drinkers in treatment.

Reactivity to Alcohol and Neutral Cues was compared in male, inpatient problem drinkers (N = 30). Subjects reported an overall desire not to drink alcohol which decreased in the presence of the Alcohol Cue. There were no cue-specific changes in heart rate, blood pressure and arousal level and a non-significant trend for increased stress in the Alcohol Cue condition. Subgroups of subjects reporting positive and negative desire for alcohol were identified. Subjects who reported negative desire for alcohol in the Alcohol Cue condition also reported greater self-efficacy to resist drinking in the future. These findings have implications for understanding the nature of self-reported desire for alcohol and its potential role in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Drug use, HIV risk-taking and psychosocial correlates of benzodiazepine use among methadone maintenance clients.

Methadone maintenance clients who used benzodiazepines were compared with other methadone maintenance clients on a range of drug use and psychosocial treatment outcome measures. Despite being on higher methadone doses, benzodiazepine users were more likely to have recently injected, to have used cocaine and amphetamines, to have borrowed or lent used needles and syringes, and to have reported polydrug use in the preceding month. Benzodiazepine users also exhibited higher levels of psychopathology and social dysfunction than other methadone maintenance clients. It is concluded that benzodiazepine-using methadone maintenance clients are a dysfunctional subgroup of the methadone population, who may require more clinical intervention than other clients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Reactivity to alcohol-related cues in heavy and light drinkers.

Physiological responses and self-reported desire for alcohol were compared in heavy (n = 21) and light (n = 29) drinkers under each of two cue conditions. The cues were presented in a counterbalanced order and consisted of the sight, smell and taste of the subject's preferred alcoholic beverage (alcohol cue) and of a nonalcoholic lemon-flavored drink (neutral cue). Heavy drinkers showed a significant linear increase in reported desire for alcohol over time in the presence of the alcohol cue. This persistent increase in desire for alcohol seen in heavy drinkers contrasted with the initial increase shown by light drinkers which dissipated over time. Neither group showed any significant change in desire for alcohol when presented with the neutral cue. Heavy drinkers showed lower levels of skin conductance than light drinkers and all subjects showed changes in heart rate during exposure to both cues. Heart rate was affected differentially in the two groups of drinkers but only when the alcohol cue was presented first. Neither blood pressure nor stress and arousal levels changed significantly from pre- to post-cue presentations. The findings of this study have implications for understanding the nature and time course of cue-elicited desire for alcohol and its potential role in the development and treatment of alcohol dependence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A time series investigation of three nicotine regulation models.

Time series data were collected twice daily for 62 days from 10 individuals on three variables related to smoking habit strength: number of cigarettes smoked, salivary cotinine, and carbon monoxide. The two purposes of this study were: (a) to evaluate which time series model(s) best fits each of the measures; and (b) to determine which model of nicotine regulation is consistent with the data. Three models of nicotine regulation were considered: (a) nicotine fixed effect; (b) nicotine regulation; and (c) multiple regulation. These models provide different predictions about the size and direction of the lag-one autocorrelation. Each measure was described in terms of one of a family of time series models represented mathematically as ARIMA (p, d, q). Models varied by individual, but a single model described the majority of subjects for all three variables. The clearest model identification was for the number of cigarettes smoked where an ARIMA (1, 0, 0) model with a moderate to strong negative dependency fit the majority of the subjects. This provided strong support for the multiple regulation model. An appendix provides a brief review of time series methodology.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Depressed affect as a predictor of increased desire for alcohol in current drinkers of alcohol.

Male drinkers (n = 45) were asked to rate their desire for a drink of alcohol when presented with the sight, smell and taste of their preferred alcoholic beverage and of a lemon cordial drink. The subjects' level of depressed affect on that day and their average daily consumption of alcohol over the last 30 days were measured prior to exposure to these cues. Both level of depressed affect and log of mean daily alcohol consumption predicted increased desire for alcohol when alcohol cues were present, accounting for 40% of the variance in desire. When presented with the lemon cordial cues only 14% of the variance in desire for alcohol was explained by these variables. Also, Spearman's rank order correlations were calculated between heavy drinkers' (n = 19) ratings of self-efficacy to resist drinking and desire for alcohol in the presence of the alcohol cues. There were significant negative correlations between desire for alcohol and self-efficacy ratings on the 'urges and temptations' and 'positive social situations' subscales of the Situational Confidence Questionnaire-39. Several alternative accounts of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The prevalence of social-evaluative anxiety in opioid users seeking treatment.

The presence of social-evaluative anxiety in opioid users has been consistently recognized by clinicians, but as yet has not been systematically investigated. Scores on the Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD) Scale and the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scale were obtained from the randomly selected files of 159 opioid users presenting for treatment at an inner city drug advisory service. Approximately one-quarter of the sample reported anxiety which may be considered psychologically and socially disfunctional. The prevalence of social-evaluative anxiety reported in this sample has implications for the provision of appropriate and effective treatment for this distressed population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The prevalence of minor psychopathology in opioid users seeking treatment.

Studies have consistently reported a relationship between psychopathology and opioid use, with the former cited as a powerful predictor of treatment outcome. Scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), a non-diagnostic measure of minor psychopathology, were obtained from the randomly selected files of 150 opioid users presenting for treatment at an inner city drug advisory service. Approximately 61% of the sample qualified as 'cases', indicating some degree of psychological and social dysfunction. Clients with current legal charges had lower test scores than those without pending legal action, while GHQ scores were unrelated to the remaining 10 demographic and drug use variables investigated. The prevalence of minor psychopathology reported in this sample has implications for the provision of appropriate and effective interventions, and points to the further investigation of the GHQ as a tool in the assessment of psychological dysfunction in this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Burn nursing.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Burns↗
PubMed1979

First aid treatment of burns.

A burn refers to the damage caused to the skin, and sometimes deeper structures, by heat (flame, scald, contact, electricity), chemical agents or radiation. Methods of first-aid treatment of burns are varied, imprecise and sometimes harmful. This article deals with the major principles involved in first-aid, which when implemented will limit the damage created by the burn. The medical profession must be aware of what can be achieved and the necessary steps in the initial treatment of the burn. The profession is called upon to offer first-aid, to give advice and to lecture on accidents in our community, so it is necessary to have a clear plan of treatment.

Analgesics↗