Prevalence of Addictions, Article Review Example

Abstract

In this integrated literature review the author will examine four pieces of literature pertaining to prevalence of addition within the society. Questions pertaining to whether it is a phenomenon affecting major or minority of the population will be explored. Importantly, an introduction and purpose statement ; a search criterion; what is known about the topic under review; the quality of what is known ; how this knowledge could be applied to the present situation and how it can be used to inform further research are the goals of this review presentation.

Introduction and Purpose Statement

In the American society addictions seem to be gaining momentum not only among youths, majorities, minorities or adult populations, but are wide spread as an epidemic. Even though there are immense studies relating incidences of addiction and classifications pertaining to majority/ minority one can still ask the question whether this reflects a true picture of the prevalence of addiction within societies across America, in the twentieth century.

In response, this Integrated Literature Review will attempt to uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists since this is a mature topic within modern day medical – social sciences research arena. Consequently, “Prevalence of addiction: A Problem of the Majority or Minority’ by Steve Sussman, Nada Lisha and Mark Griffins; ‘Retention of Under-represented minorities in Drug Abuse Treatment Studies’ by Kathryn Mcgruder, Bichun Ouyang, Scott Miller and Barbara Tilley; “ Racial and ethnic diversity among a Heroine and cocaine using population’ by Edward Bernstein and others and ‘ Drug treatment service utilization outcomes of Hispanic and White Methamphetamine abusers by Noosha Niv and Yih-Ing Hser will form the basis for this integrated literature review.

Search criteria

Literature Review from search engines.

Inclusion criteria were drug abusers in American society; drug addiction; drug addiction prevalence among minorities, drug addiction prevalence among majorities and drug treatment services. The exclusion criteria were non drug abusers in America and across the world.

What is known about the selected topic?

Study 1: Prevalence of addiction: A Problem of the Majority or Minority’ by Steve Sussman, Nada Lisha and Mark Griffins

In this study the authors did not restrict the concept of addiction to drugs only, but extended it in relation to sex, internet viewing, gambling, eating, love making, exercise, shopping and work (Sussman, Lisha & Griffins, 2011). Their precise conclusions from investigations were that 47% of the US population suffers from some ‘maladaptive sings of addictive dysfunction over a 12 month study’ (Sussman, Lisha & Griffins, 2011).To them it is suggestive that addictions are related to personal life styles, level factors and problems (Sussman, Lisha & Griffins, 2011).

The researchers reviewed 83 pierces of literature to retrieve data informing their conclusions. Even though this research focus is to uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists, this information is useful in understanding that drug addiction can be associated with other addictive behaviors within the same individuals or groups and they do have a relationship to a person’s culture. As such, drug addiction is not an isolated phenomenon affecting people.

Study 11: Retention of Under-represented minorities in Drug Abuse Treatment Studies by Kathryn Mcgruder, Bichun Ouyang, Scott Miller and Barbara Tilley

Researchers in this study went beyond scrutinizing whether there were prevalence in drug addiction within the society to focus on if there were differences in study retention rates based on race and ethnicity regarding drug abuse studies. Also, they explored other client characteristics; protocol and treatment factors, which could indicate any form of stereotyping or insidious decimation among social groups (Mcgruder, Ouyang, Miller & Tilley, 2009).

Results revealed that younger African American had the lowest odds of retention on at a threshold of 0.1; primary drug use was significant criterion for retention; HIV screening and female gender appeared to be significant biases in retention profile of drug treatment programs among the case study sample retrieved. In the final analysis researchers concluded that younger participants had a lower odds of retention as against older age group as well as females (Mcgruder, Ouyang, Miller & Tilley, 2009).

In relation to this study where the purpose is to uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists this particular study on retention disparity open areas into arriving at the further exploring the significance of a younger population having lower odds than older adults and how this determine the prevalence of drug abuse..

Study 111: Racial and ethnic diversity among a heroine and cocaine using population by Edward Bernstein et.al

Edward Bernstein (2007) and others offered perspectives regarding racial and ethnic diversity among drug using population as it pertains to heroine and cocaine. They identified racial/ethnic disparities; addiction severity index scores; response to interventions; concordance between self-report of drug use and biochemical confirmation and treatment system contacts( Bernstein et. al 2007).

Differences were identified in all the addiction severity index domains except for the medical domain. Also, there were disparities among validity self –report of drug use and rate of treatment contact. Precisely, Hispanics had the lowest educational levels among users; African Americans were more likely to use cocaine than Hispanics and Whites use heroine; addiction severity index scores leaned towards high levels of distress for all ethnic groups with Hispanics responding to unemployment pressures and White family/psychological subscales (Bernstein et. al 2007).

Blacks and Hispanics were less likely to disclose continued drug use; intervention was most successful among Whites and Hispanics. Blacks were less likely to report contacts with treatment modality (Bernstein et. al 2007). To uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists, this study indicated that there is prevalence with no significant racial disparity, but in the absence of investigating other drugs it can be concluded that addictions to heroine and cocaine use vary among Hispanics, blacks and whites.

Study 1V: Drug treatment service utilization outcomes of Hispanic and White Methamphetamine abusers by Noosha Niv and Yih-Ing Hse

Unlike the other three studies these researchers focused their attention on Hispanics and white in resolving the majority and minority concern of contemporary speculation on drug addiction in America, as if to indicate Hispanics being the minority and white the majority index of their study. In clarifying these apparent assumptions the authors further explored drug treatment services to establish whether there were any preferential treatments regarding the ethnic groups under review. This was undertaken from the perspective of accessibility to health care services within the community ( Noosha & Yih-Ing, 2006)

It was discovered that whites more likely were offered treatment in residential programs than Hispanics despite the severity of addiction was comparably the same. Significantly, whites received more quality psychiatric intervention than Hispanics. However, Hispanics seemed to show more stabled outcomes towards treatment received ( Noosha & Yih-Ing,2006).

While this research statement ‘to uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists,’ is not particularly concerned with ethnicity disparities; knowledge pertaining to groups most affected by addiction is accessed from this study. More importantly, explanations pertaining to why it is so can be deducted from conclusions offered by these researchers.

What is the quality of what we know?

The quality of what we know lies in the extent to which a chosen literature review reflects scientific research methodologies when arriving at what we know. Study 1 clearly adopted a research design encompassing research derived from literature analysis. We learn that there were no significant differences among minorities and majorities regarding prevalence of drug abuse. Researchers explored four search engines utilizing key words relevant to the topic. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established and findings validated from non subjective qualitative analyses after applying a systemic literature review research design.

Similar approaches were adapted by studies outlined in researches 11, 11 1 and 1V of this integrated literature review report. Research 11 utilized a secondary analysis design selecting 1737 participants for a locked clinical trial supervised by NIDA specialists. Protocol characteristics were maintained as internal/external validity and reliability were established during the course of data analysis.

Research 111 recruited a sample of 18 year/ older adults to whom a 10 item pretested drug addiction severity test was administered. Results were statistically measured offering conclusions for 7 domains. The validity related quality of the findings lay in scientific standardized measurements researchers used in analyzing data. As such, when reviewing the quality of what we know from Research 1V, the research design implicitly reinforces the extent of reliability and validity of findings. Researchers used a comparative longitudinal design of subjects. Sample selection and data collection strategies were carefully outlined and declared reliable. Analysis of data was applied evaluating the addiction severity index. Pretested questionnaires were the instruments utilized in this research.

What do we need to know?

It is clear that what we need to know pertaining to prevalence of drug addiction; minority or majority, is that in this integrated literature review researchers could not clarify the boundaries for minorities and majorities without infiltrations of race and ethnicity. Even when studies pointed towards investigating race and ethnicity distinct of establishing a minority and majority criteria; it could not be ascertained what defined minority or majority. Therefore, while prevalence is vivid, where it really exists is still obscure.

Where do we go from here?

Since there is such obscurity is where this prevalence exists further studies aimed at clarifying majority and minority from a sociological perspective is important. Then health care professionals could address accessibility of care outside the confines of race into a wider scope of economics, Medicare/Medicaid coverage, and health insurance availability in declaring who really are minorities and majorities. A research question could then ,be what are the socio-economic implications of designing a conceptual framework for the two groups?

Conclusion

This integrated literature review explored four pieces of documents retrieved from valid database resources. An inclusion and exclusion criterion was established for selecting the best literature to be used in the analysis of Prevalence of Addictions: Majority or minority. The focus was to uncover whether there is a prevalence of drug addictions in the American society and if there is, where it really exists.

The literature was saturated with evidence supportive of prevalence. Regarding where it existed with reference to majority and minority clarity could not be derived from this selection of literature. As such, more research is recommended in clarifying definitions of majority and minority outside the paradigms of ethnicity and race.

References

Bernstein Edward et.al (2007). “Racial and ethnic diversity among a heroine and cocaine using Population.’ J Addict Di; 24(4): 43-53

Mcgruder K, Ouyang B, Miller S & Tilley B (2009). ‘Retention of Under-represented minorities in Drug Abuse Treatment Studies.’ Clin Trials; 6(3): 252-260

Niv Noosha, HseYih-Ing (2006) Drug treatment service utilization outcomes of Hispanic and White Methamphetamine abusers. Health Research and Educational Trust

Sussman Steve, Lisha Nada, Griffins Mark (2011). Prevalence of addiction: A Problem of the Majority or Minority.’ Eval Health Prof; 34(1): 3-56.