When Worlds Collide: Young People, Drugs and ‘Responsible Adulthood’ (original) (raw)
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Moving on: young people and substance abuse.
Youth …, 2009
To help explain why some young people move from recreational drug use to substance abuse, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with young people who had experienced problematic substance use. The data were supplemented by statistical data on 111 young people. The researchers found a variety of 'structural' factors that help explain young people's journeys into substance abuse. These included involvement with the state care and protection system, growing up in environments where substance use was either acceptable or encouraged, leaving school early and homelessness.
How drug policy should (not) be: Institutionalised young people's perspectives
International Journal of Drug Policy, 2011
Background: Drug prevention is insufficiently tailored to the needs of vulnerable groups and often concentrates on the general population. Methods: A qualitative youth-centred design, based on group techniques was used to ask vulnerable young people about their needs and expectations regarding drug prevention practices. Participants comprised 160 young people, aged 12-21 years who had emotional and behavioural disorders and who lived in institutions in the mental health care system in Flanders. Results: Findings showed that common prevention and education practices are often insufficient or not applicable to the participants' situation. The young people criticised the institutions' reaction to drug use because it tried to control and sanction their use and paid scant attention to their reasons for drug use. They also held negative views about drug treatment. Their experiences had taught them that control and sanctioning were the dominant reactions to drug use. Conclusion: If drug (prevention) policy is to appeal to vulnerable young people, their views on what would make a good prevention policy must be taken into account.
A Professionals' Perception of Drug and Alcohol Abuse amongst Minors
scholarly journal , 2021
Experimentation of drugs and alcohol during teenage years is very common. It is well established that this phenomenon presents a huge problem especially on those young individuals who develop a dependency, shifting on to more harmful substances and causing serious damage to themselves and others. The focus of this research study is on the perceptions that professionals have on the problem of drug abuse and the consumption of alcohol amongst minors. This research study aims to establish how big the problem of substance misuse among minors locally is while determining the reasons why minors use drugs and alcohol. This dissertation aims to find out what substances’ minors tend to go for the most, either traditional or synthetic drugs. Moreover, this research determines whether a link between substance use and crime exists. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with various professionals coming from different entities. These entities included the Juvenile Court, Police Drug Squad, Oasi and Sedqa. The data gathered was then analysed qualitatively since this study focuses on the experiences and knowledge of the chosen population, producing more in-depth research. After the conduction of the interviews, these were then transcribed, and the method of thematic analysis was used, and several themes were formed. Firstly, results suggested that every participant perceives the problem of substance misuse amongst minors as problematic and worrying. Secondly, even though some participants mentioned that synthetic drugs are very common to be used by minors, most of the respondents agreed that nowadays traditional drugs are more common to be used by the younger generation. Moreover, findings showed that professionals perceive family and friends as the biggest risk factors for adolescent substance use. The findings also suggest that although not everyone, there’s a high risk that minors who abuse substances may engage in crime later in their life. Lastly, information gathered from this research study found to be consistent with existing research and literature.
Harm Reduction Journal
The meaningful inclusion of young people who use or have used drugs is a fundamental aspect of harm reduction, including in program design, research, service provision, and advocacy efforts. However, there are very few examples of meaningful and equitable engagement of young people who use drugs in harm reduction, globally. Youth continue to be excluded from harm reduction programming and policymaking; when they are included, they often face tokenistic efforts that lack clear expectations, equitable work conditions, and are rarely afforded agency and autonomy over decision-making. In this commentary, we identify and discuss issues in youth engagement, and offer recommendations for the future of harm reduction.
Young people's perceptions of and experiences with drugs: findings from an Irish study
Health Education Journal, 2000
This paper presents data from Irish children on their perceptions and experiences in relation to illicit drugs as they approached adolescence. Depth interviews were conducted with.78 participants and data were analysed using a qualitative strategy whereby data were categorized into conceptual themes. Findings suggested that most participants had a high level of exposure to a drug culture, yet had little direct experiences with actually being offered or using drugs. A small minority had used cannabis and tended to frame the substance and its use in benign terms. Most children, however, expressed anti-drug attitudes. Participants' knowledge of the outcome of drug use tended to be vague or dramatic.