Screening for drugs in oral fluid: Illicit drug use and drug driving in a sample of urban and regional Queensland motorists

Police services in a number of Australian states and overseas jurisdictions have begun to implement or consider random road-side drug testing of drivers. This paper outlines research conducted to provide an estimate of the extent of drug driving in a sample of Queensland drivers in regional, rural and metropolitan areas. Oral fluid samples were collected from 2657 Queensland motorists and screened for illicit substances including cannabis (delta 9 tetrahydrocannibinol [THC]), amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine. Overall, 3.8% of the sample (n = 101) screened positive for at least one illicit substance, although multiple drugs were identified in a sample of 23 respondents. The most common drugs detected in oral fluid were ecstasy (n = 53), and cannabis (n = 46) followed by amphetamines (n = 23). A key finding was that cannabis was confirmed as the most common self-reported drug combined with driving and that individuals who tested positive to any drug through oral fluid analysis were also more likely to report the highest frequency of drug driving. Furthermore, a comparison between drug vs. drink driving detection rates for one region of the study, revealed a higher detection rate for drug driving (3.8%) vs. drink driving (0.8%). This research provides evidence that drug driving is relatively prevalent on Queensland roads, and may in fact be more common than drink driving. This paper will further outline the study findings’ and present possible directions for future drug driving research.     

Exploring Internet Motives and Life Satisfaction Among Hungarian and Israeli Medical Students, Living in Hungary

Objective Using the Internet can influence psychological well-being, for instance life satisfaction has been negatively related to Internet uses. The first aim of this study was to compare the motives for Internet use and life satisfaction. The second aim was to explore nation- and gender-based differences in Internet uses. Method The questionnaires related to Internet motives and life satisfaction, and were filled out by 300 medical students, including 150 Israeli students (75 females, 75 males) and 150 Hungarian students (75 females, 75 males). Results In the Israeli and Hungarian sample, the entertainment motive was rated the highest while the escape motive was rated the lowest. There were significant differences between the Israeli male and female students in arousal and information-seeking, while for the Hungarian male and female students there were significant differences for pass time. Life satisfaction was higher in the Israeli sample. In both samples it was shown that the higher the life satisfaction was, the less likely the students were to use the Internet for companionship purposes. Again in both samples, a higher life satisfaction predicted less frequent use of the Internet for the social interaction motives.     

Implications of an Africentric Worldview in Reducing Stress for African American Women

Despite the extensive research on stress in recent decades, including the emphasis on stress mediation and reduction, epidemiological studies indicate that African American women continue to experience high rates of morbidity and mortality because of stress and stress-related diseases. With growth in the conceptualization and articulation of an Africentric perspective for defining the functioning of African American people, in this article the authors explore the idea of an Africentric worldview as a means for reducing stress among African American women. Considering that cognitive appraisals define the situations that individuals experience and considering that worldview is the lens through which experience is viewed, restructuring worldview can alter the cognitive appraisals of potential stressful situations. Africentric worldview provides a framework for affirming African American and women's beliefs and behaviors. The authors propose that the framework has the potential to counter the negative images that often result in stressful appraisals of an oppressive and hostile environment.     

Culture change: A training program for recent immigrant professionals from the former Soviet Union

The article describes a training program in structural/integrative family therapy for immigrant professionals from the former Soviet Union at the Training Center of the Shiluv Institute for Family and Couple Therapy in Jerusalem. The program was instituted to meet the pressing needs of a mass immigration of half a million people that came to Israel between 1990 and 1992. This is a retrospective look at the journey of the initial group of psychiatrists and psychologists who changed country, culture, language, and professional orientation in just two years. The authors state their conclusions as to the most expedient way to organize therapy for families from the former Soviet Union — a population in need of help but lacking an awareness of therapy and suspicious of the outsider.     

Retention and treatment failure in Classwide Peer Tutoring: Implications for further research

Knowledge of basic arithmetic facts aids in the acquisition and speed of performance of arithmetic operations. A peer mediated instructional procedure, Classwide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), has been shown to increase the rates and accuracy of students responses to academic tasks and to improve student performance on a variety of academic tasks. The present investigation evaluated the retention of 100 subtraction items by primary grade-age children with mild disabilities using CWPT for 10 weeks. Short- and long-term retention of items, and rate of correct responding were assessed. Results indicated that the students' average pretest score was 58.0% correct, and their average weekly posttest score was 87.12 correct, a 27% improvement in accuracy. Short- and longer-term retention measured on posttests was 88.7 % and 85.0% correct, respectively. Improvement in students rate of accurate responding to subtraction items practiced during CWPT was obtained. Student failure to learn particular items was not attributable to fewer opportunities to practice these items, less accurate practice, or item difficulty. Students reported positive evaluation of CWPT and perceived positive social and self esteem outcomes. Directions for future research focusing on retention and analysis of treatment failure are suggested.