Volatile solvent abuse is a growing problem that receives little research or treatment attention compared with other drug abuse problems. Whereas prevention programs and other societal factors are reducing the experimentation with a majority of drugs, solvent abuse appears to run its own independent course. Sociocultural Perspectives on Volatile Solvent Use gives you groundbreaking, vital information about the problem of solvent abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Drug treatment providers, clinical practitioners, and the general community can use the information in this book to understand the patterns of solvent abuse and implement prevention and treatment strategies for other groups within the larger culture. Among the first book-length publications on this problem, this volume helps you acknowledge the epidemic levels of solvent abuse and treat the problem with the urgency it deserves. Sociocultural Perspectives on Volatile Solvent Use defines the three subtypes of solvent users (young inhalant users, adolescent polydrug users, and adult users), presents a biobehavioral model of drug-taking behavior, and identifies the principal factors related to volatile solvent use. You will also learn the answers to prevention and treatment questions such as: Why does the use of solvents often occur in rapidly cycling epidemics? Can effective policy measures be introduced that will limit the availability of inhalable solvents? What is the optimal length of time needed for effective treatment? What level and type of neurological damage is caused by solvents, and is this damage reversible? What are the unique issues that must be addressed in relapse prevention and aftercare plans? The peculiar nature of solvent use places it outside the normal range of substance abuse research; thus, knowledge of the phenomenon is quite limited. Sociocultural Perspectives on Volatile Solvent Use addresses this challenge by bringing together a number of solvent abuse researchers to discuss the problem, kindle ideas and interest among others to explore this drug-taking behavior, and show you the clear need for continued inquiry into the phenomena of solvent use and abuse.

In recent years there has been a massive upsurge in academic, professional and lay interest in mortality. This is reflected in academic and professional literature, in the popular media and in the proliferation of professional roles and training courses associated with aspects of death and dying. Until now the majority of reference material on death and dying has been designed for particular disciplinary audiences and has addressed only specific academic or professional concerns. There has been an urgent need for an authoritative but accessible reference work reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the field. This Encyclopedia answers that need. The Encyclopedia of Death and Dying consolidates and contextualizes the disparate research that has been carried out to date. The phenomena of death and dying and its related concepts are explored and explained in depth, from the approaches of varied disciplines and related professions in the arts, social sciences, humanities, medicine and the sciences. In addition to scholars and students in the field-from anthropologists and sociologists to art and social historians - the Encyclopedia will be of interest to other professionals and practitioners whose work brings them into contact with dying, dead and bereaved people. It will be welcomed as the definitive death and dying reference source, and an essential tool for teaching, research and independent study.

This insightful volume describes a sample of prevention demonstration projects of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Substance Abuse Prevention in Multicultural Communities illuminates various aspects of prevention theory, practice, and research with a focus on the design, implementation, adaptation, and outcome of specific demonstration programs. Researchers work with prevention professionals to describe, measure, and intensify effects of interventions upon both intermediate problems and the ultimate long-term goal of decreasing substance abuse. Chapters in Substance Abuse Prevention in Multicultural Communities demonstrate how the CSAP demonstration logic model works. The process of prevention program design begins with an analysis of the root causes of the problem as defined by the specific community and illuminated by theory. Comprehensive prevention programs that buttress community strengths and build on local resources are then designed to deal with these problems. The programs you’ll learn from include: a leadership and substance abuse prevention program, based on the social influence model, for girls in grades 6-8 from four geographically and ethnically diverse communities a program intricately designed to build resiliency and protective factors within young at-risk American Indian children in a Head Start program which addresses school transition, school readiness, school attendance, and classroom-based prevention activities. a family skills training program for African American parents in substance abuse treatment, which evolved in response to client and evaluation feedback a program for Native American families, which uses a culturally oriented curriculum emphasizing traditional values, beliefs, and practices a coalition of neighborhood agencies, organized to provide a comprehensive array of school and community-based prevention services, which impacted gang membership in inner-city Latino youth. a prevention program specifically designed to serve the diverse needs of Asian-American youth from five different Asian ethnic communities a model substance abuse prevention program implemented to provide counseling, mentoring, and academic support to Hispanic and African-American students in an urban public middle school the nationally recognized FAST program which strengthens the family and brings parents and schools together in building up protective factors for high risk elementary students a program that combines several complementary strategies to develop personal and communal empowerment in Native American communities. Substance Abuse Prevention in Multicultural Communities illustrates the wealth of information generated by demonstration programs. Unlike a standard research protocol that imposes and tests a rigid, single-focused intervention under carefully controlled circumstances, these programs do science in real-life situations, documenting and measuring effects of multiple interventions.

The contributors examine the intersections of psychology & the law with regard to race & culture. As diversity gains increasing levels of respect in Western society, so this is becoming an evermore important topic of concern.

Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, Volume 2: Stimulants, Club and Dissociative Drugs, Hallucinogens, Steroids, Inhalants and International Aspects is the second of three volumes in this informative series and offers a comprehensive examination of the adverse consequences of the most common drugs of abuse. Each volume serves to update the reader’s knowledge on the broader field of addiction as well as to deepen understanding of specific addictive substances. Volume 2 addresses stimulants, club and dissociative drugs, hallucinogens, and inhalants and solvents. Each section provides data on the general, molecular and cellular, and structural and functional neurological aspects of a given substance, with a focus on the adverse consequences of addictions. Research shows that the neuropathological features of one addiction are often applicable to those of others, and understanding these commonalties provides a platform for studying specific addictions in more depth and may ultimately lead researchers toward new modes of understanding, causation, prevention, and treatment. However, marshalling data on the complex relationships between addictions is difficult due to the myriad material and substances. Offers a modern approach to understanding the pathology of substances of abuse, offering an evidence-based ethos for understanding the neurology of addictions Fills an existing gap in the literature by serving as a “one-stop-shopping synopsis of everything to do with the neuropathology of drugs of addiction and substance misuse Includes in each chapter: list of abbreviations, abstract, introduction, applications to other addictions and substance misuse, mini-dictionary of terms, summary points, 6+ figures and tables, and full references Offers coverage of preclinical, clinical, and population studies, from the cell to whole organs, and from the genome to whole body

In 1994 a group of researchers and decision makers met to discuss the state of child welfare. Also present were a few practitioners and two youth in care. Six years later, when they met again, the number of practitioners and youth had grown considerably and were joined by a strong contingent of foster parents. Thus the findings and insights presented were affirmed or challenged by those most affected -- those on the front line. It was an exciting event, worth capturing in book form. Kathleen Kufeldt and Brad McKenzie have gathered the papers presented at the 2000 Symposium and have organised them under four themes: incidence and characteristics of child maltreatment; the continuum of care; policy and practice; and future directions. An analysis and synthesis of the work informs each of these themes, while an eight-point research agenda developed in an earlier symposium is used to assess developments to date and provide guidance for the future.

Every day brings new headlines about climate change as politicians debate how to respond, scientists offer new data, and skeptics critique the validity of the research. To step outside these scientific and political debates, Timothy Leduc engages with various Inuit understandings of northern climate change. What he learns is that today’s climate changes are not only affecting our environments, but also our cultures. By focusing on the changes currently occurring in the north, he highlights the challenges being posed to Western climate research, Canadian politics and traditional Inuit knowledge. Climate, Culture, Change sheds light on the cultural challenges posed by northern warming and proposes an intercultural response that is demonstrated by the blending of Inuit and Western perspectives.