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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Methamphetamine use, aggressive behavior and other mental health issues among high-school students in Cape Town, South Africa
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 109, No. 1-3, Year 2010
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Description
Objective: Methamphetamine use has become a growing problem in a number of countries over the past two decades, but has only recently emerged in South Africa. This study investigated the prevalence of methamphetamine use among high-school students in Cape Town and whether students reporting methamphetamine use were more likely to be at risk for mental health and aggressive behavior problems. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 15 randomly selected high schools in Cape Town, of 1561 males and females grade 8-10 students (mean age 14.9), was conducted using the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Findings indicated that 9% of the students had tried methamphetamine at least once. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that methamphetamine use in the past year was significantly associated with higher aggressive behavior scores (OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.04-3.15, p<0.05), mental health risk scores (OR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.26-3.31, p<0.01) and depression scores (OR=2.65, 95% CI: 1.64-4.28, p<0.001). Conclusions: Methamphetamine use has become a serious problem in Cape Town, particularly among adolescents. Screening adolescents in school settings for methamphetamine use and behavior problems may be useful in identifying youth at risk for substance misuse, providing an opportunity for early intervention. These findings have implications for other parts of the world where methamphetamine use may be occurring at younger ages and highlight the importance of looking at co-morbid issues related to methamphetamine use. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Plüddemann, Andreas
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Flisher, Alan J.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Norway, Bergen
Universitetet I Bergen
McKetin, Rebecca
Australia, Sydney
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre
Parry, Charles D.H.
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
South Africa, Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University
Lombard, Carl J.
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Statistics
Citations: 125
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.11.021
ISSN:
03768716
Research Areas
Mental Health
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
South Africa
Participants Gender
Female