Louis Gliksman

The prevalence of elevated psychological distress among Canadian undergraduates: findings from the 1998 Canadian Campus Survey.

Abstract For a study of elevated psychological distress, the authors used data based on a national probability sample of 7,800 Canadian undergraduate students from 16 universities. They used the 12-item General Health Questionnaire to assess mental health. Thirty percent of the students in the sample reported elevated psychological distress, which varied significantly according to sex, region, year of study, and recreational and academic orientation. Rates of elevated distress were significantly higher among the students than among the general population in Canada.

Multilevel analysis of situational drinking among Canadian undergraduates

Using a multi-level approach, we examined the contribution of drinking setting characteristics and of individual characteristics on the alcohol intake per drinking occasion. The data are drawn from the Canadian Campus Survey, a national mail survey conducted in 1998 with a random sample of 8,864 students in 18 universities. For each student, up to five drinking occasions were investigated, resulting in 26,348 drinking occasions among 6,850 drinkers. At the individual level this study focused on the university life experience. At the situational level, information about alcohol intake was recorded relative to why, when, where and with whom drinking occurred. Our results show that drinking setting is as important as the individual characteristics in explaining the alcohol intake per occasion. Policies aimed at reducing students alcohol intake may be more beneficial if they address both situational and individual factors.

The effect of the Safer Bars programme on physical aggression in bars: results of a randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Safer Bars, an intervention to reduce aggression in bars. A total of 734 pre - post-intervention observations were conducted by trained observers on Friday and Saturday nights between midnight and 2 a.m. in 18 large capacity ( > 300) Toronto bars and clubs assigned randomly to receive the intervention (69% participation rate of the 26 assigned) and 12 control bars. As part of the intervention, owners/managers completed the risk assessment workbook to identify ways of reducing environmental risks, and 373 staff and owners/managers (84% participation rate) attended a 3-hour training session focused on preventing escalation of aggression, working as a team and resolving problem situations safely. The main outcome measures were rates of severe aggression (e.g. punching, kicking) and moderate physical aggression (e.g. shoving, grappling). Hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) comparing pre - post aggression for intervention versus control bars indicated a significant effect of the intervention in reducing severe and moderate aggression. This effect was moderated by turnover of managers and door/security staff with higher post-intervention aggression associated with higher turnover in the intervention bars. The findings indicate the potential for a stand-alone relatively brief intervention to reduce severe and moderate physical aggression in bars.

Social costs of untreated opioid dependence.

Using cost-of-illness methodology applied to a comprehensive survey of 114 daily opiate users not currently in or seeking treatment for their addiction, we estimated the 1996 social costs of untreated opioid dependence in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). The survey collected data on social and demographic characteristics, drug use history, physical and mental health status, the use of health care and substance treatment services, drug use modality and sex-related risks of infectious diseases, sources of income, as well as criminality and involvement with the law enforcement system. The annual social cost generated by this sample, calculated at Canadian

ILLICIT OPIATES IN TORONTO: A PROFILE OF CURRENT USERS

5.086 million, is explained mostly by crime victimization (44.6%) and law enforcement (42.4%), followed by productivity losses (7.0%) and the utilization of health care (6.1%). Applying the

Reducing Problems Through Municipal Alcohol Policies: the Canadian experiment in Ontario

13,100 cost to the estimated 8,000 to 13,000 users and 2.456 million residents living in Toronto yields a range of social cost between

Alcohol and Other Drug Use by Ontario University Students: The roles of gender, age, year of study, academic grades, place of residence and programme of study [1]

43 and

Consequences of alcohol use: behavior changes and problems during first year of university.

69 per capita.

The Impact of a High School Alcohol Education Program Utilizing a Live Theatrical Performance: A Comparative Study:

Untreated opiate use remains a significant problem in most jurisdictions. As a precursor to developing appropriate treatments and to encouraging these individuals to seek treatment, it is essential that the characteristics of this population be understood. The present study was designed to serve a number of purposes, one of which was to describe the characteristics of a sample of opiate users in Toronto, Canada who were not currently in treatment. One hundred fourteen users using opiates regularly who were not in treatment and who were not actively seeking treatment were recruited through a variety of techniques and then interviewed. The study reports on the demographic characteristics of this sample (age, gender, housing, income and income sources), as well as their drug use patterns, health status, previous treatment history and other lifestyle issues. The results suggest that the sample is relatively healthy, that most of them are users of injectable and prescription opiates as well as other controlled...

Toronto Drug Treatment Court: Participant Intake Characteristics as Predictors of "Successful" Program Completion

In Canada, policy governing the consumption of alcohol is administered by provincial governments. The province of Ontario grants municipalities the local option to sell or not sell alcohol. Increasingly, Ontario municipalities are applying this option to their municipally-owned or managed facilities in an attempt to reduce problems related to alcohol use. These facilities include indoor facilities such as arenas, community centres, community halls, and senior centres, as well as outdoor recreational areas such as parks, beaches, stadia, and sports fields where alcohol may be served at specially licensed social and recreational events. These events are usually operated by inexperienced volunteers who, at times, serve participants to intoxication. This contributes to vandalism, fights, injuries, and impaired driving arid other problems. Such occurrences not only result in license suspensions and criminal charges, but also in use of police time and in civil litigation. This paper will describe the policy mod...