Renee Zahnow

ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND ITS IMPACT ON COMMUNITY SOCIAL COHESION AND NEIGHBORLY EXCHANGE

ABSTRACT: Putnam’s “constrict theory” suggests that ethnic diversity creates challenges for developing and sustaining social capital in urban settings. He argues that diversity decreases social cohesion and reduces social interactions among community residents. While Putnam’s thesis is the subject of much debate in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe, there is a limited focus on how ethnic diversity impacts upon social cohesion and neighborly exchange behaviors in Australia. Employing multilevel modeling and utilizing administrative and survey data from 4,000 residents living in 148 Brisbane suburbs, we assess whether ethnic diversity lowers social cohesion and increases “hunkering.” Our findings indicate that social cohesion and neighborly exchange are attenuated in ethnically diverse suburbs. However, diversity is less consequential for neighborly exchange among immigrants when compared to the general population. Our results provide at least partial support for Putnam’s thesis.

Moving on from representativeness: testing the utility of the Global Drug Survey

A decline in response rates in traditional household surveys, combined with increased internet coverage and decreased research budgets, has resulted in increased attractiveness of web survey research designs based on purposive and voluntary opt-in sampling strategies. In the study of hidden or stigmatised behaviours, such as cannabis use, web survey methods are increasingly common. However, opt-in web surveys are often heavily criticised due to their lack of sampling frame and unknown representativeness. In this article, we outline the current state of the debate about the relevance of pursuing representativeness, the state of probability sampling methods, and the utility of non-probability, web survey methods especially for accessing hidden or minority populations. Our article has two aims: (1) to present a comprehensive description of the methodology we use at Global Drug Survey (GDS), an annual cross-sectional web survey and (2) to compare the age and sex distributions of cannabis users who voluntarily completed (a) a household survey or (b) a large web-based purposive survey (GDS), across three countries: Australia, the United States, and Switzerland. We find that within each set of country comparisons, the demographic distributions among recent cannabis users are broadly similar, demonstrating that the age and sex distributions of those who volunteer to be surveyed are not vastly different between these non-probability and probability methods. We conclude that opt-in web surveys of hard-to-reach populations are an efficient way of gaining in-depth understanding of stigmatised behaviours and are appropriate, as long as they are not used to estimate drug use prevalence of the general population.

Change and stability in ethnic diversity across urban communities: explicating the influence of social cohesion on perceptions of disorder

A growing body of research shows that perceived community disorder is not solely driven by crime, but is influenced by the community’s social cohesion and ethnic composition. Drawing on two waves of survey data from 2509 and 2651 individuals in Wave 1 and Wave 2 respectively, living in 71 communities in Brisbane Australia, we examine changes in ethnic composition over two time periods and how these changes influence perceived neighbourhood disorder. We also test whether or not social cohesion mediates these associations. Our findings indicate that high proportions of Indigenous residents and high levels of reported crime averaged across time are associated with greater perceived disorder. Whereas increases in household income over time are associated with lower perceived disorder. We also find that social cohesion is strongly associated with perceived disorder over time, but does not mediate the relationship between the racial and ethnic composition of the community and disorder. Yet when a community’s social cohesion is considered, the effect of increasing household income becomes non-significant.

Neighborhood Guardianship and Property Crime Victimization

In this study, we assess the extent to which the availability of guardians, guardianship expectations, and guardianship actions explain the variation of neighborhood property crime rates and self-reported property crime victimization. Furthermore, we examine whether or not the strength of these relationships is moderated by the neighborhood composition. We use data from the Australian Community Capacity Study (ACCS), a survey of 4,000 respondents from 148 neighborhoods across Brisbane, Australia, and employ regression and multi-level regression techniques. We find that particular aspects of guardianship do protect against crime; however, the relationship between guardianship and crime is influenced by neighborhood diversity, disadvantage, and residential instability.

Adverse effects, health service engagement, and service satisfaction among anabolic androgenic steroid users

There are a number of adverse health effects associated with the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), ranging from mood disturbances to gynecomastia and impaired sexual function. Despite the potentially serious nature of adverse effects, evidence suggests that users are reluctant to seek medical assistance. This study explores factors associated with health service engagement and treatments related to service satisfaction among a sample of AAS users. The analyses are based on a sample of 195 respondents from the Global Drug Survey 2015 who reported using steroids in the previous 12-month period and experiencing concerns about adverse health effects. The results indicate reluctance among AAS users to engage with health services, with only 35.23% reporting that they visited a doctor when experiencing concerns about adverse effects. Concern about sexual function increased the likelihood that users engaged with health services, while concern about changes in sexual organs decreased the odds of service engagement. Among AAS users who engaged with health services, individuals who received a mental health assessment or diabetes test rated the service as more helpful than those who did not; a finding that resonates with literature indicating a desire among AAS users to monitor the health impacts of their drug use and respond to issues as they arise. While more research is needed, the present results underscore a need for nonjudgmental health services aimed at assisting AAS users to monitor adverse effects and minimize harm through early intervention.

Neighbourhood land use features, collective efficacy and local civic actions:

This paper explores the association between neighbourhood land use features and informal social control. More specifically, we examine the extent to which such features in combination with the socio-demographic context of the neighbourhood facilitate or impede collective efficacy and local civic actions. We achieve this through spatially integrating data from the census, topographic databases and a 2012 survey of 4132 residents from 148 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. The study creates a new classification of a neighbourhood’s physical environment by creating novel categories of land use features that depict social conduits, social holes and social wedges. Social conduits are features of the neighbourhood that facilitate interaction between individuals, social holes are land uses that create situations where there is no occupancy, and social wedges are features that carve up neighbourhoods. We find some evidence to suggest that residents’ reports of collective efficacy are higher in neighbourhoods with a greater density of social conduits. Density of social conduits is also positively associated with local civic action. However, in neighbourhoods with more greenspace, residents are less likely to engage in local civic actions.

The impact of drug policy liberalisation on willingness to seek help for problem drug use: A comparison of 20 countries

BACKGROUND While the impact of changing drug policies on rates of drug use has been investigated, research into how help-seeking behaviour changes as drug policies become more public-health focused is limited. This paper investigates reported changes in confidence to utilise drug services following hypothetical changes in national drug policy among a sample of individuals who report recent illicit drug use. We predict that liberalising national drug policy will increase the propensity for people who take illegal drugs to utilise health services. METHODS The data were drawn from a sample of self-reported responses to the 2014 Global Drug Survey. Respondents were asked if they would be more confident seeking help if each of the following policy changes were made in their country; a) drugs were legalised; b) penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs were reduced to a fine only; c) drugs were legally available through governments outlets. Multiple correspondence analysis and multinomial logistic regression with post-estimation linear hypothesis testing were conducted. RESULTS Individuals residing in countries with relatively liberal drug policy regimes report their help-seeking behaviour is unlikely to change given the hypothetical policy amendments. Individuals from countries with prohibition-based drug policies reported a far greater propensity for changing their help-seeking behaviour in the event of hypothetical policy amendments, citing reduced fear of criminal sanctions as the major reason. Age and sex differences were also found. CONCLUSION The current study demonstrates the capacity for national drug policy reform to influence drug use risk by facilitating or impeding health service engagement among individuals who use illicit substances. We suggest national drug policy requires careful consideration of both prevention goals and the needs of individuals already engaged in illicit substance use; more liberal drug policies may actually encourage the adoption of harm reduction strategies such as health service engagement.

Lessons from Queensland's last-drinks legislation: the use of extended trading permits

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS The association between alcohol availability, alcohol consumption and, in turn, alcohol-related harms is well established. Policies to reduce alcohol-related harms focus on limiting accessibility through the regulation of the liquor industry, including trading hours. On 1 July 2016, the Queensland Government introduced legislation to reduce ordinary liquor trading hours, replacing 5 am closing times with 3 am cessation of liquor sales in designated entertainment precincts and 2 am cessation of sales across the rest of the state. However, the amendment was under-inclusive and did not apply to temporary extended trading permits, a provision of the Liquor Act 1992 allowing one-off variations in trading hours for special events. DESIGN AND METHODS We use 24 months of data (1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016) from the Office of Liquor Gaming and Regulation to explore patterns of extended trading permit use across Queensland, pre- and post- 1 July 2016. RESULTS We find that following the Amendment in 2016 there was also a distinct shift in the utilisation of temporary extended trading permits, with a 63% increase in approved permits between 2015 and 2016. Temporal clustering around key calendar events dissipated following 1 July 2016 with consistent concentration of permit utilisation over consecutive weeks. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Using temporary extended trading permits venue owners avoided earlier closing times and continued to operate until 5 am. The findings provide lessons for future policy implementation by illustrating the capacity for under-inclusive legislation to result in the dilution of intended effects.

Neighbourhood social conduits and resident social cohesion

Given the importance of the neighbourhood context for residents’ social cohesion, the current study examines the association between types of social and non-social places on three indicators of social cohesion: neighbour networks, social cohesion and neighbourhood attachment. We spatially integrate data from the census, topographic databases and a 2012 survey of 4132 residents from 148 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia, and employ multilevel models to assess whether the variation in resident reports of social cohesion is attributable to land uses that function as neighbourhood social conduits. We also consider the degree to which neighbourhood fragmentation affects our indicators of social cohesion. Our findings reveal that even after controlling for the socio-demographic context of the neighbourhood and a range of individual and household control variables, residents’ reports of social cohesion are significantly associated with the types of social conduits, the diversity of land use and the degree of neighbourhood fragmentation.

A mapping review of evaluations of alcohol policy restrictions targeting alcohol-related harm in night-time entertainment precincts

BACKGROUND Alcohol-related harm in night-time entertainment precincts (NEPs) is disproportionately high for the amount of alcohol consumed within these areas. Previous evaluations of alcohol restrictions targeting NEPs have often looked at restrictions in isolation and not attempted to create a comprehensive theoretical explanation that takes multiple restrictions into account. The aim of this review is to establish which restrictions have been adequately evaluated in previous literature, and to identify any research which may provide the basis for a theoretical model that explains the interactions between different alcohol restrictions in NEPs and their combined impact on alcohol-related-harm. METHODS A mapping review was conducted to plot evaluations of the effectiveness of different alcohol restrictions in NEPs at reducing assault and injury rates (protocol PROSPERO 2017: CRD42017069773). Six databases and 145 websites were searched, results were categorised based on the type of restrictions evaluated: Outlet density, trading hours, lockouts, price, patron bans, and drinks restrictions. RESULTS Forty-eight articles were identified out of 20,743 returned by the systematic search. Thirty-five of these papers were original works, and 13 reviews. Outlet density was examined in 15 of the papers, trading hours in 30, lockouts in 21, price in 2, patron bans in 7 and drinks restrictions in 15. CONCLUSION No pre-existing theoretical models were identified. Outlet density, trading hours, and price restrictions all had evidence that suggested high levels of effectiveness in NEPs and would be suitable for inclusion in a theoretical model. More research is required before attempting to include lockouts, patron bans and drinks restrictions in a theoretical model. Future research should focus on establishing a theoretical model based on evidence of effective alcohol restrictions and gathering an evidence base for under-researched restrictions.