Vincent Wagner

Initiation of Addiction Treatment and Access to Services: Young Adults’ Accounts of Their Help-Seeking Experiences:

Substance addiction in young adults is particularly problematic. Yet, much remain at stake in understanding the specifics of this population’s access to services. The objective of this study is to explore young adults’ initiation of substance misuse treatment. Our study sample was composed of 35 individuals aged 18 to 30 with problematic psychoactive substance use who have been identified in criminal courts, hospital emergency departments, and Health and Social Services Centers in Québec (Canada). A thematic analysis was performed on the 62 semi-structured interviews conducted with participants. Three components emerged. First, personal elements—expectations, individual motivations, perceptions of use, and capacity to control it—influence initiation of substance misuse treatment. Second, family and peers have noticeable influences. Finally, system characteristics and prior care experiences also shape the process. Consideration should be given to tailor interventions that can reach young adults and encourage them to initiate appropriate care.

Time perspective and alcohol-use indicators in France and the United Kingdom: results across adolescents, university students, and treatment outpatients

Abstract While some research has reported a significant relationship between time perspective and alcohol use, that research has differed considerably in terms of how both variables are operationalized. The present study aimed to investigate this relationship by operationalizing time perspective in three ways, using raw scale scores, using temporal clusters, and using the Deviation from a Balanced Time Perspective approach. Additionally, age-appropriate measures of alcohol-related behavior were used, and alcohol scale scores were assessed as both an ordinal and a categorical measure. Data gathered in adolescents and university students in the United Kingdom were re-analyzed, and new data from a French university sample and a French Treatment Outpatient sample were analyzed. Overall, results using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test revealed a very modest relationship between scores on this measure and the various time perspective approaches. Results using the Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale suggested a stronger relationship between scores on this measure and the time perspective approaches. The results are discussed in the context of the extant literature, and methodological concerns specific to the use of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory are discussed.

Outpatient Addiction Treatment for Problematic Alcohol Use: What Makes Patients Who Dropped Out Different from Those Who Did Not?

ABSTRACT Background: A minority of individuals with problematic alcohol use effectively seek help. Moreover, dropouts from care are not uncommon. It remains a major concern for health professionals, as adherence to treatment is significantly associated with better physical and psychological outcomes. Objectives: The main aim of this research was to assess what factors could distinguish patients with problematic alcohol use who dropped out from those who did not. Methods: The sample included 150 patients followed-up in an outpatient treatment center in France for a problematic alcohol use. Two measurement times were planned: at the first appointment and after six month of treatment. A large set of individual, environmental and institutional variables were considered to compare both subgroups. Results: Patients who dropped out mostly differ from patients who did not with a higher level of alcohol-related problems, ambivalence, inclinations to use the substance, number of missed appointments. Significant results were also observed regarding a lower time gap between the first contact with the center and the first appointment, as well as the season of the last appointment. Conclusions: Tailored motivational interventions could be offered to ambivalent patients, especially during the beginning of the treatment and some significant periods of the year. A particular focus should be brought on patients presenting such profiles in terms of level of alcohol problems, inclinations to drink and motivation to change. Overall, the study provides elements to better understand what may bring one patient to drop out of the treatment, and to improve the continuity of care.

Accès au soin des joueurs problématiques de jeux vidéo

Video game playing can sometimes become problematic and involves a set of adverse effects for the player and his parents. However, only a few players really seek treatment. Research highlight barriers to treatment as factors hindering treatment-seeking process. The purpose of the current study is to explore perspectives of video game players’ parents on health access of problematic video game players. Particular attention is paid to barriers to treatment, help-seeking motivators, characteristics of video game playing, and face validity of a new tool designed to evaluate barriers to treatment of problematic video gamers. Semi-structured phone interviews were used. A mixed methodology was applied on a sample of 16 parents, parents who made a first call to a problematic gaming-specific local health center or parents of problematic players already enrolled in treatment program in the same specialized unit. Descriptive analysis were used on quantitative data and thematic analysis on qualitative data. Results show that help-seeking start when video game playing become a major, subjective, problem for the parents’ players. Furthermore, the parents give more insight on gaming activity: trajectory of use, characteristics of players’ gaming activity, motives and adverse effects. Presence of barriers to treatment is emphasized. Effects and sources of some internal barriers are particularly discussed. Face validity analysis isn’t fully completed. This study is, to our knowledge, one of the first to investigate health access of problematic video game players. Finally, some possible ways for improving problematic players’ help-seeking are suggested.

Liens entre la pratique problématique des jeux vidéo, l'anxiété-trait, l'urgence négative et le niveau de dépression, au sein d'une population clinique de joueurs

Problematique : La litterature scientifique traitant de la pratique problematique des jeux video, si elle n’a cesse de s’enrichir durant la derniere decennie, presente encore quelques lacunes, notamment concernant la comprehension des facteurs de risque. Cette etude se centre tout particulierement sur les relations entre l’anxiete-trait, l’urgence negative, le niveau de depression et la pratique problematique des jeux video. Methode : Cette etude interroge 38 joueurs en demande de soins, venus en evaluation au sein des locaux du Centre de Reference sur le Jeu Excessif, a Nantes. La procedure prevoit, en plus des mesures necessaires a la confirmation ou l’infirmation des hypotheses, l’evaluation de caracteristiques sociodemographiques et d’autres plus specifiques a la pratique de jeu. Le niveau de prevalence est aussi considere. Un certain nombre d’outils valides sont utilises. Il s’agit des versions francaises de l’inventaire d’anxiete etat-trait, forme Y (STAI-Y), de l’ UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS), de l’inventaire abrege de depression de Beck (BDI-13) ainsi que de la Problem Videogame Playing Scale (PVP). Des regressions lineaires simples sont envisagees pour verifier ou infirmer les hypotheses. Resultats : Les analyses effectuees montrent qu’il n’existe aucune relation lineaire entre le niveau d’urgence negative d’une part, celui de depression d’autre part, et le niveau de pratique problematique. De plus, le niveau d’anxiete-trait ne permet pas d’expliquer significativement le niveau de pratique problematique des jeux video. La prevalence observee au sein de cet echantillon varie de 3.85% a 76.92%, selon le format de mesure retenu. Les caracteristiques sociodemographiques et celles relatives a la pratique de jeu sont assez similaires a celles retrouvees dans la litterature. Discussion : Cette etude constitue l’une des rares etudes interrogeant une population clinique de joueurs de jeux video, qui plus est en France. Les donnees obtenues, toutes limites prises en compte, montrent que les relations evoquees par des etudes effectuees sur des populations tout-venant de joueurs ne peuvent se generaliser automatiquement aux joueurs problematiques. En ce qui concerne les facteurs associes a la pratique problematique, force est de constater que les relations a envisager semblent etre relativement complexes. Des interactions sont egalement a considerer. Des pistes pour les recherches futures sont finalement proposees.