Circumstances of Substance Use by Street Youth in Egypt Support the Case for Intervening to Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences
| Autor: | Magdy Garas, Doa’a A. Saleh, Dina N. K. Boulos, Sania Amr, Christopher A. Loffredo, Irene Anne Jillson |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Child abuse
medicine.medical_specialty Health (social science) Addiction media_common.quotation_subject 030508 substance abuse Medicine (miscellaneous) Poison control Human factors and ergonomics medicine.disease Suicide prevention humanities Article Substance abuse 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Injury prevention medicine Domestic violence 030212 general & internal medicine 0305 other medical science Psychology Psychiatry media_common |
| Popis: | BACKGROUND: Egyptian street youth use substances including tobacco, illicit drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs. To understand the circumstances, including adverse childhood experiences, that place adolescents at risk for engaging in substance use, we conducted in-depth interviews among a sample of Egyptian street children. METHODS: From youth residing at or attending Caritas, a non-profit organization, which provides shelter and education to street youth, seven girls and twelve boys, aged 12 to 18 years, participated in open-ended, in-depth interviews. RESULTS: Eight out of the 19 participants reported family history (early exposure) to substance use; and seven of them were initiated by either a family member (sibling), friend or coworker. Most of the participants reported a history of conflict with or abuse (verbal or physical) by their parents or siblings, or stressful situations at home; they used substance(s) to alleviate their stress. Few attended school, and some were forced to work and help their family. CONCLUSIONS: Among Egyptian youth, adverse childhood experiences, such as poverty, child abuse, and family substance use, challenge somewhat susceptible youths and lead them to the path of substance use and addiction. Prevention intervention should be multifaceted, culturally adaptable, and primarily targeting the social environment during childhood. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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