Reports of substance use in Zimbabwe paint a concerning picture of escalating prevalence of use, with over half of people admitted to inpatient mental health units reportedly experiencing a substance induced disorder. The country has gone through decades of significant political and socio-economical challenges, which are undoubtedly linked to the observed increases in substances use. Nevertheless, despite the resource constraints to adequately address substance use, the government has shown a renewed resolve to provide a comprehensive approach to address substance use in the country. However, there is a lack of clarity of the nature and extent of substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs), which in part is due to a lack of a national monitoring system for substance use in the country. Moreover, reports of a substance use crisis in Zimbabwe are predominantly based on anecdotal evidence, limiting the ability to gain an accurate picture of the situation. Therefore, a scoping review of the primary empirical evidence of substance use and SUDs is proposed in order to develop an adequately informed understanding of the nature of substance use and SUDs in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the review will embed an assessment of the response to substance use, together with an analysis of the policy landscape on substance use in Zimbabwe. The PRISMA-ScR checklist will be utilised for the write up. The results of the scoping review will be essential for identifying the current state of knowledge around substance use, and identify gaps in knowledge and policy that would be a catalyst for further work to enhance knowledge and develop solutions situated within the local context. Thus the present work presents a timely effort that capitalises on current efforts by the government to address substance use in the country.
It is widely acknowledged that there is an awarding gap in higher education, with proportionally more White students achieving a good honours degree as compared to their minoritised ethnic counterparts. Furthermore, the gap is largest between Black and White students, hence necessitating the need to understand the perspectives of Black students on perceived reasons for the awarding gap. Thus the present study aimed to explore the perspectives of Black undergraduate Psychology students through the use of qualitative methodology. Sixteen participants took part in two focus groups, which were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Three main themes emerged, with participants describing being exposed to signals of unbelonging such as negative racial stereotypes and microaggressions. Within this theme, they also spoke about their responses to these signals of unbelonging, such as conforming to perceived White norms in an effort to belong and feel ‘normal’. Participants also spoke about the role played by parental influence and relationships on their academic experience. They also discussed experiences with university tutors that were deemed unfavourable. It is thus imperative that higher education institutions actively engage their Black and ethnic minority students in order to understand their experiences, and foster a sense of belonging at university. Furthermore, the findings in regards to parental influence are discussed through the lens of addressing structural inequalities in widening participation efforts.
Purpose-Factors influencing cannabis use have been previously identified mainly 4 using multivariate approaches. However, there is a dearth of information collected 5 from the perspective of the adolescent cannabis user, in particular for voluntary 6 abstinences. This was the present study's aim. 7Methodology-38 cannabis users were identified from a sample of 261 adolescents 8 recruited from schools. They completed open ended questions identifying reasons for 9 voluntary abstinences. Thematic analysis was used to assess their responses. 10 Findings-Voluntary abstinences by cannabis users were influenced by both internal 11 and external factors. These were; the user's state of mind, an attempt to quit, negative 12 effects of cannabis, prior to important events, prior to family interactions and peers. 13 Research limitations/implications -The results show that adolescent cannabis users 14are flexible in their approach to using cannabis, being able to briefly stop when the 15 situation warrants it. However, the study is limited by a lack of in-depth and rich data, 16 limiting the scope of the analysis. 17Originality value-This is the first study to identify reasons for voluntary abstinences 18 from the user's perspective in adolescent cannabis users. 19 20
Reports of substance use in Zimbabwe paint a concerning picture of escalating prevalence of use, with over half of people admitted to inpatient mental health units reportedly experiencing a substance induced disorder. The country has gone through decades of significant political and socio-economical challenges, which are undoubtedly linked to the observed increases in substances use. Nevertheless, despite the resource constraints to adequately address substance use, the government has shown a renewed resolve to provide a comprehensive approach to address substance use in the country. However, there is a lack of clarity of the nature and extent of substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs), which in part is due to a lack of a national monitoring system for substance use in the country. Moreover, reports of a substance use crisis in Zimbabwe are predominantly based on anecdotal evidence, limiting the ability to gain an accurate picture of the situation. Therefore, a scoping review of the primary empirical evidence of substance use and SUDs is proposed in order to develop an adequately informed understanding of the nature of substance use and SUDs in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the review will embed an assessment of the response to substance use, together with an analysis of the policy landscape on substance use in Zimbabwe. The PRISMA-ScR checklist will be utilised for the write up. The results of the scoping review will be essential for identifying the current state of knowledge around substance use, and identify gaps in knowledge and policy that would be a catalyst for further work to enhance knowledge and develop solutions situated within the local context. Thus the present work presents a timely effort that capitalises on current efforts by the government to address substance use in the country.
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