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The Light And The Nothing: Escapism In Ready Player One And Confessions Of An English Opium-Eater, Katherine Bodkin

English Senior Capstone

In their novels Ready Player One and Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, Ernest Cline and Thomas De Quincey shed light on the individual and societal desire to escape pain and suffering. The drastically different time periods of these two stories show that addiction and avoidance have been plaguing humans for centuries. These characters’ unhealthy use of escapism serves as a warning to readers about the dangers of identifying oneself within a false reality. Ultimately, both characters exemplify that placing one’s agency within a false reality renders one completely powerless. When one accepts their inability to change their undesirable pasts …

Deep Brain Stimulation For Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nour Shaheen, Ahmed Shaheen, Can Sarica, Arun Singh, Mario Zanaty, Karim Johari, Andrew Yang, Theresa Zesiewicz, Brian Dalm, Yarema Bezchlibnyk, Andres M Lozano, Oliver Flouty

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health issue with a high mortality rate. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promising results in treating SUD in certain cases. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of DBS in the treatment of SUD and reduction of relapse rates.

METHODS: We performed a thorough and methodical search of the existing scientific literature, adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, to identify 16 original studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We used the evidence levels recommended by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine to assess bias. The R version …

Social Media: A Tool For Discipleship, Allen James Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to equip students within The Next Generation Ministry at Christ Community Church Pinehurst with social media as a tool for discipleship. The academic literature reviewed reveals that social media introduces significant levels of influence, causes addictive habits, and often results in overconsumption of content. To determine if these aspects could be overcome, an intervention was developed to train and equip a group of thirteen participants to avoid those traits and instead use social media as a tool for discipleship. The research shows that it is possible for social media to be …

An Apologetic For The Reliability Of Biblical Doctrine From Pornography Addiction And Recovery, Jacob A. Arrieta

Masters Theses

Sexual ethics (in general) and pornography (in particular) are incredibly hot topics in postmodern culture. The biblical sexual ethic, which was once normative across much of the Global West since the rise and spread of Christianity, is now viewed as outdated and oppressive in a postmodern culture that values individual freedoms above all else. No longer are institutions seen as trustworthy bastions of truth to help shape individuals into good people or proper citizens of a nation. Expert opinions are no longer sought out and used to shape and form the individuals’ thoughts on a given topic unless they support …

Computational Design And Molecular Modeling Of Morphine Derivatives For Preferential Binding In Inflamed Tissue, Makena Augenstein, Nayiri Alexander, Matthew Gartner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The opioid epidemic has impacted over 10 million Americans in 2019. Opioids, like morphine, bind non-selectively in both peripheral tissue, leading to effective pain relief, and central tissue, resulting in dangerous side effects and addiction. The inflamed conditions of injured tissues have a lower pH (pH = 6–6.5) environment than healthy tissue (pH = 7.4). We aim to design a morphine derivative that binds selectively within inflamed tissue using molecular extension and dissection techniques. Morphine binds to the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) when the biochemically active amine group is protonated. Fluorination of a β-carbon from the tertiary amine group led to …

Escalating Costs Of Self-Injury Mortality In The 21st Century United States: An Interstate Observational Study., Ian Rh Rockett, Bina Ali, Eric D. Caine, Donald S. Shepard, Aniruddha Banerjee, Kurt B. Nolte, Hilary S. Connery, G Luke Larkin, Steven Stack, Franklin M M White, Haomiao Jia, Jeralynn S. Cossman, Judith Feinberg, Amanda N. Stover, Ted R. Miller

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Estimating the economic costs of self-injury mortality (SIM) can inform health planning and clinical and public health interventions, serve as a basis for their evaluation, and provide the foundation for broadly disseminating evidence-based policies and practices. SIM is operationalized as a composite of all registered suicides at any age, and 80% of drug overdose (intoxication) deaths medicolegally classified as 'accidents,' and 90% of corresponding undetermined (intent) deaths in the age group 15 years and older. It is the long-term practice of the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to subsume poisoning (drug and nondrug) deaths …

Utilizing Primary Care To Engage Patients On Opioids In A Psychological Intervention For Chronic Pain, Sikander Chohan, Lyuba Gavrilova Bs, Leah Hect, Kristi Autio, Erin Tobin, Brian K. Ahmedani, Lisa R. Miller-Matero

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Chronic pain is commonly encountered in primary care. It is often treated with opioids, which can cause overdose and death. Psychological interventions are an effective alternative, yet difficulty engaging patients with opioid prescriptions has led to their underutilization. Offering these interventions in primary care settings may alleviate this barrier.

Objective: Determine whether opioid prescriptions are related to patients engaging in a brief psychological intervention for chronic pain management in primary care.

Study Design: Secondary analysis of a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a 5-session psychological intervention for chronic pain. Patients with chronic pain (N= 220) were approached to …

The Feasibility And Utility Of Harnessing Digital Health To Understand Clinical Trajectories In Medication Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder: D-Tect Study Design And Methodological Considerations, Lisa A. Marsch, Ching-Hua Chen, Sara R. Adams, Asma Asyyed, Monique B. Does, Saeed Hassanpour, Emily Hichborn, Melanie Jackson-Morris, Nicholas C. Jacobson, Heather K. Jones, David Kotz, Chantal A. Lambert-Harris, Zhiguo Li, Bethany Mcleman, Varun Mishra, Catherine Stanger, Geetha Subramaniam, Weiyi Wu, Cynthia I. Campbell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Introduction: Across the U.S., the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the rates of opioid overdoses have risen precipitously in recent years. Several effective medications for OUD (MOUD) exist and have been shown to be life-saving. A large volume of research has identified a confluence of factors that predict attrition and continued substance use during substance use disorder treatment. However, much of this literature has examined a small set of potential moderators or mediators of outcomes in MOUD treatment and may lead to over-simplified accounts of treatment non-adherence. Digital health methodologies offer great promise for capturing intensive, longitudinal ecologically-valid …

Nicu Nurses’ Varying Levels Of And Experiences With Moral Distress While Caring For Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Sarah Battaglia

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is both a physical and psychological dependence on opioids. When a woman with OUD becomes pregnant, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) can occur in her child. NAS occurs when the infant shows manifestations of withdrawal, due to the exposure to opioids in the womb being abruptly discontinued once born. Nurses that care for mothers with OUD and their infants with NAS report varying degrees of moral distress related to preexisting stigmas, a lack of education on the chronic disease of addiction, and the multitude of ethical dilemmas experienced while caring for this vulnerable population of mothers …

Pornography A Public Health Crisis In Utah, Candace A. Green

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal is to reduce Utah’s teenage pornography consumption by 25% through the implementation of an in-home program where parents and guardians can learn communication skills, teach their children about the risk factors and dangers of pornography addiction, and apply prevention strategies and protective measures in their own home.

Significant Findings: Pornography use is more prevalent now than at any other time in history. Much of this can be attributed to our cell phones and the 24-hour internet access we have at our fingertips which makes viewing sexually explicit material a few seconds away at all times. Utah …

Impact Of A Reduced Nicotine Standard On Young Adult Appeal For Menthol And Non-Menthol Cigarettes, Amy M. Cohn, Rachel Cassidy, Rachel Denlinger-Apte, Eric Donny, Andrea C. Villanti, Dorothy Hatsukami, Delaney Dunn, Riley Wyatt, Taylor Niznik, Tamar Cohen-Davidyan, Michael Smith, Sarah J. Ehlke

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes as a strategy to promote cessation and reduce smoking-related harm. A low nicotine product standard will apply to all cigarettes on the market, including menthol cigarettes. In December 2021, the FDA approved a modified risk tobacco product application for menthol and non-menthol flavoured very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNC) from the 22nd Century Group. Notably, experimentation with menthol cigarettes is linked to smoking progression, as well as greater nicotine dependence relative to non-menthol cigarette use. If menthol VLNCs are perceived as more appealing than …

Addictive Technology And Its Implications For Antitrust Enforcement, James Niels Rosenquist, Fiona M. Scott Morton, Samuel N. Weinstein

Articles

The advent of mobile devices and digital media platforms in the past decade represents the biggest shock to cognition in human history. Robust medical evidence is emerging that digital media platforms are addictive and, when used in excess, harmful to users’ mental health. Other types of addictive products, like tobacco and prescription drugs, are heavily regulated to protect consumers. Currently, there is no regulatory structure protecting digital media users from these harms. Antitrust enforcement and regulation that lowers entry barriers could help consumers of social media by increasing competition. Economic theory tells us that more choice in digital media will …

Bibliometric Survey On The Effects Of Technology Addiction, Dipashri Sisodiya Miss, Dhanya Pramod Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In today’s technology-centric era, our lives have become vastly dependent on the internet. The internet is widely used for social media to connect, communicate, share and collaborate. However, constant usage of technology can increase compulsion or addiction. This bibliometric survey describes the various types of effects of technology addiction on Human body. The purpose of this research is to examine the different types of technology addiction research published in the journal between 2001 to 2020 in different regions in the World. The Bibliometric analysis is done using Scopus. Scopus and VOS Viewer were used to plot a recurrence of keywords, …

Transcriptional Analysis Of The Response Of C. Elegans To Ethanol Exposure, Mark G. Sterken, Marijke H. Van Wijk, Elizabeth C. Quamme, Joost A. G. Riksen, Lucinda Carnell, Laura D. Mathies, Andrew G. Davies, Jan E. Kammenga, Jill C. Bettinger

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Ethanol-induced transcriptional changes underlie important physiological responses to ethanol that are likely to contribute to the addictive properties of the drug. We examined the transcriptional responses of Caenorhabditis elegans across a timecourse of ethanol exposure, between 30 min and 8 h, to determine what genes and genetic pathways are regulated in response to ethanol in this model. We found that short exposures to ethanol (up to 2 h) induced expression of metabolic enzymes involved in metabolizing ethanol and retinol, while longer exposure (8 h) had much more profound effects on the transcriptome. Several genes that are known to be involved …

Gaming Disorder And Well-Being Among Emirati College Women, Marina Verlinden, Justin Thomas, Mahra Hasan Abdulla Ahamed Almansoori, Shamil Wanigaratne

All Works

Background: The present study examined Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and depressive symptom levels among a predominantly female sample of college students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: IGD was assessed among two successive cohorts of students at the beginning of the academic year in 2016 and 2019, respectively. All participants (n = 412) completed the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) and the WHO-5 Well-being Index (WHO-5), a tool widely used for the screening and assessment of depressive symptomatology. Results: Mean IGDS9-SF scores (15.85, SD = 6.40) were fairly similar to those observed in other nations. The prevalence …

Neurocognitive Empowerment For Addiction Treatment (Neat): Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial., Hamed Ekhtiari, Tara Rezapour, Brionne Sawyer, Hung-Wen Yeh, Rayus Kuplicki, Mimi Tarrasch, Martin P. Paulus, Robin Aupperle

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive deficits (NCDs) and associated meta-cognition difficulties associated with chronic substance use often delay the learning and change process necessary for addiction recovery and relapse prevention. However, very few cognitive remediation programs have been developed to target NCDs and meta-cognition for substance users. The study described herein aims to investigate the efficacy of a multi-component neurocognitive rehabilitation and awareness program termed "Neurocognitive Empowerment for Addiction Treatment" (NEAT). NEAT is a fully manualized, cartoon-based intervention involving psychoeducation, cognitive practice, and compensatory strategies relevant across 10 major cognitive domains, including aspects of attention, memory, executive functions, and decision-making.

METHOD/DESIGN: In a …

Testing The Use Of A Social Networking App For American Indians Recovering From Addiction, Nicholas Guenzel, Dennis Mcchargue, Hongying Dai

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: American Indians (AIs) have higher rates of addiction than most other groups. Social networking mobile apps are growing in popularity but their use has not been studied among AIs specifically. Methods: This paper describes a pilot program in which 27 AIs recovering from addiction were given access to a mobile app to support addiction recovery (Sober Grid) for up to six months. They completed a technology acceptability survey, monthly surveys of cravings, social connectedness, and quality of life, and a follow-up survey. Their use of the app was also tracked. Findings: We found that individuals in the sample often …

A Whale Of A Tale: Gaming Disorder And Spending And Their Associations With Ad Watching In Role-Playing And Loot-Box Gaming, Samuel M. Tham, Gregory P. Perreault

School of Advertising & Mass Communications Faculty Publications

Mobile games featuring the loot-box design are associated with gambling because of the uncertainty in the value of the purchase and the propensity for gamers to keep spending. Role-playing games (RPGs) have been associated with gaming disorders because of the addictiveness and immersion experienced by gamers. Advertisers have capitalized on this gaming trend by having gamers watch advertisements, often in return for earning in-game currency. In this study, we explored the intersection of role-playing and loot-box mobile gaming, in particular examining the association with gaming disorders and ad watching and the role of game spending. An online survey was conducted …

Internet Pornography Addiction In The Treatment Of Heterosexual Dyadic Relationships: A Literature Review, Sarah Ogier-Bloomer

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The following dissertation provides a thorough literature review of internet pornography and internet pornography addiction for psychologists treating heterosexual couples in therapy and those training said clinicians. Factors that contribute to the development of compulsive sexual behavior are discussed, as well as how the addiction is maintained through reinforcing cycles. Factors including neuropsychological effects of neurotransmitters on the pleasure-reward system, insecure attachment, and childhood development provide insight into the manifestation of an addiction to pornography. Therefore, a thorough literature review on these aspects is necessary for current clinicians, as well as for those who are training clinicians. In addition, questionnaires …

A Markov Chain Approach For Forecasting Progression Of Opioid Addiction, Abhijit Gosavi, Susan L. Murray, N. Karagiannis

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The U.S. is currently facing an opioid crisis. Naltrexone is a common treatment for drug addiction; it reduces the desire to take opiates. However, addicts often stop treatment or continue to use opioids while in treatment. This results in increased fatalities and associated costs. A Markov-chain model is presented to analyze the progression of opioid addiction to assist the medical community in developing appropriate treatments. The model includes patients who continue opiate use while on naltrexone (blocked patients) and those who use opiates after missing naltrexone doses (unblocked patients). The other types of patients are abstinent (the best-case scenario) and …

Promoting Healthy Decision-Making Via Natural Environment Exposure: Initial Evidence And Future Directions, Meredith S. Berry, Meredith A. Repke, Alexander L. Metcalf, Kerry Jordan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research within psychology and other disciplines has shown that exposure to natural environments holds extensive physiological and psychological benefits. Adding to the health and cognitive benefits of natural environments, evidence suggests that exposure to nature also promotes healthy human decision-making. Unhealthy decision-making (e.g., smoking, non-medical prescription opioid misuse) and disorders associated with lack of impulse control [e.g., tobacco use, opioid use disorder (OUD)], contribute to millions of preventable deaths annually (i.e., 6 million people die each year of tobacco-related illness worldwide, deaths from opioids from 2002 to 2017 have more than quadrupled in the United States alone). Impulsive and unhealthy …

Social Work, Ethics And Vulnerable Groups In The Time Of Coronavirus And Covid-19, Kathleen J. Farkas, Jaroslaw Richard Romaniuk

Faculty Scholarship

The profession of social work is dedicated to the betterment of society and to the protection of marginalized and vulnerable groups. The profession’s mission is detailed in the set of seven core values: service; social justice; dignity and work of the person; importance of human relationships; integrity; and competence. Relationships between people and among groups are the primary tools of social work assessment, intervention and evaluation. In the time of coronavirus and COVID-19, there are many challenges for professional practitioners to adhere to social work’s core values as well as to maintain their own health and welfare in a time …

Hiring Individuals In Addiction Recovery: Characteristics, Levels Of Concern And Willingness, Alicia B. Becton, Sara Werner Juarez, Roy K. Chen

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research suggests employment is a key factor in an individual’s recovery and employer’s views have historically limited opportunities for highly marginalized groups. Objectives: This study provides an analysis of views among employers regarding the hiring of individuals in addiction recovery. Methods: A convenience sample of 382 employers affiliated with the chambers of commerce was recruited to participate in this study. The authors used descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze data received through an online questionnaire. Results: The results suggest gender influences the views of employers to hire individuals in recovery. Women are more likely to hire individuals in recovery …

Workshop On The Development And Evaluation Of Digital Therapeutics For Health Behavior Change: Science, Methods, And Projects, Alan J. Budney, Lisa A. Marsch, Will M. Aklin, Jacob T. Borodovsky, Mary F. Brunette, Andrew T. Campbell, Jesse Dallery, David Kotz, Ashley A. Knapp, Sarah E. Lord, Edward V. Nunes, Emily A. Scherer, Catherine Stanger, William C. Torrey

Dartmouth Scholarship

The health care field has integrated advances into digital technology at an accelerating pace to improve health behavior, health care delivery, and cost-effectiveness of care. The realm of behavioral science has embraced this evolution of digital health, allowing for an exciting roadmap for advancing care by addressing the many challenges to the field via technological innovations. Digital therapeutics offer the potential to extend the reach of effective interventions at reduced cost and patient burden and to increase the potency of existing interventions. Intervention models have included the use of digital tools as supplements to standard care models, as tools that …

Population Demographics: Predictors Of The Relationship Between Alcohol Use Disorder And Major Depression, Mei Grace Behrendt

Honors Theses

This thesis examines both biological and social explanations of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and major depression (MD) through a thorough review of current literature. Using multiple logistic regression analyses exploring the sociodemographic and alcohol use factors that contribute to reporting of major depression symptoms with data from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this thesis demonstrates how there are health disparities that exist among different demographic populations. Specifically, certain demographic characteristics such as racial or ethnic identity, gender, and socioeconomic status may contribute to increased risk of developing and reporting episodes of lifetime and past year major …

Internet Addiction And The Relationship To Self And Interpersonal Functioning Within The Alternative Model For Personality Disorders (Ampd): Implications For Psychosocial Development, Lori L. Woehler

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Internet addictive use inclusive of inextricably interconnected mobile devices, applications, and social media predicts diminished Self and Interpersonal functioning. Internet addiction research is burdened by conflicting theoretical views, lack of standardized definitions and criteria, and the use of assessment measures adapted from those used for substance use disorders. Alternative and dimensional diagnostic models for internet addiction through a psychosocial developmental lens might further understanding of Internet addiction and reduce challenges which impact the ability to advance research and achieve clinically useful, culturally informed, and evidence-based practices for the assessment and treatment of Internet addiction.

Scientometric Study Of Literature Output On Internet Addiction In Children From 1999-2018, Janarthanan Pichai, Nithyanandam Kannan Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Internet addiction. Phone addiction. Technology addiction, now a days all the parents are expressing worries that their children are addicted to their devices. Children, who become addicted to the Net, are mostly allured by online games initially. However, they may eventually be exposed to unwanted or obscene content on the Net or even commit a cybercrime. The data is collected from PubMed database using keyword search. The collected data is analyzed for total number of publications on Internet addiction in children, authorship pattern, geographical wise contribution, most prolific author contributions, most affiliated institute, relative growth rate and so on. From …

Digital Addiction: A Conceptual Overview, Amarjit Kumar Singh, Pawan Kumar Singh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Digital addiction referred to an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of digital devices, digital technologies, and digital platforms, i.e. internet, video game, online platforms, mobile devices, digital gadgets, and social network platform. It is an emerging domain of Cyberpsychology (Singh, Amarjit Kumar and Pawan Kumar Singh; 2019), which explore a problematic usage of digital media, device, and platforms by being obsessive and excessive. This article analyses, reviewed the current research, and established a conceptual overview on the digital addiction. The research literature on digital addiction has proliferated. However, we tried to categories the digital addiction, according …

Single-Cell Glia And Neuron Gene Expression In The Central Amygdala In Opioid Withdrawal Suggests Inflammation With Correlated Gut Dysbiosis, Sean J. O'Sullivan, Evangelia Malahias, James Park, Ankita Srivastava, Beverly A.S. Reyes, Jonathan Gorky, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Elisabeth J. Van Bockstaele, James S. Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Drug-seeking in opioid dependence is due in part to the severe negative emotion associated with the withdrawal syndrome. It is well-established that negative emotional states emerge from activity in the amygdala. More recently, gut microflora have been shown to contribute substantially to such emotions. We measured gene expression in single glia and neurons gathered from the amygdala using laser capture microdissection and simultaneously measured gut microflora in morphine-dependent and withdrawn rats to investigate drivers of negative emotion in opioid withdrawal. We found that neuroinflammatory genes, notably Tnf, were upregulated in the withdrawal condition and that astrocytes, in particular, were highly …

An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted …