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Article
Publication date: 9 October 2023

Mohammad Ali Shenasa, Maryam Soltani, Victor Tang, Cory R. Weissman, Lawrence Gregory Appelbaum, Zafiris J. Daskalakis and Dhakshin Ramanathan

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-established treatment with efficacy for several psychiatric disorders and has yielded promising yet mixed data…

Abstract

Purpose

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-established treatment with efficacy for several psychiatric disorders and has yielded promising yet mixed data showing reductions in craving for substance use. Patients with substance use disorders and comorbid depression may encounter obstacles to receiving rTMS in outpatient settings for treatment of depression. In turn, implementation of rTMS in residential substance use programs would greatly benefit those with comorbid treatment resistant depression. This paper aims to provide recommendations for implementing rTMS within residential substance use treatment centers.

Design/methodology/approach

Using PubMed, the authors conducted a narrative review of manuscripts using various combinations of the following search terms: rTMS, depression, substance use and substance use disorder. The authors read manuscripts for their methodology, outcomes and adverse events to synthesize their results, which correspond to their recommendations for patient selection, safely implementing rTMS in residential substance use facilities and optimal rTMS protocols to start with.

Findings

Advantages of this approach include increased compliance, monitoring and access to care. Recommendations to safely incorporate rTMS in residential substance use disorder treatment centers revolve around selection of patients eligible for rTMS, allowing for sufficient time to elapse prior to commencing rTMS, monitoring for signs of recent substance use or withdrawal and using rTMS protocols compatible with the therapeutic programming of a treatment center.

Originality/value

This paper details the challenges and benefits of implementing rTMS for patients with dual diagnosis and provides recommendations to safely do so. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a novel and unpublished endeavor.

Details

Advances in Dual Diagnosis, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-0972

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2023

Angus Bancroft

In this chapter, the author examines the way in which the purchase and delivery infrastructure of darknet cryptomarkets shapes the experience of opiate drug use and dependence. It…

Abstract

In this chapter, the author examines the way in which the purchase and delivery infrastructure of darknet cryptomarkets shapes the experience of opiate drug use and dependence. It uses the concept of social time and posits that the illicit drug distribution system reshapes two temporal dimensions shaping the experience of drug users. There is the experience of time located in the pharmacology of the drug and in the body of the drug user, which evokes experiences of withdrawal and dependence. Then there is the socio-technical embedding of the delivery system and governance structures which support or impinge on the autonomy of the user. This ‘drug time’ is both a benefit and a cost of engaging in cryptomarket use. The market infrastructure can give users the opportunities to more carefully manage their drug time, while also creating new risks of non-delivery that can sharpen experiences of dope sickness. The author concludes that the growing professionalisation, digitisation, and commercialisation of the drug market increasingly embed drug time in material infrastructures mediated through technical systems.

Details

Digital Transformations of Illicit Drug Markets: Reconfiguration and Continuity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-866-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2022

Wenshin Chen

This study seeks to explore digital natives' mobile usage behaviors and, in turn, develop an analytic framework that helps articulate the underlying components of mobile addiction…

Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks to explore digital natives' mobile usage behaviors and, in turn, develop an analytic framework that helps articulate the underlying components of mobile addiction syndrome (MAS), its severity levels and mobile usage purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation adopts a survey method and a case study. The results of the former are based on 411 random classroom observations and 205 questionnaire responses, and the insights of the latter are derived from 24 interviews and daily observations.

Findings

The findings validate five distinctive signs that constitute MAS and their significant correlations with each of the Big Five personality traits. Classroom observations confirm the prevalence of addiction tendency among digital natives in the research context. Seven levels of MAS and six different mobile usage purposes further manifest themselves from case analysis. There appears to be a sharp contrast between the addicted and non-addicted groups in their mobile purposes and behavioral patterns. Additionally, family relationships seem influential in shaping non-addictive mobile usage behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

Psychological perspectives on MAS may be important but insufficient. Empirical investigation on a global scale, especially with distinctive cross-cultural comparisons, will be highly encouraged. How MAS evolves over time should also serve as future research interests.

Practical implications

Teaching pedagogy of college education might need certain adjustments to intrigue digital natives' learning interests. Future managers might also need to adopt better performance measurements for digital natives who barely separate work from personal matters in their mobile devices.

Social implications

Parents and healthcare institutions may need to develop response mechanism to tackle this global issue at home and in society. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MAS might also deserve global attention.

Originality/value

The analytic framework developed provides an original mechanism that can be valuable in identifying MAS severity and associated behavioral patterns.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2024

Moon Fai Chan, Nasser Al-Sibani, Salim Al-Huseini, Alkhatib Al-Saadi, Saoud Al-Busaidi, Jawaher Al Kharusi, Nutaila Al Kharusi, Gilles J. Guillemin, Mohammed Al-Abri and Samir Al-Adawi

The phenomenon of social withdrawal, known as the hikikomori-like idiom of distress (HLID), has been reported in many countries. This study aimed to explore profiles of Omanis who…

Abstract

Purpose

The phenomenon of social withdrawal, known as the hikikomori-like idiom of distress (HLID), has been reported in many countries. This study aimed to explore profiles of Omanis who have HLID.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional online survey of 673 out of 1,529 Omanis identified with HLID using the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25) score of 42+.

Findings

Two profile groups were determined through cluster analysis according to socio-demographic and HQ-25 outcomes. Subjects in cluster 1 (n = 168, 24.9%) are significantly younger (p < 0.001) and more educated (p = 0.019), spend more time online (p < 0.001) and are living alone (p < 0.001) than subjects in cluster 2 (n = 505, 75.1%). More subjects in cluster 1 had a past mental illness (p = 0.037) but less previous childhood physical/emotional abuse (p = 0.029) than subjects in cluster 2. In contrast, subjects in cluster 2 had a low lack of socialization (p < 0.001), less active isolation (p < 0.001) and total HQ-25 scores (p < 0.001) than cluster 1. Subjects in Cluster 1 have more serious social withdrawal issues than those in Cluster 2, especially on a lack of socialization and isolation.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation that might influence the results of this online study was that information was collected via self-report, and a cross-sectional design limits its results because it cannot assess causal inference. This study has contributed valuably to exploring different profile groups of HDLD, especially in the Arabian Gulf. The authors’ findings facilitate the development by creating innovative interventions strategically tackling different hikikomori groups.

Originality/value

While social withdrawal characterized by HLID has been reported proliferating in different parts of the world, little research has been forthcoming from Arabian Gulf countries. These findings suggest that there are two orthogonal clusters of HLID among Omanis. This study provides a foundation for further research on HLID, which has recently been reported in different parts of the world.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2023

Alexander Serenko

This study investigates the role of personality disorders in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior.

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the role of personality disorders in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a survey administered to 120 full-time employees recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Personality disorders were measured by means of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV.

Findings

Personality disorders play an important role in the context of counterproductive knowledge behavior: employees suffering from various personality disorders are likely to hide knowledge from their fellow coworkers and engage in knowledge sabotage. Of particular importance are dependent, narcissistic and sadistic personality disorders as well as schizophrenic and delusional severe clinical syndromes. There is a need for a paradigm shift in terms of how the research community should portray those who engage in counterproductive knowledge behavior, reconsidering the underlying assumption that all of them act deliberately, consciously and rationally. Unexpectedly, most personality disorders do not facilitate knowledge hoarding.

Practical implications

Organizations should provide insurance coverage for the treatment of personality disorders, assist those seeking treatment, inform employees about the existence of personality disorders in the workplace and their impact on interemployee relationships, facilitate a stress-free work environment, remove social stigma that may be associated with personality disorders and, as a last resort, reassign workers suffering from extreme forms of personality disorders to tasks that require less interemployee interaction (instead of terminating them).

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work represents one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the notion of personality disorders in the context of knowledge management.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 27 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2022

Deepkumar Varma and Pankaj Dutta

Small businesses and start-ups have started to reopen post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns but are facing numerous challenges mainly due to changed customer…

Abstract

Purpose

Small businesses and start-ups have started to reopen post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns but are facing numerous challenges mainly due to changed customer preferences and the need to fine-tune the business models. This research aims to identify the important aspects that start-ups need to focus on, as they weather the COVID-19 pandemic storm.

Design/methodology/approach

Research uses constructivist grounded theory methodology to analyse data collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and senior employees at start-ups. A conceptual model based on nine categories impacting a start-up’s performance is investigated. Interview memos are thematically analysed to identify repeated ideas, concepts or elements that become apparent.

Findings

Study reveals that employees’ and customers’ safety, prudent cost management and online presence/doorstep services are key for start-ups to succeed today's changed business landscape due to COVID-19.

Practical implications

Findings act as a practical guide for start-ups in setting mechanisms, optimizing operations and fine-tuning strategy to address COVID-19 challenges. Start-ups are advised to evaluate the implications of the three findings on their respective businesses to successfully tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19.

Originality/value

This research, being cognizant of a start-up’s unique characteristics and nuances, takes a fresh approach to identify key aspects that start-ups need to focus on and fine-tune in the wake of COVID-19. The paper enriches scientific research of understanding impact of COVID-19 on organizations by specifically surfacing how start-ups can learn and adapt by knowing how other start-ups are surviving today.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 December 2023

Ugochukwu Titus Ugwu

Cannabis as a recreational drug is prohibited in Nigeria. Consequently, the open use of cannabis attracts both formal and informal sanctions. As such, there is much stigma on…

Abstract

Purpose

Cannabis as a recreational drug is prohibited in Nigeria. Consequently, the open use of cannabis attracts both formal and informal sanctions. As such, there is much stigma on users' faces across social spaces. This has led to innovations in drug use. Recently, non-medical use of tramadol has been rising across each of the gender categories. This study aims to understand (1) tramadol use prompts, (2) the sudden surge in gendered recreational use of tramadol and (3) the gendered challenges of recreational tramadol use among Nigerian university students.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected between December 2021 and October 2022. The researcher conducted 20 semi-structured interviews, with participants chosen purposefully from acquaintances and others selected through chain referral. The selection criteria included knowledge of a particular tramadol tablet and willingness to participate. This study got ethical approval from the Anambra State Ministry of Health (Ref: MH/AWK/M/321/354) and oral consent was obtained before the interviews. The participants were assured of confidentiality. The interviews were conducted in English (the formal Nigerian language) and lasted between 30 and 65 min. The data collected were transcribed and coded manually, and themes generated.

Findings

Findings suggest that peer pressures accounted for entry-level drug use. However, cannabis-related stigma is attributed to the surge in tramadol use across gender categories. Furthermore, academic pressure and sexuality are major reasons for tramadol use. The challenges associated with tramadol use include headaches and addiction.

Originality/value

This study, to the best of the author’s knowledge, presents alternative data on the surge in tramadol use among Nigerian university students.

Details

Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2632-279X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Caroline S.L. Tan

The purpose of this study is to examine how the constructs of false self, preference for online social interaction (POSI), compulsive internet use (CIU), and online disinhibition…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how the constructs of false self, preference for online social interaction (POSI), compulsive internet use (CIU), and online disinhibition affect social withdrawal in a social media context. The mediating effects of moral disengagement and cyber aggression are also tested.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using an online survey (n = 533) from consumers in Japan. This study used structural equation modeling and PROCESS to examine the proposed relationships.

Findings

The study revealed that false self positively affects moral disengagement while online disinhibition positively affects cyber aggression and moral disengagement. Preference for online social interaction and compulsive internet use both positively impacts social withdrawal. Cyber aggression and moral disengagement were established mediators between false self/ Preference for online social interaction/ compulsive internet use/ online disinhibition and social withdrawal.

Research limitations/implications

Although restricted to cyberaggression, owing to the reciprocal relationship between cyber victimization and cyberaggression, cyber victimization can be included for further study. This study expands the understanding of social withdrawal within the context of social media.

Practical implications

Based on the findings, policies and programs that address mental health that build self-esteem, self-confidence and reduce anxiety ought to be undertaken. Managing and formulating guidelines on anonymity should also be taken into consideration.

Originality/value

This research demonstrates the crucial constructs that affect social media users negatively from the aspects of cyberaggression, moral disengagement and social withdrawal. It also establishes the importance of mental health in reducing adverse effects from social media.

Article
Publication date: 14 August 2023

Maj Nygaard-Christensen and Esben Houborg

This paper aims to examine policy innovation among street-level bureaucrats at low-threshold services to people who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine policy innovation among street-level bureaucrats at low-threshold services to people who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds on two research projects conducted during the first pandemic lockdown in Denmark. The first is a case study of how COVID-19 impacted on people who use drugs (PWUD) and services for PWUD at the open drug scene in the neighborhood of Vesterbro in Copenhagen. The second is an ethnographic study of how users of services at the intersection of drug use and homelessness were impacted by lockdown.

Findings

Drawing on Kingdon’s “multiple policy streams” approach, this study shows how lockdown opened a “policy window” for innovating services to people who use drugs. This paper further shows how the pandemic crisis afforded street-level bureaucrats new possibilities for acting as “policy entrepreneurs” in a context where vertical bureaucratic barriers and horizontal cross-sectoral silos temporarily collapsed. Finally, the authors show how this had more lasting effects through the initiation of outreach opioid substitution treatment.

Social implications

In Denmark, the emergence of a “policy window” for street-level bureaucrats to act as street-level “entrepreneurs” occurred in a context of rapid government response to the pandemic. For crises to act as “policy windows” for innovation depends on strong, preexisting institutional landscapes.

Originality/value

This paper adds to existing literature on policy innovation during COVID-19 in two ways: methodologically by contributing an ethnographically grounded approach to studying policy innovation and theoretically by examining the conditions that allowed policy innovation to occur.

Details

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6739

Keywords

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