The Incidence of Polysubstance Abuse among Treatment Seeking Youth in Durban, South Africa

Patterns of mono- and polysubstance abuse were examined in a consecutive sample of 3,746 individuals presenting for treatment at two state supported drug treatment units located in the city of Durban, South Africa. Data for the study were obtained from the treatment units' case files for the 6-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Oriental Anthropologist 2014-12, Vol.14 (2), p.333-341
Main Authors: Gopal, Nirmala D., Collings, Steven J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cocaine
Drug abuse
Heroin
Prescription drugs
Risk factors
Studies
Trends
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Patterns of mono- and polysubstance abuse were examined in a consecutive sample of 3,746 individuals presenting for treatment at two state supported drug treatment units located in the city of Durban, South Africa. Data for the study were obtained from the treatment units' case files for the 6-year period April 2006 to March 2012. An analysis of treatment-seekers demographic profiles indicated that the modal treatment-seeker was an employed, single, adult male from the Durban area, with there being no significant change in this profile over the 6-year period. There was however, a significant increase in admission numbers (19 percent) and a significant increase in the percentage of treatment-seekers who were polysubstance users (from 39 to 56 percent) across the 6-year period. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for practice and further research.
ISSN:0972-558X
0976-3430
DOI:10.1177/0976343020140211