College students may face pressures from 阿片类药物流行病's 二次效应

阿片类药物流行病

"The general public should know how devastating this crisis has been and how it impacts all communities and social classes including college students,博尔赫斯说.

图片来源:©iStock Photo Stuart Richie

PHILADELPHIA — About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate 中国博彩平台 researchers.

This secondary exposure to 阿片类药物滥用 may shine a light on the collateral damage that is often left out of the current debate about the epidemic, 詹妮弗·帕克说, 社会学副教授, 中国博彩平台.

"Since the beginning of the 阿片类药物流行病, public debate and prevention strategies have focused on the primary victims, misusers自己, while surprisingly little attention has been paid to the burdens felt and experienced by those who are intimately or socially tied to them,帕克说。, who advised the group of researchers presenting at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting today (Aug. 在费城.

据研究人员称, most of the 118 students who completed a survey admitted that they had been in some way exposed to people who misuse drugs and alcohol. 其中20人.5 percent said they currently know someone who is addicted to pain medication. 关于32.5 percent said they knew somebody who overdosed on either painkillers or heroin.

艾丽卡休斯, an undergraduate student in health policy administration, added about 15 percent of the students reported worrying that someone they knew may be misusing pain medication.

"I was surprised by how many students report close ties to people who are addicted to or have overdosed on 阿片样物质s,休斯说. "It makes me sad to think that so many are carrying around this worry because being a student in today’s world is already hard enough."

Hughes added that dealing with issues connected to their exposure to the effects of 阿片类药物滥用 may be particularly difficult for college students. Many college students already face increased pressure from rising tuition costs and student debt, 还有对就业市场的担忧, 她补充说.

阿曼达·博尔赫斯, a 2018 graduate in health policy administration, said that the findings might raise awareness about the extent of the 阿片样物质 crisis and offer insight into better ways to address it.

"The general public should know how devastating this crisis has been and how it impacts all communities and social classes including college students,博尔赫斯说.

Gathering information on all aspects of the 阿片样物质 crisis may help better allocate resources to help communities, 克尔斯滕·米尔斯补充道, also a 2018 graduate in health policy administration.

“我们知道得越多, the better we are able to help and identify how particular communities, 尤其是我们最穷的人, may have certain disadvantages in this epidemic because of lesser resources and lack of health insurance,米尔斯说。.

据研究人员称, gender may also play a role in how college students report their exposures to the 阿片样物质 problem. 例如, women were twice as likely to report having intimate ties to those who misuse or overdose on 阿片样物质s, 研究人员说.

Shanice Clark and a team of 15 undergraduate students in health policy administration also contributed to the study.

The researchers collected data from surveys filled out by students at a university in a region particularly hard hit by the 阿片样物质 crisis.

Of the approximate 130 surveys were passed out, participants completed 122. Of those, the researchers determined that 118 surveys were both completed and valid. 

The researchers said that future research should look at whether secondary exposure to 阿片样物质s impacts the students' mental and physical health, 以及他们的学习成绩.

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