Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37408038›Full record

ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2023

Narcotics Anonymous attendees' perceptions and experiences of substitute behaviors in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Deborah Louise Sinclair, Steve Sussman, Shazly Savahl, Maria Florence, Wouter Vanderplasschen

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Deborah Louise SinclairDepartment of Psychology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa. deborahlouise.sinclair@ugent.be.
Steve SussmanDepartments of Population and Public Health Sciences, and Psychology, and School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90032-3628, USA.
Shazly SavahlCentre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa.
Maria FlorenceDepartment of Psychology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa.
Wouter VanderplasschenDepartment of Special Needs Education, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Ghent University · BEUniversity of the Western Cape · ZAUniversity of Southern California · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMuch remains unknown about the dynamics of substitute behaviors during addiction recovery among persons attending recovery support groups. Insight into the nature, motives for, and course of substitute behaviors could help to shape recovery support and harm reduction services.

methodsTwenty-three semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 14 males and n = 9 females) were conducted with a convenience sample of Narcotics Anonymous attendees from a number of groups in the Western Cape, South Africa. Participants ranged in age from 22-55 years (M = 39.3, SD = 9.35).

resultsThematic analysis yielded four themes: (i) substance-to-substance substitution; (ii) substance-to-behavior substitution; (iii) substitute behaviors and harm (reduction) and (iv) support needs to manage and resolve substitute behaviors. According to the study, participants' substitute behaviors developed across recovery stages; were temporary or long-term replacements for substance use disorders and were engaged for distraction, isolation from others, calming, assuaging boredom, keeping occupied, filling a perceived experiential void, modifying mood and to self-medicate. While substitutes were utilized for harm reduction or relapse prevention, the potential for ostensibly healthy behaviors to threaten recovery and lead to relapse was also recognized.

conclusionsSelf-monitoring, ongoing vigilance, and awareness of when substitutes become genuine addictions are critical for timely, suitable interventions.

Indexed as

Substance-Related DisordersAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMotivationNarcoticsSelf-Help GroupsSouth AfricaYoung AdultNarcoticsBehavioral addictionsRecovery support groupsSubstance useSubstitute behaviors

Identifiers

PMID37408038
PMCPMC10324242
OpenAlexW4383217413

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.