Collaboration between community nurses and nursing faculty using substance abuse prevention focus groups.

Collaboration between community nurses and nurses from a university who conducted focus groups is discussed. The focus groups explored why low-income, inner-city, white women of childbearing age did not abuse drugs. This partnership effort resulted in positive, successful outcomes for both groups of nurses and yielded culturally sensitive information that may be useful in preventing substance abuse.

Competence and drug use: theoretical frameworks, empirical evidence and measurement.

Statistics show that use of harmful substances (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine) among women of childbearing age is widespread and serious. Numerous theoretical models and empirical studies have attempted to explain the complex factors that lead individuals to use drugs. The Social Stress Model of Substance Abuse [1] is one model developed to explain parameters that influence drug use.

A transactional perspective on critical thinking.

The quality of thinking has received much attention within the last decade. The scientific inquiry models introduced by Dewey, Dressel and Mayhew, and Watson-Glaser have been expanded to incorporate such aspects as reflection, development, attitude, skill, and knowledge domain. Dichotomies between critical and creative thinking have been eased.

Substance abuse among inner-city Hispanic women: exploring resiliency.

Objective: To identify factors that prevent drug abuse among young Hispanic women living in inner cities and to acquire ideas for preventive strategies.

Design: Qualitative interviews of focus group participants to explore perceptions about drug use.

Setting: An urban location adjacent to a neighborhood health clinic.

The social stress model of substance abuse among childbearing-age women: a review of the literature.

The Social Stress Model of Substance Abuse has been derived from numerous psychosocial theories and models. This model suggests that the likelihood of an individual engaging in drug abuse is influenced by the stress level and the extent to which it is offset by stress modifiers such as social networks, social competence and resources. This article synthesizes current empirical evidence for this model.