[Study on job support programs for drug addicts in japan: results of a nationwide survey on drug addiction rehabilitation centers (DARC)].

In Japan, many drug addiction rehabilitation centers (DARC) provide various types of recovery programs for drug addiction. The purpose of this study was to clarify the attitudes of DARC staff and users regarding job support programs. A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted in 2009. The staff of 46 facilities and 606 users returned questionnaires. The results indicated that many (92.1%) users had work experience before entering the recovery programs provided by DARC and about half (49.3%) of the users reported being motivated to work. Although many DARC have established various job support programs, the users faced various levels of anxieties to get employed and 60.4% of the users expected to learn more detailed and concrete methods for finding a job. Through the DARC programs, the users gradually realize the significance of basic daily living skills such as maintaining their rhythm of life or neat and presentable appearance. And the more they get recovered the more they understand the significance of "self-care" and "interpersonal relationship skills". These findings indicate that job support programs for drug addicts should also focus on these recovery processes. More extensive job supports dealing with more practical issues and covering a wide variety of anxieties would be imperative.

[Correlation between childhood traumatic stress and present drug abuse: results of a nationwide survey of drug addiction rehabilitation facilities in Japan].

Child abuse is known to correlate with drug abuse and interferes with recovery from substance-related disorders. To determine the prevalence and severity of child abuse among drug addicts, we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of residents and outpatients at drug addiction rehabilitation centers (DARC) in Japan. A total of 445 participants gave informed consent and completed a self-reporting questionnaire. Sixty-eight percent of participants had experienced some kind of child abuse by the time they reached junior high school. The kinds of abuse experienced were physical (53.7%), psychological (60.4%), sexual (5.4%) abuse and neglect (24.5%). Comparison of female and male participants revealed that more female than male participants had experienced psychological (76.9% vs. 58.2%) and sexual (17.5% vs. 4.0%) abuse. Comparison of participants who had experienced some kind of child abuse ("Abused" group 68.3%) and those who had not experienced abuse ("Non-abused" group 24.3%) revealed that the "Abused" group was younger than the "Non-abused" group (35.7 SD9.0 vs. 39.7 SD10.8). Participants in the "Abused" group were found to have more severe psychological difficulties than those in the "Non-abused" group for the following: anxiety (73.0% vs. 61.1%), delusional atmosphere (48.0% vs. 28.7%), lack of energy (53.9% vs. 40.7%), ideas of persecution (48.7% vs. 29.6%), depression (62.2% vs. 43.5%) and suicidal ideation in the previous year (50.7% vs. 24.3%). The present results suggest that additional program that prepared to care the drug addicts who experienced child abuse and are experiencing suicidal ideation is needed. Furthermore, intervention for families with risk factors for child abuse should be developed in order to prevent the victim from suffering not only from post traumatic stress disorder but also from substance related disorders.

Comportamento do intervalo Q-T do eletrocardiograma na difiteria: estudo na fase ativa e após período de um a seis anos / Q-T interval behavior of the electrocardiogram in diphteria: study in active stage and after a period between one and six years

Quarenta pacientes diftéricos foram estudados com o objetivo primordial de verificar o comportamento da sístole elétrica ventricular na fase ativa da difteria e após período de 1 a 6 anos e, secundariamente, as repercussöes clínicas, radiológicas e ecocardiográficas tardias, eventualmente, associadas. Observou-se que a média dos valores de Q-Tc obtida neste estudo, mostrou-se, significativamente, elevada em relaçäo aos valores normais, tanto na fase aguda, como no período de 1 a 6 anos após o surto agudo. Os pacientes que apresentaram Q-Tc alongado como única alteraçäo eletrocardiográfica no período tardio, exibiram alteraçöes radiológicas, porém, os exames clínico e ecocardiográfico normais. Concluiu-se que o intervalo Q-T alongado é alteraçäo eletrocardiográfica freqüente, de aparecimento precoce na difteria e que pode persistir por período prolongado como seqüela eletrocardiográfica, posssuindo, ainda, valor diagnóstico do comprometimento miocárdico nesta doença