Initiation factors for substance abuse.

AIM: The study reported in this paper investigated factors that led to the initial use and abuse of drugs in 237 addicts receiving treatment at the Psychological Medicine Hospital, Kuwait. METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was designed to elicit information regarding socio-demographic data and initiation patterns. Questions about initiation patterns were related to personal, familial and social variables in addition to accessibility to drugs. RESULTS: Almost all the sample were male (99.2%) and 42.6% were married. The findings were grouped into (1) factors associated with drug abuse and (2) initial/ significant factors for drug abuse. One way ANOVA showed that there was a significant statistical association between current age and source of drug. Also, there was a significant statistical association between the age of the addict when first started on drugs, and the source of drugs. Multiple regression analysis was also computed for initial significant factors. One factor 'excessive unsupervised free time' was statistically significant. RECOMMENDATIONS: Strategies for primary, secondary and tertiary interventions in addition to recommendation for further studies are suggested.

Recruitment and retention of nursing students in Kuwait.

This study describes the problems of recruiting and retaining student nurses in Kuwait. Based on a social definition paradigm, a convenience sample of 54 respondents made up of 25 final year high school students, 20 adults from the community and 9 nursing students who dropped out of the program were interviewed. Data were analyzed by comparing the responses of the three groups. Constant comparative analysis yielded one major societal proposition on which the recruitment and retention behaviors are anchored. This proposition states that nursing is a low status and non-respectable profession in Kuwait. Five key defining characteristics of the proposition were also identified. Furthermore, findings also showed that two prominent barriers to recruitment were lack of social support and lack of information about nursing. Similarly, social pressure, poor staff welfare and academic problems were some of the major factors responsible for poor retention of students. Suggestions for improvement include provision of awareness programs, career guidance and innovative policy on staff welfare.