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| Termin: 17.2.2025 Zeit: 9:00 Raum: AND 4.19 |
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Beschreibung: Cocaine is among the most widely used illicit drugs worldwide, with its prevalence peaking in young adulthood. Young adulthood is also a critical period marked by significant transitions, such as leaving home, pursuing higher education, achieving financial independence, and expanding social networks. While chronic cocaine use is linked to worse mental health and impaired cognitive functions, less is known about the effects of recreational use on real-life and social functioning during this transitional phase.
A recent study in Switzerland revealed that nearly a quarter of 24-year-olds tested positive for cocaine use during the past three months using hair testing. This finding further highlights the need to explore the functional and social consequences of cocaine use within this age group.
The student will be able to decide, in exchange with the supervisor, which outcome(s) associated with cocaine use to investigate for their thesis.
The thesis can be written in English or German.
Boys, A., Marsden, J., Griffiths, P., & Strang, J. (2000). Drug use functions predict cocaine?related problems in young people. Drug and Alcohol Review, 19(2), 181-190. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/713659316
Brennan, M. M., Cavallaro, M., Mongan, D., Millar, S. R., Galvin, B., Ivers, J. H., ... & McCarthy, N. (2024). Examining factors associated with cocaine use in late adolescence and early adulthood. European Journal of Public Health, 34(Supplement_3), 144-251. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.251
Janousch, C., Eggenberger, L., Steinhoff, A., Johnson-Ferguson, L., Bechtiger, L., Loher, M., Ribeaud, D., Eisner, M., Baumgartner, M. R., Binz, T. M., Shanahan, L., & Quednow, B. B. (2024). Words versus Strands: Reliability and Stability of Concordance Rates of Self-Reported and Hair-Analyzed Substance Use of Young Adults over Time. European addiction research, 1?15. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541713
Washton, A. M., & Gold, M. S. (1984). Chronic cocaine abuse: Evidence for adverse effects on health and functioning. Psychiatric Annals, 14(10), 733-743. https://doi.org/10.3928/0048-5713-19841001-09
Kontakt: Lukas Eggenberger , E-Mail
Beschreibung: Substance use during young adulthood remains a critical public health concern, with implications for mental health, social relationships, and long-term well-being. This developmental stage is marked by identity exploration and transitions in social roles, which intersect with factors such as sexual orientation and gender. These factors influence substance use behaviors through mechanisms like minority stress, variations in social support, disparities in healthcare access, and societal gender expectations. This complex interplay underscores the need for a systematic review capturing the diverse substance use experience of young adults across various sexual orientation groups to help identify high-risk substance use subgroups.
This thesis will explore differences in substance use among young adults, focusing on differences in sexual orientation groups and considering gender-related variations among these groups. Potential areas of investigation include prevalence rates and types of substances used.
In collaboration with the supervisor, the student will define possible specific subgroups and/or substances to be studied.
This thesis can be written in English or German.
Brewster, K. L., & Tillman, K. H. (2012). Sexual orientation and substance use among adolescents and young adults. American journal of public health, 102(6), 1168-1176. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300261
Fish, J. N., Bishop, M. D., & Russell, S. T. (2021). Developmental differences in sexual orientation and gender identity?related substance use disparities: Findings from population-based data. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(6), 1162-1169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.10.023
Kashdan, T. B., Vetter, C. J., & Collins, R. L. (2005). Substance use in young adults: Associations with personality and gender. Addictive behaviors, 30(2), 259-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.05.014
Marshal, M. P., Friedman, M. S., Stall, R., King, K. M., Miles, J., Gold, M. A., ... & Morse, J. Q. (2008). Sexual orientation and adolescent substance use: a meta?analysis and methodological review. Addiction, 103(4), 546-556. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02149.x
Kontakt: Clarissa Janousch, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Mental health disorders are among the major contributors to morbidity and mortality. This is why it is essential to understand the risk processes that lead to the developmental of mental health problems. One of the most consistently documented risk factors in this regard is having a family history of mental health problems. Most research in this area has focused on understanding how parental, in particular maternal, mental health problems are associated with an individuals? risk of experiencing mental health problems. Yet, considering the complex environmental and genetic processes involved in the development of mental health problems, it is relevant to also consider mental health problems in more distant relatives (e.g., grandparents, uncles and aunts). Thus, this thesis will review the literature to understand how taking a broader view on family history, e.g. by considering mental health problems in both parents or in 2nd or 3rd degree relatives, in addition to one 1st degree relative, adds to our understanding of individual risk for mental health problems. Ideally, this thesis will primarily review evidence from national population register data (e.g., from Sweden, Denmark). Should there not be enough evidence from registry data, studies with other designs will be reviewed.
This thesis can be written in German or English.
References:
Song, J., Bergen, S. E., Kuja-Halkola, R., Larsson, H., Landén, M., & Lichtenstein, P. (2015). Bipolar disorder and its relation to major psychiatric disorders: A family-based study in the Swedish population. Bipolar Disorders, 17(2), 184?193. https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12242
Kendler, K. S., Ohlsson, H., Sundquist, J., & Sundquist, K. (2021). Family Genetic Risk Scores and the Genetic Architecture of Major Affective and Psychotic Disorders in a Swedish National Sample. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(7), 735. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0336
Kendler, K. S., Ohlsson, H., Sundquist, J., & Sundquist, K. (2018). Familial transmission of externalizing syndromes in extended Swedish families. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 177(3), 308?318. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.b.32611
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Kontakt: Laura Bechtiger, E-Mail
Beschreibung: Cortisol and cortisone are widely recognized biomarkers of stress and two critical indicators of the HPA axis activity. The potential of these biomarkers to provide valuable insights into physiological and psychological responses to stress is invaluable. In recent research, hair-analyzed cortisol and cortisone have gained popularity because they can reflect chronic HPA axis activity over a long period of time. However, these biomarkers are interrelated with various factors that need systematic investigation.
Hair-specific factors include frequency of hair washing, treatments, and hair color, all of which strongly influence the amount of cortisol and cortisone measured. Additionally, biological factors such as body mass index, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions, as well as psychological and social variables, including chronic stress, adverse life events, and substance use, are linked to the variations in these biomarkers. Despite these known associations, reviews have focused mainly on individual domains, limiting our understanding of the broader range of predictors and covariates.
Therefore, this thesis aims to conduct a comprehensive systematic review of the predictors and covariates of hair-analyzed cortisol and cortisone, synthesizing findings from studies examining the influence of biological, psychological, social, and hair-specific factors. By highlighting commonalities and discrepancies across the literature, the review will provide a clearer picture of the factors influencing cortisol and cortisone levels and offer recommendations for future research.
The student will have the flexibility, in exchange with the supervisor, to decide whether to focus on cortisol, cortisone, or both, as well as to select specific predictors of these biomarkers.
The thesis can be written in English or German.
Igboanugo, S., O?Connor, C., Zitoun, O. A., Ramezan, R., & Mielke, J. G. (2024). A systematic review of hair cortisol in healthy adults measured using immunoassays: Methodological considerations and proposed reference values for research. Psychophysiology, 61(1), e14474. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14474
Johnson-Ferguson, L., Shanahan, L., Bechtiger, L., Steinhoff, A., Zimmermann, J., Baumgartner, M. R., Binz, T. M., Eisner, M., Ribeaud, D., & Quednow, B. B. (2023). Associations of psychoactive substances and steroid hormones in hair: Findings relevant to stress research from a large cohort of young adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 157, 106369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106369
Rippe, R. C. A., Noppe, G., Windhorst, D. A., Tiemeier, H., Van Rossum, E. F. C., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Verhulst, F. C., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Van Den Akker, E. L. T. (2016). Splitting hair for cortisol? Associations of socio-economic status, ethnicity, hair color, gender and other child characteristics with hair cortisol and cortisone. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 66, 56?64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.12.016
Stalder, T., Steudte-Schmiedgen, S., Alexander, N., Klucken, T., Vater, A., Wichmann, S., Kirschbaum, C., & Miller, R. (2017). Stress-related and basic determinants of hair cortisol in humans: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 77, 261?274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.12.017
Kontakt: Clarissa Janousch, E-Mail
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