Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
Gabriela Walker
National University, USA
Keynote: J Psychol Psychother
Statement of the Problem: Disabilities due to addictions continue to increase globally. Little is known about how a countryâ??s culture, political structure, and economic conditions contribute to addiction rates. We analyze how national measures of 38 global indices impact disabilities resulting from 4 primary addictive substances: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and food. We also consider differences based on gender. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: We utilized an exploratory approach using a Canonical Correspondence Analysis to measure the relationship between 38 political, economic, and cultural characteristics on years of life lived with a shortterm or long term health loss in 78 countries. Results are separated by gender. Findings: The model selection approach reduced 38 global indices to 13 explanatory variables (final model: F13 = 5.64, p < 0.001 after 1,000 permutations), which captured 0.131 of the total inertia (i.e., weighted variance) in the dataset. Results show that 3 political and 3 economic factors are correlated with increased addiction disabilities stemming from both male and female obesity and alcohol use as well as female tobacco use. In addition, 7 cultural factors were found to correlate with a variety of addiction disabilities with the primary areas of impact being male and female obesity and alcohol and female tobacco use. The more people are allowed to participate in elections and express their will, associate with one another, have access to free media, and the more the government is stable, the more chances there are that people will live more years with disabilities due to alcohol, high mass index, and that women will smoke. Conclusion & Significance: National culture, political attributes, and economic characteristics can influence disabilities resulting from addictions. In conclusion, addictive behavior is as complex as the individuals employing them. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms at work. Health care policy makers should consider their countryâ??s unique situation when creating policies to reduce additive behaviors.
Dr. Gabriela Walker is a Full Professor at National University, California, specializing in special education and disability studies. Raised under communism and shaped by her experiences in a democratic society, she brings a unique perspective to her work. Dr. Walker has worked with the Rroma (Gypsy) population with disabilities and holds degrees from the University of Illinois, University of Georgia, and University of Bucharest. Her research interests include Autism Spectrum Disorders, special education methodologies, global disability policies, and disability rights