Online Task Assignment Sample

What factors have affected the care and support of marginalized minority individuals experiencing addiction (gambling, alcohol, and other drugs)?

Cultural factors

There are a number of marginalized communities across the world that may be found in various locations. The poorest and least educated, the elderly, and members of ethnic and cultural minorities are likely to be among those who fall into this category (i.e., any groups that do not represent the “majority” in a given region). Additional to this, it is common for physically challenged persons to be shunned, which is especially tough for those who are born with physical impairments or who have been injured in accidents or more recently in conflict, which has been extensively publicized and painful (Deans,2022).

Mental health

Individuals suffering from mental diseases, and particularly those who find themselves unable to cope with many aspects of everyday life, are widely acknowledged to be stigmatized. Those who suffer from particular addiction illnesses, persons who are imprisoned for nonviolent as well as violent offences, and those who are imprisoned for both nonviolent and violent offences at the same time are among the most marginalized members of society (Bush,2021).

All of these stigmatized groups, including people with mental disabilities, people suffering from specific addictive diseases, and people who have been classified as criminals, continue to be stigmatised even after entering and remaining in effective treatment, as are people who have completed their sentences and are undergoing rehabilitation in these marginalised communities (Rao,2022). This stigma, which is often difficult to articulate but not difficult for those who are stigmatised to perceive, is likely to combine with genetic polymorphisms and ordinary life stresses in the future, raising the likelihood of aberrant response by a factor of two or three (Rojas,2021).

Social and educational factors

Despite technological advancements reaching a more sophisticated level, similar issues have continued to be raised. The effects of heroin, cocaine, and alcohol, three of the most commonly abused drug classes, have been demonstrated to have an impact on gene expression, protein and steroid content, and in particular a variety of gene products in the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain that is located outside of the blood–brain barrier in primates. It is being conducted at the Laboratory for the Biology of Addictive Diseases in New York City as part of this research project.

References

Bush, R., Russell, A.M., Staiger, P.K., Waling, A. and Dowling, N.A., 2021. Risk and protective factors for the development of gambling-related harms and problems among Australian sexual minority men. BMC psychology, 9(1), pp.1-18.

Deans, E., Ravulo, J., Conroy, E. and Abdo, J., 2022. A qualitative study exploring young offenders’ perspectives on alcohol and other drug health promotion. BMC Public Health, 22(1), pp.1-12.

Rao, P., Park, M.J.Y. and Jeffries, S., 2022. Experiences of Ethnic Minority Women Imprisoned in Thailand. In Gender, Criminalization, Imprisonment and Human Rights in Southeast Asia. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Rojas, J.I., Leckie, R., Hawks, E.M., Holster, J., del Carmen Trapp, M. and Ostermeyer, B.K., 2019. Compounded stigma in LGBTQ+ people: a framework for understanding the relationship between substance use disorders, mental illness, trauma, and sexual minority status. Psychiatric Annals, 49(10), pp.446-452.