E.S. Yagudina
Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Keywords: young men, drugs, risk group, hereditary burden, primary prevention.

Background. As acknowledged by Presidential Decree #690 of 09.06.2010 “On the Strategy of the National Drug Control Policies of the Russian Federation in the Period up to 2020” and Federal Law of 25.11.2013 “On the Compulsory Treatment of Drug Addiction” drug addiction has grown up to one of the most critical health/ social problems in Russia for the last 25 years. As things now stand, every regional government in Russia takes efforts to implement the drug control laws and projects, although the actual situations in most of the regions hardly show any changes to the better and remain highly challenging. The situation is further aggravated by the growing popularity of the so-called soft drugs that are still highly detrimental to a human psyche and heavily contribute to the already high national drug addiction statistics.

Today it is common knowledge that the national drug control policies shall give a top priority to the early addiction prevention service with an emphasis on the service scope, efficiency and the relevant new service technologies that need to be implemented on the widest scale. Special priority shall be given to the studies of premorbid statuses of the psychoactive compound (PAC) consumers on the whole and express test methods in particular to detect the individuals prone to different forms of addiction.

Objective of the study was to rate, on an integrated basis, the ‘periodical’ drug addicts’ morpho- functional status to identify the key markers of high PAC addiction risk.

Methods and structure of the study. Subject to the study were 105 young (17-21 year-old) individuals taking opiates on a ‘periodical’ basis and their socio-physiological characteristics and anthropometrical measurements. The sample was split up into the following two groups depending on the hereditary load factor: Experimental Group 1 (EG-1, n=65) composed of the individuals coming from the alcohol-abusing families; Experimental Group 2 (EG-2, n=40) composed of the individuals from healthy families. Reference Group 3 (RG, n=100) was composed of the virtually healthy non-sporting students tested clean of narcotics. The sample was totally Russian nationals, permanent residents of the Tyumen region.

Applied for the study purposes were the following methods: analysis of the available theoretical and practical literature on the subject; anamneses analyzing method; clinical interviews; anthropometrical measurements; electrocardiograms [9]; functional load tests (Martine-Kushelevsky’s test, timed inspiratory and expiratory capacity tests) (adapted by E.T Kolunin et al.) [8]; psycho-physiological performance tests; dermatoglyphics (study of fingerprints) [1]; and discriminant analysis using SPS-STATISTICA system.

The psycho-physiological performance tests included: nervous process rating by the Y.P. Ilyin’s version of the tapping test; personality factors rating test to rate neurotic status, extraversion and introversion using the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) mental tests; and functionality rating tests based on the M. Luscher’s Color-Preference Personality test adapted by V.V. Jose.

The study was performed in 2002–2015 at Tyumen State University and Children and Adolescents’ Rehabilitation and Cure Centre; with support from the Tyumen Region Office of the Federal Drug Control Service; and Police Office #8 of the Tyumen Municipal Police Division. The study data were statistically processed using the standard Microsoft Excel and SPS Statistics toolkits. The quantitative factors (average and sampled arrays) were compared using the Student t-criterion, with the significance level set at р<0.05 [2, 6].

Study results and discussion. The study data with the relevant anthropometrical measurements and functionality (at rest and during exercise) rates of the young population reportedly taking opiates on a ‘periodical’ basis and split up into the narcotics-burdened- and unburdened-hereditary groups made it possible to identify the typical morpho-functional indices of the young male drug addicts.

The study found the asthenic body type being dominating in the young male drug addicts (96.9±2.15% in EG-1 and 87.5±4.10% in EG-2). The study also found some changes in the cardiovascular and respiratory system physiology [10] with the functionality rates sagging in the young groups reportedly taking opiates on a ‘periodical’ basis. The drug addicts were tested with the significantly lower resting heart rate (HR) of 54.44±1.36 bpm in EG-1 and 57.03±1.58 bpm in EG-2 versus 69.50±1.02 bpm in RG-3, with р<0.05; lower systolic blood pressure of 85.96±1.50 mm Hg in EG-1 and 89.59±2.10 mm Hg in EG -2 versus 118.20±1.86 mm Hg in RG-3, with р<0.05; and lower diastolic blood pressure of 53.56±1.06 mm Hg in EG-1 and 55.84±1.21 mm Hg in EG-2 versus 73.89±0.93 mm Hg in RG-3, with р<0.05.

Both of the PAC addicted groups were tested with the decreased resting total and specific peripheral vascular resistance indices; cardiac output (CO); endurance ratio; actual vital capacity indices; breath-holding (hypoxic) test indices, and Skibinsky test indices.

Furthermore both of the PAC addicted groups were tested with the negative responses of the cardiovascular system to graduated exercise. CO rates were tested to grow in every group, although the CO growth in the RG was associated with a moderate growth of HR (+48.22%) versus the 2.6-2.7 times CO growth in both of EG associated with the HR growth by 223.26% and 232.57% in EG-1 and EG-2, respectively. These rates may be interpreted as indicative of the cardiac function control disorders and poor compensatory function of the myocardium in the PAC addicted groups. The functionality disorders were most expressed in EG-1 due to the hereditary burden. Furthermore, the PAC addicted groups were tested with the high occurrence of bioelectrical myocardial activity disorders per capita that was estimated at 2.21 in EG-1 and 1.98 in EG-2, versus 0.48 cases per capita in RG-3.

The tests generated the psycho-physiological indices of the PAC addicted groups and generally found low emotional stability, total inactivity, poor nervous system performance, high state and trait anxiety indices, and high tension indices. The study data made it possible to identify a variety of genetically determined traits of the PAC addicted individuals including the increased occurrence of the simple dermatoglyphyc ‘arch’ patterns; higher crest counts in the loop and curly patterns; and higher total crest counts.

The study found the following morpho-genetic markers of the individual proneness to drug addiction: arch on finger V; radial loop on fingers I, II and IV; double loop on fingers III, IV and V; increased to high crest counts in the loop patterns; increased to high crest counts in the curly patterns; 135+ total crest counts; sole fold of the lap; and the matching fingerprints of the right and left hands found in less than 3 fingers.

The study data and analysis showed that the chemical addiction evolves as a result of many factors being combined including the biological (7-18 years of age; pre-, peri- and post-natal development pathologies; relatively feeble nervous system type; and specific fingerprint patterns), psychological (hereditary burden with unhealthy family relations, negative mental climate in families, shortage of family attention/ love etc.) and social (early smoking, alcohol abuse etc) factors. The discriminant analysis under the study made it possible to find the most informative criteria (of the 64 criteria found significantly different in the EG vs. RG) to identify the potential PAC addicted groups.

The set of the young PAC-addiction-specific morpho-functional indices with the relevant risk factors ranged by the analysis made it possible to develop the express-test ‘NarcoVis’ software to detect the high-risk underage/ young  male individuals at early stages at the relevant education establishments.

It should be mentioned, therefore, that in the PAC addiction prevention issues we tend to support proponents of the modern ontological psychology and believe that only temporary success may be achieved by the efforts to improve the individual mentality and behaviour; and such efforts shall be designed to change the high-risk environments in which young people are exposed to the relevant risks. A high priority shall be given today to the initiatives to establish due physical education and sporting provisions to offer healthy competitive projects to the potentially vulnerable young people and help them accumulate positive life experiences, improve their communicative and socializing skills and facilitate their progress on a healthy spiritual and physical basis [8]. Our practical experience of the relevant physical education model implementation at Tyumen State University (with the special elective courses; trainees’ physicality tests; class and off-class activity integration; involvement in the Student Sport Club Association; GTO Complex implementation and many other projects) was found beneficial as verified by the potential-risk group in the largest regional university estimated at only 7.5% of the total student population. The special highly accessible and efficient physical education and sporting model has facilitated stable positive values being formed in the young people’s communities [3, 7, 8] with the relevant stable negative attitudes to PAC.

Conclusion. We believe that the drug addiction prevention benefits of the relevant models and projects could be significantly stepped up if more attention is given to the biological, psychological and social profiling of the young population. Studies and tests to assess the biological risks of and potential proneness to PAC addiction versus the actual needs, interests and agendas of the young population may notably increase efficiency of the preventive methods and tools applied to improve the young people’s health.

References

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10. Yagudina E.S., Prokhopev N.Y. Morphofunctional condition of young males using drugs. Tyumen State University Herald. Medico-Biological Sciences, 2013, no. 6, pp.140 -146.

Corresponding author: JAGUDINA-LENA@RAMBLER.RU

Abstract

Objective of the study was to rate the ‘periodical’ drug addicts’ morpho-functional status and find informative markers of the high addiction risks. The Experimental Group of drug addicts was tested with notable negative changes in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and sagging functionality rates versus the Reference Group. Furthermore, the ‘periodical’ drug addicts were tested with negative responses of the cardiovascular system to physical loads associated with a wide range of functional disorders, particularly in the cardiac electrical activity that directly depends on the drug abuse record. A few genetic predispositions were found in the male subjects prone to drug addiction including: increased occurrence of the simple dermatoglyphyc ‘arch’ patterns; higher crest counts in the loop and curly patterns; and the higher total crest counts. We developed an express-test ‘NarcoVis’ software to detect in early stages the high-risk individuals referable for further active primary preventive care and pre-nosological drug tests. The study findings may be beneficial for developers of the relevant young people’s health protection and improvement bio-medical action projects.