Psychosocial interventions and strategies to support young people at mass gathering events: a scoping review

Multiple Group Membership and Trust Protect Against Distress in the Context of Unwanted Sexual Experiences at a Youth Mass Gathering

Research suggests that belonging to multiple groups and trust separately mitigate psychological distress in response to adversity. However, their combined influence, particularly over time, in the context of unwanted sexual experiences during mass gatherings has not been fully explored. To advance our understanding, we investigated whether multiple group membership prior to a youth mass gathering was associated with lower psychological distress, and if trust in friends at the mass gathering (i.e., ingroup trust) explained this relationship among young people who either reported or did not report an unwanted sexual experience. Drawing on data from a longitudinal field study of young people attending a mass gathering, Schoolies (N = 97), we assessed participants' multiple group memberships prior to the mass gathering (T1) and measured ingroup trust and psychological distress during the mass gathering (T2). Our findings revealed that 64.9% of participants reported unwanted sexual experiences at the mass gathering. Among those who reported unwanted sexual experiences, moderated mediation analysis indicated that belonging to multiple groups at T1 was associated with greater ingroup trust at T2, which in turn was linked to lower psychological distress at T2. This study provides evidence that multiple group membership may provide important psychological resources necessary for protecting against psychological distress following unwanted sexual experiences. Further, it highlights how group memberships might be thought of as latent psychological resources in the context of adverse experiences.

Whole-of-community and intersectoral interventions that address alcohol-related harms: A scoping review

Alcohol harms threaten global population health, with youth particularly vulnerable. Low - and middle-income countries (LMIC) are increasingly targeted by the alcohol industry. Intersectoral and whole-of-community actions are recommended to combat alcohol harms, but there is insufficient global evidence synthesis and research examining interventions in LMIC. This paper maps existing literature on whole-of - community and intersectoral alcohol harms reduction interventions in high-income countries (HIC) and LMIC. Systematic searching and screening produced 61 articles from an initial set of 1325: HIC (n = 53), LMIC (n = 8). Data were extracted on geographic location, intersectoral action, reported outcomes, barriers, and enablers. HIC interventions most often targeted adolescents and combined community action with other components. LMIC interventions did not target adolescents or use policy, schools, alcohol outlets, or enforcement components. Programme enablers were a clear intervention focus with high political support and local level leadership, locally appropriate plans, high community motivation, community action and specific strategies for parents. Challenges were sustainability, complexity of interventions, managing participant expectations and difficulty engaging multiple sectors. A learning agenda to pilot, scale and sustain whole-of-community approaches to address alcohol harms in settings is crucial, with consideration of local contexts and capacities, more standardised methods, and a focus on community-driven action.

Exploring the Decision-Making Process behind Illicit Drug Use at Music Festivals

Background: Illicit substance use is common at music festivals. One could question whether festival attendees deliberately plan to take drugs at such events or whether their illicit (poly)drug use is provoked by specific circumstances, such as the presence of peers or a general belief that others are using drugs at the festival. Objectives: The present study implemented the prototype willingness model, which is a model that assesses whether illicit drug use at music festivals is rather a rational or a more spontaneous decision-making process. Results: A three-wave panel survey was conducted, questioning festival attendees before (n = 304, 60.86% males), during, and after music festival visits. In total, 186 people (59.68% males) between 18 and 55 years (M = 27.80 years; SD = 8.19) completed all three surveys, of which 62.9% had taken one or more different illicit substances at the festival. Positive attitudes toward illicit drug consumption were most firmly related to attendees' intentions to take drugs at festivals. Additionally, the more festival visitors identified themselves with the prototype of an attendee using drugs, the more likely they were to be willing to use them. The perceived presence of illicit substances at such events was also strongly related to the actual behavior. Conclusion: The findings suggest that illicit drug use at music festivals relates to both a rational choice and an unplanned one.