Showing papers in "Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs in 2011"
TL;DR: Initiation of alcohol use by age 14 reflects childhood psychosocial proneness to engage in problem behavior as measured by Problem Behavior Theory and having a family environment conducive to alcohol use.
Abstract: Objective:There is relatively little research on the childhood antecedent predictors of early-onset alcohol use. This study examined an array of psychosocial variables assessed at age 10 and reflecting Problem Behavior Theory as potential antecedent risk factors for the initiation of alcohol use at age 14 or younger.Method:A sample of 452 children (238 girls) ages 8 or 10 and their families was drawn from Allegheny County, PA, using targeted-age directory sampling and random-digit dialing procedures. Children and parents were interviewed using computer-assisted interviews. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the age-10 univariate and multivariate predictors of the initiation of alcohol use by age 14 or younger.Results:Twenty-five percent of the sample reported having more than a sip or a taste of alcohol in their life by age 14. Sex, race, and age cohort did not relate to early drinking status. Children with two parents were less likely to initiate drinking early. Early initiation of drinkin...
152 citations
TL;DR: The long-term longitudinal predictive power of reasons for alcohol use and marijuana use suggests that adolescents' self-reported reasons, in particular those involving regulating emotions and experiences, may be early risk factors for continued use and misuse of substances into adulthood.
Abstract: Objective:The aim of this study was to examine how reasons for substance use at age 18 relate to alcohol and marijuana use at ages 18 and 35 and to symptoms of alcohol use disorder and marijuana use disorder at age 35.Method:Bivariate correlation and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the prediction of substance use and misuse by social/recreational, coping with negative affect, compulsive, and drug effect reasons for alcohol and marijuana use. Control variables included gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, and previous substance use (for age 35 outcomes).Results:Social/recreational, coping, and drug effect reasons for drinking predicted symptoms of alcohol use disorder 17 years later. Reasons for marijuana use were generally associated only with concurrent marijuana use; an exception was that drug effect reasons predicted marijuana use disorder at age 35.Conclusions:The long-term longitudinal predictive power of reasons for alcohol use (and, to a lesser extent, for marijuana ...
149 citations
TL;DR: Although all age groups that started drinking regularly before age 21 had a greater rate of alcohol dependence in adulthood, initiation of regular use of alcohol at or before age 14 was not related to greater chronicity of alcoholic dependence than the initiation ofregular use ofcohol in middle or late adolescence.
Abstract: Objective:This study examined the association between age at alcohol use onset and adult alcohol misuse and dependence by testing the sensitive-period hypothesis that early adolescence (11—14) is a vulnerable period of development during which initiating alcohol use is particularly harmful.Method:Data came from a longitudinal panel of 808 participants recruited in 1981. Participants were followed through age 33 in 2008 with 92% retention.Results:Onset of alcohol use before age 11 (late childhood), when compared with initiation during early adolescence, was related to an increased chronicity of adult alcohol dependence, even after accounting for sociodemographic controls and other substance use in adolescence. The present study finds no evidence that early adolescence is a particularly sensitive period for the onset of alcohol use. Findings related to the onset of regular alcohol use and the chronicity of alcohol dependence suggest that the onset of regular drinking before age 21 is problematic, but no one...
145 citations
TL;DR: Rates of hospitalizations for alcohol overdoses, drug overdoses, and their combination all increased from 1999 to 2008 among 18- to 24-year-olds and the cost of such hospitalizations now exceeds $1.2 billion annually.
Abstract: Objective:Recent reports indicate an increase in rates of hospitalizations for drug overdoses in the United States. The role of alcohol in hospitalizations for drug overdoses remains unclear. Excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs is prevalent in young adults ages 18–24. The present study explores rates and costs of inpatient hospital stays for alcohol overdoses, drug overdoses, and their co-occurrence in young adults ages 18–24 and changes in these rates between 1999 and 2008.Method:Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were used to estimate numbers, rates, and costs of inpatient hospital stays stemming from alcohol overdoses (and their subcategories, alcohol poisonings and excessive consumption of alcohol), drug overdoses (and their subcategories, drug poisonings and nondependent abuse of drugs), and their co-occurrence in 18- to 24-year-olds.Results:Hospitalization rates for alcohol overdoses alone increased 25% from 1999 to 2008, reaching 29,412 cases in 2008 at a cost of $266 million. Hospita...
118 citations
TL;DR: Harm-minimization policies and zero-tolerance policies regarding the influence of family context and supervised drinking on adolescent alcohol use and related harms among adolescents in Washington State, USA and Victoria, Australia are compared.
Abstract: Objective: Harm-minimization policies suggest that alcohol use is a part of normal adolescent development and that parents should supervise their children's use to encourage responsible drinking. Zero-tolerance policies suggest that all underage alcohol use should be discouraged. This article compared hypotheses derived from harm- minimization and zero-tolerance policies regarding the infl uence of family context and supervised drinking on adolescent alcohol use and related harms among adolescents in Washington State, USA, and Vic- toria, Australia, two states that have respectively adopted zero-tolerance and harm-minimization policies. Method: Representative samples of seventh-grade students (N = 1,945; 989 females) were recruited from schools in each state. Students completed comprehensive questionnaires on alcohol use, related problem behaviors, and risk and protective factors annually from 2002 to 2004 when they were in ninth grade. Results: Relationships between family context and alcohol use and harmful use were very similar in both states. Adult-supervised settings for alcohol use were associated with higher levels of harmful alcohol consequences. Adult-supervised alcohol use mediated the links between favorable pa- rental attitudes to alcohol use and ninth-grade alcohol use for students in both states. Conclusions: Despite policy differences in the two states, relationships between family context variables and alcohol use and harm- ful use are remarkably similar. Adult-supervised settings for alcohol use resulted in higher levels of harmful alcohol consequences, contrary to predictions derived from harm-minimization policy. Findings challenge the harm-minimization position that supervised alcohol use or early-age alcohol use will reduce the development of adolescent alcohol problems. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 418-428, 2011)
117 citations
TL;DR: A salient and malleable neighborhood characteristic, abandoned housing, which predicted elevated risk for young-adult marijuana use was identified, which supports environmental strategies that target abandoned buildings as a means to improve health and health behaviors for community residents, particularly young- adult substance use.
Abstract: Objective:This study examines the growth of neighborhood disorder and subsequent marijuana use among urban adolescents transitioning into young adulthood.Method:Data are derived from a longitudinal sample of 434 predominately African American 12th graders followed-up at 2 years after high school. The data are rich in repeated measures documenting substance use and misuse and neighborhood characteristics. Growth mixture modeling was used to examine how neighborhood disorder trajectories, measured through the presence of abandoned buildings on the blocks where participants reside, influence subsequent drug use beginning in late adolescence and into young adulthood.Results:A four-class solution characterizing neighborhood growth was selected as the final model and included rapidly improving, slightly improving, always-good, and deteriorating neighborhoods. Young adults living in neighborhoods that had been deteriorating over time were 30% more likely to use marijuana 2 years after high school than adolescent...
102 citations
TL;DR: Results suggest that feedback on self-efficacy, attitudes, and intentions to engage in risky drinking may be a helpful addition to personalized feedback interventions for this population of college drinkers.
Abstract: Objective:This study tested the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a predictor of growth in risky college drinking over a 3-month period. As predicted by the TPB model, it was hypothesized that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control would predict intention to engage in risky drinking, which would in turn predict growth in future risky drinking.Method:Participants were 837 college drinkers (64.2% female) who were randomly selected from two U.S. West Coast universities to participate in a larger study on college drinking norms. This study used latent growth analyses to test the ability of the TPB to predict baseline levels of as well as linear and quadratic growth in risky college drinking (i.e., heavy episodic drinking and peak drinking quantity).Results:Chi-square tests and fit indices indicated close fit for the final structural models. Self-efficacy, attitudes, and subjective norms significantly predicted baseline intention, which in turn predicted future heavy episodic drinking....
99 citations
TL;DR: SR change predicted good drinking outcomes in alcoholics, even when controlling for baseline drinking and AA involvement, and deserves attention in fostering change even among those who do not affiliate with AA or religious institutions.
Abstract: Objective:Although spiritual change is hypothesized to contribute to recovery from alcohol dependence, few studies have used prospective data to investigate this hypothesis. Prior studies have also been limited to treatment-seeking and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) samples. This study included alcohol-dependent individuals, both in treatment and not, to investigate the effect of spiritual and religious (SR) change on subsequent drinking outcomes, independent of AA involvement.Method:Alcoholics (N = 364) were recruited for a panel study from two abstinence-based treatment centers, a moderation drinking program, and untreated individuals from the local community. Quantitative measures of SR change between baseline and 6 months were used to predict 9-month drinking outcomes, controlling for baseline drinking and AA involvement.Results:Significant 6-month changes in 8 of 12 SR measures were found, which included private SR practices, beliefs, daily spiritual experiences, three measures of forgiveness, negative re...
99 citations
TL;DR: Low parental education appears to be much more of a risk factor for White students than for Hispanic or African American students, and in studies of substance use epidemiology, findings based on predominantly White samples are not equally applicable to other racial/ethnic subgroups.
Abstract: Objective:Secondary school students' rates of substance use vary significantly by race/ethnicity and by their parents' level of education (a proxy for socioeconomic status). The relationship between students' substance use and race/ethnicity is, however, potentially confounded because parental education also differs substantially by race/ethnicity. This report disentangles the confounding by examining White, African American, and Hispanic students separately, showing how parental education relates to cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, and illicit drug use.Method:Data are from the 1999-2008 Monitoring the Future nationally representative in-school surveys of more than 360,000 students in Grades 8, 10, and 12.Results:(a) High proportions of Hispanic students have parents with the lowest level of education, and the relatively low levels of substance use by these students complicates total sample data linking parental education and substance use. (b) There are clear interactions: Compared with White students,...
94 citations
TL;DR: The data aid in clarifying a body of literature that has been afflicted with numerous limitations and will help guide the selection of alcohol doses for researchers conducting future laboratory-based aggression studies.
Abstract: Objective: Numerous studies have examined the impact of alcohol on violence; however, only a small number have addressed differences elicited by different doses of alcohol. Such studies are lim- ited by mixed fi ndings, small sample sizes, inconsistent alcohol doses and control conditions, a bias toward studying only male participants, and the predominant use of only one particular measure to assess ag- gression. The present laboratory investigation was designed to elucidate and advance this literature by improving on these limitations. Method: Participants were 187 (95 men and 92 women) social drinkers. Following the consumption of one of six alcohol doses (i.e., 0.0 g/kg, 0.125 g/kg, 0.25 g/kg, 0.5 g/kg, 0.75 g/kg, and 1.0 g/kg), participants were tested on a laboratory task in which electric shocks were received from and administered to a fi ctitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task. Aggression was operationalized as the intensity and duration of shocks administered to one's "opponent." Results: Analyses revealed a highly signifi cant positive linear trend between alcohol dose and aggression for both genders. Conclusions: Our data aid in clarifying a body of literature that has been affl icted with numerous limitations and will help guide the selection of alcohol doses for researchers conducting future laboratory-based aggression studies. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 34-43, 2011)
91 citations
TL;DR: If the current global financial crisis leads to increases in experiences of financial strain among older adults, alcohol and smoking problems can also be expected to increase in this population.
Abstract: Objective:This study aimed to assess whether changes in levels of financial strain are associated with changes in alcohol use and smoking among older adults.Method:Multilevel analyses were conducted using longitudinal data from a randomly selected national sample of older adults (N = 2,352; 60% female). The data were collected in six waves during the period of 1992–2006. We estimated associations between within-person changes in levels of financial strain and the odds of engaging in heavy drinking and smoking, while also testing for the moderating effects of gender, education, and age.Results:A direct association was observed between changes in levels of financial strain and the odds of heavy drinking, particularly among elderly men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31) and those with low levels of education (OR = 1.27). A direct association between changes in levels of financial strain and the odds of smoking was also evident, particularly among the young-old (i.e., age 65 at baseline; OR = 1.44).Conclusions:Exposure...
TL;DR: The results suggest that interventions targeting normative misperceptions may need to provide feedback based on participant demography or group membership, and typical student feedback provides the largest normative discrepancy for the majority of students.
Abstract: Objective:Perceived descriptive drinking norms often differ from actual norms and are positively related to personal consumption. However, it is not clear how normative perceptions vary with specificity of the reference group. Are drinking norms more accurate and more closely related to drinking behavior as reference group specificity increases? Do these relationships vary as a function of participant demographics? The present study examined the relationship between perceived descriptive norms and drinking behavior by ethnicity (Asian or White), sex, and fraternity/sorority status.Method:Participants were 2,699 (58% female) White (75%) or Asian (25%) undergraduates from two universities who reported their own alcohol use and perceived descriptive norms for eight reference groups: "typical student"; same sex, ethnicity, or fraternity/sorority status; and all combinations of these three factors.Results:Participants generally reported the highest perceived norms for the most distal reference group (typical s...
TL;DR: Examination of potential gender-specific parental influences to impulsiveness, control over one's own drinking, and alcohol-related problems among individuals in a period of emerging adulthood found monitoring by an opposite-gender parent mediated the link between parenting styles.
Abstract: Objective:Recently, it has been suggested that traits may dynamically change as conditions change. One possible mechanism that may influence impulsiveness is parental monitoring. Parental monitoring reflects a knowledge regarding one's offspring's whereabouts and social connections. The aim of this investigation was to examine potential gender-specific parental influences to impulsiveness (general behavioral control), control over one's own drinking (specific behavioral control), and alcohol-related problems among individuals in a period of emerging adulthood.Method:Direct and mediational links between parenting styles (permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative), parental monitoring, impulsiveness, drinking control, and alcohol-related problems were investigated. A multiple-group, SEM model with (316 women, 265 men) university students was examined.Results:In general, the overall pattern among male and female respondents was distinct. For daughters, perceptions of a permissive father were indirectly li...
TL;DR: Three maladaptive or risky coping strategies with respect to alcohol consumption were identified using an ecologically valid methodology, however, ethnic-specific variation of these risky (and protective) coping factors was identified.
Abstract: Objective:Using a daily diary approach, the current study evaluated the relationship between coping and alcohol consumption using a large, multiethnic sample. The primary goals of this study were to (a) identify coping strategies that are either protective or risk factors for alcohol consumption and (b) model between-ethnic and within-ethnic group variation for these relations.Method:College students (N = 365, 69.0% female) were recruited via flyers, course/club presentations, and university seminars. Participants completed Internet-based daily diaries over the course of 5 days and reported specifically on a target stressful event, how they coped with the stressful event, and the amount of alcohol consumed on a daily level.Results:Use of more avoidance-oriented coping strategies (minimization of stressor, emotional rumination) and social support were significantly associated with more alcohol consumption. Ethnicity, however, did moderate some coping—alcohol associations. Use of religious coping was associ...
TL;DR: Differing patterns of alcohol use, its predictors, and its consequences emerged for the college and noncollege samples, suggesting that differing intervention strategies may best meet the needs of each population.
Abstract: Objective: Although alcohol use and related problems are highly prevalent in emerging adulthood overall, college students drink somewhat more than do their peers who do not attend college. The personal or social influences underlying this difference, however, are not yet well understood. The present study examined whether personality traits (i.e., self-regulation and sensation seeking) and peer influence (i.e., descriptive drinking norms) contributed to student status differences. Method: At approximately age 22, 4-year college students (n = 331) and noncollege emerging adults (n = 502) completed web-based surveys, including measures of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, personality, and social norms. Results: College students drank only slightly more heavily. This small difference, however, reflected personality suppression. College students were lower in trait-based risk for drinking, and accounting for traits revealed a stronger positive association between attending college and drinking more heavily. Although noncollege emerging adults reported greater descriptive drinking norms for social group members, norms appeared to more strongly influence alcohol use among college students. Finally, despite drinking less, noncollege individuals experienced more alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: The association between attending college and drinking heavily may be larger than previously estimated, and it may be masked by biased selection into college as a function of both self-regulation and sensation seeking. Differing patterns of alcohol use, its predictors, and its consequences emerged for the college and noncollege samples, suggesting that differing intervention strategies may best meet the needs of each population. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 622-632, 2011). Language: en
TL;DR: This brief motivational interviewing intervention during incarceration reduces alcohol and marijuana use after release and should be considered in treating these adolescents, but more work is needed to extend follow-up period and account for the impact of depression on outcomes.
Abstract: Objective:Motivational interviewing to reduce alcohol and marijuana use among incarcerated adolescents was evaluated.Method:Adolescents (N = 162, 84% male; M = 17.10 years old) were randomly assigned to receive motivational interviewing or relaxation training, with follow-up assessment 3 months after release.Results:Compared with those who received relaxation training, adolescents who received motivational interviewing had lower rates of alcohol and marijuana use at follow-up, with some evidence for moderating effects of depression. At low levels of depression, adolescents who received motivational interviewing had lower rates of use. Adolescents who received relaxation training and who had high levels of depressive symptoms early in incarceration showed less use at follow-up than those low in depressive symptoms who received relaxation training.Conclusions:This brief motivational interviewing intervention during incarceration reduces alcohol and marijuana use after release. In addition, depressive sympto...
TL;DR: Results indicate that parent interventions aiming at the prevention of adolescents' alcohol use should include the advice to restrict the perceived presence of alcohol beverages at home, and that parents respond to their youngsters' experienced alcohol-related problems by engaging in more rigorous alcohol-specific parenting.
Abstract: Objective:The first aim of this study was to gain more insight into the bi-directionality between alcohol-specific parental factors (i.e., parents’ alcohol use, alcohol availability at home, parental rule setting, and frequency and quality of communication about alcohol) and adolescents’ alcohol intake and alcohol-related problems. The second aim was to examine the relative impact of alcohol-specific parental factors on adolescents’ alcohol intake and related problems by studying them in a comprehensive model.Method:A two-wave longitudinal study, with a 2-year interval, was conducted among a sample of 537 adolescents (56% girls) ages 12–15 years in The Netherlands. Under supervision of well-instructed teachers, students filled out questionnaires in a classroom setting.Results:The findings show that perceived alcohol availability at home was the only parenting factor predicting an increase in alcohol intake and alcohol-related problems among adolescents 2 years later. Cross-sectional findings, furthermore,...
TL;DR: Peer alcohol use and peer support were associated with more alcohol use, and maternal support was negatively associated with alcohol use; however, neighborhood disadvantage was not directly associated with adolescent drinking.
Abstract: Objective:Risk factors for adolescent alcohol use are typically conceptualized as individual and interpersonal level factors; however, these factors do not fully explain adolescent drinking behavior. We used a socioecological model to examine the contribution of neighborhood factors in a risk and promotive model of adolescent alcohol use among urban high school youth (N = 711; 52% female; 82% African American; M = 18 years old).Method:Using a multilevel model, we considered the role of neighborhood disadvantage on youth alcohol use, after accounting for risk (e.g., peer and parental substance use) and promotive factors (e.g., social support and participation in prosocial activities).Results:Peer alcohol use and peer support were associated with more alcohol use, and maternal support was negatively associated with alcohol use. Despite significant variation at the neighborhood level, neighborhood disadvantage was not directly associated with adolescent drinking.Conclusions:Our study contributes to a mixed b...
TL;DR: Findings from a clinical trial suggested that modafinil may be particularly useful in methamphetamine-dependent subjects who use the drug frequently, and these results add to the findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study that suggested this medication may serve as a useful adjunct to behavioral treatments for methamphetamine dependence.
Abstract: Objective:Individuals who are methamphetamine dependent exhibit higher rates of cognitive dysfunction than healthy people who do not use methamphetamine, and this dysfunction may have a negative effect on the success of behavioral treatments for the disorder. Therefore, a medication that improves cognition, such as modafinil (Provigil), may serve as a useful adjunct to behavioral treatments for methamphetamine dependence. Although cognitive-enhancing effects of modafinil have been reported in several populations, little is known about the effects of modafinil in methamphetamine-dependent individuals. We thus sought to evaluate the effects of modafinil on the cognitive performance of methamphetamine-dependent and healthy individuals.Method:Seventeen healthy subjects and 24 methamphetamine-dependent subjects participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Effects of modafinil (200 mg, single oral dose) were assessed on participants’ performance on tests of inhibitory cont...
TL;DR: Findings indicate that web-based programs (Drinker's Check-Up in particular) can significantly decrease several indicators of alcohol use in U.S. military personnel.
Abstract: Objective:The U.S. military has traditionally had high rates of alcohol misuse and alcohol-related problems, necessitating effective treatment programs that minimize participant burden. Web-based interventions have shown promise as efficient treatment options for college students and adults but have not been widely evaluated in the military. This study evaluated the efficacy of two web-based alcohol interventions originally created for civilians and then adapted for U.S. military personnel.Method:Two web-based alcohol interventions, Alcohol Savvy and Drinker's Check-Up, were adapted for use among military populations. The interventions were evaluated using a convenience sample of 3,070 active-duty military personnel at eight installations. Following a baseline survey, participants were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (a) Alcohol Savvy, (b) Drinker's Check-Up, or (c) control (no program participation). Follow-up surveys were completed by 1,072 participants 1 month following baseline and by 5...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined child gender differences in the association of family relationship quality, parental disapproval of children's alcohol use, and parental alcohol use with early adolescent alcohol use.
Abstract: Objective: Family characteristics (relationship quality, parental behaviors, and attitudes relating to alcohol use) are known to influence alcohol use in the mid-teen years, and there is evidence that family characteristics have different influences on mid-teen girls versus boys. This study examined child gender differences in the association of family relationship quality, parental disapproval of children's alcohol use, and parental alcohol use with early adolescent alcohol use. Method: Grade 6 and 8 students (modal age 11 and 13, respectively; N = 6,837; 52.6% female) were recruited from 231 schools across three Australian states. Hypotheses were tested using two-level ordinal logistic regression (individuals nested within schools). The main dependent measure was lifetime frequency of early adolescent alcohol consumption. Independent variables included mother's/father's alcohol use, closeness, conflict, and disapproval of adolescent alcohol use. Control variables included sensation seeking, peer alcohol use, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Results: The key findings were that for the young age group (Grade 6), emotional closeness to the parent of the opposite sex was protective. Family conflict was associated with females' drinking in both age groups but not males' drinking. Conclusions: There was evidence of gender differences in the epidemiology of family relationship quality and early alcohol use. Social developmental models may need revision to account for these child gender differences. Gender-specific family dynamics may be an important consideration for family-oriented prevention strategy.
TL;DR: Gender differences in the timing of decline in drinking suggest that ongoing monitoring of alcohol consumption may be especially important for older men, and further research is needed to identify factors known at late middle age that prospectively explain long-term change in late-life use of alcohol.
Abstract: Objective:The aim of this study was to describe older adults' 20-year alcohol-consumption and drinking-problem trajectories, identify baseline predictors of them, and determine whether older men and women differ on late-life drinking trajectory characteristics and predictors.Method:Two-group simultaneous latent growth modeling was used to describe the characteristics and baseline predictors of older community-residing men's (n = 399) and women's (n = 320) 20-year drinking trajectories. Chi-square difference tests of increment in fit of latent growth models with and without gender invariance constraints were used to determine gender differences in drinking trajectory characteristics and predictors.Results:Unconditional quadratic growth models best described older individuals' within-individual, 20-year drinking trajectories, with alcohol consumption following an average pattern of delayed decline, and drinking problems an average pattern of decline followed by leveling off. On average, older men declined i...
TL;DR: This study provides further evidence of a link between drug consumption and fatal crashes and opens the door to some interesting and sometimes unexpected questions regarding the way drugs contribute to crashes, which it found varies depending on the type of crash considered, the class of drug, and the presence of alcohol.
Abstract: Objective:The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of drunk and drugged driving to the occurrence of fatal crashes associated with speeding, failure to obey/yield, inattention, and seat belt nonuse.Method:We examined data for fatally injured drivers involved in single-vehicle crashes killed in states in which more than 79% of the drivers were tested for drugs other than alcohol and had a known result.Results:About 25% of the drivers tested positive for drugs, a figure almost double that estimated by the 2007 National Roadside Survey. Cannabinoids and stimulants each contributed to about 23% of the drug-positive results (6% among all fatally injured single-vehicle drivers). Stimulants more than cannabinoids were found to be associated with the four types of crashes under study. Some drugs showed a protective effect over the four crash types under study. Significant interactions between drugs and alcohol were observed. Stimulants contributed to the different types of fatal crashes irrespective ...
TL;DR: Findings indicate a significant relationship between deployment and problem drinking, however, most members who deployed multiple times remained resilient, pointing to the need for future research on protective factors that foster resiliency.
Abstract: Objective:With today's new military deployment environment, characterized by more frequent and longer deployments, significant attention has focused on the effects of deployment on problem behaviors, including alcohol use. The current study examined the relationship between aspects of deployment and alcohol use.Method:The data for the current study were collected as part of the Air Force Community Assessment survey, an anonymous Web-based survey of Air Force members. The survey was administered to a stratified random sample of 56,137 active duty Air Force members across 80 bases worldwide; 78% were male and 22% were female. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test measured the rate of alcohol problems. Deployment histories were collected using a series of questions that asked respondents about various aspects and characteristics of their recent deployments.Results:Logistic regression was used to examine the impact of various aspects of deployment on problem drinking. After controlling for demographic...
TL;DR: Differences in substance misuse by pathways to adulthood were fairly constant across the young adulthood years and were already observed at age 18, suggesting that substance misuse patterns are established early.
Abstract: Objective:Social role transitions have been linked to changes in substance use and misuse during young adulthood. This study examined how commonly observed pathways to adulthood, defined by education, employment, marriage, and parenthood, were associated with alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana misuse from ages 18 to 33.Method:Data came from a longitudinal panel of 412 men and 396 women recruited when they were in fifth grade in Seattle public schools in 1985. Participants were followed through age 33 in 2008, with 92% retention.Results:Young adults who had little postsecondary education and remained unmarried through age 30 generally had the highest rates of substance misuse. Those who were involved in postsecondary education and postponed family formation had the lowest rates, particularly with respect to daily smoking and nicotine dependence. Parenting during the young adult years was associated with lower rates of substance misuse for both men and women. However, taking on parenting responsibilities early...
TL;DR: Results extend the literature on the health consequences of prejudice and discrimination, highlighting important effects of cumulative adversity and suggesting a need to focus particularly on drinkers exposed to the combined effects of multiple stressors in prevention and treatment efforts.
Abstract: Objective:Although racial and ethnic minorities are often disadvantaged in multiple ways, little research has examined the interactive effects of multiple forms of disadvantage in these populations. The current study describes the independent and interactive effects of perceived prejudice, perceived unfair treatment, poverty, and foreign nativity on problem drinking outcomes among Black and Latino adults.Method:The data source was Black (n = 504) and Latino (n = 766) drinkers from the nationally representative, weighted 2005 National Alcohol Survey. Perceived prejudice was assessed using a composite measure of racial stigma consciousness; perceived unfair treatment was assessed using a single item. Respondents whose per capita household income was below the 2004 poverty guidelines were coded as “poor”; nativity status was assessed among Latinos. Outcomes included past-year drinking to drunkenness, any drinking-related consequences, and two or more dependence symptoms.Results:In bivariate tests, higher lev...
TL;DR: It was demonstrated that students consistently overestimated the drinking behavior for the typical same-sex student in various drinking contexts, with the most prominent being fraternity/sorority parties.
Abstract: Objective:Prior research has shown that normative perceptions of others’ drinking behavior strongly relates to one's own drinking behavior Most research examining the perceived drinking of others has generally focused on specificity of the normative referent (ie, gender, ethnicity) The present study expands the research literature on social norms by examining normative perceptions by various drinking contexts Specifically, this research aimed to determine if college students overestimate peer drinking by several drinking contexts (ie, bar, fraternity/sorority party, non-fraternity/sorority party, sporting event) and to examine whether normative perceptions for drinking by contexts relate to one's own drinking behavior specific to these contextsMethod:Students (N= 1,468; 564% female) participated in a web-based survey by completing measures assessing drinking behavior and perceived descriptive drinking norms for various contextsResults:Findings demonstrated that students consistently overestimate
TL;DR: AlcoholEdu for College appears to have beneficial short-term effects on victimization and the most common types of alcohol-related problems among freshmen and universities may benefit the most by mandating AlcoholE Edu for College for all incoming freshmen and by implementing this online course along with environmental prevention strategies.
Abstract: Objective:AlcoholEdu for College is a 2- to 3-hour online course for incoming college freshmen. This study was the first multicampus trial to examine effects of AlcoholEdu for College on alcohol-related problems among freshmen.Method:Thirty universi participated in the study. Fifteen were randomly assigned to receive AlcoholEdu, and the other 15 were assigned to the control condition. AlcoholEdu was implemented by intervention schools during the summer and/or fall semester. Cross-sectional surveys of freshmen were conducted at each university beginning before the intervention in spring 2008/2009; post-intervention surveys were administered in fall 2008/2009 and spring 2009/2010. The surveys included questions about the past-30-day frequency of 28 alcohol-related problems, from which we created indices for the total number of problems and problems in seven domains: physiological, academic, social, driving under the influence/riding with drinking drivers, aggression, sexual risk taking, and victimization. M...
TL;DR: Findings suggest that the modest effect sizes for naltrexone reported in systematic reviews and meta-analyses may be attributable, at least in part, to variability in nALTrexone adherence rates.
Abstract: Objective:The efficacy of naltrexone (Revia, Vivitrol) for the treatment of alcohol dependence exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the extent to which variability in patient adherence to treatment contributed to the range of clinical responses observed during naltrexone treatment.Method:A systematic review was conducted of efficacy trials of naltrexone for the treatment of alcohol dependence to evaluate the level of adherence monitoring.Results:Of 49 identified trials, 22 (49%) met the inclusion criteria of being randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that reported adherence. The “adherence-assurance score” of these trials was calculated as a function of the frequency with which “low,” “moderate,” or “high” confidence levels of adherence monitoring were used. Of these 22 randomized, controlled trials, only 3 (14%) met criteria for high levels of adherence assurance, 5 (23%) met medium adherence-assurance criteria, and 14 (64%) met low adherenc...
TL;DR: Screening substance use behaviors can help to identify girls who may benefit from pregnancy prevention strategies and targeting cigarette and marijuana behaviors as early as age 12 or younger may provide an added benefit.
Abstract: Objective:The present study examined the associations between initiation and intensity of substance use and with sexual experience with and without a history of teenage pregnancy.Method:Participants were high school females (weighted n = 3,451) who participated in the 1999–2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey. Multinomial multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the likelihood of being sexually experienced (but never pregnant) and teenage pregnancy (reference group: never had sexual intercourse) as a function of age at substance use initiation (i.e., age 12 or younger, 13–14 years of age, and age 15 or older) and intensity of substance use (i.e., nonuser, experimental/ new or nondaily, nonexperimental/daily user) for alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana, while controlling for race/ethnicity, metropolitan location, symptoms of depression, and illegal drug availability at school.Results:A major finding of our study is that substance use ...