Library Watch - On Adolescents

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Last Update: 11.10.10

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...on Adolescents

www.ProjectCork.org

Fall 2008

Deficits in social problem solving in adolescents with prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Mcgee CL; Fryer SL; Bjorkquist OA; Mattson SN; Riley EP. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 34(4): 423-431, 2008. (18 refs.)
This study evaluated the social problem solving skills of adolescents with histories of prenatal alcohol exposure. Adolescents (28 alcohol-exposed, 15 controls) completed a standardized questionnaire of social problem solving, and caregivers completed a parent-report measure of executive functioning. Both questionnaires were mailed to families, and caregivers were asked to recruit a non-exposed control. Results suggest that alcohol-exposed adolescents have substantial impairments in their abilities to solve problems in their everyday life, even in the absence of mental retardation. Such impairments are likely to have a significant impact on social and academic functioning and reflect their need for critical services otherwise unavailable to them.

A cross-sectional survey of young people attending a music festival: associations between drug use and musical preference.

Lim MSC; Hellard ME; Hocking JS; Aitken CK. Drug and Alcohol Review 27(4): 439-441, 2008. (10 refs.)
Introduction and Aims. Drug use is becoming normalised among young Australian people involved in music sub-cultures. We aimed to determine prevalences of illicit drug use in this population and associations between preferences for different music genres and recent use of particular illicit drugs. Design and Methods. A cross-sectional questionnaire of young people (aged 16-29 years) attending a music festival. Results. Of 939 respondents, 46% had used illicit drugs (principally cannabis) in the past month, a significantly higher proportion than among respondents to the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (18%). Participants who favoured dance/house or rap music were more likely to have used illicit drugs recently than the remainder of the sample, while those who favoured pop or alternative music were less likely to have used drugs in the past month. Discussion and Conclusions. These data suggest that music festival attendees use illicit drugs more commonly than their age-matched cohort in the general community, and that music festivals venues (particularly those that cater for dance/house and rap) would be appropriate places for interventions to promote safer drug use.

Adolescent cannabis users at 24 years: Trajectories to regular weekly use and dependence in young adulthood.

Swift W; Coffey C; Carlin JB; Degenhardt L; Patton GC. Addiction 103(8): 1361-1370, 2008. (39 refs.)
Aims To examine the association between cannabis use by 18 years and problematic cannabis use at 24 years, considering possible mediating and confounding factors. Design Ten-year representative prospective study with data from six time-points in adolescence (mean age 14.9-17.4 years) and two in young adulthood (mean age 20.7 and 24.1 years) Setting Victoria, Australia. Participants Inception cohort of 1943 secondary school students (95.6% response rate), with 1520 (78% of adolescent participants) interviewed in the final wave. Measurements Participants reported frequency of cannabis use for the past 6 months at each time-point in adolescence (age 14-17 years). Cannabis exposure was defined as: maximum frequency of use (occasional, weekly, daily), number of waves of use (1 or 2; 3-6) and first wave of use (early use: first waves 1-3). Young adult (24 years) outcomes were: weekly+cannabis use and DSM-IV cannabis dependence, referred to collectively as problematic use. Findings Of those interviewed at age 24 (wave 8), 34% had reported cannabis use in adolescence (waves 1-6), 12% at a level of weekly or more frequent use; 37% of these adolescent cannabis users were using at least weekly at wave 8, with 20% exhibiting dependence. Persistent adolescent cannabis and tobacco use as well as persistent mental health problems were associated strongly with problematic cannabis use at 24 years, after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Conclusions: Heavy, persistent and early-onset cannabis use were all strongly predictive of later cannabis problems. Even so, occasional use was not free of later problems. Where there was co-occurring tobacco use or persistent mental health problems, risks for later problem cannabis use was higher.

Adolescent ecstasy and other drug use in the National Survey of Parents and Youth: The role of sensation-seeking, parental monitoring and peer's drug use.

Martins SS; Storr CL; Alexandre PK; Chilcoat HD. Addictive Behaviors 33(7): 919-933, 2008. (60 refs.)
The association between high sensation-seeking, close friends' drug use and low parental monitoring with ecstasy (MDMA) use in adolescence was examined in a sample of US household-dwelling adolescents aged 12 - 18 years (N=5049). We also tested whether associations were of stronger magnitude than associations between these correlates and marijuana or alcohol/tobacco use in adolescence. Data from Round 2 of the National Survey of Parents and Youth (NSPY) Restricted Use Files (RUF) was analyzed via Jackknife weighted multinomial logistic regression models. High sensation-seekers were more likely to be ecstasy, marijuana, and alcohol/tobacco users, respectively, as compared to low sensation-seekers. High sensation-seeking and close friends' drug use were more strongly associated with ecstasy as compared to marijuana and alcohol/tobacco use. Low parental monitoring was associated with marijuana use and alcohol/tobacco use and there was a trend for it to be associated with ecstasy use. Ecstasy use is strongly associated with peer drug use and more modestly associated with high sensation-seeking. School prevention programs should target high-sensation-seeking adolescents and also encourage them to affiliate with non-drug using peers.

Adolescents' responses to peer smoking offers: The role of sensation seeking and self-esteem.

Greene K; Banerjee SC. Journal of Health Communication 13(3): 267-286, 2008. (73 refs.)
This article deals with an important topic (youth smoking) and makes a contribution to the literature by validating existing research and extending our understanding of smoking resistance strategies. This study classified adolescent reports of their responses to cigarette smoking offers utilizing four drug refusal strategies of refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (REAL) and explored how personality factors explain adolescents' use of cigarette refusal strategies. Participants were predominantly Hispanic junior high students (6th-8th grades) from schools in the Northeast United States who participated in a survey design (N = 260). The strategy of explain was reported most frequently for initial and follow-up smoking offers. Adolescents with a greater number of friends who smoked were more likely to use the avoid strategy for initial smoking offers. Sensation seeking was positively related to the use of leave and avoid strategies for initial smoking offers and leave strategy for follow-up smoking offers. No association was found between self-esteem and use of smoking refusal strategies. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Alcohol consumption patterns and risk factors among childhood cancer survivors compared to siblings and general population peers.

Lown EA; Goldsby R; Mertens AC; Greenfield T; Bond J; Whitton J et al. Addiction 103(7): 1139-1148, 2008. (55 refs.)
Aims: This study describes alcohol consumption among adult survivors of pediatric cancer compared to sibling controls and a national sample of healthy peers. Risk factors for heavy drinking among survivors are described. Design, setting and participants: Cross-sectional data were utilized from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study including adult survivors of pediatric cancer (n = 10 398) and a sibling cohort (n = 3034). Comparison data were drawn from the National Alcohol Survey (n = 4774). Measurement: Alcohol consumption, demographic, cancer diagnosis, treatment and psychosocial factors were measured. Findings Compared to peers, survivors were slightly less likely to be risky [adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) = 0.9; confidence interval (CI) 0.8-1.0] and heavy drinkers (ORadj = 0.8; CI 0.7-0.9) and more likely to be current drinkers. Compared to siblings, survivors were less likely to be current, risky and heavy drinkers. Risk factors for survivors' heavy drinking included being age 18-21 years (ORadj = 2.0; 95% CI 1.5-2.6), male (ORadj = 2.1; 95% CI 1.8-2.6), having high school education or less (ORadj = 3.4; 95% CI 2.7-4.4) and drinking initiation before age 14 (ORadj = 6.9; 95% CI 4.4-10.8). Among survivors, symptoms of depression, anxiety or somatization, fair or poor self-assessed health, activity limitations and anxiety about cancer were associated with heavy drinking. Cognitively compromising treatment, brain tumors and older age at diagnosis were protective. Conclusions: Adult survivors of childhood cancer show only a modest reduction in alcohol consumption compared to peers despite their more vulnerable health status. Distress and poorer health are associated with survivor heavy drinking. Screening for alcohol consumption should be instituted in long-term follow-up care and interventions among survivors and siblings should be established to reduce risk for early drinking.

Does allowing adolescents to smoke at home affect their consumption and dependence?

Luther EJ; Parzynski CS; Jaszyna-Gasior M; Bagot KS; Royo MB; Leff MK et al. Addictive Behaviors 33(6): 836-840, 2008. (13 refs.)
Negative parental attitudes towards smoking decrease adolescent smoking initiation but limited research explores the relationship between parental attitudes and degree of adolescent smoking among established smokers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental allowance of smoking in the home and adolescent smoking behavior and level of dependence. Interviews from 408 youths seeking assistance to quit smoking showed that adolescents who were allowed to smoke at home smoked more cigarettes per day and had higher scores on the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence than those not allowed to smoke at home. Studies that additionally evaluate parental smoking status and the temporal relationship of parental allowance of smoking with changes in adolescent smoking behavior are warranted to clarify public health implications of parental smoking interdictions.

Early childhood predictors of early substance use and substance use disorders: Prospective study.

Hayatbakhsh MR; Mamun AA; Najman JM; O'Callaghan MJ; Bor W; Alati R. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 42(8): 720-731, 2008. (45 refs.)
Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to examine the longitudinal association between early childhood factors and early initiation of use of substances and substance use disorders in a large prospective study. Method: Data were from the Mater Hospital University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a prospective birth cohort study in Brisbane, Australia. Use of nicotine, alcohol and cannabis and age of initiation of such use were reported at the 21 year follow up. DSM-IV diagnosis of nicotine, alcohol and cannabis use disorders was assessed at 21 years using a computerized version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-Auto). Early childhood factors were measured between mother's pregnancy and child age 5 years. Results: Of the 3647 respondents with complete data, 15.4% had started to smoke cigarettes before 15 years. Another 17.4% and 12.2% reported having started to consume alcohol or use cannabis in early adolescence, respectively. Some 16.2%, 27.8% and 21.9% had ever had nicotine, alcohol or cannabis abuse or dependence ( disorder) by 21 years, respectively. In multivariate models early initiation of use of substances, and substance use disorders were associated with disrupted families or drug-using parents, childhood problem behaviours, and poor parental monitoring and supervision in childhood. Conclusions: There are four independent factors in early or middle childhood that predict early initiation of use of substances and subsequent substance use disorders by early adulthood. There is a need to consider whether what is known about the risk factors that predict young age of substance use, and substance use disorders, may be incorporated into treatment and/or prevention initiatives.

Long-term outcomes of adolescents treated for substance misuse.

Larm P; Hodgins S; Larsson A; Samuelson YM; Tengstrom A. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 96(1-2): 79-89, 2008. (62 refs.)
Introduction: Little is known about the long-term outcome of substance misuse by teenagers, this is especially true for gender specific consequences. Objectives: To examine the prevalence of death, physical illnesses related to substance misuse, mental illness, substance misuse, criminality, and poverty in adulthood among two cohorts of individuals who as adolescents had consulted for substance misuse problems, to estimate the effect of sex on adverse outcomes, and to compare cohort effects. Methods: Individuals who had consulted a substance misuse clinic as adolescents during 1968-1971 and 1980-1984 were followed until 2002. Adverse outcomes were documented using information from Swedish national registers. Results: In the older cohort followed to age 50, only one-in-five escaped all six adverse outcomes, while over half of subjects experienced at least two or more. Sex and the severity of adolescent substance misuse and delinquency were predictors of adverse outcomes. More women than men experienced physical illness and poverty in the older cohort while more men than women were convicted of criminal offences in both cohorts and presented continued substance misuse in the younger cohort. Men in the younger as compared to the older cohort had higher rates of substance misuse and criminal convictions. Conclusions: Adolescents seeking help for substance misuse problems are at elevated risk for multiple adverse outcomes later in life. Outcomes differ for women and men and by severity of adolescent misuse and delinquency. Few cohort differences in adult outcomes exist.

Middle school students' perceived access to cigarettes in Virginia.

Speizer IS; Bean MK; Obando CP; Fries E. American Journal of Health Behavior 32(4): 399-410, 2008. (31 refs.)
Objective: To examine correlates of perceived access to cigarettes at home, school, and the store among youth. Methods: Virginia middle school youth were surveyed before beginning tobacco prevention programs. Multivariate analyses examined household smoking, peer smoking, and perceived community tobacco use for their relationship to perceived access at home, school, and the store. Results: Perceived access at home was associated with parent, sibling, and friend smoking. Perceived access at school and stores was associated with perceived peer and community smoking. Conclusions: Youth tobacco prevention programs should target the commercial and social sources of tobacco access to reduce experimentation, adoption, and addiction among youth.

Should we ask our children about sex, drugs and rock & roll? Potentially harmful effects of asking questions about risky behaviors.

Fitzsimons GJ; Moore SG. Journal of Consumer Psychology 18(2): 82-95, 2008. (93 refs.)
Research shows that asking questions can fundamentally change behavior. We review literature on this question-behavior effect, which demonstrates that asking questions changes both normal and risky behaviors. We discuss potential explanations for the effect and review recent findings that reveal interesting moderators of the influence of questions on behavior. We then highlight the potential impact of the question-behavior effect in an important public health context: screening adolescents for risky behavior. While medical guidelines emphasize the importance of asking adolescents questions about substance (drug, alcohol) use and sexual behaviors, research on the question-behavior effect suggests that asking adolescents about risky behaviors has the potential to increase the frequency with which they engage in these behaviors. We argue that the act of screening or measuring risky behavior is potentially counterproductive. We emphasize the importance of interventions beyond screening, and suggest ways in which screening can be carried out to minimize its impact. in short, asking questions about behaviors can change behavior, and asking questions about risky behaviors may itself be a risky undertaking.

Should we ask our children about sex, drugs, and rock & roll? A different conclusion.

Sherman SJ. Journal of Consumer Psychology 18(2): 96-101, 2008. (26 refs.)
Fitzsimons and Moore argue that survey questions for adolescents concerning risky behaviors can increase the degree to which participants will adopt those behaviors. This outcome is likely to be true for behaviors about which adolescents have negative explicit attitudes but positive implicit attitudes. Such a conclusion is extremely important for the health of research participants, for researchers, and for the field in general. I argue that it is premature to accept these conclusions, raising questions about process issues as well as conceptual, methodological, and empirical issues.

The role of risk and protective factors in substance use across adolescence.

Cleveland MJ; Feinberg ME; Bontempo DE; Greenberg MT. Journal of Adolescent Health 43(2): 157-164, 2008. (40 refs.)
Purpose: To compare the relative influence of risk and protective factors across several domains on adolescent substance use in a large sample of youth. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 in Pennsylvania (N = 91,778). Generalized linear mixed models were estimated for each grade level to examine associations among indices of three risk factors (individual, peer, and family) and three protective factors (family, school, and community) and both recent and lifetime substance use. Results: The risk factors were stronger predictors of substance use outcomes compared with the protective factors, regardless of grade level or Substance use type. In particular, the individual and peer risk factors were strongly related to lifetime and recent use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Among the protective factors, the strongest associations with substance use were found in the community domain. Several age-related differences in the associations were also found, suggesting that family and community factors were more salient among younger adolescents whereas peer and school factors were stronger among older adolescents. Conclusions: These findings provide support for the social development model (SDM), which proposes that adolescent substance use is associated with factors across multiple spheres of influence. Age-related differences in these associations suggest that effective interventions to reduce adolescent Substance use may need to emphasize different domains of risk and protective factors at different stages of adolescent development.

Variation in family structure among urban adolescents and its effects on drug use.

Wagner KD; Ritt-Olson A; Soto DW; Unger JB. Substance Use & Misuse 43(7): 936-951, 2008. (32 refs.)
Family structure is one factor that can help explain drug use among adolescents. In 2005 a study was conducted with 255 ninth-grade students from an urban, predominantly Latino Los Angeles area high school. Students were 83% Latino, 58% female, and from mostly low SES households. Half of all students reported having ever used alcohol, 30% had ever smoked a cigarette, and 18% had ever used marijuana. Family structure was measured using a single open-ended question and logistic regression was employed to determine the effects of various family structures on the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. The presence of older siblings in the home was associated with alcohol and marijuana use, and living with a cousin was associated with marijuana use. Results suggest that influential others, including siblings and cousins, should be included in measures of family structure. Study limitations are noted.

Enhancing prediction of inhalant abuse risk in samples of early adolescents: A secondary analysis.

Crano WD; Gilbert C; Alvaro EM; Siegel JT. Addictive Behaviors 33(7): 895-905, 2008. (24 refs.)
The theory of reasoned action (TRA) was used to estimate adolescents' vulnerability to inhalant abuse, operationalized by intentions to use or avoid inhalants. The model correctly differentiated 78% of all respondents (N = 596). A second analysis highlighted variables that discriminated properly identified from misclassified youth. False positives, those defined as being at-risk, but who repudiated inhalants, were significantly less likely than their at-risk peers to have used inhalants; they used inhalants and marijuana less frequently; were monitored more closely by parents; and were less rebellious (all p<.05). False negatives, defined as not at-risk, but who had not unequivocally rejected inhalants, were significantly more likely than their similarly classed peers to have used inhalants and marijuana, and to have used both more frequently; also, they were less highly acculturated. This study reaffirmed the utility of the TRA and underscored factors that might improve classification accuracy. This approach may facilitate prevention efforts, and may be extrapolated to any context in which risk categorization is used as a basis for prevention or amelioration.