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Taking Alcohol from One’s Parents’ Home Without Permission as a Risk Factor for Greater Alcohol and Marijuana Use During the Transition into College
Abstract
While adolescents and underage emerging adults typically obtain alcohol from social sources (e.g., parents, friends, parties), taking alcohol from the home without permission is not well understood. The current study investigated plausible individual characteristics associated with taking alcohol from one’s parents’ home without permission and associations between taking alcohol and drinking, alcohol consequences, and marijuana use. Two cohorts of alcohol-experienced underage emerging adults (N=562) completed a web-based survey pre-college matriculation. Participants reported sources of alcohol (friend, mother, father, party, took it from home); drinking; consequences; marijuana use (ever and past 30 days); age of alcohol initiation; symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; parental modeling of drinking; and demographic information. Results revealed that taking alcohol was significantly associated with several of the measures examined here (e.g., having obtained alcohol from friends, parents, and parties; earlier age of alcohol initiation; parental modeling of alcohol). Having taken alcohol from the home without permission and obtained it from friends were uniquely associated with increased odds of typical weekly drinking, consequences, and marijuana use in the past 30 days when controlling for all other variables assessed in this study (including drinking, in the consequences and marijuana models). Parent-based interventions targeting adolescents and emerging adults should inform parents of the risks associated with taking alcohol from the home and obtaining it from friends. Further, parents should also be informed that supplying their adolescent with alcohol or modeling drinking may increase the likelihood that they take alcohol from their home.
... Participants took part in an online longitudinal survey study evaluating the FITSTART+ PBI (see LaBrie et al., 2022, for a description of FITSTART+). As described in Trager et al. (2023), incoming first-year students were invited to complete a baseline pre-matriculation survey in July 2021 (T0) via an email invitation sent out by the university's registrar (N = 391 completed the survey). These same participants were then invited via email to complete follow-up surveys in October 2021 (T1) and February 2022 (T2). ...
Objective:
We examined (a) whether changes in parent-student phone call and text messaging communication during the transition into college are associated with alcohol use and related consequences, and (b) whether pre-matriculation drinking patterns predicted these changes in parent-student communication.
Method:
First-year students (N=246; Mage=17.91, SDage=0.39; 61.8% female) participated in a longitudinal survey study as a part of a larger study. Prior to matriculation (T0), participants reported their drinking and whether they experienced alcohol consequences in the past 30 days. Approximately one month into their first semester (T1), participants reported if the frequency of their calling and texting their parents had decreased, remained the same, or increased since the start of college. Drinking and consequences were then reassessed four months later (T2). Analytic models evaluated (a) whether a decrease in calling and texting parents, as reported by students (compared to an increase or no change), predicted drinking outcomes, and (b) whether pre-college drinking (compared to non-drinking) predicted changes in communication.
Results:
Changes in phone calls and texting with mothers and fathers during the first month of college predicted alcohol use and consequences into the second semester. Additionally, heavy drinking predicted lower odds of texting frequency with mothers staying the same or increasing.
Conclusion:
This study underscores that consistent call or text communication with students upon their transition into college could serve as a protective factor against alcohol risk. By closely monitoring such communication, parents may be better equipped to identify potential signs of risky drinking behavior in their first-year students.
... = 2.24, p = .026) compared to those who could not be included because they did not complete all study variables/were dropped from subsequent 1 Participants in this study were the 2021 cohort in Trager et al. (2023a). ...
Background:
Depression is prevalent among adolescents and young adults and is associated with experiencing increased negative alcohol-related consequences; thus, it is imperative to identify malleable protective factors for alcohol risks in young adults experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. The current study longitudinally explored the effects of perceived parental alcohol-related discipline on the relationship between depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and negative drinking consequences during the transition into college.
Methods:
Incoming college students (N = 272, 63.2% female) completed web-based surveys before (July, T1) and after (October, T2) the transition into college and reported depressive symptoms, perceived alcohol-related discipline, alcohol use, and consequences of drinking experienced in the past 30 days.
Results:
The moderated mediation model revealed that at above average perceptions of alcohol-related discipline, depressive symptoms were negatively associated with alcohol use, which in turn was associated with experiencing fewer negative consequences of drinking.
Limitations:
The current study did not measure a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and therefore our results may differ among clinical populations. In addition, we did not measure other parenting constructs shown to protect students with elevated levels of depressive symptoms from experiencing consequences (i.e., monitoring).
Conclusions:
The present findings suggest perceptions of parental alcohol-related discipline measured here (e.g., having a privilege taken away, being scolded or grounded) can be protective against alcohol risks among college students experiencing above average depressive symptoms. Parent-based alcohol interventions administered prior to matriculation should encourage parents of depressed students to clearly communicate consequences for drinking to their child.
Aims
The study investigated relationships between how youth and young adults access alcohol and their binge drinking behaviors.
Methods
Data from the Rhode Island Student Survey (11- to 18-year-olds) and the Mobile Screen Time project (18- to 24-year-old) were included. Participants were asked whether they access alcohol through several different methods (e.g. gifts, purchase, theft), and a latent class analysis was conducted to identify patterns of behavior. Logistic regression models were used to determine if class assignment was associated with binge drinking, after adjusting for age, sexual/gender status, and identification as a Black, Indigenous, and other Person of Color.
Results
Among youth, participants who primarily accessed alcohol through friends had 6 times the odds of binge drinking (OR[95%CI] = 6.22 [4.08,9.49]), and those who accessed alcohol through all available sources had 23 times the odds (OR[95%CI] = 23.1 [9.08,58.6]). In young adults, participants who actively purchased alcohol had 3.7 times the odds of binge drinking (OR [95%CI] = 3.69 [1.62,8.37]).
Conclusions
Distinct means of accessing alcohol in youth and young adult populations can be identified, and different methods of access may be associated with increased binge drinking. Strong availability and ID checking policies are needed for on- and off-premise locations, and the implementation of parent-centered programs should be considered.
Aims:
To estimate the use of home alcohol delivery and other methods of obtaining alcohol, rates of ID checking for home alcohol delivery purchases, and associations with alcohol-related consequences.
Methods:
Surveillance data from 784 lifetime drinkers participating in the 2022 Rhode Island Young Adult Survey were used. The method of obtaining alcohol (e.g. type of purchase, gifted, theft) was assessed. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Brief Young Adults Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire, and a drinking and driving question were used to measure high-risk drinking behaviors, experiencing negative alcohol questions, and history of drinking and driving. Logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographic variables were used to estimate main effects.
Results:
About 7.4% of the sample purchased alcohol through a home delivery or to-go purchase; 12.1% of participants who obtained alcohol this way never had their ID checked during the purchase attempt, and 10.2% of these purchases were completed by participants under the legal purchase age. Home delivery/to-go purchases were associated with high-risk drinking. Alcohol theft was associated with high-risk drinking, experiencing negative alcohol consequences, and drinking and driving.
Conclusions:
Home alcohol delivery and to-go purchases may provide an opportunity for underage access to alcohol, but their current use as a method of obtaining alcohol is rare. Stronger ID checking policies are needed. Alcohol theft was linked to several negative alcohol outcomes, and home-based preventive interventions should be considered.
Aim:
To estimate the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and associated factors in a population of college students.
Method:
Cross-sectional study of psychological distress measured through the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in a sample of 1074 college students.
Results:
We found a moderate prevalence of depression (18.4%), anxiety (23.6%) and stress (34.5%) symptoms in our study population. Being <21, having problematic Internet use behavior, smoking, presenting insomnia and having a low self-esteem were independently associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Being a woman, living with their family, having a stable partner, consuming alcohol frequently and having poor nutritional habits were significantly associated with symptoms of stress; lacking a stable partner was significantly associated with depressive symptoms; and frequent consumption of alcohol was significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety.
Conclusion:
We found a moderate prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in our population. Interventions aimed at promoting mental health among college students should be implemented.
Purpose
The overarching goal of this study was to provide key information on how adolescents' substance use has changed since the corona virus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, in addition to key contexts and correlates of substance use during social distancing.
Methods
Canadian adolescents (n = 1,054, Mage = 16.68, standard deviation = .78) completed an online survey, in which they reported on their frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, and vaping in the 3 weeks before and directly after social distancing practices had taken effect.
Results
For most substances, the percentage of users decreased; however, the frequency of both alcohol and cannabis use increased. Although the greatest percentage of adolescents was engaging in solitary substance use (49.3%), many were still using substances with peers via technology (31.6%) and, shockingly, even face to face (23.6%). Concerns for how social distancing would affect peer reputation was a significant predictor of face-to-face substance use with friends among adolescents with low self-reported popularity, and a significant predictor of solitary substance use among average and high popularity teens. Finally, adjustment predictors, including depression and fear of the infectivity of COVID-19, predicted using solitary substance use during the pandemic.
Conclusions
Our results provide preliminary evidence that adolescent substance use, including that which occurs face to face with peers, thereby putting adolescents at risk for contracting COVID-19, may be of particular concern during the pandemic. Further, solitary adolescent substance use during the pandemic, which is associated with poorer mental health and coping, may also be a notable concern worthy of further investigation.
Background: Research that links parenting factors to adolescent drinking is fairly well developed, but few studies have examined the association between home alcohol availability and problematic drinking. The present study examines the net relationship between easy access to alcohol at home and several types of alcohol-related problems among US adolescents.
Methods: A total of 3,964 US adolescents participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) reported on the accessibility of alcohol in their homes as well as whether they experienced various types of personal problems caused by alcohol use. Binary logistic regression analysis that included relevant controls was conducted to estimate the link between ease of access and alcohol-related problems.
Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that easy home access to alcohol significantly predicted alcohol-related difficulties after adjusting for relevant control variables, and it did so across all problem areas.
Discussion: Results suggest that the risk of problematic drinking is raised among adolescents if alcohol is readily accessible at home. Restricting access might be a simple strategy to reduce drinking-related problems among adolescents.
A randomized controlled trial tested an interactive normative feedback-based intervention—codenamed“FITSTART”—delivered to groups of 50–100 parents of matriculating college students. The 60-minsession motivated parents to alter their alcohol-related communication by correcting normative misperceptions
(e.g., about how approving other parents are of student drinking) with live-generated data. Then,tips were provided on discussing drinking effectively. Incoming students (N � 331; 62.2% female)completed baseline measures prior to new-student orientation. Next, at parent orientation in June, thesestudents’ parents were assigned to either FITSTART or a control session. Finally, 4 months later, students
completed a follow-up survey. Results revealed that students whose parents received FITSTART duringthe summer consumed less alcohol and were less likely to engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED)
during the first month of college. These effects were mediated by FITSTART students’ lower perceptionsof their parents’ approval of alcohol consumption. Further, FITSTART students who were not drinkersin high school were less likely to initiate drinking and to start experiencing negative consequences duringthe first month of college, where FITSTART students who had been drinkers in high school experiencedfewer consequences overall and were significantly more likely to report that they did not experience anyconsequences whatsoever during the first month of college. Importantly, FITSTART is the first parentbasedintervention to impact HED, one of the most well-studied indicators of risky drinking. Thus, interactive group normative feedback with parents is a promising approach for reducing college alcohol risk.
Keywords: parent-based intervention, alcohol, college, normative feedback
Delinquent behavior is a parental concern during the period of adolescence. Previous theories and studies suggested that high parental control relates to lower delinquent behavior. However, Nye’s social control theory suggests a curvilinear rather than a linear relationship between parental control and delinquency. This study uses Nye’s social control theory to explore a curvilinear relationship between parental control and delinquency. Data concerning parental control and delinquency from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) was analyzed using negative binomial regression in conjunction with “Svy” estimation method. The adolescents in the sample ranged from ages 12–21 years old (M = 15.55) and varied in race/ethnicity, family structure, and socioeconomic status. The quadratic term of parental control had a significant relationship with delinquency while controlling for the linear term of the parental control variable and covariates. The results suggested that high and low parental control related to higher levels of delinquent behavior. Moderate amounts of parental control related to lower levels of delinquent behavior. The practical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed within the study.
Objective:
The first year after high school is a transitional year, with increased independence from parental supervision, contact with other independent youth, and exposure to new environments, all of which may influence substance use. This article reports longitudinal predictors of change in the prevalence of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among adolescents and environmental correlates (i.e., residence, college attendance, and work status) with drinking the year after high school.
Method:
A national sample of study participants (N = 2,659; 55% female) in the NEXT Generation Health Study were followed annually from 10th grade (Wave 1) to the year after high school (Wave 4). Longitudinal binary outcomes, including recent (30-day) drinking and two measures of heavy episodic drinking, were examined. Transition models with generalized estimating equations estimated the effect of previous drinking behaviors, social influences, and current residential status and activity (school and/or work) on drinking prevalence.
Results:
Drinking increased from 40.5% among high school seniors (Wave 3) to 53.5% in Wave 4 for 30-day use, and from 29.0% to 41.2% for heavy episodic drinking. Significant predictors of 30-day drinking included previous drinking status (odds ratio [OR] = 5.48), peer drinking often (OR = 3.25), parental expectations (OR = 0.91), and current year living on campus (OR = 2.10). The same significant predictors with similar magnitudes were found for both measures of heavy episodic drinking. Peer use did not interact with college attendance or residence.
Conclusions:
Predictors of drinking and heavy episodic drinking during the first year after high school included being White, living on campus, previous drinking, lower parental expectations, and having peers who drink.
As marijuana use becomes legal in some states, the dominant public opinion is that marijuana is a harmless source of mood alteration. Although the harms associated with marijuana use have not been well studied, enough information is available to cause concern.
Aims: Adolescents’ use of alcohol in Europe is high. In this paper aspects of adolescents’ alcohol use, namely differences in gender, age and country clusters concerning social context of drinking, are examined.
Study Design: A secondary analysis of the survey data.
Place and Duration of Study: Adolescents from 25 European countries (N = 57,771) filled in the Second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2) survey in 2006.
Methodology: A sub-sample from the larger ISRD-2 sample was drawn by selecting students from grades 7 to 9 in the age from 12 to 16. The dependent variables were social context of drinking light and strong alcohol, and last time use of alcohol. The independent variables were gender, age and country clusters (Northern, Western, Southern and Eastern Europe).
Results: Alcohol was used more with peers. Boys consumed alcohol more likely alone compared to girls. In Northern and Western Europe the proportion of drinking with peers was relatively high; in Southern Europe drinking with parents was high; in Southern and Eastern Europe drinking alone was high. The proportion of those adolescents who drank alcohol alone or with parents decreased by age; those who drank it with peers increased by age. Drinking alone in younger age is more prevalent in boys. A larger amount of alcohol was drunk with peers compared to alone or with parents.
Conclusion: Many prevention programs aim at family and/or school as important actors; however, for at least some group of adolescents an individual approach is needed.
Objective:
Alcohol use established during the first-year of college can result in adverse consequences during the college years and beyond. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the efficacy of interventions to prevent alcohol misuse by first-year college students.
Method:
Studies were included if the study reported an individual- or group-level intervention using a randomized controlled trial, targeted 1st-year college students, and assessed alcohol use. Forty-one studies with 62 separate interventions (N = 24,294; 57% women; 77% White) were included. Independent raters coded sample, design, methodological features, and intervention content. Weighted mean effect sizes, using fixed- and random-effects models, were calculated. Potential moderators, determined a priori, were examined to explain variability in effect sizes.
Results:
Relative to controls, students receiving an intervention reported lower quantity and frequency of drinking and fewer problems (d(+)s = 0.07-0.14). These results were more pronounced when the interventions were compared with an assessment-only control group (d(+)s = 0.11-0.19). Intervention content (e.g., personalized feedback) moderated the efficacy of the intervention.
Conclusions:
Behavioral interventions for 1st-year college students reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Interventions that include personalized feedback, moderation strategies, expectancy challenge, identification of risky situations, and goal-setting optimize efficacy. Strategies to prevent alcohol misuse among first-year students are recommended.
Objective:
There is convincing evidence that parental rules about alcohol are important in curbing adolescents' alcohol use. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which the direct link between alcohol-specific parenting and alcohol use is obtained. In this study, we investigated the mediating effect of adolescent self-control on the relationship between alcohol-specific rules and adolescents' drinking behavior and whether this mediation effect depends on the level of quality of communication.
Method:
A total of 883 adolescents participated in this longitudinal study at ages 13, 14, and 15 years.
Results:
Strict rules predicted lower rates of drinking, but no direct effect of the quality of communication on adolescents' alcohol use was found. A higher level of self-control was related to lower rates of drinking in adolescents. The indirect effect of rules about alcohol through adolescents' self-control was statistically significant, yet only in adolescents with high qualitative parent-child communication about alcohol. In adolescents with low quality of parent-child communication, self-control was not related to drinking.
Conclusions:
These findings imply that strict rule setting in combination with qualitative parent-child communication is an important target for prevention. In addition, findings point at the importance of high qualitative parent-child communication for adolescents' motivation to engage in self-control to avoid drinking.
It is typically assumed that acquaintance rapeand other forms of unwanted sexual contact involve malesas perpetrators and females as victims. The currentstudyinvestigated prevalence rates of experiencing as well as instigating sexual coercion, force,and other types of unwanted sexual contact for both menand women in a college Greek system. 165 men and 131women (82% Caucasian) completed 2 gender neutral measures of unwanted sexual contact, as well asassessments of alcohol use, alcohol related negativeconsequences, and depressive symptoms. Results indicatedmen were as likely to report being the recipients of sexual coercion as were women in thissample, although women were more likely to be thevictims of physical force. In addition, both men andwomen in this sample who had been the recipientsofunwanted sexual contactreported heavier alcoholconsumption and related negative consequences than didtheir peers who had nothad these experiences. Men whohad been the recipients of unwanted sexual contactreported more symptoms of depression than other men inthis sample, but there were no differences in depressionsymptoms for women who did or did not report theseexperiences.
Objective:
This study examined the prospective relationship of substance use and mental health problems with risk of discontinuous enrollment in college.
Methods:
Participants were 1,145 students at a large public university who were interviewed annually for four years beginning at college entry in 2004 (year 1). Discontinuous enrollment was defined as a gap in enrollment of one or more semesters during the first two years (early discontinuity) or the second two years (late discontinuity) versus continuous enrollment throughout all four years. Explanatory variables measured in year 1 were scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, childhood conduct problems, cannabis use, number of illicit drugs used, and alcohol consumption. In years 3 and 4, participants reported lifetime history of clinically diagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety, including age at diagnosis. Multinomial logistic regression models were developed to evaluate the association between the independent variables and discontinuous enrollment while holding constant background characteristics.
Results:
Higher BDI scores predicted early discontinuity but not late discontinuity, whereas cannabis and alcohol use predicted only late discontinuity. Receiving a depression diagnosis during college was associated with both early and late discontinuity. Self-reported precollege diagnoses were not related to discontinuous enrollment once background characteristics were taken into account.
Conclusions:
Students who experience depressive symptoms or seek treatment for depression during college might be at risk of interruptions in their college enrollment. Cannabis use and heavy drinking appear to add to this risk. Students entering college with preexisting psychiatric diagnoses are not necessarily at risk of enrollment interruptions.
This study examined age, gender, and racial differences in parental and peer disapproval of alcohol use and in the relationship of these injunctive norms with drinking during adolescence. Participants included 20,239 students ages 11-19 years (average age 14.34; 47% boys; 46% White and 54% Black) from 2 large urban and suburban school districts. Youth responded to a cross-sectional, school-administered Pride Survey in the spring of 2004. Adolescents reported how often they used alcohol in the past year and their perceptions of peer and parental disapproval of alcohol use. The results revealed that youth perceived higher disapproval from parents than peers throughout adolescence, but this parent-peer disparity in norms increased with age as a result of steeper decline in peer than parental disapproval. Black youth perceived lower disapproval from both peers and parents than Whites in earlier but not later adolescence. Girls reported higher perceptions of both parental and peer disapproval than boys throughout adolescence. Alcohol use was more strongly related to peer than parental norms, and the effect of parental and peer disapproval on abstinence was larger among older youth. Peer norms were more closely associated with alcohol use in girls than boys. Both parent and peer injunctive norms were also more strongly related to alcohol use in White than Black adolescents. Parental disapproval of drinking amplified the link between peer disapproval and lower alcohol use. These findings suggest that interventions should target both parental and peer disapproval throughout adolescence, particularly among White youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
Objective:
The study evaluated the timing and dosage of a parent-based intervention to minimize alcohol consumption for students with varying drinking histories.
Method:
First-year students (N = 1,900) completed Web assessments during the summer before college (baseline) and two follow-ups (fall of first and second years). Students were randomized to one of four conditions (pre-college matriculation [PCM], pre-college matriculation plus boosters [PCM+B], after college matriculation [ACM], and control conditions). Seven indicators of drinking (drink in past month, been drunk in past month, weekday [Sunday to Wednesday] drinking, Thursday drinking, weekend [Friday, Saturday] drinking, heavy episodic drinking in past 2 weeks, and peak blood alcohol concentration <.08) were used in a latent transition analysis (LTA) to examine a stage-sequential model of drinking. LTA models with dummy-coded intervention variables were used to examine the effects of the intervention conditions on changes in drinking patterns.
Results:
Results indicated that four patterns of drinking were present at all waves: (a) nondrinkers, (b) weekend light drinkers, (c) weekend heavy episodic drinkers, and (d) heavy drinkers. Results indicated that the PCM condition was most effective at influencing baseline heavy drinkers' transition out of this pattern to lower risk patterns at first follow-up, whereas the ACM condition was not effective at preventing drinking escalation for baseline nondrinkers at first follow-up. No decay of effects was observed at long-term follow-up for the PCM condition. Finally, the results also indicated that increased dosage of the parental intervention was not significantly associated with either reduction or escalation of use.
Conclusions:
The results underscore the value of pre-college parental interventions and targeted efforts to reduce high-risk drinking among college students.
The factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; S. H. Lovibond & P. F. Lovibond, 1995) and the 21-item short form of these measures (DASS–21 ) were examined in nonclinical volunteers (
n = 49) and patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnoses of panic disorder (
n = 67), obsessive-compulsive disorder (
n = 54), social phobia (
n = 74), specific phobia (
n = 17), and major depressive disorder (
n = 46). This study replicates previous findings indicating that the DASS distinguishes well between features of depression, physical arousal, and psychological tension and agitation and extends these observations to the DASS–21. In addition, the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the DASS and DASS–21 were in the acceptable to excellent ranges. Mean scores for the various groups were similar to those in previous research, and in the expected direction. The implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
White matter development is important for efficient communication between brain regions, higher order cognitive functioning, and complex behaviors. Adolescents have a higher propensity for engaging in risky behaviors, yet few studies have explored associations between white matter integrity and risk taking directly. Altered white matter integrity in mid-adolescence was hypothesized to predict subsequent risk taking behaviors 1.5 years later. Adolescent substance users (predominantly alcohol and marijuana, n = 47) and demographically similar nonusers (n = 49) received diffusion tensor imaging at baseline (ages 16-19), and risk taking measures at both baseline and an 18-month follow-up (i.e., at ages 17-20). Brain regions of interest were the fornix, superior corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and superior fronto-occipital fasciculus. In substance-using youth (n = 47), lower white matter integrity at baseline in the fornix and superior corona radiata predicted follow-up substance use (ΔR2 = 10-12%, ps < .01), and baseline fornix integrity predicted follow-up delinquent behaviors (ΔR2 = 10%, p < .01) 1.5 years later. Poorer fronto-limbic white matter integrity was linked to a greater propensity for future risk taking behaviors among youth who initiated heavy substance use by mid-adolescence. Most notable were relationships between projection and limbic-system fibers and future substance-use frequency. Subcortical white matter coherence, along with an imbalance between the maturation levels in cognitive control and reward systems, may disadvantage the resistance to engage in risk taking behaviors during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
In a large sample of early adolescents (T2: N = 1023; M age = 13.51; 55.5% girls), the impact of parental protection and unsupervised wandering on adolescents' antisocial behavior 2.5 years later was tested in this TRAILS study; gender and parental knowledge were controlled for. In addition, the level of biological maturation and having antisocial friends were included as possible moderators for the associations of parental protection and unsupervised wandering with adolescent antisocial behavior. The negative effect of protection on engagement in antisocial behavior held only for boys and for early-maturing adolescents, whereas the effect of unsupervised wandering was found only for boys and for adolescents who had antisocial friends. The results point to a delicate balance between parental protection and unsupervised wandering with respect to adolescents' autonomy
The aim of this study was to estimate, among college students ages 18-24, the numbers of alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths and other problems over the period from 1998 through 2005.
The analysis integrated data on 18- to 24-year-olds and college students from each of the following data sources: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Mortality Data, National Coroner Studies, census and college enrollment data, the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the College Alcohol Study.
Among college students ages 18-24, alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths increased 3% per 100,000 from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. From 1999 to 2005, the proportions of college students ages 18-24 who reported consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month increased from 41.7% to 44.7%, and the proportions who drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year increased from 26.5% to 28.9%-7% and 9% proportional increases, respectively. The increases occurred among college students ages 21-24, not 18-20. In 2001, 599,000 (10.5%) full-time 4-year college students were injured because of drinking, 696,000 (12%) were hit or assaulted by another drinking college student, and 97,000 (2%) were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. A 2005 follow-up of students in schools with the highest proportions of heavy drinkers found no significant changes in the proportions experiencing these events.
The persistence of college drinking problems underscores an urgent need to implement prevention and counseling approaches identified through research to reduce alcohol-related harms among college students and other young adults.
Alcohol-specific communication, a direct conversation between an adult and an adolescent regarding alcohol use, contains messages about alcohol relayed from the adult to the child. The current study examined the construct of alcohol-specific communication and the effect of messages on adolescent alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Parent-adolescent dyads were assessed biannually for 3 years (grades 9-11 at wave 6) to examine these relations in a large longitudinal study of adolescents initially in grades 6 through 8. An exploratory factor analysis identified two factors among alcohol-specific communication items, permissive messages and negative alcohol messages. Results showed previous level of adolescent alcohol use moderated the relation between permissive messages and alcohol use outcomes. Plotting of these interactions showed greater alcohol use and consequences with increasing permissive messages in adolescents with higher versus lower levels of previous alcohol use. Results suggest that parental messages regarding alcohol use may impact adolescent alcohol use beyond the effect of general parenting style and parental alcohol use.
The influence of using substances with friends on future individual use was examined in the context of parental monitoring rules and the ecology of peer activities. A one-year longitudinal study design included a combined sample of North Italian and French Canadian adolescents (N = 285, 53% girls, M = 14.25 years). Data analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling and multiple regression analyses. As expected, the covariation between parental monitoring and adolescent substance use was mediated by "co-use" with friends. Moreover, the relation between substance use with friends and individual substance use was moderated by parental monitoring rules and the peer activity context. Specifically, the relation between substance co-use with friends and individual substance use was stronger when the level of parental monitoring rules was low and when friends spent their time together primarily in unstructured contexts such as on the street or in park settings. These findings underline the importance of adults' use of rules to monitor adolescents prone to substance use, and the role of context in facilitating or reducing peer influence.
We investigated drinking behavior and sources of alcohol among Native American and White youths, as well as how underage drinking behavior and sources of alcohol may be related to environmental factors.
Survey data from a sample of 18,916 youths (8th, 10th, and 12th grades) from Montana were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Survey data were supplemented with county-level economic and census data.
Native American youths were more likely than White youths to report drinking and heavy episodic drinking and initiate drinking at a younger age. Native Americans were less likely than Whites to get alcohol from home or from someone younger than age 21 but were more likely to get it from other social sources or through theft from a store. Living in a county with more Native Americans was inversely related to access to alcohol for both White and Native American youths, as well as reduced lifetime, 30-day, and heavy episodic drinking. Living in a county with more single-parent households was positively related to lifetime drinking, 30- day drinking, heavy episodic drinking, and increased access to alcohol through someone younger than age 21 or a stranger. Median income was negatively related to lifetime drinking and ease of access to alcohol and was positively related to accessing alcohol from home without permission, theft, or purchase with a fake ID.
Because Native American and White youths have different drinking patterns and obtain alcohol from different sources, strategies to prevent alcohol problems in these groups should take these differences into consideration.
Using a randomized factorial design, we examined the efficacy of a brief motivational intervention (BMI) and a parent-based intervention (PBI) as universal preventive interventions to reduce alcohol use among incoming college students.
Participants (N = 1,014) were assessed prior to matriculation and at 10 months and 22 months postbaseline. Two-part latent growth modeling was used to simultaneously examine initiation and growth in heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences.
This study retained 90.8% (n = 921) of randomized students at the 10-month follow-up and 84.0% (n = 852) of randomized students at the 22-month follow-up. BMI participants were significantly less likely than non-BMI participants to initiate heavy episodic drinking and to begin experiencing alcohol-related consequences. Effect sizes were minimal at 10 months (Cohen's h ranged from 0.02 to 0.07) and were small at 22 months (hs ranged from 0.15 to 0.22). A significant BMI x PBI interaction revealed that students receiving both the BMI and the PBI were significantly less likely to report the onset of consequences beyond the sum of the individual intervention effects (h = 0.08 at 10 months, and h = 0.21 at 22 months). Hypothesized direct BMI effects for reductions in heavy episodic drinking and consequences were not observed. Significant mediated effects via changes in descriptive norms were present for both growth and initiation of heavy episodic drinking and consequences.
To our knowledge, the current study is the first to provide support for BMI as a universal preventive intervention for incoming college students. Although hypothesized PBI main effects were not found, mediation analyses suggest future refinements could enhance PBI effectiveness.
Two studies were conducted to assess variables related to the social determinants of alcohol consumption. In Study 1, moderate- and heavy-drinking male undergraduates were paired with confederates who behaved in a sociable or unsociable manner while modeling either light or heavy consumption. Modeling occurred in the sociable conditions but not in the unsociable conditions, where subjects tended to drink heavily. In Study 2, a similar group of subjects was exposed to one of three social status conditions crossed with light versus heavy consumption. The results indicated a modeling effect in all social status conditions. These studies provide further support for the existence of a modeling effect that can be disrupted by a lack of rapport between drinking partners. This latter finding has implications for the etiology of problem drinking because it suggests that increased alcohol consumption may serve as a strategy for coping with aversive social interactions.
Youth substance use began to increase in 1992 following a decade-long decline, leading to increased interest in controlling access to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
The anonymous and voluntary Minnesota Student Survey was administered to 133,794 public school students in grades 6, 9, and 12. Questions addressed current frequency of use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs and how students obtained these substances. Data were analyzed to determine the relationship between grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, use frequency, and access to substances through social and commercial sources. (Tobacco analyses were limited to students under age 18 years.)
Social sources (especially friends) predominate across all age groups and substances. Students are much more likely to obtain tobacco than alcohol from commercial sources but few rely exclusively on commercial sources for either. Females and infrequent users are more likely to depend on social sources exclusively while males and frequent users are more likely to use commercial sources.
Because substances are easily accessible through social sources, prevention policies directed at retail outlets may not have the desired effect on reducing teen smoking and drinking. Greater attention to reducing access to all substances from social sources is needed.
The research evaluated the efficacy of an intervention to reduce the onset and extent of binge drinking during the 1st year of college. The approach was on influencing the students before they start college, through their parents, during the critical time between high school graduation and the beginning of college. Specifically, parents were educated about binge drinking and how to convey information to their teens, and then encouraged to talk with their teens just before their teens embarked on their college education. Teens whose parents implemented the intervention materials were compared with a control sample during their 1st semester on drinking outcomes, perceptions about drinking activities, perceived parental and peer approval of drinking, and drinking-related consequences. As anticipated, teens in the treatment condition were significantly different (p < .05) on nearly all outcomes in the predicted directions (e.g., lower drinking tendencies, drinking consequences). The benefits of a parent-based intervention to prevent college drinking are discussed.
Peer pressure is consistently implicated in the excessive drinking of college students. However, both theory and empirical findings suggest that peer pressure is a combination of three distinct influences: overt offers of alcohol, modeling, and social norms. Overt offers of alcohol can range from polite gestures to intense goading or commands to drink. Modeling occurs when the student's behavior corresponds to another student's concurrent drinking behavior. Perceived social norms can serve to make excessive alcohol use appear common and acceptable to the student. This review critically examines the literature on each form of peer influence and provides suggestions for future research.
To compare two different parenting practices (parental monitoring and negotiated unsupervised time) and perceived parental trust in the reporting of health risk behaviors among adolescents.
Data were derived from 692 adolescents in 9th and 10th grades (x = 15.7 years) enrolled in health education classes in six urban high schools. Students completed a self-administered paper-based survey that assessed adolescents' perceptions of the degree to which their parents monitor their whereabouts, are permitted to negotiate unsupervised time with their friends and trust them to make decisions. Using gender-specific multivariate logistic regression analyses, we examined the relative importance of parental monitoring, negotiated unsupervised time with peers, and parental trust in predicting reported sexual activity, sex-related protective actions (e.g., condom use, carrying protection) and substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana).
For males and females, increased negotiated unsupervised time was strongly associated with increased risk behavior (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol and marijuana use) but also sex-related protective actions. In males, high parental monitoring was associated with less alcohol use and consistent condom use. Parental monitoring had no affect on female behavior. Perceived parental trust served as a protective factor against sexual activity, tobacco, and marijuana use in females, and alcohol use in males.
Although monitoring is an important practice for parents of older adolescents, managing their behavior through negotiation of unsupervised time may have mixed results leading to increased experimentation with sexuality and substances, but perhaps in a more responsible way. Trust established between an adolescent female and her parents continues to be a strong deterrent for risky behaviors but appears to have little effect on behaviors of adolescent males.
This study investigated the influences of peer and parent variables on alcohol use and problems in a sample of late adolescents in the summer immediately prior to entry into college. Participants (N = 556) completed a mail survey assessing peer influences (alcohol offers, social modeling, perceived norms), parental behaviors (nurturance, monitoring), and attitudes and values (disapproval for heavy drinking, permissiveness for drinking), and alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated significant associations between both peer and parental influences and alcohol involvement, and showed that parental influences moderated peer-influence-drinking behavior, such that higher levels of perceived parental involvement were associated with weaker relations between peer influences and alcohol use and problems. These findings suggest that parents continue to exert an influential role in late adolescent drinking behavior.
Parent-based interventions (PBIs) and living at home with one’s parents both have been shown to mitigate alcohol risk associated with the first year of college. The current study extends these findings by examining the independent and interactive effects of these two constructs on first-year drinking. The sample included 82 parent-student dyads. Parents were randomized to receive an online PBI that either did (intervention; n=44) or did not (n=38) include alcohol-related content in December 2020. Students completed online surveys assessing college residence and drinking (typical weekly and peak) in August 2020 (T1) and February 2021 (T2). Hierarchical zero-inflated Poisson models assessed the main and interaction effects of having a parent in the intervention group (vs. control) and living with parents (vs. without) on drinking outcomes, controlling for T1 alcohol use. Results revealed that living with parents predicted decreases in typical weekly drinking and having a parent in the intervention predicted decreases in the number of drinks consumed on one’s peak drinking occasion at T2. Treatment*residence was also significantly associated with typical weekly drinking in the inflated model. These results suggest that moving out was associated with a greater likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if students had a parent in the intervention and a lower likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if they had parent in the control application. Together, findings support continued exploration of this online PBI as it appears to reduce peak drinking during the first year of college and reduces the odds of students drinking during a typical week when they move out of their parents’ home.
Background: Parents are the main supplier of alcohol to children but it is not known whether mothers and fathers equally contribute to the supply of alcohol to their female and male children as these children transition to adulthood.
Objectives: i) to determine whether the gender of the parent is associated with the gender of the adolescent offspring when alcohol is supplied and ii) whether the gender of the parent supplying is associated with gender differences in adolescent binge drinking and alcohol related harms.
Methods: Longitudinal cohort of 1,927 (males = 1052) Australian adolescents (mean age 12.9 years), recruited in 2010/11 from schools in Australia and surveyed annually for six years. We assessed the association between adolescent and parent gender related to subsequent adolescent drinking, binge drinking (>4 standard drinks), and alcohol-related harms.
Results: At mean age of 12.9 years about one in ten children report parental supply of alcohol which increases to about four in ten children by 17.8 years. Mothers consistently more often supply their daughters with alcohol than their sons, [Wave 5 OR 1.77 (1.53,2.05)], while mothers less often supply sons than their daughters, [Wave 5 OR 0.82 (0.71,0.95)]. Mothers’ supply of alcohol to daughters predicts substantially increased odds of daughters binge drinking, [OR 1.67 (1.10,2.53)] and experiencing alcohol related harms, [OR 1.65 (1.10,2.48)].
Conclusion: There is a need to involve both mothers and fathers and to equally target female and male children in programs to reduce the harmful consequences of parental supply of alcohol to their children.
Purpose:
This study estimated the prevalence of negative consequences associated with alcohol use in a national sample of young adults one or two years after graduating from high school, focusing on differences by college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex.
Methods:
A subsample (N = 1068) of U.S. nationally representative Monitoring the Future study 12th grade students from 2006 to 2016 cohorts was followed-up at modal age 19 or 20 (in 2008-2017) and asked about negative consequences related to their own alcohol use during the past 12 months. Differences in prevalence were estimated and multivariable models examined associations with college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex.
Results:
Half of surveyed U.S. 19/20 year-old alcohol users (a third of non-binge drinkers and almost three-quarters of binge drinkers) experienced negative consequences in the past year. The likelihood of experiencing several consequence types was significantly associated with college attendance prior to controlling for living situation. In multivariable models controlling for living situation, unsafe driving due to drinking remained more likely for students attending 2-year colleges or vocational/technical schools than for 4-year college students or non-attenders. In general, negative consequence risk was elevated among young adults not living with parents (vs. those living with parents) and women (vs. men).
Conclusion:
Negative consequences from alcohol use are prevalent among young adults and differ by college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex. Students at 2-year/vocational/technical schools are at particular risk for unsafe driving, warranting specific research attention and targeted intervention.
For new students, university can be a wonderland of opportunity. But the first few weeks of the university experience are also typified by change, stress and uncertainty. From a health promotion perspective, the first few weeks of the university experience present an important yet understudied opportunity for alcohol misuse prevention. In this narrative review, we distinguish students’ alcohol use during their first year at university from what is known about their use in the first few weeks on campus. First, we outline the developmental context of the first year experience and the descriptive epidemiology of alcohol use and consequences. Second, we highlight how distinctly different the first few weeks of the university experience are relative to the rest of the academic year and overview the limited research on alcohol use and consequences during the first few weeks. Third, we overview the limited number of strategies that have focused on reducing alcohol use during the transition to university. Finally, we offer a number of suggestions for future research. A better understanding of the nature and determinants of alcohol use and consequences during the transition to university is critical to designing effective prevention and intervention strategies.
The present study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine whether willingness to experience negative alcohol-related consequences mediated the effects of personality on consequences (e.g., blacking out, getting into a fight, and regretted sex). Students (N = 2024) were assessed at three time points: fall semester of the students' first year in college (baseline), 6-months post-baseline, and one-year post-baseline. Personality constructs were assessed at baseline (i.e., impulsivity, sensation seeking, self-regulation), willingness to experience negative alcohol-related consequences was assessed at baseline and 6-months, and negative alcohol-related consequences were examined at baseline and one-year post-baseline. A structural path model was used to examine if willingness mediated the effects of personality on consequences. Baseline drinking was included as a covariate in the model. Results demonstrated willingness to experience consequences significantly mediated the effects of impulsivity, sensation seeking, and self-regulation on consequences. Findings from this study support the idea that consequence-specific cognitions, such as willingness, can explain changes in consequences associated with personality. This suggests that intervention efforts aimed at reducing negative alcohol-related consequences could benefit from the inclusion of consequence-specific cognitions, personality (e.g., impulsivity, sensation seeking, and self-regulation), and drinking.
Background:
The effects of parent-based interventions on adolescent alcohol use are unclear, including what factors moderate intervention effects. This study examines the effects of parent-based interventions on adolescent alcohol use and whether the treatment effects vary by participants' characteristics and intervention characteristics.
Methods:
Eleven electronic databases and relevant studies' references were searched for eligible studies published before March 2017. Randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of any parent-based intervention for alcohol use outcomes among adolescents up to 18 years old were eligible for review. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Robust variance estimation in meta-regression was used to analyze treatment effect size estimates and to conduct moderator analysis.
Results:
Twenty studies were included in the meta-analysis. The average treatment effect size across all drinking outcomes, with 44 effect sizes from 20 studies, was g = -0.23 with a 95% confidence interval [-0.35, -0.10] which is statistically significant. Parent-based interventions appreared to have larger mean effect sizes on adolescent drinking intention than binge drinking. Interventions targeting both general and alcohol-specific parenting strategies had larger average effect sizes than interventions targeting alcohol-specific parenting only.
Conclusions:
This meta-analysis found evidence of parent-based interventions' efficacy in preventing or reducing adolescent alcohol use.
Objective:
The transition to college is an important developmental period for the development of alcohol, marijuana, and hard drug (cocaine, opiates, inhalants, stimulants, hallucinogens, Ecstasy, club drugs) use. The current study explored specific changes in substance use patterns during and after the transition to college through the use of trajectory analyses.
Method:
Participants were 526 students who reported retrospectively and prospectively on their substance use from age 13 through the junior year of college. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to estimate developmental trajectory groups for alcohol, marijuana, and hard drug use during this period.
Results:
Results supported a five-group model of alcohol use, a four-group model of marijuana use, and a four-group model of hard drug use. Although three of the five alcohol trajectories indicated high escalation throughout adolescence, one of these groups decreased in alcohol use dramatically during the freshman and sophomore years, a trend also found for hard drug use. Trajectories demonstrated significant differences in terms of gender, race, and impulsive personality characteristics.
Conclusions:
These results indicate that the start of college is an important developmental transition in terms of polysubstance use, and that despite the homogeneity of this undergraduate sample, there is considerable divergence in trajectories during college.
Objective:
Although major depressive disorder (MDD) and heavy episodic drinking (HED, 4+/5+ drinks in a single sitting for women/men) are common among young adults in college, the relationship between the two remains unclear. This study examined the association between MDD and HED in this population, the effect of gender on this association, and whether comorbid MDD and heavy alcohol use are associated with higher rates of mental health treatment engagement.
Method:
The study comprised 61,561 (65.3% female) undergraduate students who answered an online survey on depression, alcohol use, and treatment engagement in the past year. Hierarchical linear regressions examined the association between MDD and alcohol use (HED and peak blood alcohol concentration [pBAC]) and whether gender moderated these associations. Logistic regressions were then conducted to examine the influence of MDD, heavy alcohol use, and gender on treatment engagement.
Results:
Students with MDD reported more frequent HED and higher pBAC than did students without MDD; this was especially true for female students. Rates of treatment engagement were higher among women than men, among students with MDD than students without MDD, and among female students with HED than women without HED.
Conclusions:
The presence of an association between MDD and heavy alcohol use suggests the need for systematic screenings of both conditions. Low rates of treatment engagement in college students with MDD and heavy alcohol use calls for the development of strategies to engage this high-risk group in treatment.
Despite the increasing relevance of peers, parents remain important socializing agents for their adolescent children and are therefore promising agents for inclusion in prevention or intervention programs. This systematic review provides an overview of the effectiveness of parent-based programs in preventing, curbing or reducing substance use (i.e. alcohol, tobacco and cannabis) among 10 to 18-year-olds. The databases PubMed, PsychInfo, Eric and Google Scholar were used to identify randomized trials published within the past 12 years evaluating effects on adolescent substance use. Of the 653 identified in the first screening, 39 publications dealing with 13 programs were included. Results reveal desirable effects of parenting measures such as rule-setting, monitoring and parent-child communication. There was also some evidence in terms of preventing, curbing or reducing adolescent substance use. However, this appears to depend particularly on the age group of the adolescents in question, the kind of parents included and the intensity of the program. To conclude, the results of this systematic review underline the importance of including parents in programs aiming to impede initiation of substance use or curb or reduce already existing substance use in adolescence.
The abstract for this document is available on CSA Illumina.To view the Abstract, click the Abstract button above the document title.
Background: Among adolescents, substance abuse often occurs in conjunction with risk-taking behaviors. Aims: This review explores the nature and etiology of concomitant risk-taking behaviors, addressing behavioral, genetic, temperamental, and family factors that accompany adolescent substance use. Method: A literature review was conducted to determine the breadth of factors that contribute to adolescent substance abuse and correlated risk-taking behaviors, and to identify relevant evidence-based treatments. Results: The literature review revealed that among adolescents, substance abuse occurs as part of a cluster of problems and risk-taking behaviors. Predisposing factors include temperament, genetics, neurobehavioral disinhibition, social competencies, parenting, abuse/neglect, and peer behaviors. Various interventions, including individual therapies, parent training, and family therapies comprise the empirically-supported treatments for these co-occurring behaviors. Conclusions: The literature indicates that adolescents being seen for substance-related problems should be evaluated for engagement in other risk-taking behaviors, and school, peer, and social functioning. In addition, the data support that family, versus individual, interventions should be the norm for substance-abusing adolescents. Declaration of interest: The authors neither received financial support, nor are involved in financial relationships that pose a conflict of interest for this work.
This study explored secondary effects of a multisite randomized alcohol prevention trial on tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit drug use among a sample of incoming college students who participated in high school athletics. Students (n = 1,275) completed a series of Web-administered measures at baseline during the summer before starting college and 10 months later. Students were randomized to one of four conditions: a parent-delivered intervention, a brief motivation enhancement intervention (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students [BASICS]), a condition combining the parent intervention and BASICS, and assessment-only control. A series of analyses of variance evaluating drug use outcomes at the 10-month follow-up assessment revealed significant reductions in marijuana use among students who received the combined intervention compared to the BASICS-only and control groups. No other significant differences between treatment conditions were found for tobacco or other illicit drug use. Our findings suggest the potential utility of targeting both alcohol and marijuana use when developing peer- and parent-based interventions for students transitioning to college. Clinical implications and future research directions are considered.
To investigate how community alcohol outlet density may be associated with alcohol access among adolescents.
Data were collected through a three-wave panel study with youth aged 14-16 at baseline using computer-assisted telephone interviews. Study participants were recruited from 50 zip codes with varying alcohol outlet density and median household income in California. Data analyses were conducted using multilevel, linear growth models and data from 1028 youth (52% male, 51% white).
After taking into account individual-level factors and zip code median household income, zip code alcohol outlet density was significantly and positively related to the initial levels of the likelihood and frequency of getting alcohol through various sources including commercial outlets, shoulder tapping, home or family members, and underage acquaintances.
High levels of alcohol outlets in the community enable youth access to alcohol through commercial outlets, family, and social networks.
This study examined the impact of parental modeled behavior and permissibility of alcohol use in late high school on the alcohol use and experienced negative drinking consequences of college students. Two-hundred ninety college freshmen at a large university were assessed for perceptions of their parents' permissibility of alcohol use, parents' alcohol-related behavior, and own experienced negative consequences associated with alcohol use. Results indicate that parental permissibility of alcohol use is a consistent predictor of teen drinking behaviors, which was strongly associated with experienced negative consequences. Parental modeled use of alcohol was also found to be a risk factor, with significant differences being seen across the gender of the parents and teens. Discussion focuses on risk factors and avenues for prevention research.
Existing studies of the association between age at first drink (AFD) and the risk of alcohol use disorders (AUD) suffer from inconsistent levels of control and designs that may inflate associations by failure to control for duration of exposure to risk.
This study examined associations between AFD (ages <15 and 15-17 vs. 18+ years) and first incidence of DSM-IV alcohol dependence, abuse, and specific AUD criteria over a 3-year follow-up in a longitudinal study of U.S. drinkers 18 years of age and older at baseline (n = 22,316), controlling for duration of exposure, family history, and a wide range of baseline and childhood risk factors.
After adjusting for all risk factors, the incidence of dependence was increased for AFD <15 years (OR = 1.38) and for women only with AFD at ages 15 to 17 (OR = 1.54). The incidence of abuse was increased at AFD <15 and 15 to 17 years (OR = 1.52 and 1.30, respectively). Most dependence criteria showed significant associations with AFD, but hazardous drinking and continued drinking despite interpersonal problems were the only abuse criteria to do so. All associations were nonsignificant after controlling for volume of consumption, except that AFD at all ages <18 combined was associated with a reduced likelihood of impaired control, and AFD at ages 15 to 17 was associated with lower odds of drinking more/longer than intended among heavy-volume drinkers. In a population of low-risk drinkers that excluded those with positive family histories, personality disorders, and childhood risk factors, there were strong associations between early AFD (<18) and the incidence of dependence (OR = 3.79) and continued drinking despite physical/psychological problems (OR = 2.71), but no association with incidence of abuse.
There is a robust association between AFD and the risk of AUD that appears to reflect willful rather than uncontrolled heavy drinking, consistent with misuse governed by poor decision-making and/or reward-processing skills associated with impaired executive cognitive function (ECF). Additional research is needed to determine causality in the role of impaired ECF, including longitudinal studies with samples of low-risk adolescents.
Alcohol abuse among college students is prevalent, yet few instruments with sound reliability and validity are available to assess these problems in this population. As part of a large, baseline assessment battery for a prospective study of offspring of alcoholics, the 27-item Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (YAAPST) was given to 490 freshmen at a large midwestern university; approximately 9 months later, 482 subjects completed the scale again. In addition to asking about such traditional problems as experiencing blackouts and driving while intoxicated, the YAAPST included specific items relating to college experiences (eg, getting into sexual situations that were later regretted, missing classes, and receiving lower grades than usual). The YAAPST was designed to assess these drinking consequences over two different time frames, lifetime and past year, and also to indicate the frequency of occurrence during the past year. Results indicated that the YAAPST is a unidimensional scale with good psychometric properties (good internal consistency and test-retest reliability). Three different approaches were used to demonstrate the validity of the YAAPST. Findings supported criterion validity (with interview-based alcohol abuse/dependence diagnoses as the criterion), concurrent validity (comparing the YAAPST with other drinking measures), and construct validity (correlating the YAAPST with etiologically relevant personality, motivational, and peer influence variables). The YAAPST is a promising screening instrument for alcohol problems in college students. It has excellent psychometric properties and the potential to provide a range of useful information to the clinician or researcher.
A sample of 865 10-16-year-olds from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds completed a questionnaire battery concerning 3 aspects of autonomy: emotional autonomy in relationship with parents, resistance to peer pressure, and the subjective sense of self-reliance. The observed patterns of relations among the measures cast doubt on the notion that autonomy is a unidimensional trait manifested similarly across a variety of situations. For most boys and girls, the transition from childhood into adolescence is marked more by a trading of dependency on parents for dependency on peers, rather than straightforward and unidimensional growth in autonomy. Moreover, contrary to long-standing notions about the greater salience of autonomy to adolescent males than to females, girls score higher than boys on all 3 measures of autonomy at all age levels.
The psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were evaluated in a normal sample of N = 717 who were also administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The DASS was shown to possess satisfactory psychometric properties, and the factor structure was substantiated both by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In comparison to the BDI and BAI, the DASS scales showed greater separation in factor loadings. The DASS Anxiety scale correlated 0.81 with the BAI, and the DASS Depression scale correlated 0.74 with the BDI. Factor analyses suggested that the BDI differs from the DASS Depression scale primarily in that the BDI includes items such as weight loss, insomnia, somatic preoccupation and irritability, which fail to discriminate between depression and other affective states. The factor structure of the combined BDI and BAI items was virtually identical to that reported by Beck for a sample of diagnosed depressed and anxious patients, supporting the view that these clinical states are more severe expressions of the same states that may be discerned in normals. Implications of the results for the conceptualisation of depression, anxiety and tension/stress are considered, and the utility of the DASS scales in discriminating between these constructs is discussed.
Despite a minimum legal drinking age, many young people use alcohol. Environmental strategies to control youth drinking focus on restricting access and the enforcement of possession laws. This study examines the relationship between use of these strategies and the frequency of youth alcohol use and related problems.
Participants were 16,694 students, ages 16-17 in 92 communities in Oregon. A multi-level analysis of a repeated cross-sectional statewide student survey was conducted. The outcome measures examined include 30-day frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, use of alcohol at school, and drinking and driving.
The rate of illegal merchant sales in the communities directly related to all four alcohol-use outcomes. There was also evidence that communities with higher minor in possession law enforcement had lower rates of alcohol use and binge drinking. The use of various sources in a community expanded and contracted somewhat depending on levels of access and enforcement.
This evidence provides empirical support for the potential utility of local efforts to maintain or increase alcohol access control and possession enforcement.
To compare adults' approval of adolescents' alcohol use among white, black, and Latino youth and to evaluate the effects of approval on most recent alcohol consumption, past 30-day use and binge drinking.
A cross-sectional telephone survey of N = 6245 adolescents from 242 communities was conducted as part of the National Evaluation of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program. The survey assessed perceived availability of alcohol, underage alcohol use, and problems related to underage drinking. Ordinary least squares regression modeling was used to test the relationships between adults' approval and most recent consumption. Logistic regression modeling was used to measure the association among approval, past 30-day use and binge drinking.
Perceived consequences, parent and adult relative provision of alcohol, and drinking with a parent were protective of underage drinking. Providing alcohol at a party, however, was associated with a two-fold increase in past 30-day use and binge drinking. There were minimal differences on adults' approval across the three racial/ethnic groups.
Adults' approval of alcohol use is highly correlated with youth drinking behavior and has differential effects on adolescents' alcohol use depending on the social context in which the alcohol is provided.