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Validity of Adolescent Self-Report of Alcohol and Other Drug Involvement
Abstract
Validity of adolescent self-report of alcohol and drug use and consequential effects and problems is examined. Validity is discussed in terms of its importance in research and clinical work. Also, results from a recent study are presented that focus on self-report temporal stability and response bias tendencies as evidence of validity of self-report. Study results indicate that the great majority of drug clinic and school teenagers gave temporally consistent reports of substance involvement and that only a small proportion of drug clinic and school subjects presented extreme response bias tendencies.
... The loss of participants to follow-up reduces the external validity of the study, because the adolescents included were more likely to be from advantaged backgrounds, more likely to be from a White British background, more likely to have highly educated mothers and less likely to have mothers with an AUDIT => 8. A further potential limitation is the reliability of selfreported alcohol data amongst adolescents (37,38) . Williams et al. (37) have shown that self-report of substance abuse by adolescents only had fair validity and recommended biochemical corroboration be routinely used for this age group, although Winters et al. (38) suggest that adolescents reliably self-report alcohol intake. ...
... A further potential limitation is the reliability of selfreported alcohol data amongst adolescents (37,38) . Williams et al. (37) have shown that self-report of substance abuse by adolescents only had fair validity and recommended biochemical corroboration be routinely used for this age group, although Winters et al. (38) suggest that adolescents reliably self-report alcohol intake. The data collected on alcohol were part of a much wider clinic visit with many other measures being obtained. ...
Objective
To examine the relationship between a posteriori dietary patterns in early childhood and alcohol consumption in adolescence.
Design
Data was obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study. Dietary information was obtained using food frequency questionnaires at ages 3 and 7 years. The association between dietary patterns, derived using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores (to assess harmful intake) and frequency of alcohol consumption at 17 years were examined. Secondary analysis considered sugar intake as a percentage of total energy intake.
Setting
Women who gave birth between 1 April 1991 and 31 December 1992 in the Avon area in southwest England were eligible for the ALSPAC cohort study.
Participants
14,541 pregnancies were enrolled in ALSPAC during its initial recruitment phase. For this analysis, complete data was available for between 3148 and 3520 participants.
Results
Adherence to the “healthy” dietary pattern at both 3 and 7 years of age was positively associated with consuming more than one alcoholic drink per week at 17 years, whilst adherence to the ‘traditional’ dietary pattern at both ages was protective of harmful alcohol intake at 17. Sugar intake was not associated with either alcohol outcome after adjustment for ethnicity, maternal level of education, parental social class and maternal AUDIT score.
Conclusions
For the population studied, changes to diet in early childhood are unlikely to have an impact on harmful alcohol use in adolescence given the lack of consistency across the results.
... 7 Others note that these tools are often not practical in clinical or research contexts and stress that self-report measures have maximal efficiency while retaining acceptable validity. 8,9 The value of other collateral measures of substance use such as parent report is also controversial. There has long been general support for the collection of corroborative information from multiple reporters regarding adolescent psychopathology, including substance abuse. ...
... Adolescent self-reports demonstrate good temporal stability and low rates of excessive response biases consistent with severely exaggerating or minimizing their use. 9 Furthermore, a relatively high proportion of adolescents acknowledge drug use through self-report when a biological test was negative. 7,17 However, some studies do raise questions about issues with relying exclusively on self-reported data. ...
Background:
Valid assessment of adolescent substance use is important in both research and clinical applications. However, the optimal approach to assessing adolescent use remains controversial, particularly with regard to the use of parent-reported measures. Methods: Using a systematic review of existing literature, we sought to evaluate the utility of parent measures of adolescent alcohol and cannabis use by examining their correspondence with self-report measures. Furthermore, we investigated study-related variables that may be associated with differing levels of parent-child correspondence. Relevant articles were identified using a systematic search across multiple databases. Results: The review revealed generally poor agreement between parent and adolescent reports of alcohol and cannabis use. Parents consistently underestimated use and problems associated with use when compared with adolescents. Community-based (versus clinical) samples, reporting regarding alcohol (versus cannabis), and reporting problems associated with use (versus reports of use/nonuse) were each associated with lower levels of parent-child agreement. Conclusions: Recommendations for the optimal use of parent measures of adolescent substance use are provided.
... Finally, the fact that the data were collected in a school context and not in Primary Care or pediatric services means that the variables analyzed were self-reported, so it is impossible to know with certainty to what extent adolescents may have underestimated or overestimated the levels of video game use and the diagnosis of ADHD itself. How-ever, other experts in addictive behaviors have already established that anonymous and confidential self-report measures have proven to be reliable [104]. Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. ...
Video game addiction among adolescents, particularly those with ADHD, is a significant concern. To gather more insights into video game usage patterns in this population, we investigated levels of potentially problematic use, passion, motivations, and emotional/behavioral symptoms in adolescents with and without ADHD. Our cross-sectional, multicenter study involved 2513 subjects (Age M = 15.07; SD = 2.82) from 24 schools in Galicia (Spain), including 158 (6.3%) diagnosed with ADHD. We employed an ad hoc questionnaire covering sociodemographic data and ADHD diagnosis, the Questionnaire of Experiences Associated with Video Games (CERV), the scale of passion for video games, reasons for playing video games Questionaire (VMQ), and emotional/behavioral problems assessment (SDQ). Results indicated heightened vulnerability in adolescents with ADHD, manifesting in longer usage durations and higher problematic use scores. Interestingly, ADHD medication did not affect internet gaming disorder development. Motivations for gaming differed between groups, with the ADHD cohort showing distinctions in cognitive development, coping, and violent reward. Additionally, the ADHD group exhibited greater emotional/behavioral symptoms, hyperactivity, and reduced prosocial behavior.
... A limitation is that all the variables had been self-reported, making it impossible to know with certainty to what extent university students might have under-or overestimated their alcohol used disorders identification tests and risk levels of use. However, as various experts in the field of mental health, researchers with experiences of conducting alcohol studies and National Drug Abuse Control Program had investigated, self-report measures had proven to be reliable and even better than other methods when evaluating levels of alcohol (Winters et al., 1990). The strengths of this study included the large sample size recruited from 6 universities in Mandalay Region. ...
Background: In Myanmar, alcohol consumption among university students had been recognized as a major public health concern. A cross-sectional study was done to investigate drinking alcohol and risk level assessment using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and examined the reasons of alcohol uses and types of beverage preference consumed. Methods: The two universities from three districts in Mandalay region were randomly selected, from which 976 students (stratified by academic year and sex) were contributed in self-administered questionnaire. Results: The mean age at first drinking alcohol among the participants was 16.36_0.15 years with range of 16 to 19 years. The drinking risk level assessment using the AUDIT test, nearly half of the participants 48.7% were abstainers and 86 (8.8%) were high risk drinkers while 28 (2.9%) had alcohol dependency. Among those, 57.8% had experiences of alcohol drinking and the favorite beverage of the university students who drink alcohol was beer. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that gender, smoking habit and living situation for drinking were significant predictors of alcohol consumption among university students. The results found out that living separately with parents and smoking habits were important factors for drinking alcohol with statistically significant at 95% confidence level. Conclusion: It provided evidence-based findings for knowing the alcohol consumption risk level among university students to prevent social deprivation and health risk behaviors. Findings from this study indicate a need for law governing, strictly prohibits the sale of alcohol directly or indirectly to those under the age of eighteen years. The alcohol intervention program can be helpful in modifying behaviors change communication in health promotion of university students. Keywords: Alcohol consumption, AUDIT test, drinking risk level, university students and binary logistic regression Received: 12 April 2019 Reviewed: 18 June 2019 Revised: 25 June 2019 Accepted: 8 July 2019 DOI: 10.35898/ghmj-33582
... However, different experts have pointed out that self-report measures are reliable and even preferable when assessing substance use habits in youth and adolescents. 29,30 The obtained results indicate that the HONC is a tool with low sensitivity to detect tobacco/nicotine dependence. This may be due to using an inappropriate Gold Standard. ...
Introduction:
The expansion of new tobacco consumption formats and electronic vapor products threatens to reverse the trend of declining smoking rates that had been observed among younger people in recent decades. Early detection in the health sector requires screening tools that have been adapted and validated in our context. This study aims to translate, culturally adapt, pilot and empirically validate the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC) with Spanish adolescents.
Methods:
The process of translation and cultural adaptation included the following stages: direct translation, synthesis of translations, back translation, consolidation with a committee of experts and pre-test, along with a cognitive interview, which served as pilot testing. Empirical validation was conducted with a sample of 1027 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 (M=15.40; SD=1.638).
Results:
The results obtained confirm that the HONC is a brief, clear and easy-to-understand tool, with appropriate psychometric properties. A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.90 was obtained. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV indices reached values of 0.56, 0.94, 0.79 and 0.83, respectively. Cut-off point 1 is the one reaching the best balance between the two values. CFA showed a model good overall fit.
Conclusion:
This study makes the Spanish version of the HONC available to researchers and clinicians, so that it can be used with sufficient psychometric guarantees.
... Also, adolescents may report greater past substance use and related problems at treatment completion compared with their reports at treatment intake (Stinchfield, 1997), although this finding occurs among adult drug users as well. However, several lines of evidence support the validity of adolescent self-reports of alcohol and other drug problems: A large proportion of youths in drug treatment settings admit to use of alcohol and other drugs and associated problems; few treatmentseeking adolescents endorse questions that indicate blatant faking of responses (e.g., admit to the use of a fictitious drug); and the information provided by adolescents is usually in general agreement with other knowledgeable sources (Johnston & O'Malley, 1997;Maisto, Connors, & Allen, 1995;Winters, Anderson, Bengston, Stinchfield, & Latimer, 2000;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly, & Schwartz, 1990. Confidentiality of self-report (Harrell, 1997) and use of biological assays such as urinalysis (Wish, Hoffman, & Nemes, 1997) increase the validity of self-report. ...
Assessment planning in substance use disorder prevention research entails the identification of measurement domains and the selection of corresponding instruments needed to fulfill specific project goals. The study design, developmental periods examined, feasibility constraints, and anticipated statistical analyses are important considerations in optimally designing the assessment protocol. As a conceptual framework to organize the domains considered here as examples, the multifactorial model of complex disorders with elaborations emphasized by the discipline of developmental psychopathology is applied. Risks reviewed include family history, childhood maltreatment, peer relationships, and psychopathology. The substance involvement dimensions germane as outcomes include substance type, consumption quantity and frequency, and substance-related problems. Comprehensive diachronic evaluation over critical developmental periods provides the technical foundation for etiology and intervention research.
... Finalmente, cabe advertir que todas las variables han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad de los propios adolescentes, que pueden haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos, las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser igualmente fiables que otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los niveles de consumo de substancias, así como diferentes conductas de riesgo asociadas (Babor, Kranzler y Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly y Schwartz, 1990). ...
Las agresiones sexuales facilitadas por drogas (DFSA) constituyen un tópico que viene suscitando una creciente preocupación social en los últimos años. Pese a ello, son pocos los trabajos empíricos llevados a cabo en España que hayan analizado el fenómeno desde un enfoque preventivo. El objetivo de este trabajo, además de aportar nueva evidencia respecto a las DFSA, concretamente en el ámbito de los menores, ha sido identificar posibles variables asociadas, contribuyendo así a comprender mejor el problema y a diseñar políticas de prevención más eficaces. Para ello se realizó una encuesta entre menores de la comunidad autónoma gallega. Participaron 7.181 estudiantes de 12 a 17 años (M= 14,79; DT=1,57). La recogida de datos se realizó mediante un cuestionario autoadministrado. Los datos referentes a las DFSA fueron recogidos mediante ítems específicos, pilotados previamente. Se utilizaron también instrumentos para el cribado de consumos problemáticos (AUDIT, CAST, CRAFFT y EUPI-a). Los resultados permiten estimar la tasa de victimización por DFSA en menores gallegos en un 1,7%, de los que únicamente habrían denunciado el 11,4%. Más allá del perfil sociodemográfico de las víctimas (mujeres en 2 de cada 3 casos), éstas presentan patrones diferenciados respecto al patrón de consumo problemático de alcohol y otras sustancias y al patrón de uso problemático de Internet y redes sociales, con una prevalencia significativamente mayor de conductas de riesgo online. Ello sugiere que este fenómeno va mucho más allá de la violencia sexual, por lo que es preciso abordarlo a nivel preventivo desde una perspectiva integral, incluyendo la perspectiva educativa y de salud pública.
... Finalmente, cabe advertir que todas las variables han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad de los propios adolescentes, que pueden haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos, las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser igualmente fiables que otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los niveles de consumo de substancias, así como diferentes conductas de riesgo asociadas (Babor, Kranzler y Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly y Schwartz, 1990). ...
... Finally, it should be noted that all variables were self-reported, so responses may depend on the subjectivity of the adolescents themselves, who may have under-or overestimated their behaviours. However, as different experts have pointed out, self-report measures have proven to be equally reliable as other methods when assessing levels of substance use as well as different associated risk behaviours (Babor, Kranzler & Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly & Schwartz, 1990). ...
... Fourth, the study is based on self-reports, implying that adolescents may have underestimated or overestimated the behaviours they carry out and their possible implications. However, as different authors have pointed out, self-report measures have proven to be reliable and even better than other methods when it comes to assessing levels of substance use and addictive disorders (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990). ...
Epidemiological studies on problematic Internet use and problematic gaming conducted so far have mainly been carried out with unrepresentative and self-selected convenience samples, resulting in unreliable prevalence rates. This study estimates the prevalence of problematic Internet use and problematic gaming in a large sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 41,507) and identifies risk and protective factors for these risky behaviours. Data were collected online using the Adolescent Problem Internet Use Scale and the Adolescent Gaming Addiction Scale. Using a cut-off approach with measurement instruments inspired by the DSM-5 framework, we found a prevalence of 33% for problematic Internet use and 3.1% for problematic gaming. With a more conservative approach inspired by the ICD-11 framework, prevalence rates decreased to 2.98% for problematic Internet use and 1.8% for problematic gaming. Female gender, higher parents’ education, elevated Internet connection time, reporting being online after midnight and using the mobile phone in class predicted problematic Internet use; whereas male gender, “living situation” where families do not have a traditional structure or stable environment, elevated Internet connection time and reporting using the mobile phone in class predicted problematic gaming. A cut-off approach involving scales that recycle substance use criteria (as in the DSM-5) over-pathologize Internet use and gaming behaviours. In contrast, the ICD-11 approach seems to provide more realistic and reliable prevalence rates.
... En segundo lugar, la naturaleza transversal del estudio no posibilita establecer relaciones de causalidad entre las variables analizadas. En tercer lugar, el uso de variables autoinformadas dificulta el establecimiento de tasas y prevalencias precisas, ya que los datos pueden haber sido infraestimados o sobreestimados, a pesar de que diferentes expertos señalan que éstas pueden resultar tan fiables como otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los niveles de consumo (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990). ...
Menores y consumo de cannabis: un análisis por género y edad Minors and cannabis use: an analysis by gender and age El consumo de cannabis sigue constituyendo a día de hoy uno de los principales problemas de salud pública en la población juvenil tanto española como europea. A las elevadas prevalencias de consumo actuales se unen nuevos formatos y nuevos rituales de consumo, niveles de THC significativamente mayores y edades de inicio especialmente tempranas, lo cual suscita una creciente preocupación social, especialmente cuando nos referimos a adolescentes. El presente trabajo, llevado a cabo con una muestra de casi 4.000 estudiantes de 12 a 17 años de la comunidad gallega, no sólo permite constatar los elevados niveles de consumo existentes a edades tempranas y tasas de consumo problemático alarmantes, sino que evidencia la interesante interacción entre las variables género y edad, que se da en las fases iniciales del consumo. Asumir que en términos generales puede haber o no diferencias de género en el consumo de cannabis implica ignorar el papel de las normas y roles de género en los procesos de socialización de las y los adolescentes. De forma más concreta, se ha constatado niveles de consumo y consumo problemático (evaluado a través del CAST) significativamente mayores entre las chicas a los 14-15 años, produciéndose una progresiva masculinización del consumo de cannabis a partir de dicha edad. Estos resultados poseen interesantes implicaciones a la hora de diseñar nuevas estrategias y políticas de prevención.
... Sensitive alcohol use information was collected in a school setting which may have negatively influenced accurate reporting. However, previous research with adolescents found that most teenagers gave consistent reports of substance use involvement (Winters et al., 1990). Nonetheless, future studies could utilize ecological momentary assessment or daily diary reporting to track alcohol use. ...
Underage drinking is a serious public health concern with magnified physical and psychological risks. Previous research suggests that emotion dysregulation is one factor linked to alcohol use. Limited research has examined emotion dysregulation and alcohol use in adolescent populations, thus the present study aimed to examine the links by assessing the role of emotion dysregulation and its subscales in adolescent alcohol use over time. Participants were 695 high school students, with 309 students having completed Time 2 data collection at a 6-month follow-up. Participants completed measures that assessed Alcohol Use, Emotion Dysregulation, and Emotion Dysregulation subscales. In a negative binomial hurdle model, adolescents with greater emotion regulation difficulties at baseline had significantly greater odds of endorsing any alcohol use at baseline. Greater emotion dysregulation did not significantly predict drinking status or drinking level 6 months later when controlling for baseline alcohol use. Adolescents who reported greater emotional clarity difficulties at baseline were more likely to report any alcohol use at baseline. Among adolescents who drink, reporting greater difficulties accessing emotion regulation strategies was associated with greater alcohol use at baseline and 6 months later. These findings indicate that emotion dysregulation is a cross-sectional marker of alcohol use in adolescents; however, results did not show emotion dysregulation to be a prospective predictor of greater alcohol use. Future research is needed to replicate findings in a more diverse sample of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
... Moreover, the data may have been subject to biases because sensitive substance use information was collected in a school setting, which may have negatively influenced accurate reporting. However, previous research with adolescents indicates that adolescent self-report of alcohol and drug use is mostly valid and only a small minority exhibit biases (Winters et al., 1990). Furthermore, the current study attempted to reduce potential biases by placing students in a private location and assuring confidentiality and anonymity of responses that did not indicate suicide risk. ...
Background/Objective
Alcohol use typically begins in adolescence, and the risk of later alcohol use disorders increases with earlier age of onset. Emotion dysregulation in adolescence has been linked to alcohol use. The present study seeks to extend previous findings by examining whether gender moderates the association between emotion regulation strategies (suppression and cognitive reappraisal) and alcohol-related problems in a longitudinal sample of adolescents.
Method
Data were collected as part of an ongoing study of high school students from the south-central region of the USA. The sample included 693 adolescents who participated in a study on suicidal ideation and risk behaviors. The majority of participants were girls (54.8%), white (85%) and heterosexual (87.7%). Baseline (T1) and 6-month follow-up (T2) data were analyzed for the present study.
Results
Negative binomial moderation analyses revealed that gender moderated the association between cognitive reappraisal and alcohol-related problems, such that the association between reappraisal and alcohol-related problems was significantly stronger for boys than for girls. Gender did not moderate the association between suppression and alcohol-related problems.
Conclusions
The results suggest that emotion regulation strategies may be a particularly useful target for prevention and intervention efforts. Future research should consider tailoring adolescent alcohol prevention and intervention efforts focused on emotion regulation strategies by gender to bolster cognitive reappraisal skills and decrease suppression.
... Futuros estudios deberían evaluar si variables socioeconómicas podrían interferir con estos resultados y profundizar en otros indicadores como frecuencia y cantidad consumida. Por otra parte, aunque las medidas son autoinformadas, y los resultados podrían estar sobreestimados o infraestimados, diferentes trabajos han evidenciado que pueden ser igualmente fiables para evaluar el consumo (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990). Es importante señalar que las relaciones detectadas no se pueden interpretar en términos causales, porque solo un diseño longitudinal permitiría establecer esta relación. ...
Resumen El consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en adolescentes representa un problema de salud pública, pero República Dominicana no monitorea su evolución. Información sobre patrones de consumo, edad de inicio, contextos de riesgo e implicaciones asociadas ayudaría a comprender mejor el problema. Objetivo: Cuantificar y describir el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas en adolescentes dominicanos. Método: Encuesta escolar con cuestionario ad hoc. N=2011 adolescentes de Santo Domingo (39% hombres y 61% mujeres). Edades entre 13 y 17 años (M=15.15; DT=1.27). Resultados: El 63.7% consumió alcohol durante el último año. Los hombres tienen un consumo de mayor riesgo y entre los 13 y los 15 años es cuando el consumo crece más. Discusión: Los resultados apoyan la hipótesis de la vulnerabilidad en adolescentes de países en vías de desarrollo, que requieren de estrategias de prevención orientadas a edades específicas abarcando variables personales y contextuales.
Abstract The consumption of psychoactive substances is an important public health problem in the Americas, but the Dominican Republic does not monitor its evolution. Information related to pattern of use, age of onset, contexts of use and associated implications would help to better understand the problem. Objective: To quantify and describe the consumption of psychoactive substances in Dominican adolescents. Method: School survey with an ad hoc questionnaire. N=2011 adolescents in Santo Domingo (39% men and 61% women). Ages between 13 and 17 years old (M=15.15 and SD=1.27). Results: 63.7% consumed alcohol during the last year. Boys have a higher risk consumption and between 13 and 15 years of age is when the rate of consumption increases the most. Discussion: The results support the hypothesis of vulnerability in adolescents from developing countries, which requires prevention strategies aimed to specific age groups, covering both personal and contextual variables.
... Study 1 involved a crosssectional model, limiting casual interpretation. Since cannabis use might be viewed as socially unacceptable, the self-report measures might have introduced response bias; however, given the confidentiality provided in the computer-administered questionnaires, measurement validity was less likely to influence results (Del Boca & Darkes, 2003;Winters et al., 1990). Also, the findings are generalizable only to youth from a limited geographic domain. ...
Psychological reactance (PR) is a psychological state or trait typified by resistant responses to threats to behavioral freedom. PR has been linked with negative health behaviors, including risky substance use; however, factors that may foster approaches to mitigate the impact of PR on these behaviors, as well as rejection of other health promotion communications is less understood. The current studies examined relations between parental warmth and monitoring with trait PR and responses to preventive cannabis communications and usage intentions. Two in-school surveys were administered to two difference samples of middle school students (Study 1, N = 1,416; Study 2, N = 1,118). Path analytic models tested multivariable linkages among relevant parenting variables, PR, and outcomes associated with cannabis use. Follow-up regression analyses explored significant interaction effects. In Study 1 (p < .001) and Study 2 (p < .01), parental warmth moderated the relation between monitoring and trait PR: High monitoring was a protective factor only when combined with warmth. In turn, PR mediated the relationships between parenting practices and cannabis intentions in both studies (p < .001). In Study 2, PR also was linked with resistance to persuasion via more unfavorable reactions to anti-cannabis appeals (p < .001). Findings indicated that low parental warmth combined with parental monitoring was associated with high trait reactance in adolescents, which predisposed them to stronger resistance to preventive communications. Interventions might focus on counseling parents about the likely outcomes of parenting style, and ways to implement beneficial approaches.
... Thirdly, it is worth mentioning the fact that the variables have been self-reported, so that adolescents may be underestimating or overestimating the behaviours they carry out and their possible implications. However, as different authors in the field of addictions have pointed out, self-report measures have proven to be reliable and even better than other methods when it comes to assessing levels of substance use (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990). In contrast, the guarantee of confidentiality and anonymity that the researchers have offered at all times, together with the voluntary nature of participation in the study and the fact that the data were collected by personnel outside the school and with specific training in working with adolescents, helps to alleviate possible underlying biases. ...
Recent research has warned of the growing participation of minors in online gambling, an illegal behaviour with
an enormous addictive potential. The present study was proposed with a double objective: (1) having updated
data about online gambling among adolescents and, (2) analysing its relationship with substance use and Problematic Internet Use [PIU]. For this purpose, a sample of 3188 Spanish adolescents between 12 and 17 years of
age (Mean=14.44; SD=1.67) was gathered, to whom was applied an ad hoc questionnaire with items regarding
their internet use and substance consumption, as well as specific screening instruments (Alcohol Use Disorders
Identification Test -AUDIT-, Cannabis Abuse Screening Test -CAST-, the Substance Use and Abuse subscale of the
Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers -POSITuas-, and the Problematic Internet Use Scale for Adolescents-PIUSa-). The results showed that 8.4% of the sample had participated in online gambling during the prior
year. It was also found that those who gambled on the Internet had higher rates of PIU and different online risky
behaviours, as well as higher rates of substance consumption. Therefore, these are not isolated problems, making it
necessary to employ an integral preventive approach to address them.
... Thirdly, it is worth mentioning the fact that the variables have been self-reported, so that adolescents may be underestimating or overestimating the behaviours they carry out and their possible implications. However, as different authors in the field of addictions have pointed out, self-report measures have proven to be reliable and even better than other methods when it comes to assessing levels of substance use (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990). In contrast, the guarantee of confidentiality and anonymity that the researchers have offered at all times, together with the voluntary nature of participation in the study and the fact that the data were collected by personnel outside the school and with specific training in working with adolescents, helps to alleviate possible underlying biases. ...
Recientes investigaciones han alertado de la creciente participación de los menores en el juego online, una conducta ilegal con un enorme potencial adictivo. El presente estudio se planteó con un doble objetivo (1) disponer de datos actualizados sobre el juego online entre los adolescentes y, (2) analizar su relación con el consumo de sustancias y el Uso Problemático de Internet [UIP]. Para ello, se recogió una muestra de 3188 adolescentes españoles de entre 12 y 17 años (Media=14.44; DT=1.67), a los que se les aplicó un cuestionario ad hoc con ítems relativos al uso de Internet y consumo de sustancias, así como instrumentos de cribado específicos (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test -AUDIT-, Cannabis Abuse Screening Test -CAST-, Substance Use and Abuse subscale of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers -POSITuas- y la Escala de Uso Problemático de Internet para Adolescentes -EUPIa-). Los resultados mostraron que el 8.4% de la muestra había participado en juegos de azar en línea durante el año anterior. También se comprobó que los que jugaban a través de Internet presentaban tasas más elevadas de PIU y de diferentes comportamientos de riesgo online, así como tasas más elevadas de consumo de sustancias. Por tanto, no se trata de problemas aislados, por lo que es necesario emplear un enfoque preventivo integral para abordarlos.
... A second limitation lies, as with other national prevalence studies, in that the findings are based on self-reports and may consequently underestimate our respondents' gambling behavior. On the other hand, assuring the respondents' anonymity and confidentiality, and administering the survey in a controlled environment enhance the likelihood of obtaining accurate informations [48]. Third, the cross-sectional design of the study prevented us from identifying any cause-effect relationships between the variables, though the consistency of our findings with those of other studies on the associations considered should suffice to support the development of a greater public health awareness of the need to prevent any involvement of adolescents in gambling. ...
Background
Studies published on gender-related differences in the gambling behavior of adolescents have focused mainly on psychological and social factors. The aim of this study was to develop separate risk factor models for male and female adolescents, considering the environmental, psychological, behavioral and socio-economic factors related to their gambling.
Methods
A survey was conducted through a questionnaire developed on a dedicated web site in 2014 on a representative sample of the Italian 15–19-years-old population, including 34,922 students attending 438 secondary schools. The SOGS-RA questionnaire was used to measure gambling behavior. To verify the risk factors associated with gambling a logistic regression stratified by gender was performed.
Results
In our representative sample of Italian adolescents nationwide, the prevalence of each level of gambling was higher in males than in females. The logistic regression stratified by gender found that for both genders, gambling was positively associated with internet surfing, playing sports, getting into a fight, having unprotected sex, pulling stunts, drinking alcohol at least once in the previous month, having not a satisfactory relationship with teachers, receiving pocket money from parents, spending each week much money and having someone in the family (father, sister/brother, other relatives) who gambles. On the other hand, having poor or average school marks, going to ED in the previous year, smoking at least once in the previous month, having dissatisfied with relationships with father and having a lower family income than their friends was only associated with gambling in boys. Having an accident or injury in the previous year and having a mother who gambled was associated only in girls with higher odd of at risk or problem gambling behavior. A low psychological distress is protective only in girls for risk of gambling.
Conclusions
Understanding the gender-related differences, and how they emerge in younger people at the start of their gambling careers, can suggest how best to educate individuals, families and the community on the topic of gambling. Programs to prevent substance use and abuse should be multifaceted, and include efforts to prevent gambling with a gender perspective approach.
... However, we think that this is unlikely to occur when a validated test such as AUDIT is used. It has been widely proven that the AUDIT test performs well and produces reliable results in young adults and adolescent populations [40]. We consider that any misrepresentative data would probably affect descriptive data but not analytical findings [41]. ...
... Finalmente, cabe advertir que todas las variables recogidas en este trabajo han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad de los propios adolescentes, que pueden haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos del ámbito de las conductas adictivas (Babor, Kranzler y Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly y Schwartz, 1990), las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser igualmente fiables a la hora de evaluar los hábitos de consumo de jóvenes y adolescentes. ...
Substance use in waterpipe (generally tobacco or cannabis) constitutes an increasingly popular practice. It has become an emerging public health problem, with serious consequences at both pulmonary and addiction levels. Despite the growing concern it raises, few studies have been carried out in Spain to analyze this new practice from an early age. The aim of this study is to have new data about waterpipe use among adolescents and to analyze its possible implications and related variables. A survey was conducted among secondary school students from the Galician community. A total of 7,613 students aged 12-18 years (M = 14.97; SD = 1.69) participated. The CRAFFT, the AUDIT and the CAST were used to screen the risky use of other substances. The rates of waterpipe tobacco and cannabis use are at worrying levels (19.4% and 8.5%, respectively, for the last year), with significantly higher rates of risky substance use, drunkenness and binge drinking. The low perception risk is striking. Waterpipe use is a widespread practice in adolescence. In addition to serious health implications, is a clear indicator of a problematic underlying consumption. The low perception of risk, the "botellón" or the lack of family control are elements to take into account in community prevention.
... Frequency of substance use over the past year of alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drugs was assessed using adolescents' annual self-reports at ages 12, 13, 15, and 17 years. The following three items from the Personal Experience Screening Questionnaire (Henly & Winters, 1989;Winters et al., 1990) were used: "In the last 12 months: How many times did you use alcohol? How many times did you use marijuana? ...
This study investigated adolescents’ single and co-occurring developmental patterns of gambling participation and substance use and their association with gambling and substance use-related issues at age 17, controlling for confounders. Multiple assessments from age 12 to 17 were conducted in a population-based cohort (N=1594, 51.2% boys). Latent growth modeling was used to analyze developmental patterns and Generalized linear models to examine their association with age-17 gambling and substance use-related problems, types and variety of activities, and substance abuse. Results revealed six developmental patterns, including Low- or Non-substance Users or Gamblers (24.2% sample), two trajectory-classes of Later-Onset Increasing (to a moderate level) substance users, either with or without gambling participation (7.8% and 45.5%, respectively), two trajectory-classes of Early-Onset Increasing (to a higher level) substance users, either with or without gambling participation (6.2% and 12.7%, respectively), and a smaller trajectory-class of Slow-Increasing Substance Users and Early-Onset Gamblers, declining to non-gambling after age 13 (3.6%). Gambling participation and substance use did not appear to influence each other with regard to their onset and course throughout adolescence, and to age-17 types and variety of gambling activities or substances used, problems related to gambling participation or substance use, or substance abuse. These findings are consistent with the addictive syndrome model and with both common and individualized approaches to prevention and treatment for adolescent gamblers or substance users.
... As it is the case of all self-administered questionnaires, the answers of the participants might be affected by social desirability bias where the respondent might report their true behaviors towards cannabis. However, it should be noted that different experts in the field of addictive behaviors have pointed out that selfreport measures are reliable and even preferable to other methods when evaluating substance use in the youth population (Babor, Kranzler, & Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly, & Schwartz, 1990). Finally, the results obtained indicate that the CAST is not a sensitive tool for detecting problematic cannabis use. ...
The high prevalence rates of cannabis use in adolescents and its early onset constitutes a major public health problem, raising the need for its early detection. The availability of validated tools to analyze early cannabis use is essential to detect problematic use at an early age. The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) (Legleye et al., 2007) is widely applied in Europe; however, the CAST cut-off scores vary according to the setting, the screening objective, and the correction version (CAST-f or CAST-b), creating therefore confusion in its application. Moreover, the psychometric properties of the CAST as a tool for detecting problematic cannabis use are understudied. To fill this gap, such psychometric properties have been analyzed in a sample of Spanish adolescents while using different cut-off scores for CAST-f and CAST-b. Based on our findings, the optimal cut-off scores are 2 points for CAST-b and 4 points for CAST-f. The internal reliability of CAST-f (α = .83) and CAST-b (KR-20 = .80) are satisfactory. Factorial analysis suggested the assumption of a one-dimension model. The CAST seems to be a valid and reliable tool for early screening of problematic cannabis use in Spanish adolescents.
... Several limitations of the present study should be noted. First, although previous research on the validity of self-reported data has concluded that young people are sincere about sensitive matters when appropriate precautions are taken (e.g., Hindelang et al., 1979;Winters et al., 1990), it is not possible to measure the extent of a possible bias in relation to under-or over-reporting participation in fights. Moreover, the observed results regarding sleep deficits in about 25% of our adolescent sample may possibly represent an underestimation, as the data reported by prior studies using parallel measures of actigraphy and self-reporting suggest (Arora et al., 2013). ...
Lack of sleep is common in adolescence, and represents an important threat to adolescents’ well-being, academic commitment, and general health. It also has significant behavioral consequences through an increased likelihood of interpersonal violence. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between aggressive behavior and lack of sleep, but the psychological mediators remain completely unexplored. Grounded in the General Aggression Model, we investigated the affective pathway as one of the potential mechanisms linking lack of sleep and aggression (Krizan & Herlache, 2016). We hypothesized and showed that psychological distress is an intermediary phenomenon linking lack of sleep and physical aggression. Based on a school sample of 11,912 participants (median age: 14.5), we observed that 23.7% of the young people admitted having been involved in physical fighting on one or more occasions, and that 25.81% were in sleep debt when referred for medical assessment. We analyzed the relationship between sleep duration and physical fighting and the mediating link of psychological distress by performing multiple regressions in the components’ paths. The results showed that the adolescents’ amount of sleep appeared to be a significant predictor of physical fighting, and that this relationship was partially mediated by psychological distress. These results are consistent with the General Aggression Model, and represent the first empirical confirmation that psychological distress symptoms partially mediate the connection between lack of sleep and physical aggression.
... Finally, as the variables were self-reported, adolescents may be underestimating or overestimating the behaviours they are asked about. Yet, previous studies have shown that self-report measures seemed to be reliable and even better than other methods in assessing levels of substance use (Babor et al., 1989;Winters et al., 1990), and the guarantee of anonymity and the voluntary nature of participation in the study contribute to mitigate the effects of social desirability. ...
The use of alcohol and other substances among underage adolescents continues to cause social concern nowadays, but it is not the only challenge that professionals face while working with this population. School bullying and cyberbullying remain another main issue affecting the well-being and development of the students. The main objective of the present study was to analyse the possible relationship between both school bullying and cyberbullying with substance use. A selective methodology was used, administering a survey among students from state funded Secondary schools in the Autonomous Community of Galicia (Spain), and obtaining a sample of 3,173 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. The questionnaire included items referring to the consumption of several substances, specific screening scales for the evaluation of risky consumption (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Cannabis Abuse Screening Test and CRAFFT Abuse Screening Test) and validated multi-item scales to assess school bullying and cyberbullying involvement (European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire and European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire). The results showed that the most consumed substances were alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, finding also high risky consumption rates. Adolescents involved in either school bullying or cyberbullying in any role (victims, perpetrators and bully-victims) presented significantly higher rates in the consumption habits and risky consumptions analysed. These results highlight the need for a comprehensive prevention approach that addresses both school bullying, cyberbullying, and addictions at the same time.
... I used principal component analysis to validate the translation version of CSMS in Mainland China. Self-report research in psychological fields, such as attitude and perception surveys, focus on the coefficient alpha, construct validity (i.e., factor analysis), concurrent validity, and the criterion group method (Birchwood et al., 1994;Winters et al., 1990). Therefore, factor analysis is often an indispensable part of the research of self-reported measurement methods because it can effectively improve the validity of research methods. ...
China’s higher education reform led to the rise of private universities leading to a surge in the number of private universities, which have lacked funds and resources compared to their public peers. While private universities have allowed for expanded access to higher education, quite a few students have not been well prepared for study at this level. Therefore, private colleges in China need to provide more resources for students to help them succeed. Western countries, with more robust histories of private higher education, adopted the strategy of peer mentoring to solve the problem of first-year students’ retention, which guided significance to solve the dilemma in Chinese private universities. Because of their short history, there have been few quantitative studies on peer mentoring in private colleges in China. To fill this gap, 1,153 undergraduate students from a private college in China were recruited for this quantitative research study on peer mentoring. Through factor analysis, the College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) was validated in a private college in Mainland China. Furthermore, the correlation between mentoring support and college integration and academic success was examined for all first-year students, female students, first-generation students, and different major groups. The results showed only Psychological and Emotional Support (PES) and Academic Knowledge subject Support (AKS) were validated in CSMS of four constructs. Pearson correlations were used, and significant positive correlations between mentoring support and student integration were found for all first-year students, female students, first-generation students, and different major groups. Spearman correlations were used, and significant positive correlations between mentoring support and academic success were found for female students, business major group students. Significant positive correlations between AKS and academic success were also found for first-generation students. This study has some limitations in the generality of results, such as cross-sectional survey and self-reported data. But it does provide an important validation tool for the CSMS in Mandarin and within a Chinese setting for the first time. In future studies, it is recommended that CSMS can be used in different public and private institutions in Mainland China.
... Por último, cabe advertir, que todas las variables recogidas en este trabajo han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad del informante, quien puede haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas, en especial en áreas especialmente sensibles como puede ser toda la casuística relacionada con el asalto sexual. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos del ámbito de las conductas adictivas, las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser fiables e incluso preferibles a otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los hábitos de consumo de alcohol y otras drogas en jóvenes y adolescentes (39,40) . ...
A high prevalence of adolescent substance use, risky consumption patterns and the decrease in the age of initiation, together with the growth of non-substance addictions, represent a huge challenge for Public Health. This suggests the need for a change of focus in the work of the primary care settings, which must be more proactive in the early detection and intervention. Although there are some previous experiences in Spain, we do not have a duly standardised system, based on clinical practice and validated in consulting rooms, which could be used in a general, simple, and guaranteed manner. The SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) model, developed in the United States and conceived from a Public Health perspective, might represent such a paradigm shift. The aim of this paper was to provide researchers and professionals with a review of the available evidence in different countries, with a view to implementing it in Spain, where SBIRT remains a challenge. In addition, theoretical and technical foundations, and potential of the SBIRT are described. Not only its possible benefits and opportunities are put on the table, but also the shortcomings, limitations and needs that must be overcome for SBIRT implementation to be possible.
... Third, all variables have been self-reported, so adolescents may have underestimated or overestimated both their online behaviours and their cyberbullying behaviours. However, self-report questionnaires on drug use have been shown to be reliable and even better than other study methods (Winters et al., 1990), so it might be expected that they would also be suitable in the present context. Finally, future studies should try to analyse more properly the moderating role of variables such as parental mediation, or even impulsivity, which may lie at the base of some of the results found. ...
Background:
The spread of the internet and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have completely changed society in the last few decades. The transfer of traditional face-to-face bullying to the virtual environment is one of the risks adolescents face in this new reality. The present study sought to explore the relationship between involvement in cyberbullying and behaviours such as internet and mobile usage and other risky online behaviours.
Method:
The sample consisted of 3,188 adolescents aged 12-17 years old (Mean= 14.44; SD= 1.67).
Results:
The application of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIPQ) found that 5.2% were victims, 4.5% perpetrators and 4.3% bully-victims.
Conclusions:
Results also showed that cyberbullying seems to be associated with both Problematic Internet Use and behaviours such as sexting, gambling and contacting strangers, which suggests a need for a comprehensive approach for preventing all these issues. Moreover, parental monitoring could serve as a modulating factor, which should also be taken into account in the development of appropriate prevention strategies.
... Por último, cabe advertir, que todas las variables recogidas en este trabajo han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad del informante, quien puede haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas, en especial en áreas especialmente sensibles como puede ser toda la casuística relacionada con el asalto sexual. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos del ámbito de las conductas adictivas, las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser fiables e incluso preferibles a otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los hábitos de consumo de alcohol y otras drogas en jóvenes y adolescentes (39,40) . ...
Objective:
Botellón has established itself as a recreational ritual of great importance in the leisure of young people and it has contributed to the expansion of a worrying pattern of alcohol and other substances consumption. However, there are few papers that take an integrated approach to this issue. The aim of this work was to have new data to characterize this practice, while providing evidence of its consequences and identifying relevant prognostic factors for prevention.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 4,867 Galician adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age (Mean=14.68; SD=1.67). Data were collected in schools through an ad hoc questionnaire and they were analyzed through of a bivariate tabulation, with the application of the opportune contrasts according to the nature of the variables.
Results:
27.3% of the teenagers in the sample went to botellón during the last year. 96.6% admitted to drinking alcohol when they went to a botellón, 53.4% alcohol and tobacco and 30.2% three or more substances. This practice was associated with significantly higher rates of Intensive Alcohol Consumption (28% vs. 0.9%), as well as of consumption of risk of alcohol, cannabis and drugs in general. The modulating role of variables such as risk perception and beliefs and expectations associated with consumption, money available or time of arrival at home was also found.
Conclusions:
At least 1 in 4 teenagers continue to go to botellones. This practice associated with risky consumption. The evidence found reinforces the multidimensional nature of the problem and suggests reorienting prevention policies.
... Our study suffers from the following three limitations: (1) The data was collected by using self-administered questionnaires, which can lead to an under-or over-estimation of both independent and dependent variables [55]. Nonetheless, this is unlikely to occur as AUDIT is a validated test that was proved to produce reliable results when used by young adults and adolescents [56], and any misrepresentative data would probably affect descriptive rather than analytical findings [57]; (2) the most appropriate definition of HED in Spain implies differences between genders: more than five alcoholic drinks for women and more than six drinks for men, on a single occasion. The third question of the AUDIT therefore underestimates the prevalence of HED in women. ...
Objective: We aimed to evaluate changes in the prevalence of Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) and Risky Consumption (RC) in freshman college students between 2005, 2012 and 2016; and to identify the explanatory variables of these patterns of consumption using individual and pooled analyses. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 5260 students was carried out in Spain in 2005, 2012 and 2016. HED and RC were determined using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Another questionnaire was used to measure parental education level and alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, age of onset of alcohol use and alcohol-related expectancies. Adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs) of RC and HED and their 95% Confidence Intervals were estimated using logistic regression. Results: An increase in the prevalence rates of HED and RC was observed among women during the three-study periods, nonetheless there was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence rates among men. High maternal educational level, living away from parental home, initiating drinking before the age of 15 and having positive expectancies about drinking are associated with higher prevalence of RC in both genders. High positive expectancies and early onset of alcohol use are associated with higher rates of HED among men and women. Students recruited in 2012 and 2016 are protected against RC in comparison to those recruited in 2005. Conclusions: The age of alcohol consumption onset is the most influencing factor on HED and RC for both genders in the three-study periods. Alcohol prevention campaigns targeting youth at early ages can reduce risky drinking behaviors.
... Cannabis use could potentially be underreported in studies based on self-report due to the stigmatized and undesirable behavior in question. However, convergent validity of self-reported cannabis use and urine tests appears to be satisfactory (35,36), and self-reported measures are often necessary in large-scale community-based studies. Multiple testing is another potential limitation. ...
Aims: To describe trends in cannabis use from 2010 to 2019 among Norwegian adolescents and relate these to individual- and municipal-level variables.
Design: Data from nationwide repeated cross-sectional surveys collected in 2010–2013 (T1), 2014–2016 (T2), and 2017–2019 (T3) were used to describe secular trends in proportions of adolescent cannabis use.
Setting: Cross-sectional surveys in 410 of the total 428 municipalities of Norway.
Participants: A total of 628,678 survey responses from adolescents aged ~13–19 years of age, in which 566,912 survey responses were eligible for analyses, representing data from 340 municipalities.
Measurements: Respondent's past year cannabis use, time, gender, school grade, municipality, geographical location, and municipality population.
Findings: Boys reported overall higher cannabis use, with ~2:1 gender ratio for any past year cannabis use and a 3:1 gender ratio for frequent cannabis use. Adolescents in Eastern Norway reported higher cannabis use compared with other areas in the country, and adolescents from municipalities with a higher population size reported higher rates of cannabis use than smaller municipalities. A gradual increase in cannabis use from T1 to T3 was found in Eastern Norway and in the largest municipalities. More generally, proportions of past year cannabis use showed a marked increase from T2 to T3 across genders, grade/age groups, geographical location, and municipality population, with few exceptions.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that proportions of past year cannabis use have increased among Norwegian adolescents in recent years. Preventive interventions to hinder initiation of cannabis use, as well as measures to address frequent cannabis use among Norwegian adolescents, are needed.
... Future research should also include contextual variables, including school and family level environmental factors, as well as systemic racism and historical trauma, as they are related to marijuana-related health disparities in AI communities (Bombay et al., 2014;Evans-Campbell, 2008). Finally, data were collected between 2009 and 2013 by self-report surveys which may not reflect recent changes in use or accurately capture marijuana use behaviors (Brener et al., 2003); however, previous research has found good empirical support for using the ADAS to assess adolescent substance use (Wills & Cleary, 1997;Winters et al., 1990). ...
Objective:
The present study examines how perceptions of peer use, risks of use, and benefits to oneself and others from marijuana use are associated with past-month marijuana use and intentions to use marijuana socially among American Indian (AI) youth.
Method:
The American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS), a measure of substance use and related factors, was administered to AI youth living on or near reservations across six geographic regions (n = 3,498, 49.5% female, M age = 14.8).
Results:
Greater perceived peer use was significantly associated with more frequent past-month marijuana use (b = .05, p = .038) and intentions to use marijuana socially (b = .74, p < .001). Greater benefits to oneself were associated with greater marijuana use intentions (b = .35, p < .001). Greater perceived risks and benefits to others were significantly associated with less frequent past-month use (b = -.02, p = .002; b = -.01, p = .007, respectively) and intentions to use marijuana socially (b = -.05, p = .001; b = -.03, p = .002, respectively). Multilevel moderation analyses revealed that the effects of perceived peer use and benefits to oneself were related to intentions to use although stronger for those who had used; however, the effects of perceived risks and benefits to others were only significantly related to intentions to use marijuana for those who had used marijuana.
Conclusions:
Results suggest that perceived benefits to others and risks are malleable factors that may be effective components of treatment programs for youth who report lifetime marijuana use, but that perceived peer use and benefits to oneself may be useful in both treatment and prevention efforts for youth who have or have not used marijuana. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
... Future research should utilize other methods of research such as experimental or longitudinal repeated measures designs, which have the potential to identify causal relationships between variables. Second, we used only self-report data which could lead to either underreporting or overreporting of substance abuse and/or violence victimization (O'Dell, 2012;Winters et al., 1990). Third, the survey was given to students who were in attendance on the day it was given at school; students with frequent absences or those who have dropped out are not represented, and these students might be at greater risk for substance use and dating violence victimization. ...
The population of multiracial children is growing significantly in the United States as multiracial births are occurring at a faster rate than monoracial births. Though a cadre of all youth experience various problem behaviors such as delinquency, interpersonal violence, and substance use, multiracial adolescents appear to be at an increased risk. Early work suggests that this risk may be predicated upon their multiracial background becoming more salient during the already challenging developmental period of adolescence. This study attempted to extend upon these findings and examined the mediating effects of alcohol use and parental involvement on dating violence victimization among multiracial youth. Results suggest that greater parental monitoring among multiracial youth is associated with greater alcohol use, and, in turn, dating violence victimization.
... explicate these temporal, causal patterns. Next, while the ADAS has good empirical support for assessing adolescent substance use (Wills & Cleary, 1997;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly, & Schwartz, 1990), data are based solely on self-report measures that may underestimate actual rates of substance use and substance-related consequences among adolescents. Next, the nature of school-based samples precludes our ability to examine patterns of substance-related consequences among adolescents who have dropped out of school and are therefore not reflected in this data. ...
Introduction
Substance use among American Indian (AI) adolescents is a significant public health concern, as they report greater health disparities related to substance use compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The present study examines differences across classes of substance use behaviors regarding alcohol- and drug-related consequences.
Methods
The current study was a secondary analysis of the dataset used by Stanley and Swaim (2018). AI adolescents (n = 3498, 47.8% female, Mage = 14.8) completed a survey including substance use and related consequences. Protocols were approved by institutional IRB, tribal authority, school boards, and parental consent/child assent were obtained.
Results
In line with Stanley and Swaim (2018), we identified four classes of substance use: no past month substance use; marijuana and cigarette use only; alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use only; and polysubstance use. Cross-class comparisons revealed that adolescents in classes characterized by the use of a greater number of substances also reported experiencing greater alcohol- and drug-related consequences with one exception: the class characterized by marijuana and cigarette use reported greater drug-related consequences compared to the class characterized by alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use.
Conclusions
AI adolescents who engage in the use of multiple substances should be provided with psychoeducation around the increased risk of associated negative consequences. Given the health disparity experienced by AI adolescents, interventions to alleviate the burden of negative consequences are necessary.
... Por último, cabe advertir, que todas las variables recogidas en este trabajo han sido autoinformadas, por lo que las respuestas podrían depender de la subjetividad del informante, quien puede haber infravalorado o sobrevalorado sus conductas, en especial en áreas especialmente sensibles como puede ser toda la casuística relacionada con el asalto sexual. No obstante, como han señalado previamente diferentes expertos del ámbito de las conductas adictivas, las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser fiables e incluso preferibles a otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los hábitos de consumo de alcohol y otras drogas en jóvenes y adolescentes (39,40) . ...
Los autores declaran que no existe ningún conflicto de interés. (*) Financiación: Este trabajo se enmarca en un proyecto de investigación financiado por el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (Ref. 2018/008). ABSTRACT The botellón phenomenon. Descriptive analysis and possible implications from a sample of galician teenagers Background: Botellón has established itself as a recreational ritual of great importance in the leisure of young people and it has contributed to the expansion of a worrying pattern of alcohol and other substances consumption. However, there are few papers that take an integrated approach to this issue. The aim of this work was to have new data to characterize this practice, while providing evidence of its consequences and identifying relevant prognostic factors for prevention. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 4,867 Galician adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age (Mean=14.68; SD=1.67). Data were collected in schools through an ad hoc questionnaire and they were analyzed through of a bivariate tabulation, with the application of the opportune contrasts according to the nature of the variables. Results: 27.3% of the teenagers in the sample went to botellón during the last year. 96.6% admitted to drinking alcohol when they went to a botellón, 53.4% alcohol and tobacco and 30.2% three or more substances. This practice was associated with significantly higher rates of Intensive Alcohol Consumption (28% vs. 0.9%), as well as of consumption of risk of alcohol, cannabis and drugs in general. The modulating role of variables such as risk perception and beliefs and expectations associated with consumption, money available or time of arrival at home was also found. Conclusions: At least 1 in 4 teenagers continue to go to botellones. This practice associated with risky consumption. The evidence found reinforces the multidimen-sional nature of the problem and suggests reorienting prevention policies. RESUMEN Fundamentos: El botellón se ha consolidado como un ritual recreativo de gran importancia en el ocio de los jóvenes y ha contribuido a la expansión de un patrón pre-ocupante de consumo de alcohol y otras sustancias. Pese a ello, son escasos los trabajos que lo aborden de manera integral. Este trabajo se planteó con el objetivo disponer de nuevos datos que permitan caracterizar dicha prác-tica, al tiempo que aportar evidencias sobre sus conse-cuencias e identificar factores de pronóstico relevantes para la prevención. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal con una muestra de 4.867 adolescentes gallegos de entre 12 y 18 años (Media=14,68; DT=1,67). Los datos se recogie-ron en centros escolares mediante un cuestionario elabo-rado ad hoc y fueron analizados mediante una tabulación bivariada, con la aplicación de los contrastes oportunos en función de la naturaleza de las variables. Resultados: El 27,3% de los adolescentes de la muestra hicieron botellón en el transcurso del último año. El 96,6% reconoció beber alcohol cuando acude a un bo-tellón, el 53,4% alcohol y tabaco y un 30,2% tres o más sustancias. Esta práctica se asoció con tasas significativa-mente mayores de consumo intensivo de alcohol (28% vs. 0,9%), así como de consumo de riesgo de alcohol, cannabis y drogas en general. Se constató también el papel mo-dulador de variables como la percepción de riesgo y las creencias y expectativas asociadas al consumo, el dinero disponible o la hora de llegada a casa. Conclusiones: Al menos 1 de cada 4 adolescentes si-gue haciendo botellón, asociándose este a un consumo de riesgo. Las evidencias encontradas refuerzan el carácter multidimensional del problema y sugieren reorientar las políticas de prevención.
... Several limitations of the present study should be noted. First, even if research on the validity of self-reported data has concluded that young people are sincere about sensitive matters when appropriate precautions are taken (e.g., Hindelang et al., 1979;Winters et al., 1990), it is not possible to estimate of the possible bias in under or overreporting animal cruelty. Second, the crosssectional design of our study prevents any causal inference to be drawn regarding the measured variables. ...
Animal abuse is considered a significant marker of violence towards humans, and understanding its determinants is important. In this first large-scale survey on adolescent animal abuse carried out in France, we introduced and tested the relative explanatory power of a new variable potentially involved in animal abuse: speciesism, defined as the belief that humans are intrinsically more valuable than individuals of other species. In a school sample composed of 12,344 participants aged 13-18, we observed that 7.3% of participants admitted having perpetrated animal abuse. Consistent with existing studies, cats and dogs were the animals most often abused. Animal abuse was a solitary behavior approximately half of the time, and in 25% of instances it involved only another person. A multivariate logistic regression revealed that animal abuse was more frequent among males, and that it occured more often among adolescents with less positive family climate, lower support from friends, lower attachment to school, and with higher anxio-depressive symptomatology. As implied by the generalized deviance hypothesis, animal abuse was related to more deviant behavior like drunkenness and bullying. Moreover, this study showed for the first time that animal abuse was higher among adolescents who endorsed speciesist attitudes. These results suggest that beyond psychopathological factors, normative beliefs regarding the value of animals and their human use may also be involved in animal mistreatment.
... Although the sample size was adequate, it was limited to adolescents from 12 to 17 years old. Additionally, answers provided by adolescent self-reports and future studies should capture adolescent adjustment through other sources (e.g., reports from parents and teachers), although adolescents' self-reports are usually considered relatively valid and adolescents tend to give temporally consistent reports [119,120]. Additionally, all the participants were Spanish, so these results should be tested in other cultural contexts. ...
Although self-esteem has traditionally been considered as an important correlate of psychosocial adjustment, some empirical studies have found a positive relationship between some domains of self-esteem and drug use among adolescents. The present study analyzes self-esteem and other adjustment personal indicators as protective or risk factors for substance use. Participants were 644 Spanish adolescents aged 12–17 years. Substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs), multidimensional self-esteem (academic, social, emotional, family, and physical), and other indicators of adolescents’ well-being and ill-being (psychological problems, behavior problems, and parenting) were measured. We observed, on the one hand, that substance use had a significant negative relationship with academic, family, and physical self-esteem. On the other hand, we also observed a significant positive relationship between drug use and social self-esteem. However, this significant relationship disappeared after statistically controlling for sex and age, using both partial correlation analyses and covariance analysis. Interestingly, beyond the importance of each factor related to drugs, prevention science should first of all be able to identify whether the main psychological variables (e.g., social or physical self-esteem) are risk or protective factors for drug use.
... Finally, this study relied on self-report survey data. Although this methodology may be subject to socially desirable responding and biases, self-report methods offer a reliable and valid means to assess adolescent substance use [33]. ...
Introduction and Aims
This study prospectively investigates behavioural and social antecedents of different patterns of adolescent cannabis use, specifically, early adolescent onset cannabis use and late onset occasional use.
Design and Methods
The sample comprised 852 adolescents (53% female) drawn from the Australian arm of the International Youth Development Study. Data were collected via self‐report surveys. Risk and protective factors from a modified version of the Communities That Care youth survey were measured in fifth grade (mean [M] = 10.9 years, SD = 0.4). Frequency of cannabis use was measured at six time‐points throughout adolescence (ages 12–19 years).
Results
Early adolescent onset cannabis use (10.7% of the sample [n = 91]) was predicted by childhood family‐related factors including poor family management, family history of antisocial behaviour and attachment to parents. Cigarette use and drinking until drunk were the strongest predictors of early adolescent onset cannabis use. Cumulative risks associated with community, family, peer/individual environments and early substance use (cigarettes, alcohol) in childhood were predictive of early adolescent onset cannabis use (e.g. relative risk ratio = 2.64; 95% confidence interval 1.40–4.97 for early substance use). Family and early substance use‐related cumulative risks were predictive of late adolescent onset occasional cannabis use (n = 231; 27%). Cumulative early substance use risk was the strongest independent predictor of both early adolescent onset and late adolescent onset occasional cannabis use.
Discussion and Conclusions
Primary prevention efforts should focus on reducing exposure and access to licit substances during late childhood and delaying the onset of use. Prevention and intervention targeted toward the family environment also appears likely to be important in the prevention of early adolescent onset cannabis use.
... Además, investigaciones previas documentaron que las medidas de autorreporte de consumo de alcohol y/o sustancias psicoactivas eran confiables en los ámbitos clínico y escolar. 25 Una de las fortalezas del estudio fue la obtención de la muestra de adolescentes en el ámbito escolar, ya que, en este, ocurre la integración en forma planificada de las acciones de salud pública y de atención primaria enmarcadas en la práctica de la atención primaria orientada a la comunidad. 26 Adicionalmente, y dado que la validez de la herramienta en nuestro país había sido probada en adolescentes de un ámbito asistencial de clase media-alta, los resultados observados permiten avalar su uso como instrumento de rastreo también en los centros de atención primaria de salud (APS) de las comunidades de bajos recursos, lo que brindará la oportunidad de realizar la detección de casos que necesitaran intervenciones individualizadas. ...
... Por último, conviene destacar que el hecho de que todas las variables sean autoinformadas dificulta conocer "a ciencia cierta" en qué medida los adolescentes pueden haber infraestimado o sobreestimado sus niveles de consumo. Pese a ello las medidas de autoinforme han demostrado ser fiables e incluso mejores que otros métodos a la hora de evaluar los niveles de consumo de alcohol y otras drogas (Babor, Kranzler y Lauerman, 1989;Winters, Stinchfield, Henly y Schwartz, 1990). ...
UNSTRUCTURED
Discretionary Corrigenda. No abstract/not applicable.
Background
Alcohol and other substance use disorders usually begin with substance use in adolescence. Pediatric primary care offices, where most adolescents receive health care, are a promising venue for early identification of substance use and for brief intervention to prevent associated problems and the development of substance use disorder.
Objective
This study tests the effects of a computer-facilitated screening and brief intervention (cSBI) system (the CRAFFT [Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Family/Friends, Trouble] Interactive System [CRAFFT-IS]) on heavy episodic drinking, riding with a driver who is substance impaired, or driving while substance impaired among adolescents aged 14 to 17 years presenting for a well visit at pediatric primary care practices.
Methods
We are conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial of the CRAFFT-IS versus usual care and recruiting up to 40 primary care clinicians at up to 20 pediatric primary care practices within the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric Research in Office Settings network. Clinicians are randomized 1:1 within each practice to implement the CRAFFT-IS or usual care with a target sample size of 1300 adolescent patients aged 14 to 17 years. At study start, intervention clinicians complete web-based modules, trainer-led live sessions, and mock sessions to establish baseline competency with intervention counseling. Adolescents receive mailed recruitment materials that invite adolescents to complete an eligibility survey. Eligible and interested adolescents provide informed assent (parental permission requirement has been waived). Before their visit, enrolled adolescents seeing intervention clinicians complete a self-administered web-based CRAFFT screening questionnaire and view brief psychoeducational content illustrating substance use–associated health risks. During the visit, intervention clinicians access a computerized summary of the patient’s screening results and a tailored counseling script to deliver a motivational interviewing–based brief intervention. All participants complete previsit, postvisit, and 12-month follow-up study assessments. Primary outcomes include past 90-day heavy episodic drinking and riding with a driver who is substance impaired at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups. Multiple logistic regression modeling with generalized estimating equations and mixed effects modeling will be used in outcomes analyses. Exploratory aims include examining other substance use outcomes (eg, cannabis and nicotine vaping), potential mediators of intervention effect (eg, self-efficacy not to drink), and effect moderation by baseline risk level and sociodemographic characteristics.
Results
The AAP Institutional Review Board approved this study. The first practice and clinicians were enrolled in August 2022; as of July 2023, a total of 6 practices (23 clinicians) had enrolled. Recruitment is expected to continue until late 2024 or early 2025. Data collection will be completed in 2025 or 2026.
Conclusions
Findings from this study will inform the promotion of high-quality screening and brief intervention efforts in pediatric primary care with the aim of reducing alcohol-related morbidity and mortality during adolescence and beyond.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04450966; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04450966
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/55039
Purpose
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) monitors behaviors, experiences, and conditions affecting the health of high school students nationwide. This study examined the test-retest reliability of the 2021 national YRBS questionnaire.
Design
Respondents completed a Time 1 and Time 2 paper-and-pencil questionnaire approximately 2 weeks apart during February to May 2022. Data were linked in such a way as to preserve anonymity.
Setting
Convenience sample of high schools.
Subjects
High school students (N = 588).
Measures
Health risk behaviors and experiences assessed on the 2021 national YRBS questionnaire.
Analysis
Time 1 and Time 2 responses were compared for each questionnaire item using the McNemar’s test. Then, Cohen’s kappa coefficients tested the agreement between Time 1 and Time 2 responses overall, and by sex, grade, and Black, White, and Hispanic race and ethnicity.
Results
Among the 74 items analyzed, 96% had at least moderate reliability, and 73% had substantial or almost perfect reliability. The mean Cohen’s kappa was .68. McNemar’s test findings showed Time 1 and Time 2 data significantly differed ( P < .01) for 9 items (12%).
Conclusion
Reliable health behavior measures are important in the development of youth-focused public health programs and policies. Findings suggest the national YRBS questionnaire is a reliable instrument. Such findings lend support to relying on adolescent self-reported data when monitoring health behaviors using the YRBS.
The study focuses on the drug abuse among students after getting exposure at university level. As the drug mafia realized the situation and drug dealers made it a business to supply drugs to the students at the educational institutions especially the universities. The study explores that at cases it is due to lack of awareness, some students just try it for fun and then it becomes hard to get over the addiction of drugs. Thus ultimately, such drug addiction leaves a good fraction of society's workforce crippled. The study is explorative in nature, in which existing state of drug abuse has been described and then also explored various causes. Thus, hypotheses were developed and gauged with the help of survey questionnaires. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a non-contrived environment with minimal researchers’ interference. The unit of analysis is students studying in universities of metropolitan cities. Data analysis shows that neither economic nor the social psychological consequences of the drug use be denied. Drug addicts get a colossal social set back because nobody is found ready to accept it. Entrance of the drug user is the critical point of this study. Additionally, the study provides insight that most drug addicts emerge due to the family situation and social pressures. Keyword: Sustainable learning, management, drug abuse, university students, challenges.
Introduction
E-cigarette use among middle and high school youth increased from 2. 5 million in 2014 to 9.2 million in 2019, becoming the most common tobacco product used among youth. Hispanic youth, the largest ethnic minority in the United States, have higher rates of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, than non-Hispanics. Identifying factors that put youth at risk for future e-cigarette use is vital to focusing prevention efforts. Informed by social cognitive theory, this study identifies predictors of e-cigarette uptake among e-cigarette naïve youth in a predominantly low-income Hispanic community.
Methods
1,249 students (6–8th grades) from two middle schools in El Paso, Texas consented to participate in this longitudinal survey during the 2016–2017 school year. The study sample for analysis was restricted to e-cigarette naïve students (n = 862). Outcome measures were e-cigarette initiation and current use at follow-up. Logistic regression models tested six hypotheses about predictors of e-cigarette initiation and current use: (1) intention, (2) outcome expectations, (3) knowledge, (4) friendship network exposure, (5) normative beliefs, and (6) social acceptability.
Results
Among e-cigarette naïve students at baseline, 8% (n = 71) reported initiation at follow-up; of these, 3% (n = 23) reported current use. Significant predictors of initiation were intention (AOR = 2.46; 95% CI 1.69–3.59; p < 0.001), outcome expectations (AOR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.14–2.61; p = 0.009), friendship network exposure (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI 1.11–2.11; p =0.01), normative beliefs (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.47–3.08; p < 0.001), and social acceptability (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.28–2.85; p = 0.002). Significant predictors of current use were intention (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.07–3.69; p = 0.03) and friendship network exposure (AOR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.06–2.70; p = 0.03).
Conclusions
With the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, age appropriate and culturally sensitive prevention strategies tailored at altering these predictive factors are essential in preventing future e-cigarette use.
Adventure therapy (AT) interventions are being integrated with evidence-based treatment models for a variety of clients, including adolescents and young adults, for a wide range of presenting symptomology, including substance use disorders (SUD). Though some studies have explored longer term outcomes, little is known about the posttreatment experiences of clients. Clients from a 90-day AT treatment program were contacted approximately posttreatment and asked to assess their general well-being and current relationship with substance use. Results showed that clients were doing well evidenced by OQ-45 scores that were statistically similar at the discharge and follow-up period (t (92) = −1.693, p < .09; Cohen’s d = −.180). Clients also showed statistically significant increases in mindfulness skills. Results also showed that 70.8% of the participants indicated that they did relapse, while 29.2% indicated they did not. Of those that relapsed, 73.8% indicated the relapse was “severe,” while 26.3% believed their relapse was “not severe.” Clients reflected favorably on their treatment experience and desired more structured aftercare opportunities posttreatment. Implications for professional practice and research include the need to advance perspectives of recovery and develop aftercare support systems that can aid clients in the recovery process.
Most adolescents experiment with alcohol, but a smaller percentage advance to heavy alcohol use (AU) and AU disorder (AUD). Understanding for whom and how early risk leads to AUD is of interest to prevention, treatment, and etiology of AUD. Informed by developmental and behavioral neuroscience theory, the current study tested whether temperament (effortful control, surgency, and negative affect), peer AU (multi-reporter), and AU with parents’ permission interacted to distinguish youth who experiment with alcohol from those who escalate to AUD. Community adolescents (N = 765, 53% female) were assessed annually for seven years (Mage = 11.8, range: 10–13 at Year 1; Mage = 18.7; range = 17–20 at year 7). Temperament by early experience interactions were expected to predict amount of AU. Amount of AU was expected to mediate the relationship between the interactions and AUD symptoms (assessed at Years 3 and 7, Mage = 13.8 and 18.7) above and beyond a range of confounds (e.g., problem behavior and parental AU and AUD). Supporting hypotheses, effortful control and surgency interacted with AU with parents’ permission and peer AU, respectively, to predict higher amount of AU (R2 = 0.47) and AUD symptoms (R2 = 0.03). Results support developmental and behavioral neuroscience theory. High surgency and low effortful control in conjunction with peer AU and AU with parents’ permission were associated with large effects on AU and moderate mediated effects through AU to AUD. AU with parents’ permission was risky at low and high effortful control and protective when peers used alcohol.
Background and aims
The literature base on substance use among adolescents who receive interventions from child welfare services (CWS) in Nordic countries is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Norwegian adolescents in contact with CWS are at higher risk for substance-related problems (SRP) compared with the general adolescent population, and to what extent those in foster care (FC) differ from those receiving in-home services (IHS).
Methods
The data set comprise 9,785 individuals aged 16 to 19 years who participated in the cross-sectional, population-based [email protected], of whom 141 (1.4%) received IHS from the CWS, while 155 (1.6%) lived in FC. The primary outcomes were indicators of self-reported SRP. Regression analyses were used to explore the association between IHS/FC and SRP with a reference group from the general population. Potential confounding variables included age, sex, ethnicity, and internalizing- and externalizing mental health problems.
Findings
Compared with the general population, adolescents receiving IHS had a robust and consistent increased odds of SRP across multiple indicators compared to the general population, even after adjustment for confounding variables (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] ranging from 1.81 to 3.04, all p<0.05; adjusted mean difference = 1.49, p<0.01). Adolescents living in FC had a higher total degree of SRP (AOR=1.51, p<0.05), as well as higher illicit drug use (AOR=1.75, p<0.05), compared with the general adolescent population. The IHS-group had higher total degree of SRP (OR=2.08, p<0.01) compared with the FC-group.
Conclusions
Adolescents receiving IHS and adolescents in FC had a significantly heightened risk for SRP, compared with the general population. The risk for SRP was higher among adolescents receiving IHS compared with those living in FC. These findings indicate that prevention efforts of SRP in CWS-populations during adolescence are needed.
Early adolescence is thought to represent a window of vulnerability when exposure to substances is particularly harmful, partly because the neurotoxic effects of adolescent substance use may derail self-regulation development. However, previous studies fail to account for externalizing symptoms, such as aggression and delinquency, that accompany adolescent substance use and may also derail the development of self-regulation. The current study aims to clarify whether the neurotoxic effects of adolescent substance use are associated with deficits in effortful control (EC) after accounting for externalizing symptoms and to examine reciprocal relationships between EC, externalizing symptoms, and substance use. A longitudinal sample of adolescents (N = 387) was used to estimate bifactor models of externalizing symptoms across five assessments (Mage = 11.6 to 19.9). The broad general externalizing factors were prospectively associated with declines in EC across adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, the narrow substance use specific factors were not prospectively associated with EC. Findings suggest that the broader externalizing context, but not the specific neurotoxic effects of substance use, may hamper self-regulation development. It is critical to account for the hierarchical structure of psychopathology, namely externalizing symptoms, when considering development of EC.
Given the equivocal literature on the relationship between internalizing symptoms and early adolescent alcohol use (AU) and AU disorder (AUD), the present study took a developmental perspective to understand how internalizing and externalizing symptoms may operate together in the etiology of AU and AUD. We pit the delayed onset and rapid escalation hypothesis (Hussong et al., 2011) against a synthesis of the dual failure model and the stable co-occurring hypothesis (Capaldi, 1992; Colder et al., 2013, 2018) to test competing developmental pathways to adolescent AU and AUD involving problem behavior, peer delinquency, and early initiation of AU. A latent transactional and mediational framework was used to test pathways to AUD spanning developmental periods before AU initiation ( Mage = 11) to early and high risk for AUD ( Mage = 14–15 and Mage = 17–18). The results supported three pathways to AUD. The first started with “pure” externalizing symptoms in early childhood and involved multiple mediators, including the subsequent development of co-occurring symptoms and peer delinquency. The second pathway involved stable co-occurring symptoms. Interestingly, chronically elevated pure internalizing symptoms did not figure prominently in pathways to AUD. Selection and socialization effects between early AU and peer delinquency constituted a third pathway.
Objective:
This study sought to examine the prospective effects of early adolescent marijuana use on late adolescent attentional and inhibitory control. Alcohol use, antisocial problems, and gender were included as statistical control variables.
Method:
The community sample of 387 adolescents and a caregiver was drawn from a longitudinal study of adolescent substance use that included nine annual assessments. Adolescents were eligible if they were between ages 11 and 12 at recruitment and did not have any disabilities that would preclude them from either understanding or completing the assessment. The sample was evenly split on gender (55% female) and was predominantly non-Hispanic White (83.16%) or African American (9.07%). Attentional and inhibitory control were assessed using parent and adolescent self-reports on the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire.
Results:
Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. High levels of early marijuana use at ages 12-14 significantly predicted low levels of adolescent attentional control at ages 18-21 (β = -.20, p < .05), above and beyond early attentional control, early alcohol use, and antisocial problems.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that marijuana use may adversely affect cognitive development, especially during the sensitive period of early adolescence. Results emphasize the need for further prospective work to investigate relationships between early adolescent marijuana use and the development of executive functioning.
Examined the problem of exaggerated reporting of drug use on a drug survey questionnaire by including a bogus drug in the survey. An extensive drug survey including questions about the bogus drug was administered to 628 high school students. Results indicate that the admitted users of the bogus drug (n = 24) were significantly different from the other Ss on almost every question concerning drug use (p < .001). Their responses were consistently in the direction of increased drug use. However, the base rate of such a response bias was so small that inclusion of these Ss in the total sample did not significantly alter the proportions of Ss admitting or denying the use of various drugs.
A new social desirability scale was constructed and correlated with MMPI scales. Comparison was made with correlations of the Edwards Social Desirability scale. The new scale correlated highly with MMPI scales and supported the definition of social desirability. Ss need to respond in "culturally sanctioned ways."
The document presents descriptive statistical results from a national survey which examines values and lifestyles of high school seniors. The volume, fourth in a series, presents data from 1978; other volumes report results from 1975, 1976, and 1977. The report is presented in three sections. The introduction describes the study, the sample, and research limitations. The sample consisted of students from 131 public and private high schools across the United States. Participants were administered questionnaires by representatives of the project. Although attitudes related to drug use received the most extensive coverage, the questionnaires also dealt with attitudes about government, social institutions, racial relations, changing roles for women, educational aspirations, occupational aims, and marital and family plans. The descriptive results section, the major portion of the document, presents all questions contained in the survey along with the frequency distribution of answers. The third section presents a cross-time index of questionnaire items which includes a key for locating items dealing with a specific subject area. Appendices discuss sampling errors and present instructions and a page from the questionnaire. (KC)
There are differences among adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs not only in the extent and pattern of their use, but also with respect to the factors that may have contributed to or accompany their involvement with drugs. The Personal Experience Scales (PES) is a new self-report inventory developed to assess psychosocial factors that may: (1) predispose or perpetuate adolescent chemical involvement, (2) complicate chemical abuse treatment, or (3) require treatment in their own right. This paper provides an overview of the development of the PES. Scale construction procedures, scale characteristics, and evidence of scale validity are reported.
Verbal report procedures, such as interviews, tests and questionnaires, have become the dominant method to obtain clinical data on alcohol abuse and its modification through treatment. The extent to which this method provides reliable and valid information for research purposes, and how its accuracy and usefulness can be enhanced, is examined. A review of methodological studies in the alcohol literature shows that although the information obtained from alcoholics and heavy drinkers tends to be reliable and valid, there can be considerable variability in accuracy, depending on the sensitivity of the information sought, the specificity of the validation criteria, the personal characteristics of the respondents and the demand characteristics of the task. It is suggested that the question of whether verbal report procedures are valid or invalid is less important than the issue of how they can be improved to the point that confidence can be placed in their findings. To facilitate this process, methodological techniques likely to enhance validity are reviewed.
The Chemical Dependency Adolescent Assessment Project was established to develop a standardized assessment battery to provide a multidimensional description of problems associated with alcohol and drug use by adolescents that can assist in the identification, referral, and treatment of adolescent alcohol and drug abuse. This paper provides an overview of the development of the portion of the assessment battery that addresses problem severity of alcohol and drug abuse. Scale construction procedures, scale characteristics, and relationships of scales with external variables are discussed.
Given the sensitive topic of drug abuse and the private nature of the family, researchers must overcome a number of methodological obstacles when studying drug abuse and the family. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adolescents would provide honest and accurate answers to drug use questions in the context of their homes with their families participating in the same survey. Although there is no direct objective validation of the self-report measures used in this study, evidence from the analysis of the survey data suggests that adolescent self-reports are, in most cases, reliable and valid, and that the setting in which respondents complete questionnaires does not, in general, result in systematic reporting bias.
Monitoring the Future
- Johnston L. D.
- Bachman J. G.
- O'Malley P. M
- Johnston L. D.
- Bachman J. G.
- O'Malley P. M
Chemical Dependency Adolescent Assessment Project: Progress Update
- Winters K. C.
- Henly G. A
- Winters K. C.
- Henly G. A
The Personal Experience Inventory test and user's manual
- K C Winters
- G A Henly
- K C Winters
- G A Henly
Drug abuse in a juvenile detention sample
- K C Winters
Response effects. Handbook of Survey Research
- N M Bradburn
- P H Rossi
- J D Wright