Health values buffer social-environmental risks for adolescent alcohol misuse.

Data from a representative sample of 17- to 20-year-old adolescents were analyzed to investigate whether a health-valuing attitude could buffer the effects of social-environmental risk on adolescent alcohol misuse. A risk index was constructed for adolescents, based on variables such as friends' drinking, parental alcohol abuse, and poor parental monitoring and communication. The expected buffering interaction called for high environmental risk to lead to greater alcohol misuse for adolescents who placed low value on health, but not for those who placed high value on health. The expected interactions were obtained for 2 alcohol-related variables (total consumption and consuming 5 or more drinks at a time).

Co-occurrence of alcohol and cigarette use among adolescents.

Concurrent use of alcohol and cigarettes among adolescents is a serious public health issue. Trends in concurrent use of alcohol and cigarettes were determined using data from three comparable large statewide samples of 7-12th-grade students in New York State, from surveys conducted in 1983, 1990, and 1994. The prevalence of use of alcohol and cigarettes decreased from 1983 (23%) to 1990 (19%), and increased by 1994 (22%). Logistic regression analysis showed that these trends are highly significant, and that the probability of use of alcohol and cigarettes is higher for females than males, increases with age, and is lower for most ethnic minorities than for Whites. In the 1990s, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians increased in their probability of concurrent use more than did Whites. Users of both alcohol and cigarettes are at increased risk of personal and social problems, as well as increased risk of delinquency. Drinking and smoking show synergistic effects on illicit drug use and drug problems.

Tobacco use among high school athletes and nonatieletes: results of the 1997 youth risk behavior survey.

In the United States today, the use of tobacco has become an entrenched part of teenage culture. The present study used the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which collected data from a nationally representative sample of 16,262 students in public and private high schools, to compare the tobacco use patterns of athletes and nonathletes. The independent variable, athletic participation, differentiated between moderately involved (1 or 2 teams) and highly involved (3 or more teams) athletes. Frequency of cigarette and cigar smoking and smokeless tobacco use served as the operational measure of tobacco use. Age, race/ethnicity, parental education, and residence were controlled. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for female and male athletes and nonathletes for each of the tobacco use variables. It was found that both male and female athletes were less likely to have ever smoked regularly, the effect being stronger for more highly involved athletes of both genders. Cigar smoking was unrelated to athlete status. Both female and male athletes were more likely to have used smokeless tobacco, the effect being stronger for more highly involved athletes of both genders. The findings are discussed in terms of access to health information, performance considerations, social status factors, the salience of an athletic identity, and the influence of the athletic subculture on its members.

Trends in combinational use of alcohol and illicit drugs among minority adolescents, 1983-1994.

Combinational use of substances refers to taking two or more substances together so that they affect the person at the same time. This pattern of substance use presents unique health and safety risks. Trends in combinational use of alcohol and marijuana or alcohol and cocaine were determined using data from three large comparable samples of students in grades 7-12 in New York State, from surveys conducted in 1983, 1990, and 1994. Each of the three samples was demographically diverse, permitting detailed analysis of trends in various adolescent subgroups according to gender, grade level (age), and race/ethnicity. These two forms of adolescent combinational use of alcohol and illicit drugs dropped sharply from 1983 to 1990, but increased or remained stable from 1990 to 1994. Use of alcohol and marijuana together increased sharply from 1990 to 1994, much more for blacks and Hispanics than for whites, while use of alcohol and crack or cocaine together remained stable at a low level in the 1990s. Both forms of combinational use increased in the 1990s more among younger adolescents than among older ones. Analyses controlling for rates of use also suggest that these forms of combinational use are incidental to the use of the individual substances, rather than uniquely sought "highs." Prevention programs should include warnings about the dangers of combinational use, especially for younger adolescents.

High school athletic participation, sexual behavior and adolescent pregnancy: a regional study.

PURPOSE: To determine whether high school athletic participation among adolescents in Western New York was associated with reduced rates of sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the Family and Adolescent Study, a longitudinal study of a random sample of adolescents (ages 13-16 years) from 699 families living in households in Western New York. A general population sample was obtained with characteristics closely matching the census distributions in the area. Interview and survey methods provided data on athletic participation, frequency of sexual relations during the past year, and risk for pregnancy. Bivariate correlations were used to examine relationships among athletic participation, demographic and control variables, and measures of sexual behavior and pregnancy rates. Next, path analyses were done in order to test for hypothesized relationships between athletic participation, sexual behavior, and pregnancy involvement while controlling for age, race, income, family cohesion, and non-athletic forms of extracurricular activity. Variables that were significantly associated with sexual behavior and/or pregnancy involvement were presented for both sexes within the resulting multivariate models. RESULTS: Lower income and higher rates of sexual activity were associated with higher rates of pregnancy involvement for both sexes. Family cohesion was associated with lower sexual activity rates for both sexes. For girls, athletic participation was directly related to reduced frequency of sexual behavior and, indirectly, to pregnancy risk. Male athletes did not exhibit lower rates of sexual behavior and involvement with pregnancy than male non-athletes. Boys who participated in the arts, however, did report lower rates of sexual behavior and, indirectly, less involvement with pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Female adolescents who participated in sports were less likely than their non-athletic peers to engage in sexual activity and/or report a pregnancy. Among male adolescents, athletic participation was unrelated to sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement. Teen pregnancy prevention efforts for girls should consider utilizing sport as a strategic tool.

PIP: A longitudinal study using a random sample of adolescents, aged 13-16 years, was conducted in western New York to determine if athletic participation was associated with a reduced rate of sexual behavior and pregnancy. 699 families were interviewed and surveyed, and bivariate correlations were used to examine the relationships among athletic participation, demographic and control variables, and measures of sexual behavior and pregnancy rates. Findings showed that high rates of pregnancy involvement for both sexes were associated with low income and high sexual activity. Higher levels of family cohesion reduced rates of sexual activity for both sexes. Girls' athletic participation was directly proportional to reduced frequency of sexual behavior and, indirectly, to pregnancy risk. However, lower rates of sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement among adolescent male athletes were not discovered. Female adolescents who participated in sports were less likely than their nonathletic peers to engage in sexual activity and/or report a pregnancy. Among male adolescents, athletic participation was unrelated to sexual behavior and pregnancy involvement.

Trends in adolescent alcohol and other substance use: relationships to trends in peer, parent, and school influences.

The aim of this study is to improve understanding of trends in adolescent substance use by comparing them with trends in peer substance use, school problem behavior, parental disapproval of alcohol and drugs, and exposure to school prevention information. These trends were determined using data from three large comparable representative surveys of 7-12th grade students in New York State conducted in 1983, 1990, and 1994. Analysis of variance was used to test the significance of the trends and to identify meaningful differences in trends by demographic subgroups (gender, grace level, and ethnicity). Adolescent alcohol and substance use declined in the 1980s, then increased from 1990 to 1994. Trends in friend's substance use and school problem behavior paralleled the alcohol and other substance use trends, consistent with their being part of the same adolescent problem behavior syndrome. Parental disapproval also followed a trend consistent with the substance use trends, i.e., parental disapproval increased in the 1980s but then decreased in the 1990s. However, the trend in school prevention influences did not parallel these substance use trends: student exposure to school primary prevention programs continued to increase from 1990 to 1994. Use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs from 1990 to 1994, increased fastest among the younger students, despite increased school prevention exposure. Other factors must be sought as possible explanations of the increasing alcohol and substance use among adolescents.

Alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence in adults in New York State.

This objective of this study was to assess the differences by gender, age, race in the relationship between alcohol consumption and current alcohol dependence among adults in the general population. Logistic regression showed that, at levels of alcohol consumption below about six drinks per day, males have a higher probability of alcohol dependence than females, but that above about six drinks per day, females have a higher probability. Older adults are at less risk of dependence than younger drinkers; however, blacks and whites did not differ in their probability of dependence. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

Social and coping reasons for drinking: predicting alcohol misuse in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Motivational models of alcohol consumption suggest a positive relationship between reasons for drinking and the amount of alcohol consumed. The present study examined race, gender, and age as moderators of the relationship between social and coping motives and alcohol misuse in black and white adolescents. METHOD: A representative population sample (N = 699) of male and female (54%) adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 was recruited using a random-digit-dial telephone procedure. Six face-to-face interviews with subjects and their families were carried out at approximately yearly intervals. Information gathered assessed alcohol use, social and coping motives for drinking, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Multiple analyses, including both cross-sectional and longitudinal logistic regression analyses and survival analysis were used to examine the relationship of drinking motives to adolescent alcohol misuse. Contrary to our predictions, social motive was a somewhat better predictor of alcohol misuse than was coping motive, particularly during mid- to late adolescence. However, there was some limited evidence of a significant relationship between coping motives and alcohol misuse in the mid-adolescent age group. Some support was found for racial differences such that social motives are better predictors of alcohol misuse among whites than among blacks and coping motives are better predictors among blacks. Few gender differences were found in the relationship of drinking motives and alcohol misuse. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a stronger tendency for social and coping motives to influence alcohol misuse during mid to late than in early adolescence. Research examining the development of motives and the mechanisms by which they influence drinking behavior is needed.

Gambling and alcohol use among youth: influences of demographic, socialization, and individual factors.

Gambling and alcohol use are both prevalent among youth and these behaviors may have common predictors within four domains: sociodemographic, individual/psychological, socialization (parental and peer), and other problem behavior. Data were from two household samples of youth in the Buffalo, NY area. Both studies included the same measures of alcohol consumption and gambling frequency, and comparable measures of variables in the four domains. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that impulsivity, moral disengagement, and delinquency (adolescent or peer delinquency) predicted alcohol consumption and gambling in both studies, even after controlling for demographic factors. Parental monitoring, cigarette use, and illicit drug use predicted alcohol consumption in both studies, but did not predict gambling once the demographic and individual factors were taken into account.

Sports, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and pregnancy among female and male high school students: testing cultural resource theory.

PIP: This paper explores the relationship among athletic participation and sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and pregnancy in female and male high school students in the US. Using the 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the sexual behavior of 8979 high school students was analyzed using covariance and multiple covariance. After controlling for factors such as race and ethnicity, age, and maternal education, it was observed that girls who participated in sports activities had lower rates of sexual experience, fewer sex partners, later age of first intercourse, higher rates of contraceptive use, and lower rates of past pregnancies compared to girls who did not participate in sports. On the other hand, male high school athletes were reported to have higher rates of sexual experience and more partners than nonathletes, although higher prevalence of contraceptive use during their most recent intercourse was noted. Based on the cultural resource theory, it was suggested that athletic participation would most likely reduce the girls' adherence to conventional cultural scripts while providing them with additional social and personal resources on which to draw in the sexual bargaining process. In addition, sports provide boys with similar resources while strengthening their commitment to traditional masculine scripts.^ieng

Athletic participation and sexual behavior in adolescents: the different worlds of boys and girls.

Using multivariate analysis of covariance to test hypotheses about the effects of sports and sexual behavior on a sample of 611 Western New York adolescents, this study concludes that athletic participation and gender interact to influence adolescent sexual outcomes. Female athletes report significantly lower rates of sexual activity than female nonathletes; male athletes report slightly (though not significantly) higher rates than male nonathletes. The gender-specific effect of sports on sexual behavior remains, net of the impacts of race, age, socioeconomic status, quality of family relations, and participation in other extracurricular activities. This paper introduces cultural resource theory to explain how athletic participation influences both traditional cultural scripts and exchange resources, which, in turn, condition the sexual bargaining process and its outcomes for adolescents.

Parental and peer influences on the onset of heavier drinking among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Less is known about heavier drinking in adolescents than about alcohol initiation. The present study examined the emergence of regular (weekly) and heavy episodic (five or more drinks at a time) adolescent drinking as a function of social influence (modeling and social control) from parents and peers. METHOD: A three-wave study was conducted using a representative household sample of families in metropolitan Buffalo, New York (N = 612). Over half (54%) of the adolescent respondents were female. Black families made up 30% of the sample. Interviews were conducted at 1-year intervals. Adolescent drinking was dichotomized at each wave into abstinence/light drinking versus regular drinking. Logistic regression including only adolescents who were abstainers/light drinkers at Wave 1 was performed to assess which Wave- variables could predict regular-drinking onset by Wave 2; a similar analysis examined the onset of heavy episodic drinking by Wave 2. Parallel analyses using Wave-2 variables to predict the onset of the drinking outcomes by Wave 3 were also conducted. RESULTS: Across the different analyses, the strongest psychosocial predictors of advancement to heavier drinking were friend's drinking and low parental monitoring. Also, white adolescents were at greater risk than their black counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: A multidimensional approach to prevention that addresses different processes of influence (e.g., modeling and social control) involving both parental and peer domains is likely to be most successful in deterring the onset of heavier drinking in adolescents.

Changes in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among 7th to 12th grade students in New York State, 1983-1994.

Three comparable representative samples of 7th to 12th grade students in New York State were surveyed in 1983, 1990, and 1994 to determine changes in the patterns of alcohol use over the past decade. Each of the three samples was large (n = 27,335, 23,860, and 19,321, respectively), permitting detailed analysis of changes in alcohol use in various adolescent subgroups according to age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Previous research revealed that there were marked decreases in the prevalence of overall drinking, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems from 1983 to 1990, yet recent national reports indicate that since 1990 there has been an upsurge in substance use among adolescents. Whereas the proportion of drinkers did not significantly increase between 1990 and 1994, average consumption, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems all showed modest, but significant increases in the 1990s. Furthermore, between 1990 and 1994, the age distributions for alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol problems changed, as evidenced by significant age by year of survey interactions. These findings indicate that adolescents are currently drinking, drinking heavily, and experiencing alcohol-related problems at younger ages that they were in past years. Prevention efforts should be targeted at delaying alcohol use in early adolescence.

Work-family conflict, gender, and health-related outcomes: a study of employed parents in two community samples.

On the basis of identity theory and research on sex role socialization, it was predicted that both work interfering with family (W-->F conflict) and family interfering with work (F-->W conflict) are uniquely related to depression, poor physical health, and heavy alcohol use (Hypothesis 1). It also was predicted that gender would moderate these relationships, such that W-->F conflict is more strongly related to the outcomes among women (Hypothesis 2a) and F-->W conflict is more strongly related to the outcomes among men (Hypothesis 2b). Survey data were obtained from 2 random community samples of employed parents (Ns = 496 and 605). Hierarchical regression analyses supported Hypothesis 1 but failed to support Hypotheses 2a and 2b.

Family cohesion as a buffer against the effects of problem-drinking fathers on psychological distress, deviant behavior, and heavy drinking in adolescents.

In this paper we examine the degree to which family cohesion buffers the effects of fathers' problem drinking at Time 1 (T1) on adolescent distress, deviance, and heavy drinking at Time 2 (T2), one year later. Data from a representative sample of 658 families were used to test the hypotheses. Mothers, fathers (if present), and adolescent children were interviewed in the home. Fathers who were present completed self-report scales measuring problem drinking. When fathers were not available, mothers' reports on fathers' drinking were used to measure fathers' problem drinking. Results from regression analysis indicate that after controlling for the effects of race, SES, age, gender, and family structure: (1) the more cohesion in the family and the fever stressful events, the less distress, deviance, and heavy drinking shown by adolescents; (2) the fathers' problem drinking affects adolescent distress and deviance when cohesion is low; but as cohesion increases, the effects of the fathers' drinking are reduced. The findings support the hypothesis that cohesion in families buffers the effects of fathers' problem drinking on adolescents.

Alcohol and other drug use among Hispanics in New York State.

Surveys have generally shown that Hispanics in the United States have lower than the national average rates of drinking, along with average rates of heavy drinking and drug use. Acculturation has been shown to be related to drinking and drug use. This study reports results from a large general population telephone survey conducted in New York State. Hispanic New York State residents were lower than the national average in drinking and heavy drinking when demographic variables were held constant. Gender differences in substance use were greater for Hispanics than for non-Hispanics, with males higher than females. Among Hispanic groups, Puerto Ricans were high and Dominicans were low in drug use. Among Hispanics, more frequent use of English was associated with higher drinking and drug use rates. Traditional Hispanic attitudes and closeness to country or origin were not related to substance use.

Decline in alcohol use among 7-12th grade students in New York State, 1983-1990.

The prevalence and patterns of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems were determined in two large representative samples of 7-12th grade students in New York State in 1983 and 1990. Comparable sampling procedures and measures were used in both surveys. Logistic regression analyses showed that overall drinking, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems decreased significantly for the population as a whole; furthermore, all subgroups according to age, gender, and racial/ethnic status showed significant declines in alcohol use and related problems over this time period. The social context of this change is discussed.

Drinking among homeless and marginally housed adults in New York State.

The drinking patterns of 412 homeless and marginally housed adults in New York State are described, and compared with 5,952 domiciled adults. The homeless and marginally housed persons interviewed were randomly selected from a representative group of public shelters and low-price hotels in New York City and upstate New York. They showed transience in their sleeping arrangements, and in recent months many had slept with friends or in public places. They are disproportionately male (71%), aged 18-34 (61%) and black or Hispanic (74%). Many of the homeless and marginally housed are abstainers (40%, as opposed to 26% in the state as a whole), but a startling 13% drink more than 20 drinks a day, as opposed to less than 1% in the state as a whole. They also reported high rates of dependence signs such as blackouts or loss of control. Among the homeless and marginally housed, heavy drinking is higher among men than women, and higher among blacks than whites or Hispanics. For homeless and marginally housed men, those with the poorest sleeping arrangements (e.g., slept in public places) have higher rates of heavy drinking. A causal model supports the hypothesis that, for a minority of the homeless, drinking is a contributory cause of their homelessness.

Alcohol misuse among college students and other young adults: findings from a general population study in New York State.

The predictors of heavier drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems are examined for young adults aged 18 to 25 years by using a large representative sample. The sample includes both college students and noncollege students. Young adult males have the highest rates of alcohol misuse when compared with all other age groups. Beginning to drink at an early age and growing up with a heavy drinking father are strong predictors of both current heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems. For males, the effect of father's heavy drinking is especially strong. Furthermore, living in a dorm as a college student makes a unique contribution to alcohol misuse.

Drinking among subgroups in the adult population of New York State: a classification analysis using CART.

Using data from a representative sample of 5,952 adults in New York State, CART (Classification and Regression Trees) methodology was used to classify abstainers and drinkers according to interactions among 10 sociodemographic characteristics. A CART analysis classifying abstainers versus drinkers selected income at $25,000 for the initial split with high rates of drinking among higher income individuals. Low rates of drinking were shown for low income women with less than a high school education. A second CART analysis was performed for drinkers only, revealing a number of subgroups of heavier drinkers, including non-Jewish, non-Oriental men under 35 years old and never-married or divorced minority women over the age of 24.