Health Communication With Same-Sex and Other-Sex Friends in Emerging Adulthood.

Objective We examined health-related communication between same-sex and other-sex friends and how communication was related to health-related behavior. Participants Data from 243 emerging adults attending college ( Mage = 18.96, SD = 1.43; 55.6% male) were analyzed. Methods Participants completed measures assessing the frequency in which they talked about and made plans to engage in exercise and nutrition-related behaviors with friends, as well as how often they engaged in exercise and nutrition-related behaviors. Results In general, participants reported more health-related communication with same-sex friends. Health-related communication with same-sex friends was positively related to health behaviors for men and women. However, the pattern of results differed for men and women depending on the topic of communication and the behavior being examined. Conclusion Our study extends the literature by examining the role of sex of friends in health communication and planning and how interactions with friends relate to health-promoting behavior.

Do drinking games matter? An examination by game type and gender in a mandated student sample.

BACKGROUND: College students who violate alcohol policies engage in riskier alcohol use and demonstrate more problems related to their use than non-violating peers. Drinking games (DG) have been linked to increased alcohol use and negative consequences. OBJECTIVES: The present study sought to assess potential differences in DG participation among mandated males and females by examining rates of endorsement, types of DG played, and how types of games are related to alcohol use and related consequences. METHODS: Participant data were obtained from 154 undergraduate students mandated to receive an alcohol intervention, RESULTS: DG players were found to have higher typical and peak blood alcohol concentrations, consume more drinks per week on average, consume more standard drinks per highest drinking occasion, and to experience a considerably greater number of alcohol-related consequences than non-players. Males endorsed greater participation in DG and cited "team" and "motor" games more often than females. "Gambling" games were endorsed equally by both sexes, but resulted in increased consequences for females only. CONCLUSION: Engaging in DG results in higher levels of alcohol consumption. The likelihood of consequences experienced may vary by type of DG in which individuals choose to participate, as well as by gender. Results from this study provide information that can be utilized in targeted alcohol programming efforts, not only for a high-risk population such as mandated students, but tailored to the specific needs of males and females.

Feedback-based alcohol interventions for mandated students: an effectiveness study of three modalities.

UNLABELLED: The present study used a randomized clinical trial design to examine the effectiveness of personalized alcohol feedback delivered individually, in a group and via computer on alcohol use and related negative consequences in a sample of 173 college students referred for alcohol-related violations. Findings revealed statistically significant reductions in alcohol use and related harms for the individually delivered intervention, with significant reductions in alcohol-related harms for the electronically delivered intervention. No statistically significant results were found for the group-delivered intervention or between groups, and a main effect of time was noted for all outcome variables. This study adds to the literature by being the first randomized clinical trial to include analyses of an empirically supported individually delivered personalized alcohol feedback intervention with more cost-effective group-delivered and electronically delivered feedback formats within a single research design, by expanding the range of participant drinking habits reported at baseline to include all drinking levels and not solely those classified as 'heavy drinking' and by providing anonymity pre-intervention and post-intervention given the potential demand characteristics to underreport illegal and/or illicit behaviours in this vulnerable population. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Personalized alcohol feedback delivered in a one-on-one, face-to-face format serves to decrease both alcohol use and harms in mandated college students. The use of web-delivered personalized alcohol feedback may be clinically useful when working with a mandated student population to reduce alcohol-related harms. Personalized alcohol feedback delivered in a group setting may not be indicated for use with a mandated student population as it does not demonstrate decreases in either alcohol use or harms, possibly because of the normalization of deviant behaviour.

γ Hydroxybutyrate use: exploring the influence of outcome expectancies through memory modeling.

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has been linked to overdose, criminal surreptitious administration, the need for emergency medical care, and fatalities worldwide. To begin to identify and understand the motivational factors that lead to the use of GHB, the present investigation utilized methods that have been successful in identifying potential expectancy targets and have been incorporated into prevention and intervention strategies successful in reducing high-risk alcohol use. In the present investigation, GHB expectancies were elicited from 926 voluntary participants aged 18-60 at a university in the southeastern United States to develop the GHB Expectancy Questionnaire (GHBEQ). The GHBEQ was subsequently administered to a different sample of 1,373 participants aged 18-55 in order to empirically derive the possible organization of GHB expectancies in memory, including likely paths of GHB expectancy activation. Findings suggest differences in GHB expectancies based on use history and sex. These results can be used to understand differences in GHB use for men and women, and to develop expectancy-based prevention and intervention programming to prevent and reduce its use in high-risk populations.

Differences in the marijuana expectancies of adolescents in relation to marijuana use.

Marijuana use continues to be a problem among youth. Outcome expectancies influence substance-using behavior in both children and adults. Expectancy interventions are empirically supported. Despite their success, there is a lack of information regarding marijuana expectancies in youth from which to develop these interventions. The present investigation conducted using independent resources from 2003 to 2005 surveyed 142 children and adolescents 11 to 18 years of age in the southeastern United States to develop the Marijuana Expectancy Inventory for Children and Adolescents (MEICA). The MEICA was administered to a different sample of 144 adolescents 14 to 19 years of age, and memory modeling was used to compare the expectancies of users versus never-users. Implications for marijuana prevention and intervention programs, future research, and limitations of the current investigation are discussed.