Stress and smoking in adolescence: a test of directional hypotheses.

The authors conducted a comparative test of the hypotheses that (a) stress is an etiological factor for smoking and (b) cigarette smoking causes increases in stress (A. C. Parrott, 1999). Participants were a sample of 1,364 adolescents, initially surveyed at mean age 12.4 years and followed at 3 yearly intervals. Measures of negative affect, negative life events, and cigarette smoking were obtained at all 4 assessments. Latent growth modeling showed negative affect was related to increase in smoking over time; there was no path from initial smoking to change in negative affect. Comparable results were found for negative life events, with no evidence for reverse causation. Results are discussed with respect to theoretical models of nicotine effects and implications for prevention.

Moderators of the relation between substance use level and problems: test of a self-regulation model in middle adolescence.

The authors tested predictions, derived from a self-regulation model, about variables moderating the relationship between level of substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) and problems associated with use. Data were from two independent studies of adolescents, with mean ages of 15.4 and 15.5 years (Ns = 1,699 and 1,225). Factor analysis indicated correlated dimensions of control problems and conduct problems. Protective moderation was found for variables indexing good self-control; risk-enhancing moderation was found for variables indexing poor self-control. These effects were generally independent of deviance-prone attitudes and externalizing symptomatology. Multiple-group structural modeling indicated moderation occurred for paths from life stress and coping motives and for paths from level to control and conduct problems. Moderation effects were also found for parental variables, peer variables, and academic competence.

Buffering effect of religiosity for adolescent substance use.

This research examined the hypothesis that religiosity buffers the impact of life stress on adolescent substance use. Data were from a sample of 1,182 participants surveyed on 4 occasions between 7th grade (mean age = 12.4 years) and 10th grade. Religiosity was indexed by Jessor's Value on Religion Scale (R. Jessor & S. L. Jessor, 1977). Zero-order correlations showed religiosity inversely related to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Significant Life Events x Religiosity buffer interactions were found in cross-sectional analyses for tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. A latent growth analysis showed that religiosity reduced the impact of life stress on initial level of substance use and on rate of growth in substance use over time. Implications for further research on religiosity and substance use are discussed.

Effects of a prenatal intervention on breastfeeding initiation rates in a Latina immigrant sample.

A randomized controlled trial study design was used to investigate the effectiveness of a Healthy Families America model prenatal intervention for increasing breastfeeding rates among Latina immigrants residing in an impoverished New York City community. Exposure to the intervention did not affect mother report of any breastfeeding (ABF) during the first week postpartum, but it did affect mother report of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Thirty-two percent (44/137) of mothers exposed to the intervention reported EBF during the first week postpartum compared to 20% (20/101) of mothers not exposed to the intervention (odds ratio 1.92; 95% confidence interval 1.05-3.52). This positive effect of the intervention on EBF remained statistically significant after controlling for the negative effect of household income on EBF (adjusted odds ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-3.50). Additional research is needed on the effectiveness of breastfeeding promotion programs targeting low-income Latinas.

Early developmental precursors of impulsive and inattentive behavior: from infancy to middle childhood.

BACKGROUND: We examined infancy and toddler-age precursors of impulsivity and inattention in school-age children. Children (50 boys, 39 girls) had been participants since infancy in the Bloomington Longitudinal Study. METHOD: Individual differences in children's self-regulatory competence were assessed at 8 years of age, using laboratory tests and observations of three central constructs: Inhibitory Control, Behavioral Control, and Attentional Disengagement. RESULTS: We found that measures of caregiver-child interaction, child temperament, and child cognitive competence during the toddler period significantly predicted variations in children's later impulsive functioning. However, the strength of these relationships, and the type and combination of significant risk factors, were differentially patterned in relation to specific subtypes of later child impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide further evidence for the multidimensional nature of child impulsivity, and they highlight the importance of examining toddler-age precursors of children's later self-regulatory competence.