The Prospective Effects of Parents' and Friends' Approval of Drinking on Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use during College

Background: Recent reports indicate that simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use is a growing health concern among college students. As SAM use consists of both alcohol and marijuana, risk factors associated with either can serve as plausible targets by prevention efforts to reduce SAM use. Objectives: To explore this, the current study investigated the direct and indirect effects of two established risk factors for drinking on SAM use: perceived parental permissiveness toward drinking and friends' approval toward drinking (injunctive norms). Method: Incoming first-year students (N = 470) reported parental permissiveness, injunctive norms, alcohol use, and SAM use at baseline (T1) and 5 months later (T2). SAM use was assessed again 15 months post-baseline (T3). Path analysis was conducted to examine whether T2 variables mediated relationships between T1 variables and T3 SAM use. Results: Results revealed that T2 student alcohol use mediated the effects of T1 parental permissiveness, injunctive norms, and alcohol use on T3 SAM use. Conclusions/Importance: Findings from this study extend research on SAM use by identifying perceived parental permissiveness and injunctive drinking norms as risk factors for SAM use through their effects on alcohol use. Based on these findings, it is plausible that parent-based interventions and interventions targeting peer injunctive norms during the first year of college could be used to effectively prevent or reduce SAM use.

Temporal, Sex-Specific, Social Media-Based Alcohol Influences during the Transition to College

The transition to college is an important developmental phase, usually met with increased social desirability, access to alcohol, and new peer groups. Recently, research has utilized social media as a predictor of events during college, but few have assessed how social media can influence alcohol use during the transition to college. Methods: Participants (N = 320) were recruited prior to entering their first year of college. Participants were 18 years old, 60.7% were women, with 46.3% identifying as White, 16.5% Hispanic, 14.9% Asian, 9.5% Black, and 7.6% other. Each participant was assessed three times: prior to matriculation, first semester, and second semester of their freshman year. We assessed the effect of exposure to alcohol content via social media on long-term trajectories of alcohol use. We also assessed self-reported sex as a moderator. Results: Exposure to alcohol content (over and above one's own posting of alcohol content) was associated with greater frequency of drinking during the transition to college. In the multi-group model, exposure to alcohol content was associated with greater drinking prior to matriculation for men. However, for women, exposure to alcohol content was associated with greater alcohol use in the first semester of college. Conclusion: Our results indicate exposure to alcohol-related media content is a strong predictor, over and above one's own positing, of increased drinking, and this effect varies by sex and point in time. Our results lend support for more tailored and time-specific prevention programming for incoming freshmen that should integrate social media normative feedback.

Bone mineral density, energy availability, and dietary restraint in collegiate cross-country runners and non-running controls

PURPOSE

Weight-bearing activities such as running have been shown to be osteogenic. However, investigations have also shown that running may lead to site-specific deficiencies in bone mineral density (BMD) as well as overall low BMD. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate and compare the BMD of female and male collegiate cross-country runners with non-running controls. In addition, energy availability and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors were assessed.

METHODS

BMD of 60 collegiate cross-country runners and 47 BMI and age-matched non-running controls were measured via DXA scans. Participants completed a Block 2014 Food Frequency Questionnaire and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Controlling for fat-free mass (FFM), male runners showed greater BMD at the femoral neck (0.934 ± 0.029 vs. 0.866 ± 0.028 g cm2, p < 0.05), total hip (1.119 ± 0.023 vs. 1.038 ± 0.021 g cm2, p < 0.05), and whole body (1.119 ± 0.023 vs. 1.038 ± 0.021 g cm2, p < 0.05) than male controls. The female runners had greater whole-body BMD than female controls (1.143 ± 0.018 vs. 1.087 ± 0.022 g cm2, p < 0.05). Runners scored significantly higher than controls in dietary restraint (1.134 ± 1.24 vs. 0.451 ± 0.75, p < 0.05), male runners were significantly higher than male controls in eating concern (1.344 ± 1.08 vs. 0.113 ± 0.27, p < 0.05) and female runners were significantly higher than male runners in shape concern (1.056 ± 1.27 vs. 0.242 ± 0.31, p < 0.05). Forty-two percent of the male runners and 29% of female runners had an energy availability of less than 30 kcals kg-1FFM.

CONCLUSION

It appears that distance running has beneficial effects on whole-body BMD and site-specific areas. Further research is warranted to further clarify the health effects of eating behaviors and EA of distance runners.

A multisite randomized trial of normative feedback for heavy drinking: Social comparison versus social comparison plus correction of normative misperceptions

OBJECTIVE

Given widespread alcohol misuse among college students, numerous intervention programs have been developed, including personalized normative feedback (PNF). Most research evaluating PNF assumes that presenting one's own perceived norms is necessary to correct normative misperceptions and thereby reduce drinking. Alternatively, simply providing social comparison information showing that one drinks more than others may be sufficient. The present study evaluated the efficacy of full PNF (one's own drinking, campus drinking rates, and perceived norms) and a partial personalized social comparison feedback (PSCF; one's own drinking and campus drinking rates) in a randomized trial among heavy-drinking college students.

METHOD

Participants included 623 heavy-drinking students from 3 universities. Assessments occurred at baseline and 3- and 6-months postbaseline.

RESULTS

Primary analyses examined differences across 4 drinking outcomes (drinks per week, total drinks past month, frequency of past month drinking, and negative alcohol-related consequences) at 3- and 6-month follow-ups controlling for the baseline variable. Results revealed significant reductions across all alcohol consumption outcomes at 3 months in both intervention conditions compared to attention-control. Mediation analyses demonstrated significant indirect effects of the intervention on 6-month drinking through changes in perceived norms at 3 months. Moreover, evidence emerged for changes in drinking at 3 months as a mediator of the association between PSCF and 6-month perceived norms.

CONCLUSIONS

The present research suggests PNF may not require explicit consideration of one's perceived norms to be effective and that direct social comparison provides an alternative theoretical mechanism for PNF efficacy.

Comparing the unmatched count technique and direct self-report for sensitive health-risk behaviors in HIV+ adults

Researchers often rely on self-report measures to assess sensitive health-risk behaviors in HIV+ individuals, yet the accuracy of self-report has been questioned, particularly when inquiring about behaviors that may be embarrassing, risky, and/or taboo. We compared an anonymous reporting method - the unmatched count technique (UCT) - to direct self-report (DSR) in order to assess reporting differences for several health-risk behaviors related to medication adherence and sexual risk. Contrary to hypotheses, the UCT only produced a significantly higher estimated base rate for one sensitive behavior: reporting medication adherence to one's physician, which may have been contextually primed by our study design. Our results suggest that anonymous reporting methods may not increase disclosure compared to DSR when assessing several health-risk behaviors in HIV+ research volunteers. However, our results also suggest that contextual factors should be considered and investigated further, as they may influence perception of sensitive behavior.

Alcohol-Related Information in Multi-Component Interventions and College Students' Drinking Behavior

Education-only interventions produce little change in drinking behaviors; but, multi-component prevention programs, which include alcohol information as one feature, can decrease drinking. This study examined the role of alcohol knowledge in a multi-component intervention previously found to reduce first-year female college students' alcohol consumption. Intervention and control group students completed pre and postintervention assessments of drinking behaviors, and a postintervention assessment of alcohol-knowledge. Intervention students outperformed control students on the measure of alcohol knowledge. However knowledge did not predict drinking outcomes for this group, and it was positively correlated with drinking behaviors for control students. The findings suggest that, although learning took place through the intervention, it was not the mechanism by which the intervention reduced drinking behaviors.

Is Substance Use a Team Sport? Attraction to Team, Perceived Norms, and Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Male and Female Intercollegiate Athletes

This research examined the role of attraction to one's team in predicting alcohol and marijuana use among intercollegiate athletes. Attraction to team and alcohol-related information were collected via an online survey and marijuana use-related information was gathered in a live setting. We investigated the influence of attraction to one's team above and beyond the influence of gender and perceived norms, and attraction to team as a moderator of these relationships. Attraction to one's team accounted for significant variance in marijuana use, and alcohol-related consequences after controlling for alcohol consumption. Regression analyses revealed significant interactions between gender, attraction to team, and norms in predicting alcohol and marijuana use. Stronger attraction to one's team may increase alcohol use but decrease marijuana use among male athletes, suggesting the importance of attraction to team when developing interventions for athletes.

The role of self-consciousness in the experience of alcohol-related consequences among college students

Heavy drinking among college students is a well-established national concern. An in-depth look at the characteristics and traits of heavy drinking students is an essential precursor to the development of successful targeted interventions with at-risk students. The current study examines the role self-consciousness (private, public, social anxiety) plays in the experience of alcohol-related consequences among a sample of 1,168 student members of campus organizations. Male gender predicted drinking in the sample, while both private self-consciousness and social anxiety predicted less drinking. Public self-consciousness predicted alcohol-related consequences over and above the variance explained by drinking for both males and females. Additionally, both gender and social anxiety moderated the effect of drinking on problems. Heavier drinking female students and heavier drinking students high in social anxiety appear more susceptible to the experience of negative consequences. These results highlight the direct and indirect impact that self-consciousness and gender have on college students' experience of alcohol-related negative consequences.

Comparing electronic-keypad responses to paper-and-pencil questionnaires in group assessments of alcohol consumption and related attitudes

Electronic versions of questionnaires have the potential to improve research and interventions in the addictions. Administering questionnaires electronically to groups, however, has proven difficult without a multitude of computers, but gathering data electronically from a group could make for easy assessment and quick feedback. Using a sample of 107 college students, we examined the validity of wireless keypad survey responses by comparing them to traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaires. The two formats led to almost identical responses that did not differ significantly from each other (all effect sizes less than g=.15) and high correlations between formats. The wireless, handheld keypad procedure appears to generate data that are as valid as questionnaire responses and permit rapid feedback to groups, as well as easy, human error-free data entry for analysis.

Drinking game participation among college students: gender and ethnic implications

Participation in drinking games by college students has recently sparked research attention. While previous research indicates that women play drinking games at lower frequencies than men, the current study reveals that college women may be playing games at rates similar to college men. In a sample of 105 coed college students, participants completed a 3-month Timeline Followback recording every drinking event and quantity consumed. They then were prompted to identify which drinking events involved drinking games and how much alcohol was consumed during game playing. Both men and women engaged in drinking games at similar rates and consumed more drinks on game playing days than on non-game drinking days. However, drinking game participation was related to alcohol-related consequences in women only. Further, while Caucasian participants played drinking games more often than non-Caucasian participants, an association between game participation and alcohol-related consequences emerged in non-Caucasian participants.

A group-administered Timeline Followback assessment of alcohol use

OBJECTIVE

The current study compares retrospective self-reports of quantity and frequency of drinking with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method administered in groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods.

METHOD

Two hundred and eleven male college students who reported drinking at least two times per week participated; 118 completed the TLFB in a group setting, and 93 completed it individually. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks and total drinks during a 30-day period.

RESULTS

Pearson's correlation coefficients revealed significant correlations between single-item quantity and frequency measures and the TLFB on all three variables for the two administration styles. Furthermore, the group TLFB yielded similar correlations to self-reports as the individual TLFB on drinking days and average drinks. However, the correlation between total drinks on the TLFB and the individual item report of drinking days was higher for individual administration than in the group administration.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the group TLFB yields an accurate portrayal of students' quantity, but not frequency, of use. In addition, the group-administered TLFB has the potential to parallel individual interviews and serve as an efficient means of collecting information, but further studies with modified research designs are necessary to validate this alternate method of TLFB administration.

Effects of alcohol, expectancies, and partner type on condom use in college males: event-level analyses

Sexually active heterosexual college males (N = 93) provided data on over 1,500 sexual encounters. Alcohol consumption, expectancies about alcohol's impact on condom use, and partner type each contributed to use of a condom. Partner type covaried with alcohol consumption and condom use. The men consumed significantly more alcohol with new partners, followed by casual partners, and then by regular partners. In contrast, they were more likely to use condoms with new partners than with casual or regular partners. Drinking alcohol decreased condom use, but only with casual partners. Expectancies about alcohol's disinhibiting sexual effects decreased condom use as well. These data suggest that alcohol consumption does decrease condom use, particularly with casual partners and when drinkers believe alcohol alters sexual disinhibition. Improving knowledge about HIV and other STD transmission in casual partners and challenging expectancies about alcohol as a sexual disinhibitor could help decrease the spread of HIV and other STDs.

Symptoms of schizotypy precede cannabis use

The current investigation uses a large non-clinical sample of undergraduate college students (N=189) to investigate schizotypal traits among cannabis and non-cannabis users, as well as the temporal order of the onset of these traits and cannabis use. Findings suggest that regular cannabis users are significantly more prone to cognitive and perceptual distortions as well as disorganization, but not interpersonal deficits, than non-regular users and those who have never used. Additionally, the onset of schizotypal symptoms generally precedes the onset of cannabis use. The findings do not support a causal link between cannabis use and schizotypal traits.

Minor physical anomalies and schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a prospective investigation

OBJECTIVE

The authors prospectively assessed the relationship between minor physical anomalies identified in childhood and adult psychiatric outcome.

METHOD

In 1972, minor physical anomalies were measured in a group of 265 Danish children ages 11-13. The examination was part of a larger study investigating early signs of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Many of the subjects had a parent with schizophrenia, leaving them at high risk for developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. In 1991, adult psychiatric outcome data were obtained for 91.3% (N=242) of the original subjects, including 81 who were at high risk.

RESULTS

Individuals with a high number of minor physical anomalies developed schizophrenia spectrum disorders significantly more often than they developed a no mental illness outcome. Further, individuals with a high number of minor physical anomalies tended to develop schizophrenia spectrum disorders more often than other psychopathology. Among individuals at genetic high risk, higher numbers of minor physical anomalies may interact with pre-existing vulnerabilities for schizophrenia to increase the likelihood of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Minor physical anomalies may provide important clues to understanding schizophrenia spectrum disorders from a neurodevelopmental perspective. Minor physical anomalies appear to signal stressors relevant to schizophrenia spectrum development, especially in those at genetic risk for schizophrenia.

Perception of parent-child relationships in high-risk families, and adult schizophrenia outcome of offspring

The current investigation examines perceived family relationships prior to the onset of psychopathology in a sample at high-risk for schizophrenia. Previous research suggests that environmental factors, such as family relationships, may contribute to later schizophrenia in high-risk individuals. This investigation extends work by Burman et al. [Burman B, Mednick SA, Machon RA, Parnas J, Schulsinger F. Children at high risk for schizophrenia: parent and offspring perceptions of family relationships. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1987;96(4):364-6] by examining high-risk subjects from a longitudinal data set who had not yet decompensated to schizophrenia at the time of the Burman study. Findings suggest that having positive relationships with both the mother and father may be protective against schizophrenia among HR children.

Performance comparison of the Corning thin-film agarose and the Hyland thick-film agar methods for immunoelectrophoresis

Many clinical laboratories do immunoelectrophoresis for qualitative assessment of proteins in biological fluids. Commercial kits are available that supply some or all of the necessary components, but the nature of these components varies. Seeking a reliable method for most easily preserving the original immunoelectrophoresis pattern as a permanent record, we compared a thick-film agar method to a thin-film agarose method in immunoelectrophoresis of a total of 70 serum and urine samples. For each sample, either method resulted in the same interpretation. The thin-film agarose method not only yields a stained, permanent record in about the same time that the thick film agar is ready for interpretation but not preservation, but also requires less antiserum, a smaller sample, and may not require purchase of additional hardware.

Performance comparison of the Corning thin-film agarose and the Hyland thick-film agar methods for immunoelectrophoresis

Many clinical laboratories do immunoelectrophoresis for qualitative assessment of proteins in biological fluids. Commercial kits are available that supply some or all of the necessary components, but the nature of these components varies. Seeking a reliable method for most easily preserving the original immunoelectrophoresis pattern as a permanent record, we compared a thick-film agar method to a thin-film agarose method in immunoelectrophoresis of a total of 70 serum and urine samples. For each sample, either method resulted in the same interpretation. The thin-film agarose method not only yields a stained, permanent record in about the same time that the thick film agar is ready for interpretation but not preservation, but also requires less antiserum, a smaller sample, and may not require purchase of additional hardware.