Transitioning into and out of large-effect drinking in young adulthood.

As individuals age beyond the college years into young adulthood, many exhibit a tendency to moderate or "mature out of" alcohol involvement. The current study classified effect-drinking statuses in young adults and examined transitions among statuses using latent transition analysis, a latent variable state-sequential model for longitudinal data. At 3 occasions over 7 years (Years 1, 4, and 7), 443 men (47%) and women (mean age of both at baseline = 18.5 years; 51% with family history of alcoholism) responded to 3 past-30-day items assessing drinking and subjective effects of drinking: whether the respondent drank alcohol, felt high, and felt drunk. Latent statuses included abstainers (14% at Year 1), limited-effect drinkers (8%), moderate-effect drinkers (23%), and large-effect drinkers (54%). Respondents with family history of alcoholism were less likely to transition out of large-effect drinking than those without family history. Men exhibited more severe initial effect-drinking statuses and lower transition probabilities into less severe effect-drinking statuses than women.

The problem of college drinking: insights from a developmental perspective.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 RSA Meeting in Denver, Colorado. John Schulenberg and Jennifer L. Maggs were Organizers. Stephen W. Long was Chair and provided opening remarks. The presentations were: (1) I'm not a drunk, just a college student: Binge drinking during college as a developmental disturbance, by John Schulenberg; (2) Course of alcohol use disorders during college, by Kenneth J. Sher; (3) How do students experience alcohol and its effects? Positive versus negative expectancies and consequences, by Jennifer L. Maggs; and (4) Brief intervention in the context of developmental trends in college drinking, by G. Alan Marlatt. Critique and commentary were provided by Robert A. Zucker.

Pathological alcohol involvement: a developmental disorder of young adulthood.

In 1987, we began a longitudinal study of the offspring of alcoholic parents and have been following this group of young adults from their freshman year in college throughout their transition into later young adulthood. The goal of this review is to highlight some of the findings we consider most important and relevant to the development of pathological alcohol involvement in young adulthood. Courses of pathological alcohol involvement in young adulthood are outlined. Predictors of both the development and course of pathological alcohol use in young adulthood are also addressed, including family history of alcoholism, personality, alcohol use motivations, and role transitions. While certainly a problem in its own right, pathological alcohol involvement can also affect the attainment of important life tasks and success in various life roles. Consequently, we also examine the effects of pathological alcohol involvement on later role transitions and role attainment. Finally, prevention, policy, and treatment issues surrounding this stage of life are discussed.

Determinants of exercise among children. II. A longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated that physical activity serves an important preventive function against the development of cardiovascular disease. The recognition that U.S. children are often sedentary, coupled with the observation that physical activity habits tend to persist into adulthood, has prompted the investigation of exercise determinants consistent with social learning theory. The purposes of the present study were to identify social learning variables relevant to children's exercise and to explore the longitudinal predictive value of the determinants. METHODS: Data were collected from 111 families (N = 54 girls, N = 57 boys) who were interviewed in both Phase 1 (fifth and sixth grades) and Phase 2 (eight and ninth grades) of this study. Data from mothers (N = 111) were collected during both phases; data from 80 fathers were collected at Phase 2 only. RESULTS: The results of simultaneous stepwise regression analyses indicated that child's enjoyment of physical activity was the only consistent predictor of physical activity during Phase 1. At Phase 2, child's exercise knowledge, mother's physical activity, and child's and mother's friend modeling/support emerged as predictors for girls. For boys, child's self-efficacy for physical activity, exercise knowledge, parental modeling, and interest in sports media were important. Longitudinally, mother's self-efficacy, barriers to exercise, enjoyment of physical activity, and child's self-efficacy for physical activity were important for girls. Only child's exercise knowledge predicted boys' physical activity. The addition of information from fathers nearly doubled the explanatory power of the predictors for both genders. CONCLUSIONS: Socialization in the family unit exerts a tremendous influence on health-related behaviors such as exercise. The relative importance of determinants seems to differ for girls and boys and the pattern of these determinants appears to change over time.

Predicting stability and change in frequency of intoxication from the college years to beyond: individual-difference and role transition variables.

The authors examined whether individual-difference variables (e.g., family history of alcoholism, sex, personality traits, positive alcohol expectancies) and role transition-related variables (full-time work status, marital status, parenthood) moderate the "maturing-out" process whereby young adults who drink heavily during college decrease their drinking in the following years. Analyses were based on 288 young adults, assessed as full-time students (mostly college seniors, Year 4 of a larger study) and 3 years later (Year 7) when all had earned bachelor's degrees, and the analyses showed that frequency of intoxication (per week) decreased significantly (p < .0001). Entering the workforce full time, being male, and being less open to experience were associated with decreased postcollege drinking. Furthermore, relatively extraverted individuals were more likely to continue a pattern of frequent intoxication from Year 4 to year 7. The findings stress the importance of studying how individual-difference variables predict behavior across role transitions.

Risperidone in the management of violent, treatment-resistant schizophrenics hospitalized in a maximum security forensic facility.

This study examines the effectiveness of risperidone compared with traditional neuroleptic medications in the areas of clinical functioning and aggressive behaviors in a sample of inpatients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. Similar to the methodology of Menditto et al. (Psychiatr Serv 47:46-51, 1996), two groups of 10 patients were selected from those being treated in a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation program. Group 1 subjects were placed on risperidone at various times during their treatment. Group 2 subjects, who were matched with Group 1 subjects on pre-study levels of clinical functioning as measured by the Time-Sample Behavioral Checklist (TSBC), remained on traditional neuroleptics throughout the study period. For each subject, scores on six TSBC subscales were examined at four time points; data were analyzed with repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance and univariate analyses of variance. Frequency counts of aggressive behaviors (threats and assaults) were compiled into two six-month time periods and analyzed with nonparametric techniques. The risperidone group did not differ from the traditional neuroleptic group on measures of clinical functioning and aggressiveness measured over time. Both groups evidenced improvements in bizarre motor behaviors over the study period. The risperidone group evidenced some deterioration in measures of appropriate interpersonal interaction over time. No differences in aggressive behaviors were noted for either group. The study concludes that for forensic patients with chronic schizophrenia, risperidone failed to produce therapeutic effects in overall clinical functioning and aggressive behaviors that were significantly different from traditional neuroleptics. Descriptive comparisons are made between the receptor-binding profiles and clinical effectiveness of risperidone and clozapine in an attempt to explain these findings.

A prospective, high-risk study of the relationship between tobacco dependence and alcohol use disorders.

This study examined the extent to which tobacco dependence (TD) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) reciprocally influenced each other in a mixed-gender sample of 452 individuals (n = 232 biological family history of paternal alcoholism, n = 220 no first- or second-degree family history of alcoholism) who were assessed once early in their freshman year of college, approximately 3 years later when many were college seniors, and approximately 3 years later when many had entered or were entering the work force. AUDs were more prevalent in men than women, in individuals with a family history of alcoholism, and decreased overall with time. TD was more prevalent in those with a family history of alcoholism, showed increasing rates of use over time, and was less prevalent but more stable than AUDs. Transitional probabilities indicated that although a previous AUD or TD diagnosis increased the likelihood of being diagnosed with the other disorder at a later time, comorbid AUDs and TD did not significantly affect the likelihood of recovery from either disorder. Finally, path analysis revealed significant reciprocal relationships between AUDs and TD diagnoses (each predicting the other over time), and significant prediction of AUDs and TD by family history of alcoholism at the first and third times of assessment. Findings supported two general models of AUD/TD comorbidity: a shared vulnerability model and a reciprocal influence model.

Do codependent traits involve more than basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology?

OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread use of the term codependency, empirical evidence regarding its construct validity is generally lacking. This study analyzed the construct validity of codependency as measured by Potter-Efron and Potter-Efron's Codependency Assessment Questionnaire (CAQ). It attempted to determine the CAQ's factor structure and whether there are any unique relations between symptoms of codependency and parental alcoholism after controlling for basic dimensions of personality and psychopathology. METHOD: Participants were 467 (246 male, 221 female) young adult children of alcoholics and controls who contributed complete questionnaire data at the fourth wave of a longitudinal study of factors related to alcohol use and abuse. RESULTS: The CAQ showed reliability and basically a one dimensional structure, and CAQ scores were significantly related to family history. Although much of this relation between family history and codependency was accounted for by neuroticism and symptoms of general psychopathology, a small, but significant, association between family history and codependency remained even after statistically controlling for personality and psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, although there may be unique aspects of the purported codependency syndrome that are related to a family history of alcoholism, most of the relation between codependency and family history appears to be "explained" by general negative affectivity.