Mechanisms of Association Between Paternal Alcoholism and Abuse of Alcohol and Other Illicit Drugs Among Adolescents.

The current study examines the effect of paternal alcohol problems on adolescent use of alcohol and other illicit drugs as a function of maternal communication, as well as adolescent social and coping skills (N = 145). Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that adolescents with a paternal history of alcohol problems reported higher levels of problematic communication with their mothers than did adolescents with fathers who were light drinkers or who were non-drinkers. Moreover, problematic maternal communication functioned as a partial mediator for both adolescent negative social skills and self-blame coping skills. Adolescents who reported using self-blame coping skills more frequently also tended to use alcohol more frequently. Findings suggest that these high-risk adolescents might need more intensive and targeted social and psychological services in their schools and communities.

Drinking alcohol before age 13 and negative outcomes in late adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that adolescents who begin drinking at an early stage in life are at greater risk of developing alcohol dependency, as well as a variety of negative outcomes, for instance, delinquent behavior. Most of these studies have focused on those who begin drinking in middle adolescence, but little attention has been paid to youth who initiate drinking under the age of 13. Twenty percent of adolescents have begun using alcohol by the age of 13. The purpose of the study is to examine whether initiating alcohol use before the age of 13 exacerbates negative outcomes in late adolescence. METHODS: Data for the study were derived from 2 school-based statewide surveys conducted in Florida: the 2005 YRBS and the 2006 FYSAS. The sample included 12,352 11th and 12th grade students divided into 3 groups: students who initiated alcohol use under the age of 13, students who initiated alcohol use at age 13 or later, and students who never used alcohol. RESULTS: Results showed that after adjusting for gender, ethnicity/race, and grade, adolescents who initiated alcohol use before age 13 were more likely to report problems with school performance and display delinquent behaviors (carrying a gun, carrying a weapon to school, and recent marijuana use). CONCLUSION: Although no temporal relationships can be determined between drinking alcohol before age 13 and delinquent behavior outcomes, the results suggested that adolescents under the age of 13 need to be included in national epidemiological surveys on alcohol use and more efforts need to be directed toward the implementation of prevention programs early in elementary and middle schools.

Supplementary educational model (SEM) in social work education for health care settings.

A supplementary educational model (SEM) was developed and evaluated in order to expand educational opportunities for social work students, to enable a professional interaction for field instructors and to connect the academia teachers to the field. The study highlights the importance of SEM to update the current academic curricula to meet the ongoing changes and challenges in health care settings. One hundred thirty-seven B.A. students and 58 field instructors employed in health care settings participated in the project. Results indicated that 90% of the participants rated the knowledge contributions of the study days and study day satisfaction positively. The results suggest that SEM has potential as a tool to complement traditional field instruction programs.

Role of family resources and paternal history of substance use problems in psychosocial adjustment among school-aged children.

The present study examines the role of family resources (parenting style and family cohesion) and paternal history of substance abuse on the psychosocial adjustment of their school-aged children. Data were collected from 148 children aged 8-11 (72 of fathers with history of substance use disorder, 76 children of fathers with no substance use problems) and their mothers. Results draw attention to the differences between the subjective experiences of the child and those of the mother, and by indicating that the effect of the interaction between the father's and the mother's control parenting style on the child's psychosocial outcome is greater than the sum total of influences of each of them separately.

Effect of gender on the social and psychological adjustment of cancer patients.

The purpose of this article is to examine gender differences in social and psychological adjustment among cancer patients. The social adjustment and psychological distress of 49 patients (34 women and 15 men) undergoing active medical care (chemotherapy and radiation) were assessed. Socio-demographic and medical parameters were also examined to account for differences in adjustment. Three questionnaires were used: A personal information questionnaire; a Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-SR) (Derogatis & Lopez, 1983); and a psychological distress one (BSI) (Derogatis & Spencer, 1982). Significant differences were found between men and women patients in several dimensions of the social adjustment, psychological distress and medical variables. Possible explanations, recommendations for further research and clinical intervention are suggested.

Drugs--not here!--model of group intervention as preventative therapeutic tool for children of drug addicts.

Children of addicts suffer from emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral problems. In view of the problems the children face, they are undoubtedly "a population at risk," in need of preventive and therapeutic intervention. The purpose of this article is to describe a model of group intervention as one of the preventive therapeutic tools for children of addicts. The project was conducted over 18 months of weekly meetings. The article will deal with the characteristics of children of addicts, the group intervention model with reference to the group framework, and the work carried out with the group, as well as its evaluation. The evaluation indicated positive effects on several psychosocial variables.