1
|
Wojciechowski T. The Effects of Neighborhood Disorder on Polydrug Use: Examining Depressive Symptoms and Deviant Peer Association as Mediating Mechanisms. J Psychoactive Drugs 2024; 56:387-396. [PMID: 37331026 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2226145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Neighborhood disorder is a risk factor for substance use, but research is limited with regard to the effect of such disorder on polydrug use. Further, research on potential mechanisms underlying this relationship is similarly limited. The current study examined the direct effect of neighborhood disorder on drug use variety and examined deviant peer association and depressive symptoms as mediators among a sample of justice-involved youth. The first three waves of the Pathways to Desistance study were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and indirect effects of interest. A bootstrap resampling process was used to compute standard errors and significance of hypothesized mediation effects. Findings indicated that greater levels of neighborhood disorder were associated with increased drug use variety. This effect was attenuated by 15% when mediating pathways were included in the model. Only deviant peer association significantly mediated this relationship and accounted for the majority of the total mediating effect. These results indicated that justice-involved youth exposed to neighborhood disorder are at elevated risk for polydrug use and that increased deviant peer association helps to explain this relationship.
Collapse
|
2
|
Dunn CB, Farrell AD. Patterns of alcohol use among middle school students in rural communities: Associations with community violence exposure. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 72:157-169. [PMID: 37421594 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Stress-coping theory posits that exposure to stressors, such as community violence, increases risk for early alcohol initiation. The current study identified patterns of alcohol use in an ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents in rural communities, and examined relations between different forms of exposure to community violence and severity of adolescents' alcohol use patterns. Participants were 5011 middle school students (46.4% non-Hispanic White, 25.5% Latinx, and 13.4% Black; 50% female) living in rural communities in the southeastern United States. Latent class analysis identified subgroups that differed in their patterns of lifetime and past 30-day alcohol use, and subgroup differences in exposure to community violence. Five subgroups were identified: abstainers (56.5%), initiators of wine and beer (12.5%); moderately frequent wine and beer users (10.3%); moderately frequent wine, beer, and liquor users who got drunk (12.0%); and highly frequent wine, beer, and liquor users who got drunk (8.6%). Subgroups differed across sex, grade, and racial-ethnic background. Subgroups characterized by severe alcohol use reported more frequent exposure to community violence and physical victimization, while controlling for nonviolent stressors. Consistent with stress-coping theory, the results indicate that experiencing physical victimization and witnessing community violence robustly relate to adolescents' high-risk alcohol use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney B Dunn
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Albert D Farrell
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Berkel C, O'Hara K, Eddy JM, Rhodes CA, Blake A, Thomas N, Hita L, Herrera D, Wheeler AC, Wolchik S. The Prospective Effects of Caregiver Parenting on Behavioral Health Outcomes for Children with Incarcerated Parents: a Family Resilience Perspective. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2023; 24:1198-1208. [PMID: 37462777 PMCID: PMC10882978 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-023-01571-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Rates of parental incarceration in the USA have increased dramatically over the past four decades. The Adverse Childhood Experiences study identified parental incarceration as one of several risk factors related to multiple health outcomes during childhood and adulthood. Parents and other caregivers are widely regarded as sources of resilience for children experiencing adversity, yet few studies have examined caregivers' parenting practices as sources of resilience for children with incarcerated parents. This study used secondary data from a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of the prison-based parent management training program Parenting Inside Out (PIO). Specifically, it included 149 caregivers (i.e., the non-incarcerated parent, extended family member, or other adult who provides the day-to-day caretaking of a child during parental incarceration) of children aged 2-14 years whose incarcerated parents were randomly assigned to receive PIO or the control condition. Path analysis was used to examine associations between caregivers' parenting, social support, self-efficacy, and change in child internalizing and externalizing symptoms across a 6-month period. Direct effects of caregivers' parenting were found on improvements in child behavioral health from baseline (conducted when the parent was incarcerated) to the 6-month follow-up (conducted after most parents had been released). Indirect effects were found for caregiver social support and self-efficacy. The findings highlight the importance of caregivers' adaptive parenting as a protective resource for children who experience parental incarceration and have implications for the design of preventive interventions for this underserved population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cady Berkel
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, 425 N. 5th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
| | - Karey O'Hara
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- New College, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - J Mark Eddy
- Texas Center for Equity Promotion, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - C Aubrey Rhodes
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Austin Blake
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Nalani Thomas
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, 425 N. 5th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Liza Hita
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- New College, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - Danita Herrera
- Klamath Tribes Judiciary, The Klamath Tribes, Chiloquin, OR, USA
| | | | - Sharlene Wolchik
- REACH Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Miller GE, Chen E, Finegood E, Shimbo D, Cole SW. Prospective associations between neighborhood violence and monocyte pro-inflammatory transcriptional activity in children. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 100:1-7. [PMID: 34800620 PMCID: PMC8766930 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals exposed to persistent neighborhood violence are at increased risk for developing mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. The biological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well understood. Thus, we examined the relationship between children's exposure to neighborhood violence and inflammatory activity, a process involved in the pathogenesis of multiple health problems. 236 children from the Chicago area participated in a two-year longitudinal study (mean age at baseline, 13.9 years; 67% female; 39% White, 34% Black, 33% Hispanic). Neighborhood violence was measured as the homicide frequency in a child's Census block group in the five years before study entry. Fasting blood was drawn at study entry and two years later (in eighth and tenth grade). The blood was used to quantify protein biomarkers of systemic inflammatory activity and perform genome-wide expression profiling of isolated monocytes. Neighborhood violence was associated with higher systemic inflammatory activity at both assessments. It also was associated with a monocyte transcriptional profile indicative of increased signaling along the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) control pathways, which are key orchestrators of pro-inflammatory effector functions. Neighborhood violence also was associated with transcriptional indications of higher beta-adrenergic and lower glucocorticoid signaling, which could function as neuroendocrine conduits linking threatening experiences with inflammatory activity. Neighborhood violence was not associated with two-year changes in protein biomarkers, although it did presage a transcriptional profile indicative of increasing AP-1 and declining glucocorticoid signaling over follow-up. Collectively, these observations highlight cellular and molecular pathways that could underlie health risks associated with neighborhood violence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory E Miller
- Institute for Policy Research and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Edith Chen
- Institute for Policy Research and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Eric Finegood
- Institute for Policy Research and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Daichi Shimbo
- Columbia Hypertension Center and Lab, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Steve W Cole
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wojciechowski T. Relevance of the dual systems model for predicting drug/alcohol dependence in early adulthood among previously adjudicated young adults. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 226:108876. [PMID: 34225226 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the dual system model has been found to have utility for predicting drug use, examinations have yet to extend to the clinically relevant issue of drug/alcohol dependence. This study sought to provide better understanding of how the dual systems model constructs (impulse control and sensation-seeking) predicted risk for drug/alcohol dependence in early adulthood among a sample of young adults who were adjudicated for a serious offense as minors. METHODS Data from several waves of the Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Logistic regression was used to model covariate effects on drug/alcohol dependence risk. RESULTS Findings indicated that lower impulse control predicted increased odds of meeting criteria for drug/alcohol dependence in early adulthood. Sensation-seeking was not a significant predictor of drug/alcohol dependence risk at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Lower impulse control was predictive of drug/alcohol dependence risk. Prevention programming should seek to boost impulse control during adolescence to mitigate this risk and treatment programming should focus on impulse control training in order to treat drug/alcohol dependence in inpatient and outpatient contexts.
Collapse
|
6
|
Amaro H, Sanchez M, Bautista T, Cox R. Social vulnerabilities for substance use: Stressors, socially toxic environments, and discrimination and racism. Neuropharmacology 2021; 188:108518. [PMID: 33716076 PMCID: PMC8126433 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Applying a social determinants of health framework, this review brings attention to evidence from social sciences and neuroscience on the role of selected social factors in individual and population-level vulnerability to substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs). The understanding that social vulnerability to substance use and SUDs is multifaceted and occurs across different levels of influence (individual, interpersonal, community, and societal) is underscored. We propose that socially based stressors play a critical role in creating vulnerability to substance use and SUDs, and as such, deserve greater empirical attention to further understand how they "get under the skin." Current knowledge from social sciences and neuroscience on the relationships among vulnerability to substance use resulting from stressors, exposure to socially toxic childhood environments, and racism and discrimination are summarized and discussed, as are implications for future research, practice, and policy. Specifically, we propose using a top-down approach to the examination of known, yet often unexplored, relationships between vulnerability to substance use and SUDs, related inequities, and potential differential effects across demographic groups. Finally, research gaps and promising areas of research, practice, and policy focused on ameliorating social vulnerabilities associated with substance use and SUDs across the lifespan are presented. This article is part of the special issue on 'Vulnerabilities to Substance Abuse'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hortensia Amaro
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, United States.
| | - Mariana Sanchez
- Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, United States.
| | - Tara Bautista
- Yale Stress Center, School of Medicine, Yale University, United States.
| | - Robynn Cox
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, And Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, University of Southern California, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Stritzel H, Gonzalez CS, Cavanagh SE, Crosnoe R. Family Structure and Secondary Exposure to Violence in the Context of Varying Neighborhood Risks and Resources. SOCIUS : SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH FOR A DYNAMIC WORLD 2021; 7:10.1177/2378023121992941. [PMID: 35494420 PMCID: PMC9053859 DOI: 10.1177/2378023121992941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Secondary exposure to violence in the community is a prevalent developmental risk with implications for youths' short- and long-term socioemotional functioning. This study used longitudinal, multilevel data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods to consider how family structure, including parental instability, is associated with youths' secondary exposure to violence across diverse neighborhood contexts. Results showed that both living in a stable single-parent household and experiencing parental instability were associated with greater secondary exposure to violence compared with living in a stable two-parent household. The associations between having a single parent or experiencing parental instability and secondary exposure to violence were especially strong in neighborhoods with high levels of crime and strong neighborhood ties.
Collapse
|
8
|
Couture MC, Garcia D, Whaley R, Grinshteyn E. Effect of fear of victimization on hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco, and marijuana use among university students: A tale of two sexes. Addict Behav 2020; 106:106355. [PMID: 32088422 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fear of victimization has been associated with poorer physical and mental health, yet is understudied in public health. Few studies have examined sex differences in the effects of fear of victimization on substance use. We examined associations between fear of victimization and hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco, and marijuana use among female and male university students. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in an urban location (n = 1415). Socio-demographics, substance use, and fear related to various crimes were measured using online surveys. All fear types were summed into a total fear score and categorized into quartiles: no/little fear, moderate fear, high fear, and very high fear. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations between fear of victimization, hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco and marijuana use, by sex. RESULTS Females were more likely to report high and very high fear of victimization (26.6% and 33.1%) than male students (19.8% and 16.3%; p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression models, associations differed by sex: moderate, high, and very high fear were all independently associated with hazardous drinking among females but not males. Female students with very high fear of victimization were more likely to report tobacco use. High and very high fear was also independently associated with marijuana use among female only. CONCLUSIONS Higher fear of victimization was associated with substance use among females but not male students. Public health and health care professionals should acknowledge fear of victimization as a potential risk factor for substance use, particularly among women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Claude Couture
- Department of Health Professions, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
| | - Dellanira Garcia
- Department of Health Professions, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Reid Whaley
- Department of Health Professions, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Erin Grinshteyn
- Department of Health Professions, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Connolly EJ, Kavish N. The Causal Relationship between Childhood Adversity and Developmental Trajectories of Delinquency: A Consideration of Genetic and Environmental Confounds. J Youth Adolesc 2018; 48:199-211. [PMID: 30471056 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-018-0960-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
An extensive line of research has found that children exposed to multiple forms of early life adversity are more likely to engage in high levels of delinquent behavior during adolescence. Several studies examining this association have used a range of multivariate statistical techniques capable of controlling for observable covariates. Fewer studies have used family-based research designs to additionally control for unobservable confounds, such as genetic and shared environmental influences, that may be associated with exposure to childhood adversity and delinquency. The current study analyzes self-report data on 2534 full-siblings (50% female) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to conduct a sibling-comparison analysis to provide a rigorous test of the causal hypothesis that exposure to childhood adversity causes differences in developmental patterns of delinquent behavior. Results from multivariate latent growth curve models revealed that childhood adversity was associated with higher starting levels of delinquency during adolescence and slower rates of decline from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Results from multivariate sibling-comparison models, however, revealed that siblings exposed to higher levels of childhood adversity reported higher starting levels of delinquent behavior, but not slower declines over time, suggesting that childhood adversity may not be directly associated with long-term patterns of delinquent behavior after genetic and shared environmental factors are taken into account. Implications of these results for future research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Connolly
- Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, 77340, USA.
| | - Nicholas Kavish
- Department of Psychology and Philosophy, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, 77340, USA
| |
Collapse
|