Stress, coping, and alcohol expectancies in rural African-American women

Daily Social Pressure and Alcohol Consumption Among Chinese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the daily social pressure and socioeconomic factors related to women's alcohol consumption in China. Cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2012 China Family Panel Studies. A multivariate logistic regression analysis of a sample of 16 339 female adults with the mean age of 45.3 years was used to examine the relationships between dependent and independent variables. According to the results, first, the greater the daily social pressure, the more likely women were to engage in general alcohol consumption (odds ratio = 1.061) and risk drinking (odds ratio = 1.057). Second, while there is a positive relationship between the general level of social pressure and women's alcohol consumption, the relationship between the severe level of social pressure and women's alcohol consumption was not significant. Finally, women in the Central region were less likely to engage in risk drinking than women in the Western region; women with secondary school education were more likely to engage in risk drinking than women with primary school education or below; and age was significantly positively associated with both general and risk drinking. In conclusion, increasing alcohol consumption among women may be due to increased social pressure.

Native American adolescent narrative written stories of stress

OBJECTIVE(S)

The purpose of this paper is to report study findings related to themes of stress and coping strategies experienced by non-reservation-based Native American adolescents as expressed by their written stories.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive narrative approach was used to capture written stories of stress.

ANALYSIS

Key concepts and themes were identified by using the consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach from the participant's stories of stress.

RESULTS

Written stories of stress were collected and analyzed from a convenience sample of 179 Native American adolescent's ages 13-18-years old. Five major themes related to experiences of stress emerged from the stories including (a) relationships, (b) responsibilities, (c) socioeconomic status, (d) negative coping strategies, and (e) positive coping through Native-Reliance.

CONCLUSION

The findings reveal the importance of understanding the types and response to stress experienced by Native American adolescents.

Personal theories of substance use among middle-aged and older adults with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

Most persons with bipolar disorder (BD) misuse alcohol and/or illicit drugs at some point, yet research specific to older adults with BD is nascent. The current study sought an in-depth understanding of the experiences and meanings of substance use in a sample of adults who self-reported substance misuse.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed to understand the personal theories of substance use by 12 adults (9 women and 3 men; M = 49 years old) who self-reported diagnoses of BD and regular alcohol or illicit drug use.

RESULTS

Findings provide an in-depth picture of the theories middle-aged and older adults with BD have developed to explain their substance use. Participants' theories suggest multiple reasons for substance use, including self-medication; increased confidence with substance use; rejection of prescribed medications; easy access to alcohol; early social exposure/use as facilitator; and living in a culture of substance use.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest multiple theories for the comorbid link between BD and substance use, primarily that persons with BD use drugs and/or alcohol to relieve stress or manage symptoms. It is clinically relevant to incorporate personal reasons for actively and regularly using substances as part of personalized substance treatment and BD symptom management.

Correlates of Problem Drinking and Drug Use in Black Sexual Assault Victims

Few studies have examined factors related to problem drinking and drug use in Black sexual assault victims. Given that sexual assault and histories of trauma are associated with substance abuse in victims, research is needed to determine what factors may be related to these outcomes for Black survivors. Furthermore, child sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for substance abuse, but no studies have examined correlates of substance abuse outcomes separately according to CSA history. This study examines a large diverse sample of Black sexual assault victims (N = 495) to determine the associations of demographics, trauma history, assault characteristics, and postassault psychosocial factors with problem drinking and drug use using multivariate regressions. Traumatic life events, using substances to cope and self-blame, were associated with greater problem drinking and drug use. Implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.

Perceptions of guided imagery for stress management in pregnant African American women

Maternal stress during pregnancy has been associated with numerous adverse pregnancy, birth, and health outcomes. Pregnant African American women have been reported to have higher levels of stress compared to other ethnic or racial groups underscoring the need for effective interventions to reduce stress in this population. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of guided imagery (GI) as a technique for stress management in a cohort of pregnant African American women who participated in a GI intervention as part of a larger mixed methods randomized controlled trial. The 12week intervention was a professionally recorded compact disc with four tracks developed and sequenced to reduce stress and associated symptoms. The findings from this descriptive phenomenologic study were derived from daily logs and interviews from 36 participants randomized to the GI group. Participants described the stressful nature of their lives. Results demonstrated pregnant African American women perceived the intervention as beneficial in reducing stress and the associated symptoms. The emergent themes suggested the intervention offered a respite from their stressful lives, reduced the negative emotional responses to stress and enhanced well-being, benefited other areas of their daily life, and provided an opportunity to connect with their baby. The study results support the perceived efficacy of GI as a stress coping intervention. GI is an economic as well as easy to implement, access and use technique that has potential stress coping benefits as perceived by pregnant African American women.

Race, coping strategies, and substance use behaviors: a preliminary analysis examining white and American Indian adolescents

The association between stress exposure and substance use has been the subject of numerous studies. However, no prior study has explored the role of coping strategies in moderating the stress-substance use association for American Indian adolescents. Our preliminary study of coping strategies and substance use among a sample (n = 568) of rural American Indian and white adolescents revealed a number of similarities across both groups, but also some important differences. Results of logistic regression analyses revealed that the relationship between an avoidant coping strategy and marijuana use differed for whites and American Indians. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Attitudes and perceptions towards substances among people with mental disorders: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To develop effective interventions for people with coexisting mental disorders (MD) and substance use, it may be beneficial to understand their attitudes and perceptions of substances.

METHOD

A systematic literature search regarding attitudes and perceptions towards tobacco, alcohol or cannabis among people with MD was conducted. Studies' methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

Twenty-one papers were included in the review and found to have generally low methodological quality. Papers investigated reasons for substance use, substance use expectancies, substances' perceived effects and reasons for quitting. People with psychotic disorders reported using substances primarily for relaxation and pleasure. Among people with mood disorders, alcohol was used primarily for social motives and tobacco for negative affect reduction.

CONCLUSION

For substance use interventions among people with MD to be more effective, it may be necessary to tailor interventions specifically for this population and customize by substance type. Gaps in the literature regarding attitudes and perceptions towards substance use among people with MD were identified, which future research should aim to address. These include designing and conducting methodologically rigorous research, investigating perceived harmfulness and knowledge of substances, and broadening recruitment of participants to include people with MD other than psychosis.

Daily stress and alcohol consumption: modeling between-person and within-person ethnic variation in coping behavior

OBJECTIVE

Using a daily diary approach, the current study evaluated the relationship between coping and alcohol consumption using a large, multiethnic sample. The primary goals of this study were to (a) identify coping strategies that are either protective or risk factors for alcohol consumption and (b) model between-ethnic and within-ethnic group variation for these relations.

METHOD

College students (N = 365, 69.0% female) were recruited via flyers, course/club presentations, and university seminars. Participants completed Internet-based daily diaries over the course of 5 days and reported specifically on a target stressful event, how they coped with the stressful event, and the amount of alcohol consumed on a daily level.

RESULTS

Use of more avoidance-oriented coping strategies (minimization of stressor, emotional rumination) and social support were significantly associated with more alcohol consumption. Ethnicity, however, did moderate some coping-alcohol associations. Use of religious coping was associated with less alcohol consumption and minimization of the stressor was associated with more alcohol consumption in African Americans; use of social support was associated with more alcohol consumption in Asian Americans; and use of problem-focused coping was associated with less alcohol consumption in Whites.

CONCLUSIONS

Three maladaptive or risky coping strategies with respect to alcohol consumption were identified using an ecologically valid methodology. However, ethnic-specific variation of these risky (and protective) coping factors was identified. The findings highlight the importance of considering both between-ethnic and within-ethnic group variation with respect to the stress/coping and alcohol consumption.

Nursing knowledge about alcohol use and alcohol problems in women: a review of the literature

In this article, the authors review the nursing empirical literature on alcohol and women's health published over the past 5 years (2005-2010). A total of 36 data-based articles authored by nurse investigators met eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Most were single studies by individual nurse investigators; few studies reflected ongoing programs of research related to alcohol and women's health. Studies were categorized into four main groups, including (a) determinants of alcohol use and alcohol problems; (b) patterns of use, assessment of alcohol use, and comorbidity; (c) consequences of alcohol use; and (d) the effects of treatment or specific interventions and the contributions of nursing research to the knowledge base of each group are summarized. The authors then propose a research agenda for nursing that addresses the most pressing issues related to alcohol use and alcohol problems in women.