Growth of men's alcohol use in early adulthood: intimate partners' influence

Investigating the Relative Influence of Romantic Sex Partners and Close Friends on Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Use

A large body of research has identified peer exposure as a key factor driving adolescent substance use. However, findings on the role of sex partners are less robust and mixed. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the independent contribution of close friends' and sex partners' alcohol and marijuana use on adolescents' use of these substances. A secondary data analysis of social network data collected in 2000-2002 from a household sample of African American youth (14-19 years old) in the Bayview and Hunter's Point neighborhoods of San Francisco was conducted. Index participants and their nominated close friends and romantic sex partners (N = 104 triads) self-reported recent alcohol and marijuana use (defined as any use in the past 3 months). Generalized estimated equations were used to estimate the independent association between adolescent's recent substance use and their friend's and sex partner's use. Adolescents with a marijuana-using romantic sex partner had a nearly six-fold higher odds of using marijuana compared to adolescents with a non-using partner, controlling for close friend's marijuana use and other confounders [OR:5.69, 95%CI: 1.94, 16.7]; no association with close friend's marijuana use was found. A similar pattern was observed for alcohol use. Adolescents with an alcohol-using romantic sex partner had increased odds of using alcohol compared to adolescents with a non-using partner, controlling for close friend's alcohol use and other confounders [OR:2.40, 95%CI: 1.02, 5.63]; no association with close friend's alcohol use was found. Romantic sex partners may play a unique and significant role in adolescent substance use. Peer-focused interventions may be more effective if they consider romantic sex partners. Future research should consider the role of romantic sex partners in changing social context related to substance use from adolescence to young adulthood.

The role of resources in the face of psychopathology

OBJECTIVES

The current study compared resource realization and psychological distress in patients with different psychiatric diagnoses and healthy individuals and examined the moderating effect of intrapersonal resources (personal strengths) and interpersonal resources (relationships) on the association between incongruence (unsatisfactory realization of personal goals) and psychological distress.

METHOD

In total, 218 participants (45.87% female, mean age = 39.83 years) completed standardized questionnaires at one measurement point.

RESULTS

Healthy individuals (n = 56) reported the most resources, followed by patients with psychotic (n = 53), substance use (n = 53), and depressive disorders (n = 56). While patients with psychotic disorders benefited from intra- and interpersonal resources, patients with depression only benefitted from intrapersonal resources. Patients with substance use disorders did not benefit from resources at all.

CONCLUSIONS

Depending on the diagnosis, patients evaluated their level of resources differently and benefitted in different ways. The results suggest that within psychotherapy, it might be useful to strengthen resources, especially for patients with depressive and substance use disorders.

Mediation analysis with binary outcomes: Direct and indirect effects of pro-alcohol influences on alcohol use disorders

A risk factor or intervention (an independent variable) may influence a substance abuse outcome (the dependent variable) indirectly, by affecting an intervening variable (a mediator) that in turn affects that outcome. Mediation analysis is a statistical method commonly used to examine the interrelations among independent, mediating, and dependent variables to obtain the direct and indirect effects of an independent variable on a continuous dependent variable. However, mediation analysis may also be used with binary outcomes, such as a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Study 1 demonstrated methods of mediation analysis with binary outcomes by examining the direct and indirect effects of pro-alcohol social influences on an AUD, as a function of: (a) the distribution of the independent variable (binary vs. continuous), (b) the frequency of the outcome (non-rare vs. rare), and (c) the effect metric (probability vs. odds ratio). Study 2 was a Monte Carlo (simulation) study of bias in the indirect effects based on estimates from the first study. These methods have wide applicability in addictions research because many key outcomes are binary, and mediation analysis is frequently used to study the causal mechanisms by which interventions and risk factors affect substance abuse.

The Influence of Romantic Relationships on Substance Use in Emerging Adulthood

The current work built on prior research showing aspects of romantic relationships, including relationship quality and partner substance use, influence individual risk for substance use during emerging adulthood. Analyses were based on a sample of males from the Pathways to Desistance Project (PDP) data. Romantic relationships were quantified with an aggregate measure of relationship quality and specific measures of relationship satisfaction, monitoring, and partner antisocial behavior. With a focus on emerging adulthood, the current work was centered on Waves 8 and 9 of the PDP data. Regression models tested the association between the relationship measures and alcohol intoxication, marijuana use, and hard drug use in the past year. Models considered both contemporaneous and longitudinal effects. Across the aspects of romantic relationships, monitoring and partner antisocial behavior had the most consistent association with substance use. The association between monitoring and substance use was strongest when longitudinal effects were tested among those in a relationship at both Waves 8 and 9. Peer antisocial behavior and prior substance use were also associated with substance use. Results show that romantic relationships have an important influence on substance use within a criminal justice involved sample.

Binge Drinking and Depression: The Influence of Romantic Partners in Young Adulthood

Although research shows that spouses influence each other's health behaviors and psychological well-being, we know little about whether these patterns extend to young people in nonmarital as well as marital relationships. We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to consider how a romantic partner's binge drinking and depression influence the respondent's binge drinking and depression within 1,111 young adult couples and explore whether these processes are moderated by gender. We find that partners' binge drinking is associated with increased odds of binge drinking for respondents, and partners' depression is associated with increased odds of depression for respondents. Further, depression among men is associated with reduced odds of binge drinking among their female partners. Findings suggest that processes of partner influence begin even in young adulthood with implications for cumulative effects on lifelong health behaviors and mental health.

Beyond pre-loading: Understanding the associations between pre-, side- and back-loading drinking behavior and risky drinking

This study examined the interaction between pre-, side- and back-loading drinking behaviors and their relationship to risky drinking, modeling to account for demographic characteristics. The study was based on an online non-probability panel survey of Victorian adults (18+) who purchased packaged liquor for off premises consumption in the previous 12months. Initially, 2545 participants entered the study, with 536 screened out, leaving a sample of 2008 respondents. While pre-loading was the most commonly reported loading behavior, back-loading and side-loading were reported almost as frequently. We found a clear association between loading and risky drinking behavior. Respondents who reported engaging in all loading behaviors were more likely to report regular very risky drinking. Age and sex were significant factors influencing the relationship between loading types and risky drinking behavior; income, marital status, and the interaction between sex and age were not significant factors. We show a broad range of loading behaviors associated with increased levels of risky drinking. Future research should seek to investigate these loading behaviors among a general population sample.

Disparities in drinking patterns and risks among ethnic majority and minority groups in China: The roles of acculturation, religion, family and friends

OBJECTIVE

Studies investigating alcohol consumption related factors have rarely focused on the relationship between acculturation, religion and drinking patterns. The objective of this study is to explore the predictors of drinking patterns and their mutual relationships, especially acculturation, ethnicity and religion.

METHODS

A cross-sectional household survey using a multistage systematic sampling technique was conducted in Yunnan Province of China. A revised Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) Chinese version were used to measure acculturation and drinking patterns. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the structures of how predictors affect drinking patterns.

RESULTS

A total of 977 subjects aged 12-35 years were surveyed. A higher percentage of binge drinking was found among Lisu people. However, the proportion of drinking until intoxication was highest among Han. Gender and enculturation had both direct (standardized β=-0.193, -0.079) and indirect effects (standardized β=-0.126, 0.033) on risky drinking pattern; perceived risk of alcohol consumption (-0.065), family drinking environment (0.061), and friend drinking environment (0.352) affected risky drinking pattern directly, while education level (0.066), ethnicity (-0.038), acculturation (0.012), religious belief (-0.038), and age group (0.088) had indirect effects.

CONCLUSION

Risky drinking pattern was associated with gender and aboriginal culture enculturation both directly and indirectly, and related to mainstream culture acculturation and religious belief indirectly. Other demographic (such as education level) and social family factors (friend drinking environment for example) also had effects on risky drinking pattern.

Proximal vs. distal predictors of alcohol use disorders and treatment utilization in at-risk men in early middle age

Understanding factors that predict both development and treatment of alcohol misuse and its consequences can inform prevention and treatment efforts. This study used measures of both proximal (e.g., behaviors) and distal (e.g., traits) risk factors that were predicted to relate to both an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to treatment utilization among AUD-diagnosed men to test the hypothesis that both type of factors predict AUDs but only proximal factors influence treatment-seeking. Analyses of variance with contrasts were used to compare the means for risk factors between men with an AUD and AUD-free men and-given an AUD diagnosis-between men who were treated for an AUD and untreated men (n=181). As predicted, men with AUDs differed on a broad range of proximal and distal factors, including number of alcohol problems, alcohol-related influences of peers and partners, alcohol expectancies, familial factors, and psychopathology. As hypothesized, only proximal risk factors predicted treatment-seeking among the AUD men, particularly alcohol problems and related consequences.

Alcohol and marijuana use in early adulthood for at-risk men: time-varying associations with peer and partner substance use

BACKGROUND

Time-varying associations of 185 at-risk men's (from the Oregon Youth Study) substance use with that of their peers and partner over a 10-year period (ages 23 to 32 years) were examined. Moderation of effects by time with peers and partner and their age were tested.

METHOD

Growth models were used to predict changes in heavy episodic drinking (HED) alcohol use and marijuana use as a function of substance use by their female partners and male peers.

RESULTS

Time with peers and peer substance use significantly predicted HED (ORs=1.6, 2.3), alcohol use (ORs=1.6, 2.1), volume of alcohol use (IRRs=1.5, 1.3), and marijuana use (ORs=12.8, 1.7); peer marijuana use predicted volume of marijuana use (B=2.5). Partner substance use significantly predicated marijuana volume (B=2.7). Partner alcohol use predicted alcohol volume (IRR=1.1), but was moderated by time with partner and age (IRR=1.0). Time with partner and partner marijuana use predicted marijuana use (OR=0.5, 2.7), as did the interaction of the two (OR=3.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Outcome-specific substance use of peers and partners was significantly associated with indicators of alcohol and marijuana use in men's early adulthood, with robust effects of peer substance use through age 30 years and with time spent with peers influencing alcohol use. Time with partner was protective against marijuana use unless the partner used marijuana. Peers and partners should be considered in intervention efforts to effectively reduce men's substance use in early adulthood.

Age Differences in the Longitudinal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Alcohol Use

Research on the relationship between work-family conflict and alcohol use has generally shown small effects possibly due to failure to include important individual differences relevant to the experience of work-family conflict and alcohol use, notably age. This study examined whether the relationships between aspects of work-family conflict and alcohol use variables differed by age. Participants were 543 individuals (51.2% women) from a community sample of working adults in the greater Chicagoland area who responded to a mail survey at three time points. Results showed important differences between age groups in several predictors of alcohol use. Strain versus time-based conflict had different effects on drinking, and strain-based forms of work-family conflict were related to increased problematic alcohol use depending on age. This study indicates that individual differences, particularly age, should be systematically accounted for when studying the relationship between work-family conflict and alcohol use.

Drug Use Trajectories After a Randomized Controlled Trial of MTFC: Associations with Partner Drug Use

Trajectories of drug use were examined in a sample of women with prior juvenile-justice system involvement. One hundred fifty-three young women who participated in a randomized controlled trial of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) in adolescence were assessed on five occasions over a 24-month period in young adulthood (mean age = 22.29 years at T1). Participants assigned to the MTFC condition during adolescence reported greater decreases in drug use than girls assigned to the treatment as usual (TAU) condition. Partner drug use was significantly associated with women's concurrent drug use, although participants in the MTFC condition were more resilient to partner drug use than in the TAU condition. Implications for drug use prevention and intervention programs during adolescence are discussed.