Revisiting resilience: Examining the relationships between stress, social support, and drinking behavior among black college students with parental substance use disorder histories

Childhood trauma and college student health: a review of the literature

The experience of childhood trauma is known to predict health-relevant outcomes across the lifespan. Previous reviews summarize existing knowledge of the implications of childhood trauma for health in young adults and adults more generally. The current theoretical review aims to integrate the existing literature on the relationship between childhood trauma and health-relevant outcomes specifically in college students, consolidating findings across specific health domains. Further, the following theoretical review highlights the need for more research in this area and discusses how college campuses may use the knowledge in this area of work to develop targeted interventions aimed at improving the health of college students who experienced trauma in childhood.

Alcohol Use and Mental Health Symptoms in Nurses during the Early Months of COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

The current study examined associations of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, and generalized anxiety disorder [GAD] with alcohol consumption and drinking to cope in a sample of 310 nurses during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

Using a cross-sectional design, nurses completed online surveys.

RESULTS

Over 50% of the sample reported alcohol misuse and 12.2% reported drinking to cope. Further, 38.7% reported elevated symptoms of PTSD, 29.7% moderate-to-high symptoms of depression, and 56.8% elevated symptoms of GAD symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine how mental health symptoms were associated with alcohol outcomes, controlling for age, gender pronouns, education, and race. No significant predictors emerged for alcohol consumption. Significant associations of symptoms of PTSD and depression were found for drinking to cope, such that higher levels of mental health symptoms were associated with greater endorsement of drinking to cope.

CONCLUSION

Results are discussed in light of increasing prevention and support services for nurses.

Research Review: The neuroscience of emerging adulthood - reward, ambiguity, and social support as building blocks of mental health

BACKGROUND

The interval between adolescence and adulthood, 'emerging adulthood' (EA), lays the foundation for lifelong health and well-being. To date, there exist little empirical data - particularly in the neurobiological domain - to establish markers of risk and resilience during the transition to adulthood. This gap in the literature is concerning given the numerous forms of psychiatric illness that emerge or worsen during this period.

METHODS

In this review, we focus on two strands of research with distinct importance for EA: reward sensitivity, and tolerance of ambiguity. We begin by placing these domains in a framework that considers the unique developmental goals of EA and then synthesize emerging neurobiological research on how these domains develop during EA. We then consider their role in common mental health problems that occur during this interval as well as how social support may moderate outcomes. Finally, we offer recommendations for advancing research to understand developmental process and outcomes in EA.

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Few longitudinal studies specifically address emerging adult development and the milestones that characterize this interval. Data on neurobiological development are similarly sparse. Understanding neurobiological development during this window and its links to key adjustment outcomes is crucial for optimizing outcomes.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Misuse Among Black Emerging Adults: The Influence of Social Support

Objective: Black emerging adults are significantly impacted by substance misuse. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with heightened substance misuse among Black emerging adults. However, limited research has identified protective factors that may influence the strength of the relation between PTSD and substance misuse in this population. Addressing this important limitation, the present study examined the potential moderating role of perceived social support in the association between PTSD symptoms and substance (i.e., alcohol and drug) misuse. Methods: Participants were 182 trauma-exposed Black emerging adults (M age = 20.50; 71.3% women) who completed self-report measures assessing PTSD symptoms, alcohol and drug misuse, and perceived social support. Results: PTSD symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with both alcohol and drug misuse. Moderation analyses indicated that positive relations between PTSD symptoms and both alcohol and drug misuse were only significant among Black emerging adults with lower (but not higher) levels of perceived social support. Conclusions: These findings suggest the potential utility of addressing social support in the assessment and treatment of substance misuse in trauma-exposed Black emerging adults.

Compensatory Social Networking Site Use, Family Support, and Depression Among College Freshman: Three-Wave Panel Study

BACKGROUND

Freshmen were found to use social networking sites (SNS) as a useful medium to effectively adjust to college life, which hints at a tendency to resort to SNS for social compensation. However, the compensatory use of SNS is usually problematic.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores why a subgroup of freshmen developed depressive symptoms while socially adjusting to college by investigating the antecedent role of introversion, the explanatory role of compensatory use of SNS, and the protective role of perceived family support. The study is among the first to point out the relevance of the compensatory use of SNS in explaining the indirect association between introversion and depression with a longitudinal design.

METHODS

A 3-wave panel sample of freshmen (N=1137) is used to examine the moderated mediation model.

RESULTS

We found that introversion at Wave 1 positively predicted compensatory use of SNS at Wave 2 and subsequently increased depression at Wave 3 (unstandardized B=0.07, SE 0.02, P<.001, 95% CI 0.04-0.10; unstandardized B=0.09, SE 0.01, P<.001, 95% CI 0.06-0.12). The moderated mediation model further examined the buffering role of perceived family support within the link between introversion and compensatory SNS use (index=0.0031, SE 0.0015, 95% CI 0.0003-0.0062). Unexpectedly, we found that family support in Wave 1 decreased compensatory SNS use for less introverted freshmen in Wave 2 and further decreased depression in Wave 3.

CONCLUSIONS

Unexpectedly, our findings uncover an enhancing effect, rather than a buffering effect, of family support by embedding its effect within the relationship between introversion and compensatory SNS use. Appreciating the differences in the casual pathways for freshmen with different levels of introversion clarifies how SNS affect young adults' lives.

Factors in Assessing Recidivism Risk in Young Offenders

The research aims to identify if the accumulation of protective and/or risk factors might predict the risk of recidivism in juvenile delinquents and determine the relative weight of both types of factors in the predictions themselves. The risk of criminal recidivism was assessed with the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth—SAVRY—instrument based on a sample of 192 Adolescents in Conflict with the Law—ACLs—held in juvenile detention centers in the Valencian Community (Spain). The results show that protective variables have greater relative consistency than risk variables when assessing recidivism risk in ACLs. The paper’s findings enable advances in the identification of antisocial behavior patterns using positive variables, and this in turn involves modifying any intervention proposals made by professionals of juvenile justice because psycho-socio-educational processes can now be dealt with on the basis of the ACLs’ potentialities (protective factors) rather than their deficiencies (risk factors) alone.