Substance use in childhood and adolescence and its associations with quality of life and behavioral strengths and difficulties

Model of structural equations on the perception of aspects of school life and substance consumption as predictors of problem behavior in adolescents

Introduction

Problematic behavior and drug use are behaviors of social concern, especially in adolescence. There are school factors that can contribute to their development or prevent them. The objective was to establish explanatory models of the relationship between various school variables with the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis; determining its direct and/or indirect relationship with problematic behaviors.

Materials and methods

The study was cross-sectional with a sample of 346 students (Main Age=14.81; 54% women) from secondary education. Structural Equation Model (SEM) were carried to analyze the relationship between the dimensions of the Scale of perception of aspects of school life and alcohol, tobacco and cannabis consume with the presence of Problematic Behavior.

Results

Problem behavior was predicted by alcohol, tobacco and cannabis consume, and binge drinking. Different aspects of school life differentially predicted problem behavior and drug use. Sense of challenge was observed as having a reciprocal predictive relationship with problem behavior. Perception of oneself at school predicts both alcohol and tobacco use; while the value given to school predicts binge drinking.

Discussion

These findings suggests that, when addressing problem behavior and drug use that affect minors in school and have repercussions on class dynamics and academic outcomes, we should not focus exclusively on these problem areas, but rather take a more integrated approach that includes modifying different school-related aspects that act as risk factors for these types of problems.

Immersive virtual plus-maze to examine behavior and psychophysiological-related variables in young people with problematic alcohol and cannabis consumption

Stressful events appear to be risky situations that can precipitate the consumption of drugs. One way to recreate stressful contexts, in an ecological and controlled method, is through immersive virtual reality (VR). In our study, we designed the scenario of an elevated plus-maze (EPM) using VR, which is widely used in animal models to assess unconditioned anxiety. This task allowed us to analyze the behavioral, psychophysiological (heart rate and electrodermal activity), and hormonal response (salivary cortisol and Alpha-amylase) to this stressful situation in different moments (before VR task (anticipation), at the end of the task and 10 minutes later) in young people with problematic alcohol use (AU, n = 27), alcohol combined with cannabis consumption (AU + C, n = 10), as well as in a control group (CO, n = 33). Behavioral analysis revealed that the AU group displayed fewer entries into open arms than the CO group, whereas both experimental groups spent less time at the end of the open arms, as well as lower time by look down index compared to the CO group. Moreover, our VR EPM induced different psychophysiological responses in the different moments measured. In general, electrodermal activity seemed to be a good biomarker of recovery from a stressful situation, as once the exposure to the stressful situation ended, the AU + C group took longer to recover compared to the CO group. Regarding hormonal analyses, we observed a similar response pattern in all groups suggesting that our VR task was able to activate both stress systems. The alpha-amylase to cortisol ratio, proposed as a biomarker of stress systems dysregulation, was higher in the group of young participants with alcohol abuse. Interestingly, our VR EPM was able to induce a slight alcohol craving in both experimental groups. In conclusion, our results suggest certain subtle behavioral and physiological differences that could be used to detect young individuals at risk of future severe addictions or other stress-related comorbidities. Moreover, it could help us to develop prevention strategies focused on emotional, cognitive, and psychophysiological aspects.

Mental Health and Smoking-Related Determinants of Alcohol Drinking Experience in Korean Adolescents

This study aimed to identify the determinants of mental health and smoking-related behaviors among Korean adolescents with drinking experience. Secondary data from the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2021) were analyzed. The final study sample consisted of data from 5905 adolescents with a history of smoking. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the factors related to drinking experience. The factors that influenced alcohol drinking were sex, school level, academic performance, self-reported depression, and smoking. The results of this study showed that there are numerous factors affecting adolescents' drinking experience. Early education and interventions are needed to reduce alcohol consumption among adolescents. Integrated attention and support from society, school, and family are necessary so that they can cope with and adapt to stress in a healthy way.

Exploring the Black Box of an mHealth Intervention (LIFE4YOUth): A Qualitative Process and Outcome Evaluation of End-User Engagement

The effectiveness of mHealth interventions rely on whether the content successfully activate mechanisms necessary for behavior change. These mechanisms may be affected by end-users' experience of the intervention content. The aim of this study was to explore how the content of a novel mHealth intervention (LIFE4YOUth) was understood, interpreted, and applied by high school students, and the consequences of engaging with the content. Qualitative content analysis was used inductively and deductively to analyze interview data (n = 16) based on think-aloud techniques with Swedish high school students aged 16-19 years. Theoretical constructs from social cognitive theory framed the deductive analysis. The analysis resulted in four categories which describe central activities of intervention engagement among end-users: defining, considering, centralizing, and personalizing. End-users engaged in these activities to different degrees as illustrated by four typologies: Literal, Vague, Rigid, and Creative engagement. Most informants knew about the risks and benefits of health behaviors, but engagement with intervention content generally increased informants' awareness. In conclusion, this study provides in-depth knowledge on the cognitive process when engaging with mHealth content and suggests that deliberate and flexible engagement most likely deepens end-users' understanding of why and how health behavior change can be managed.