An open trial investigation of Treatnet Family among adolescents with substance use problems

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Treatnet Family (TF) had a positive significant impact in reducing alcohol use.

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After participating in the TF, the adolescents were engaged with significantly fewer friends who consumed substances and participated in antisocial behaviours.

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The two most reported life events (i.e., “got in a lot of arguments or fights” and “had problems with drugs or alcohol”) before the intervention were significantly decreased at the follow-up assessment.

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Based on parent’s/family member’s reports, there was a significant decrease in mental health problems across time.

Introduction

Studies that used evidence-based family therapies have demonstrated significant effects in reducing adolescent drug use and delinquent behaviours, and in reducing comorbid mental health problems. However, almost all these studies were conducted in high-income countries. The overall aim of the present study was to explore the effect of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Treatnet Family (TF) in reducing substance consumption, drug-related activities, reducing mental health problems, and in improving family interaction among adolescents with substance-use problems.

Method

Nineteen adolescents who had been referred to a community counselling clinic because of substance-use problems and their parents/family members participated in TF. They completed a set of questionnaires to measure substance use, family functioning, mental health problems, and life events at pre-, post-intervention as well as at a one month-follow-up assessment.

Results

TF had a positive significant impact in reducing alcohol use among adolescents with substance-use problems. The number of adolescents who smoked cigarettes and marijuana, and used amphetamines reduced across time. After participating in TF, the adolescents were involved with significantly fewer friends who consumed substances and participated in antisocial behaviours. Furthermore, parent/family member reported a significant decrease in mental health problems, and positive changes in adolescent’s behaviours.

Conclusion

The TF had a positive impact in reducing alcohol consumption and problems related to substance consumption among adolescents with substance-use problems when delivered by practitioners in routine community settings.

Personality Correlates of Alcohol Consumption and Aggression in a Hispanic College Population

The authors examined the association between alcohol consumption and aggression from a personality trait perspective with 92 self-identified Hispanic college students. They partially replicated a study by Quigley, Corbett, and Tedeshi, which examined the relationships between desired image of power, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol-related aggression. Among male participants, impulsivity did not correlate with either alcohol consumption or frequency of fighting, whereas with females there was a strong positive correlation between impulsivity and alcohol consumption and a weak positive correlation between impulsivity and frequency of fighting. When the results were compared to those of Quigley et al., it was found that the Hispanic participants drank and fought less. The best predictor variable for male alcohol consumption was the desire to be viewed as “tough.” “Activity” was the primary predictor for female alcohol consumption.

Comorbidity of substance use disorders among community-based and high-risk adolescents

The aim of this article was to examine the frequency and comorbidity of substance use disorders (SUD) among community-based adolescents and high-risk adolescents, using the same methodology. Adolescents from the community (N=1035) were recruited from 36 schools. High-risk adolescents (N=374) comprised those whose parent(s) have the diagnosis of SUD and who were undergoing a treatment for their SUD. Adolescents were interviewed using the computerized Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to access the presence of SUD and other major DSM-IV psychiatric disorders. The lifetime rate of SUD was significantly lower in the community-based (12.3%) than the high-risk (38.3%) groups of adolescents. In both settings, SUD co-occurred highly with other psychiatric disorders. About 52.7% and 62.2% of the community-based and high-risk adolescents with SUD, respectively, had at least one additional disorder. Adolescents with SUD and comorbid disorders were significantly more psychologically distressed, compared to adolescents with SUD only. Adolescents with SUD had significantly lower perceived attachment to parents, but significantly higher attachment to peers compared to adolescents without any psychiatric disorders. The implications of the present findings were discussed in terms of the need to design prevention program especially for high-risk children, and also stressed the importance of conducting comprehensive assessment among adolescents referred for the treatment of SUD.

The physiology of willpower: linking blood glucose to self-control

Past research indicates that self-control relies on some sort of limited energy source. This review suggests that blood glucose is one important part of the energy source of self-control. Acts of self-control deplete relatively large amounts of glucose. Self-control failures are more likely when glucose is low or cannot be mobilized effectively to the brain (i.e., when insulin is low or insensitive). Restoring glucose to a sufficient level typically improves self-control. Numerous self-control behaviors fit this pattern, including controlling attention, regulating emotions, quitting smoking, coping with stress, resisting impulsivity, and refraining from criminal and aggressive behavior. Alcohol reduces glucose throughout the brain and body and likewise impairs many forms of self-control. Furthermore, self-control failure is most likely during times of the day when glucose is used least effectively. Self-control thus appears highly susceptible to glucose. Self-control benefits numerous social and interpersonal processes. Glucose might therefore be related to a broad range of social behavior.

Positron emission tomography imaging of the serotonin transporter in subjects with a history of alcoholism

BACKGROUND

Our purpose was to investigate the serotonin transporter (SERT) in various brain regions of alcoholics using positron emission tomography and C-11 McN5652.

METHOD

Thirty-two adult subjects were involved, 17 social drinkers as control subjects and 15 subjects who were abstinent or recovering alcoholics. Concomitant psychiatric diseases were ruled out based on DSM-IV criteria. The majority of subjects were men. Radioligand binding in 11 brain areas was expressed as the total distribution volume (DV), distribution volume of specific binding (DV(spec)), and distribution volume ratio (DVR). The cerebellum was used as reference tissue for calculation of DV(spec) and DVR.

RESULTS

In subjects with a history of alcoholism, DV was lower in all brain regions, with significant differences in the midbrain, thalamus, amygdala, pons, cingulate gyrus, frontal cortex, and cerebellum. Additionally, DV(spec) was lower in all brain regions, but differences were only significant in the midbrain; DVR was lower in nine regions but the differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

These studies demonstrate lower binding of [(11)C](+)McN5652 to the SERT in the brain of abstinent or recovering alcoholics compared with control subjects. Differences in the radioligand distribution volumes are more significant before than after correction for nonspecific binding of the radioligand.