New evidence about the "dark side" of social cohesion in promoting binge drinking among adolescents

Childhood neighborhoods and health: Census-based neighborhood measures versus residential lived experiences

This study examines the impact of neighborhood disadvantage and neighborhood social connectedness during childhood on subsequent health status during early adulthood. We link longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics with Census data on children's surrounding neighborhoods. We estimate results with conventional linear regression and novel methods that better adjust for neighborhood selection processes. We find that neighborhood connectedness in childhood is protective against psychological distress in early adulthood, net of selection effects. However, greater connectedness exacerbates the risk of obesity within disadvantaged contexts for Black youth. Our results highlight a potential pathway for improving population health by investing in the social connectedness of neighborhoods alongside reducing structural inequalities.

Social Cohesion in Health: A Concept Analysis

The concept of social cohesion has been indicated to be a critical social determinant of health in recent literature. Inconsistencies surrounding the conceptualization and operationalization have made utilizing these findings to inform health intervention and policy difficult. The objective of this article is to provide a theoretical clarification of the concept "social cohesion," as it relates to health behaviors and outcomes by using the Rodgers' evolutionary method for concept analyses. This article uncovers the critical attributes, antecedents, and consequences of social cohesion and provides reflection on future use of social cohesion in health literature.

Socioeconomic factors and substances involved in poisoning-related emergency department visits in British Columbia, Canada

INTRODUCTION

Canada's opioid crisis has taken thousands of lives, increasing awareness of poisoning-related injuries as an important public health issue. However, in British Columbia (BC), where overdose mortality rates are the highest in Canada, studies have not yet identified which demographic populations most often visit emergency departments (ED) due to all poisonings, nor which substances are most commonly involved. The aim of this study was to explore these gaps, after developing a methodology for calculating ED visit rates in BC.

METHODS

Poisoning-related ED visit rates during fiscal years 2012/13 to 2016/17, inclusive, were calculated by sex, age group, poisoning substance and socioeconomic status, using a novel methodology developed in this study. ED data were sourced from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and population data from Statistics Canada's 2016 (or 2011) census profiles.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were an estimated 81 463 poisoning-related ED visits (351.2 per 100 000 population). Infants, toddlers, youth and those aged 20-64 years had elevated risks of poisoning-related ED visits. Rates were highest among those in neighbourhoods with the greatest material (607.8 per 100 000 population) or social (484.2 per 100 000 population) deprivation. Over time, narcotics and psychodysleptics became increasingly common poisoning agents, while alcohol remained problematic.

CONCLUSION

A methodology for estimating ED visit rates in BC was developed and applied to determine poisoning-related ED visit rates among various demographic groups within BC. British Columbians most vulnerable to poisoning have been identified, emphasizing the need for efforts to limit drug overdoses and excessive alcohol intoxication to reduce rates of these preventable injuries.

Risk and resilience for alcohol use disorder revealed in brain functional connectivity

A family history of alcoholism (FH) increases risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD), yet many at-risk individuals never develop alcohol use problems. FH is associated with intermediate levels of risk phenotypes, whereas distinct, compensatory brain changes likely promote resilience. Although several cognitive, behavioral, and personality factors have been associated with AUD, the relative contributions of these processes and their neural underpinnings to risk or resilience processes remains less clear. We examined whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and behavioral metrics from 841 young adults from the Human Connectome Project, including healthy controls, individuals with AUD, and their unaffected siblings. First, we identified functional connections in which unaffected siblings were intermediate between controls and AUD, indicating AUD risk, and those in which siblings diverged, indicating resilience. Canonical correlations relating brain risk and resilience FC to behavioral patterns revealed AUD risk and resilience phenotypes. Risk phenotypes primarily implicated frontal-parietal networks corresponding with executive function, impulsivity, externalizing behaviors, and social-emotional intelligence. Conversely, resilience-related phenotypes were underpinned by networks of medial prefrontal, striatal, temporal, brainstem and cerebellar connectivity, which associated with high trait attention and low antisocial behavior. Additionally, we calculated "polyphenotypic" risk and resilience scores, to investigate how the relative load of risk and resilience phenotypes influenced the probability of an AUD diagnosis. Polyphenotypic scores predicted AUD in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, resilience phenotypes interacted with risk phenotypes, reducing their effects. The hypothesis-generating results revealed interpretable AUD-related phenotypes and offer brain-informed targets for developing more effective interventions.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Binge Drinking: Towards an Integrated Conceptualization and Evaluation

RATIONALE

Binge drinking (BD), characterized by recurring alternations between intense intoxication episodes and abstinence periods, is the most frequent alcohol consumption pattern in youth and is growing in prevalence among older adults. Many studies have underlined the specific harmful impact of this habit by showing impaired abilities in a wide range of cognitive functions among binge drinkers, as well as modifications of brain structure and function.

AIMS

Several controversies and inconsistencies currently hamper the harmonious development of the field and the recognition of BD as a specific alcohol consumption pattern. The main concern is the absence of consensual BD conceptualization, leading to variability in experimental group selection and alcohol consumption evaluation. The present paper aims at overcoming this key issue through a two-step approach.

METHODS AND CONCLUSIONS

First, a literature review allows proposing an integrated BD conceptualization, distinguishing it from other subclinical alcohol consumption patterns. Six specific characteristics of BD are identified, namely, (1) the presence of physiological symptoms related to BD episodes, (2) the presence of psychological symptoms related to BD episodes, (3) the ratio of BD episodes compared to all alcohol drinking occasions, (4) the frequency of BD episodes, (5) the consumption speed and (6) the alternation between BD episodes and soberness periods. Second, capitalizing on this conceptual clarification, we propose an evaluation protocol jointly measuring these six BD characteristics. Finally, several research perspectives are presented to refine the proposed conceptualization.

LGBTQ state policies: A lever for reducing SGM youth substance use and bullying

PURPOSE

Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are more likely than their cisgender and heterosexual peers to use substances and to be bullied, yet it is unknown whether the absence/presence of youth- and LGBTQ-specific equity laws drive these disparities. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research focused on adult- and LGBTQ-specific structural factors (e.g., same-sex marriage laws) to determine whether the youths' structural environment (i.e., state-level LGBTQ youth-focused equity laws) was associated with bullying and recent alcohol use, binge drinking, and cigarette use among SGMY.

PROCEDURES

We utilized data from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey, collected in 2017 (N = 8,841 sexual and gender minority youth). Linear regression analyses examined the association between bullying and substance use and between state-level LGBTQ youth-focused equity laws (individually and as a composite variable) and bullying and substance use.

FINDINGS

SGMY living in states with LGBTQ equity laws were less likely to experience bullying. Findings regarding the relation between LGBTQ equity laws and substance use were mixed, such that LGBTQ equity laws were associated with a higher likelihood of binge drinking and alcohol use, and a lower likelihood of cigarette use.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the role of state-level equity laws in reducing bullying and substance use disparities for SGMY. Yet, given the finding that equity laws were associated with a higher likelihood of binge drinking, it is important to continue to explore how the structural environment shapes SGMY health.

Associations of social capital with binge drinking in a national sample of adults: The importance of neighborhoods and networks

BACKGROUND

While considerable research on adult binge drinking has focused on social influences, the potential role of social capital has been largely overlooked. This study examines the role of social capital, assessed in terms of both neighborhood and social network characteristics, in understanding adult binge drinking.

METHODS

Adults ages 30-80 were randomly drawn from the RAND American Life Panel and completed an online survey (analytic sample n = 1383). The main predictor variables were neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood order, and social network density. Associations of social capital with past month binge drinking (any, number of days) were examined, controlling for demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Zero-inflated negative binominal regression analysis indicated that any binge drinking was more likely among adults who lived in highly ordered neighborhoods and who had denser social networks but was negatively associated with neighborhood cohesion. However, binge drinking was more frequent among those who lived in neighborhoods lacking order and who had sparser social networks, but had no association with neighborhood cohesion. Age was not found to moderate associations of social capital with binge drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Given that the associations of social capital with adult binge drinking behavior appear to differ by level of influence and type of drinking behavior, there is a need to gain a more nuanced understanding of these complex associations, including the mechanisms through which they operate.

"Tell Me How Much Your Friends Consume"-Personal, Behavioral, Social, and Attitudinal Factors Associated with Alcohol and Cannabis Use among European School Students

BACKGROUND

Substance use in European adolescents remains a serious health concern. Assessing what affects adolescents' substance use is crucial for implementing effective prevention. This study aims to examine alcohol and cannabis use-related behavioral, social, and attitudinal variables that might directly be considered to guide prevention responses for adolescents.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data of 78,554 15-16-year-old school students from the 2011 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) from 26 European countries were analyzed. Self-reported drunkenness in the last 30 days and cannabis use in the last 12 months served as dependent variables. To investigate which factors are associated with risky substance use, multivariable logistic regressions were used.

RESULTS

17.7% of respondents reported drunkenness in the last 30 days, and 14.9% used cannabis in the last 12 months. The most important predictor for risky substance use was the perception that most/all of their friends engaged in substance use behavior, followed by lack of parental support, low personal adherence to rules, and low school performance.

CONCLUSION

Interventions addressing the perceived descriptive norms either directly or by changing environmental cues, opportunities, and regulations, as well as effective parenting and academic support may prevent and reduce risky substance use behavior among adolescents.

A commentary on "The trouble with trust: Time-series analysis of social capital, income inequality, and COVID-19 deaths in 84 countries"

This study investigates associations between central aspects of social capital (social trust, group affiliations, civic engagement, confidence in state institutions), income inequality (Gini index for income), and COVID-19 mortality in 84 countries included in different time waves of the World Values Survey (WVS) (Elgar et al., 2020). Comments: First, infectious diseases are either patterned according to socioeconomic status (SES), determined by e.g. habitus, nutrition and crowded housing or clustering, or not according to SES. Second, the focus on economic inequality measured as income inequality (Gini index) should be complemented with measures of wealth inequality (Gini index for wealth), following the globalization process with tax exempted multinational companies. Third, the aspects of social capital were measured in different time waves of the World Values Survey (WVS) for different countries, which is a weakness because trust and other aspects of social capital vary over time and depend on specific events and social and economic trends.

Adolescent Alcohol Use Trajectories: Risk Factors and Adult Outcomes

OBJECTIVES

Adolescents often display heterogenous trajectories of alcohol use. Initiation and escalation of drinking may be important predictors of later harms, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Previous conceptualizations of these trajectories lacked adjustment for known confounders of adolescent drinking, which we aimed to address by modeling dynamic changes in drinking throughout adolescence while adjusting for covariates.

METHODS

Survey data from a longitudinal cohort of Australian adolescents (n = 1813) were used to model latent class alcohol use trajectories over 5 annual follow-ups (mean age = 13.9 until 17.8 years). Regression models were used to determine whether child, parent, and peer factors at baseline (mean age = 12.9 years) predicted trajectory membership and whether trajectories predicted self-reported symptoms of AUD at the final follow-up (mean age = 18.8 years).

RESULTS

We identified 4 classes: abstaining (n = 352); late-onset moderate drinking (n = 503); early-onset moderate drinking (n = 663); and early-onset heavy drinking (n = 295). Having more alcohol-specific household rules reduced risk of early-onset heavy drinking compared with late-onset moderate drinking (relative risk ratio: 0.31; 99.5% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11-0.83), whereas having more substance-using peers increased this risk (relative risk ratio: 3.43; 99.5% CI: 2.10-5.62). Early-onset heavy drinking increased odds of meeting criteria for AUD in early adulthood (odds ratio: 7.68; 99.5% CI: 2.41-24.47).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides evidence that parenting factors and peer influences in early adolescence should be considered to reduce risk of later alcohol-related harm. Early initiation and heavy alcohol use throughout adolescence are associated with increased risk of alcohol-related harm compared with recommended maximum levels of consumption (late-onset, moderate drinking).

Perceived social capital and binge drinking in older adults: The Health and Retirement Study, US data from 2006-2014

OBJECTIVE

Social capital has been described as having both positive influences as well as negative influences ("the dark side") on health behaviors. We sought to test the association of perceived social capital on the risk of binge drinking among older adults, using a longitudinal design.

METHODS

We used HRS (Health and Retirement Study) data, a nationally representative sample of US adults aged ≥50 years evaluated every two years (from 2006 to 2014). We investigated the relationship between perceived social capital (neighborhood social cohesion and neighborhood physical disorder, positive social support and negative social support) and binge drinking over time, with a multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) approach, modelling number of binge-drinking days as hurdle negative binomial. We used MSEM estimating the associations at person level (overall) and within waves.

RESULTS

The sample included 19,140 individuals. At baseline mean age was 66.8 (SD 10.3). Over time, the number of binge drinking days decreased. Negative social support increased the average number of binge drinking days among those who drink, where one unit increase was associated with an increase of 37 % in the expected number of days binge drinking in the same wave. The association of positive social support on the number of binge drinking days was stronger for females (-0.59 (SE = 0.12)), while neighborhood social cohesion was significantly associated with binge drinking in females (-0.05 (SE = 0.01)), but not in males.

CONCLUSIONS

Negative social support favored binge drinking. Positive social support and neighborhood social cohesion are protective factors for binge drinking, especially for women.

Individual-level Associations Between Indicators of Social Capital and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Scores in Communities With High Mortality in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study examined associations among social capital indicators (social participation and generalized trust) at the individual level and alcohol use, which was quantified using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores.

METHODS

In total, there were 8800 participants in community health interviews, including 220 adults sampled systematically from a resident registration database of each of 40 sub-municipal administrative units of local (city or county) governments. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using polychotomous logistic regression.

RESULTS

The aORs for abstainers versus people with AUDIT scores of 0-7, based on 3 questions on generalized trust, in comparison to those with no positive responses, were 1.15 (95% CI, 0.99 to 1.34) for 1 positive response, 1.16 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1.37) for 2 positive responses; and 1.39 (95% CI, 1.20 to 1.61) for 3 positive responses. The aORs for abstainers versus people with AUDIT scores of 0-7, in comparison to participation in no organizations, were 0.61 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.69) for participation only in informal organizations; 2.16 (95% CI, 1.57 to 2.99) for participation only in religious organizations; 2.41 (95% CI, 1.10 to 5.29) for participation only in volunteer organizations; and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.57 to 0.74) for participation in formal organizations. Participants in formal social organizations, regardless of their participation in informal organizations, were more likely to have AUDIT scores of 8-15 (aOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.60) or ≥16 (aOR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.22 to 2.23) than to have scores of 0-7.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings may have implications for health policy to reduce alcohol problems.

Binge drinking, alcohol outlet density and associated factors: a multilevel analysis among adolescents in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Our study sought to evaluate the prevalence of binge drinking in adolescents and its association with density of alcohol outlets around schools. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with 436 high-school students aged between 17 and 19 and enrolled in 18 public and private schools. The students completed the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C), consisting of questions about alcohol consumption by parents and siblings, and socioeconomic status (type of school, mother's education level). Data from geographic information systems were used to estimate the density of alcohol outlets around schools participating. The association between exploratory variables and binge drinking was investigated using multilevel logistic regression analysis (p < 0.05) with random intercepts and fixed slopes. A three-step sequential modeling strategy was adopted. The prevalence of binge drinking was 39.9%. The alcohol consumption among adolescents was lower for those studying in areas with low density of alcohol outlets around schools (OR = 0.32; 95%CI: 0.14; 0.73) and the consumption of alcohol by mothers was associated with binge drinking among adolescents (OR = 1.94; 95%CI: 1.14; 3.30). Our study concluded that binge drinking among adolescents was associated with density of alcohol outlets around the schools and mother's alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Use, Binge Drinking, and Drunkenness Experience in Adolescence: Complex Associations with Family, Peers, Social Context, and Risk Perceptions

Background: A number of correlates to adolescent substance use have been shown, yet their unique predictive influence is unclear. We investigated the incremental validity of demographics, family background, school variables, risk perception, parental alcohol attitudes, age of first alcohol use, peer group influence, and behavioral variables as they concurrently predicted last month alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness experience frequency. Methods: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses in a sample of N = 743 adolescents (mean age = 15.01). Results: All predictors explained 26-40% of the total variance. Alcohol use was predicted by age, gender, having two working parents, academic family background, relationship to parents, relative risk perception, parental acceptance of alcohol use, age of first use, talking about positive aspects of alcohol, normality of alcohol use among peers, time spent with friends, and going out to clubs. Binge drinking was predicted by age, working parents, school problems, relative risk perception, parental alcohol acceptance, age of first use, talking about positive aspects of alcohol, time spent with friends, and going out to clubs. Drunkenness was predicted by age, relationship to parents, school problems, relative risk perception, age of first use, talking about positive aspects of alcohol, and going out to clubs. Conclusions: Researchers need to take the complexity of adolescent substance use into account when designing studies and interventions. Relative risk perception emerged as the strongest (positive) predictor, indicating that adolescents are able to rather accurately assess their own risk and risk awareness alone does not suffice to engage in protective behavior.

The Impact of Sibling Behavior on Oral Health: A Narrative Review

Objective

The repetition of any behavior until it becomes a learned behavior begins in childhood. Oral health practices being no exception to this, are also acquired at this tender age, and have the potential of greatly affecting one in their lives. Oral health behaviors are learned through a multifactorial interplay, of which the family is a crucial and relatively unexplored area and will be highlighted in this review. This review discusses gender differences among siblings in relation to oral health, familial influence on acquisition and maintenance of oral hygiene habits, media influence on oral health attitudes and more.

Methods

A thorough literature search between 1972 and 2017 was done using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases, results reviewed, prioritized, and findings compiled. The keywords of the search strategy was as below: Siblings, sibling behavior, sibling oral health, siblings in dentistry, maternal oral health, family influence on oral health. 35 studies were evaluated for the review. The keywords were limited to activities of siblings and their behavior patterns in relation to dentistry and oral health.

Results

Results showed that sibling dynamics have been involved in influencing the learning of oral health behaviors in children. Other factors include peer pressure and maternal influences.

Conclusion

Sibling relationships play a vital role in shaping behavior characteristics including tooth brushing, oral hygiene, dental perceptions, and snacking behaviors which are pertinent to dentistry.

A longitudinal study of the association between social capital and mortality in community-dwelling elderly Brazilians

The aim of this study was to verify whether social capital is a predictor of all-cause mortality in community-dwelling elderly Brazilians. Participation included 935 surviving elderly from the elderly cohort of the Bambui Project in 2004, who were followed until 2011. The outcome was all-cause mortality and the exposure of interest was social capital, measured in its two components, cognitive (social cohesion and social support) and structural (social participation and neighborhood satisfaction). Sociodemographic variables, health conditions, and smoking were included in the analysis for adjustment purposes. Data analysis was based on the Cox proportional hazards model, providing hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The social participation dimension of social capital's structural component was the only dimension independently associated with mortality: elderly Brazilians that did not participate in social groups or associations showed a two-fold higher risk of death (HR = 2.28; 95%CI: 1.49-3.49) compared to their peers. The study's results reveal the need to extend interventions beyond the specific field of health in order to promote longevity, focusing on environmental and social characteristics.

The "Dark Side" Effects of Social Capital on Harmful Drinking among Chinese Community Residents: A Multilevel Study

Background: To determine the effects of social capital on harmful drinking (HD) among Chinese community residents using a multilevel study. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted from 2017⁻2018. In total, 13,610 participants were randomly interviewed from 29 districts of 3 cities in China with a multi-stage sampling procedure. Social capital, including social cohesion, membership in social organizations, and frequency of social participation, were assessed using validated scales. HD was assessed using the CAGE four-item questionnaire. Multilevel models were developed to determine whether social capital was related to HD when socioeconomic and demographic covariates were controlled. Results: In general, the prevalence of HD was 8.18%, and more specifically, 13.77% for men and 2.74% for women. After controlling for covariates and stratifying by gender, compared to residents in the low individual-level membership of social organizations, we found that the odds ratio (OR) for HD was 1.30 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.07⁻1.56 among men and 1.95 (95% CI: 1.29⁻2.97) among women. Compared to residents in the low individual-level frequency of social participation groups, the odds ratio of HD among women was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.10⁻2.26). There was no association between district-level social capital and HD. Conclusions: A high level of social capital may promote HD among the residents of Chinese neighborhoods. Intervention to modify social capital under the Chinese drinking culture may help reduce HD.

Gentrification and binge drinking in California neighborhoods: It matters how long you've lived there

BACKGROUND

Neighborhood context plays a role in binge drinking, a behavior with major health and economic costs. Gentrification, the influx of capital and residents of higher socioeconomic status into historically-disinvested neighborhoods, is a growing trend with the potential to place urban communities under social and financial pressure. Hypothesizing that these pressures and other community changes resulting from gentrification could be tied to excessive alcohol consumption, we examined the relationship between gentrification and binge drinking in California neighborhoods.

METHODS

California census tracts were categorized as non-gentrifiable, stable (gentrifiable), or gentrifying from 2006 to 2015. Outcomes and covariates were obtained from the California Health Interview Survey using combined 2013-2015 data (n = 60,196). Survey-weighted logistic regression tested for associations between gentrification and any binge drinking in the prior 12 months. Additional models tested interactions between gentrification and other variables of interest, including housing tenure, federal poverty level, race/ethnicity, sex, and duration of neighborhood residence.

RESULTS

A third of respondents reported past-year binge drinking. Controlling for demographic covariates, gentrification was not associated with binge drinking in the population overall (AOR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.95-1.34), but was associated with binge drinking among those living in the neighborhood <5 years (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.15-1.93). No association was seen among those living in their neighborhood ≥5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

For those newer to their neighborhood, gentrification is associated with binge drinking. Further understanding the relationship between gentrification and high-risk alcohol use is important for policy and public health interventions mitigating the impact of this process.