Browsing by Subject "Substance use"
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Item Obesity and substance use : does higher BMI increase risk?(2011-08) Lang, Whitney Jaye; Pasch, Keryn E.; Loukas, AlexandraEmerging adulthood is a time of significant change where behaviors are adopted that can have significant long term effects on health. The most dramatic increases in weight are occurring among emerging adults, especially those with some college education. Emerging adults are also at an increased risk for substance use and abuse. The current study examined the relationship between BMI and substance use among college students. Participants included 703 undergraduate students at a large public U.S. university (M age=20.6, 58.7% Non-Hispanic White, 59.8% female). Students completed an online survey with items on substance use behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use, marijuana use, and binge drinking. Tobacco, alcohol, marijuana use, and binge drinking were assessed with one question asking students how many days over the past month they had used the specific substance (range 0-30 days). Binge drinking was assessed using one question: “Over the last two weeks, how many times have you had five or more drinks of alcohol at a sitting?” Responses ranged from 0 to 10 or more times. Substance use behaviors were coded to no use/any use in the past month. Body mass index was calculated through the student’s self reported height and weight. BMI was significantly related to past month tobacco use with an odds ratio of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01-1.12). Specifically, with every one unit increase in BMI, the odds of past month tobacco use increased by 6%. However, BMI was not significantly associated with past month alcohol use, marijuana use, or binge drinking (p>.05). As BMI increases, college students’ odds of using tobacco increase. This finding is particularly problematic given that weight gain is common among undergraduate students and cigarette use has been cited as a common weight management practice among this group as well. Future research should consider the role of BMI as a factor in decreasing tobacco use.Item The effect of maltreatment and trauma on health risk behaviors among adolescents involved with the child welfare system : the role of psychological symptoms(2016-08) Walsh, Elizabeth Grace; Carlson, Cindy I., 1949-; Keith, Timothy Z; Drum, David; Stark, Kevin; Loukas, AlexandraChildhood maltreatment, including abuse and neglect, remains a pressing social problem in the United States, with retrospective studies finding that up to 40% of adults report having experienced some type of maltreatment during their youth (Finkelhor, Turner, Shattuck, & Hamby, 2013). The consequences of maltreatment are widespread and long lasting, and can include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, aggression, delinquency, substance abuse, and suicidality (Gilbert et al., 2009). Although the effects of various individual forms of maltreatment and of a composite “adverse childhood experience” (ACE) score on rates of individual health risk behaviors in adolescence and adulthood have been documented, the pathway whereby childhood maltreatment leads to later engagement in risk behavior is still not well understood (Anda et al., 2007; White & Widom, 2007), and relatively little is known about the psychological factors that link childhood maltreatment to engagement in health risk behaviors. This study used a subsample of adolescents from the second National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a longitudinal study of youth involved with the child welfare system, to examine: 1) the effects of child maltreatment and trauma symptoms reported at baseline on engagement in health risk behaviors measured 36 months later, and 2) whether depressive symptoms and future expectations, measured 18 months after baseline, mediate the effects of maltreatment on health risk behaviors. Using structural equation modeling, this study found that both maltreatment and trauma symptoms were risk factors for later adverse outcomes, but that maltreatment was more consistently and strongly associated with behavioral outcomes (i.e. substance use and sexual behavior) while trauma symptoms were more consistently associated with psychological outcomes (i.e. depressive symptoms and future expectations). Results overall did not support the hypothesis that the psychological constructs examined mediated the effects of maltreatment and trauma on later health risk behaviors. Findings also identified early substance use as a critical risk factor for youth exposed to maltreatment, as substance use at baseline mediated the effects of maltreatment not only on later substance use but also on sexual risk behavior, as well as increasing risk for subsequent depression.Item Towards the prevention of substance use in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth(2012-05) Goldbach, Jeremy Thomas; Holleran, Lori K.; Pomeroy, Elizabeth; Thompson, Sanna; Rountree, Michele; Laird, Justin M.Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual youth are at increased risk for the use of substances (Moon, Fornili & O’Briant, 2007; Remafedi, 1987), including cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy (Bontempo & D’Augelli, 2002; Corliss, Rosario, Wypij, Wylie, Frazier & Austin, 2010). Currently, no interventions exist designed to meet the needs of LGB adolescents (NREPP, 2011), and little theory exists to explain substance use by LG adolescents. To begin the process of developing tailored interventions, this three-study dissertation sought to: (1) explore the perspectives of LGB youth, and identify their perspectives on unique prevention development, (2) systematically review the empirical literature on culturally based risk factors in LGB youth and to identify most relevant salient themes for testing, and (3) explore the relationship between identified minority related stressors and substance use patterns in a large sample of LGB youth. Findings indicate that LGB adolescents have unique cultural experiences not captured in current prevention programming. Additionally, five constructs from minority stress are described, and their relationship to marijuana use is explained. Future research should focus on the development of better measurement instruments for minority stress in LGB adolescents and the exploration of its impact on behavioral health outcomes.