Alcohol habits among teenagers in Sweden: factors of importance

This study of 689 secondary school students (13-16 years of age) in Sweden investigates the association between alcohol habits, the availability of alcohol and age, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin and family structure. Data were obtained by anonymous questionnaires in 1991. The availability of alcohol increased from the seventh grade to the ninth as did the proportion of alcohol consumers and students with regular alcohol consumption. Boys in the seventh and eighth grades showed somewhat more advanced alcohol habits than girls, but in the ninth grade the opposite was seen. Students with more advanced alcohol habits and a higher availability of alcohol more often belonged to a lower socioeconomic strata and they lived more often with a single parent. Students of foreign background drank alcohol (especially wine) more regularly. An association was also found between the parents' liberal attitude toward offering alcohol at home and frequent intoxication and the students' experience of illicitly produced liquor, especially among the youngest students. In spite of the Swedish alcohol policy the availability of alcohol is rather high among young people. Special attention in alcohol preventive work should be paid to girls, young people living with one parent, young people in lower socioeconomic groups and young people of foreign origin.     

Clarification concerning birthrate among teenagers.

Clarifies an inaccurate statement made in the author's (see record 1980-25472-001) paper concerning teenage sexual activity, pregnancy, and birthrate. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers in England and Wales

A profile of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infections among teenagers in England and Wales was obtained from reports of newly diagnosed STDs among teenagers attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in 1995, laboratory reports of newly diagnosed HIV infections between 1985 when reporting began and the end of 1995, and the prevalence of HIV (unlinked anonymous programme) among teenagers attending genitourinary medicine clinics and antenatal clinics in 1994 and 1995. STD reports were analysed by sex, age group, and place of residence of patients--whether in the NHS Thames regions or elsewhere in England and Wales. High rates of STDs were reported in teenagers, particularly in girls. The incidences of gonorrhoea, chlamydia infection, and first attack genital wart infections were higher in teenage girls than in any other age group. Boys under 16 years of age had substantially higher rates of infection with all STDs in the Thames regions than elsewhere. Rates of gonorrhoea in teenagers of both sexes in the Thames regions were more than twice those in the rest of the country. Infection rates for genital herpes, and chlamydia in girls, were also higher in the Thames regions, although the geographical differences were less marked. The seroprevalence of HIV among heterosexual teenagers was very low. In contrast, 226 HIV infections among teenage boys had probably been acquired through sexual intercourse with other males. Unlinked anonymous testing revealed HIV antibody in 7.5% of routinely collected serology specimens taken from teenage homosexual or bisexual males attending GUM clinics in London. The high rates of STDs among teenage girls and all teenagers in the Thames regions make these groups a high priority for sexual health promotion, with special consideration given to homo/bisexual male teenagers. Detailed surveillance of risk factors for STDs, and further studies of teenage sexual behaviour will help to effectively target resources to improve the sexual health of teenagers in England and Wales.     

Substance use and abuse among children and teenagers.

During the past several years, there has been a renewed national concern about drug abuse, culminating in the current "war on drugs." In this review, we emphasize that even though child or teenage drug use is an individual behavior, it is embedded in a sociocultural context that strongly determines its character and manifestations. Our focus is on psychoactive substances both licit (cigarettes and alcohol) and illicit (e.g., cannabis and cocaine). We feel that it is critical to draw a distinction between use and abuse of drugs and to do so from a multidimensional perspective that includes aspects of the stimulus (drug), organism (individual), response, and consequences. Our selective review of substance use and abuse among children and adolescents covers epidemiology (patterns and extent of drug use), etiology (what generates substance use), prevention (how to limit drug use), treatment (interventions with drug users), and consequences (effects and outcomes of youthful drug use). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stroke in teenagers

Between 3.7% and 8.5% of all strokes occur before the age of 45 years old. In the population under 15 years of age, the annual incidence of strokes is 2.7 per 100,000 children, with ischaemic strokes making up 1.2 and haemorrhagic strokes 1.5 of this total. The main characteristic of ischaemic strokes in childhood is the wide variety of diagnoses involved. Some of these, such as congenital cardiopathy, are rare in adults, as are dissections and arterial dysplasias, arteritis, hereditary connective tissue disorders and disorders of metabolism. Similarly, the aetiology of haemorrhagic stroke is also very varied, with bursting of a vascular malformation or aneurysm being the commonest. Other aetiologies are disorders of haemostasis, arteritis, migraine, retarded post-traumatic phenomena and the use of drugs and sympathomimetic agents. The personal, family and social repercussions are considerable, since both ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes have an appreciable mortality and morbidity.     

Motor vehicle occupant deaths among Hispanic and black children and teenagers

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of motor vehicle occupant deaths per unit of travel for Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, and non-Hispanic white children (aged 5-12 years) and teenagers (aged 13-19 years). DESIGN: Comparison of 1989 to 1993 motor vehicle occupant death rates of children and teenagers by race, ethnicity, and sex by using data on mortality from the National Center for Health Statistics, travel data from the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, and 1990 US census data. RESULTS: Among children 5 to 12 years old, race/ ethnicity differences per 100000 persons were unremarkable, but per billion vehicle-miles of travel, the rates were 14 for non-Hispanic blacks, 8 for Hispanics, and 5 for non-Hispanic whites. Among teenagers aged 13 to 19, the rates per 100000 persons were highest for non-Hispanic whites; however, the rates per billion vehicle-miles were 45 for Hispanics, 34 for non-Hispanic blacks, and 30 for non-Hispanic whites. Black and Hispanic male teenagers had substantially higher death rates per billion vehicle-miles of travel than either white male teenagers or female teenagers in any racial/ethnic group. CONCLUSIONS: Black and Hispanic children and teenagers are at higher risk of dying in motor vehicle crashes when they travel. Greater public health attention is needed to address these increased risks.     

Determinants of condom use among intravenous drug users

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors associated with condom use among a cohort of sexually active intravenous drug users (IVDU). DESIGN: Data were collected via personal interview at the fourth-month assessment point of a longitudinal study monitoring HIV infection and risk behaviors among IVDU. SETTING: A community-based methadone clinic. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 158 sexually active heterosexual male and female IVDU, including both methadone patients and out-of-treatment individuals with a history of opiate abuse. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We describe a new approach to identify the determinants of condom use. Previous studies have described subjects as either 'condom users' or 'condom non-users', using an individual's overall behavior as the unit of analysis. By analyzing condom use during the most recent sexual encounter, we avoided the problem of interpreting inconsistent condom use. Data were analyzed using forward stepwise logistic regression. RESULTS: Thirty-four per cent of the heterosexual subjects (n = 160) reported using a condom during their last sexual encounter. Being HIV-positive and having either a causal or commercial partner were each associated with increased probability of using a condom (odds ratio, 10.6, 4.4 and 12.1, respectively). No interactions with sex were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that knowing that one is HIV-positive is an important determinant of condom use; HIV testing may therefore increase the use of condoms. In addition, interventions to change sexual behaviors may need to focus on the type of sexual partner.     

Analysis and treatment of poor outcomes following in situ arthrodesis in adolescent spondylolisthesis

In situ lumbosacral arthrodesis in the treatment of adolescent spondylolisthesis was evaluated in 39 patients. The clinical outcome an average of 4.7 years later was considered excellent or good in 82% of the cases based on their pain and gait. The quality of the fusion mass correlated with outcome. Those patients with the most severe kyphosis (slip angle) had the greatest chance of a poor result. Four patients required reoperation for pseudarthrosis or symptomatic compression of the cauda equina. Three of these were successfully treated with repeat arthrodesis or decompression with sacroplasty or both.     

Dietary factors and lung cancer among men in west Sweden

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported an association between tea drinking and lung cancer. In view of these data, the relationship between tea drinking as well as other dietary factors and lung cancer was investigated in a case-control study in the west of Sweden. METHODS: Patients with suspected lung cancer were collected from pulmonary units at central hospitals in the area investigated, and population controls were matched for age. The material reported here comprises 308 male cases with a confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer and 504 controls. The participants were interviewed by specially trained nurses, using a questionnaire to assess smoking, dietary habits, occupational exposures and conditions in the residential area (local air pollution). This paper reports the results from dietary factors studied with a food frequency technique. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a strong protective effect of vegetables (odds ratio [OR] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-1.05, and OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.23-0.61 for intermediate and high consumption classes respectively). A low OR was consistent for all histological types of lung cancer. High consumption of fruits did not show any similar protective effect. Drinking milk was associated with a dose-response related risk increase after adjustment for smoking and vegetable consumption (P for trend = 0.07). Odds ratio was 1.73, 95% CI: 1.00-3.01 for high consumption of milk. CONCLUSIONS: High intake of vegetables had a strong protective effect among males. Diet is thus a potential confounding factor in studies on lung cancer and environmental factors and should thus be taken into consideration in the planning of such studies.     

Correlates and predictors of HIV risk among inner-city African American female teenagers.

Objective Design: For human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related prevention initiatives to be most effective, they should be broad-based and incorporate multiple domains of influence. This study tested how several ecodevelopmental domains influenced HIV-risk related attitudes and behaviors in a community sample of African American female teens (N = 242). Main Outcome Measures: Outcome measures were number of partners, frequency of intercourse, number of pregnancies, abstinence/condom use, HIV/AIDS-related attitudes and behaviors, and HIV testing. Results: Structural Equation Modeling revealed many direct paths from ecodvelopmental domains to risky sexual behaviors. The findings include having more partners was associated with parental alcohol-related problems, more drug use, and a younger age at first intercourse. More frequent intercourse was associated with less cultural pride and more drug use. More pregnancies were related to a younger age at first intercourse and parental alcohol problems. HIV testing was associated with having experienced sexual abuse, an older age at first intercourse, and stronger self-efficacy. Conclusions: Prevention programs that focus on risk reduction could expand their focus beyond sexual behavior to include a broad-range of psychosocial domains that are associated with HIV-risk. The effectiveness of prevention programs should be monitored carefully for appropriateness in different ethnic groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of sexual and dating behaviors among adolescents.

Data on sexual behavior were obtained from 183 male and 193 female 12–18 yr olds, selected from 3 birth cohorts using a stratified random sample. Eight latent constructs—sexual and dating involvement, self-acceptance, feminist sex-role attitudes, deviant social network, importance of dating, lack of heterosexual competence, sexually active social network, and stressful change events—were hypothesized to explain the variance in 26 observed variables. Several causal models were tested that specified structural relationships among the latent constructs. A theoretically meaningful model was arrived at that linked the 8 error-free factors. This model indicates that dating and sexual involvement was a direct function only of the importance of dating, which in turn was positively related to self-acceptance and stressful changes and negatively related to lack of heterosexual competence. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of child-abuse reporting among Wisconsin school psychologists.

132 Wisconsin school psychologists responded to a questionnaire that included background information items and 1 scenario depicting an incident of legally reportable child abuse. Ss indicated whether they would report the abuse and rated the importance of 10 different reasons for reporting or not reporting. The content of the scenarios varied along 3 dimensions: (1) type of abuse, (2) when the abuse occurred, and (3) whether the child asked the psychologist not to disclose the information. Results indicate that conditions surrounding the child abuse, in particular the nature or type of abuse and time of occurrence, were related to reporting. School psychologists were more likely to report physical or sexual abuse than neglect or emotional abuse; they were also more likely to report abuse occurring in the present than in the past. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of regular source of care among homeless adults in Los Angeles

OBJECTIVES: The authors explore the determinants of having a regular source of care in a community-based probability sample of homeless adults in Los Angeles. Results from this study should be more representative than those from previous studies of the homeless that are clinic- or shelter-based. In addition to those factors found to be barriers to regular sources of care in the general population, we hypothesized that psychosocial characteristics of the homeless and the homeless lifestyle would negatively impact their likelihood of having a regular source of care. METHODS: The authors conducted a multiple logistic regression to predict regular source of care among the homeless, using an adaptation of the Behavioral Model of health services utilization as an analytic framework. RESULTS: Fifty-seven percent of the sample reported that they had a regular source of care. Of those with a source of care, 30% reported a hospital outpatient department; 25% reported a community or homeless clinic; 23% reported a hospital emergency room; 14% reported a government clinic; and 9% reported a private physician's office as their source of care. Some factors found to be barriers to having a regular source of care in the general population (male, Hispanic, young age) also were barriers among homeless adults. Additional barriers in this sample included homelessness-related characteristics such as competing needs, long-term homelessness, and social isolation. Chronic mental illness and chronic substance dependence were not related to having a source of care among the homeless. Characteristics that increased the likelihood of having a regular source of care in the general population (poor health status, Medicaid) were not related to having a regular source of care among the homeless. CONCLUSIONS: In a context of limited resources, the distribution of regular source of care among the homeless appears to be highly inequitable. Although some of the characteristics identifying those with a regular source of care suggest differential patterns of behavior across subgroups, others suggest differential advantage in access to care and a lack of fit between the needs of the homeless and the organization of health services.     

Health beliefs and promotion of HIV-preventive intentions among teenagers: A Scottish perspective.

Examined beliefs concerning the spread of the HIV and preventive behaviors in 194 female and 154 male sexually active Scottish teenagers (aged 16–18 yrs). A postal questionnaire, including measures of variables specified by the health belief model (HBM) and preventive intentions, was employed. Analyses showed that measures of health beliefs, gender, age, sexual experience, and previous condom use accounted for 17.8–24.3% of the variance in reported preventive intentions. Perceived barriers to preventive behaviors were found to be important predictors. However, results raised questions concerning the adequacy of the HBM model to determine HIV-preventive intentions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Idiosyncratic response patterns among good and poor readers.

Reading skill is considered to be a function of the match of S's response-elaboration patterns to the available cues scanned from the material. It was postulated that poor readers typically respond less consensually than good readers and that both groups make more errors on material which is designed to evoke idiosyncratic patterns of responding. It was found that both good (N = 24) and poor readers (N = 24) in the 5th grade made more errors on stories written in a here-and-now context than on stories in a past-and-far away context; for stories which included affective content, only poor readers showed increases in errors. The poor readers also made fewer consensual responses than did the good readers on a story-completion task and a word-association task. Implications for the reeducation of poor readers were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)