Behavioral and emotional self-control: Relations to substance use in samples of middle and high school students.

The authors tested how behavioral and emotional self-control are related to adolescent substance (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) use. Data were obtained from 489 middle school students and 602 high school students. Multiple indicators were developed for each domain of self-control, and confirmatory analyses were used to test the measurement structure of latent constructs. Results showed that the domains of behavioral self-control and emotional self-control were statistically distinct, and both were related to adolescent substance use. Structural modeling analyses indicated indirect effects for self-control constructs primarily through pathways to competence and recent events. In addition, poor behavioral control had a direct effect to deviant peer affiliations, and poor emotional control had a direct effect to coping motives for substance use. The results indicate that both types of self-regulation are relevant for adolescent substance use. Implications for prevention and treatment research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moderators of the relation between substance use level and problems: Test of a self-regulation model in middle adolescence.

The authors tested predictions, derived from a self-regulation model, about variables moderating the relationship between level of substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) and problems associated with use. Data were from two independent studies of adolescents, with mean ages of 15.4 and 15.5 years (Ns=1,699 and 1,225). Factor analysis indicated correlated dimensions of control problems and conduct problems. Protective moderation was found for variables indexing good self-control; risk-enhancing moderation was found for variables indexing poor self-control. These effects were generally independent of deviance-prone attitudes and externalizing symptomatology. Multiple-group structural modeling indicated moderation occurred for paths from life stress and coping motives and for paths from level to control and conduct problems. Moderation effects were also found for parental variables, peer variables, and academic competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families and risk: prospective analyses of familial and social influences on adolescent substance use.

Parental, peer, and older siblings' contributions to adolescents' substance use were investigated with 2 waves of panel data from 225 African American families. Structural equation modeling showed that older siblings' behavioral willingness (BW) to use substances at Time 1 (T1) predicted target adolescents' Time 2 (T2) use, controlling for other T1 variables. Regression analyses revealed an interaction between targets' and siblings' BW, such that targets were more likely to use at T2 if both they and their siblings reported BW at T1. This interaction was stronger for families living in high-risk neighborhoods. Finally, siblings' willingness buffered the impact of peer use on targets' later use: Low sibling BW was associated with less evidence of peer influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community studies on adolescent substance use, abuse, or dependence and psychiatric comorbidity.

A literature review on community studies of adolescent substance use, abuse, or dependence (SU/A/D) and psychiatric comorbidity yielded 22 articles from 15 studies with information on rates, specificity, timing, and differential patterns of comorbidity by gender, race/ethnicity, and other factors. Results revealed that 60% of youths with SU/A/D had a comorbid diagnosis, and conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (not attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) were most commonly associated with SU/A/D, followed by depression. Child psychopathology (particularly CD) was associated with early onset of substance use and abuse in later adolescence. The authors suggest that available data relevant to SU/A/D and psychiatric comorbidity can be used to better address such questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatments.

Reviews the book, Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatment by David A. Wolfe and Eric J. Mash (see record 2005-16249-000). The primary goal of this edited volume is to capture the current state of knowledge about the important behavioural and emotional adjustment problems and disorders of adolescence. Through 20 chapters by foremost experts, the reader is apprised of the unique features of these disorders in adolescents in comparison with children and adults, and of the importance of developmental issues and a developmental perspective. Any thought that adolescent disorders are adequately addressed by upward extension of knowledge of child disorders and downward extension of knowledge of adult disorders is compellingly dispelled. The unique compilation of empirical findings specifically for adolescents is a boon to those pursuing research, teaching or evidence- based practice with this age group. This book will be mandatory reading for any mental health professional, including academics, graduate students, and clinicians working with or teaching about troubled adolescents. As a text, it is excellent for a graduate course on the subject, and an essential reference source for those teaching abnormal development at the undergraduate level or providing clinical service to adolescents and their families. The book will be a classic in the field and a mandatory starting point for any professional interested in a detailed overview of the state of the art in Western societies, including researchers interested in an overview of areas outside their own specific expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in tobacco use among adolescent smokers in substance abuse treatment.

Adolescents with substance use disorders (SUDs) smoke cigarettes more than youth in the general population. Little is known about changes in smoking patterns during and after outpatient SUD treatment. We examined whether receiving SUD treatment had a differential impact on cigarette smoking behaviors of mild (     

Effectiveness of motivational interviewing interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change: A meta-analytic review.

Objective: This study was designed to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change. Method: Literature searches of electronic databases were undertaken in addition to manual reference searches of identified review articles. Databases searched include PsycINFO, PUBMED/MEDLINE, and Educational Resources Information Center. Twenty-one independent studies, representing 5,471 participants, were located and analyzed. Results: An omnibus weighted mean effect size for all identified MI interventions revealed a small, but significant, posttreatment effect size (mean d = .173, 95% CI [.094, .252], n = 21). Small, but significant, effect sizes were observed at follow-up suggesting that MI interventions for adolescent substance use retain their effect over time. MI interventions were effective across a variety of substance use behaviors, varying session lengths, and different settings, and for interventions that used clinicians with different levels of education. Conclusions: The effectiveness of MI interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change is supported by this meta-analytic review. In consideration of these results, as well as the larger literature, MI should be considered as a treatment for adolescent substance use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental drinking problems and children's adjustment: Vagal regulation and emotional reactivity as pathways and moderators of risk.

Children's emotional regulation (as indexed by vagal suppression) and children's emotional reactivity during an argument were examined as moderators and mediators of parental problem drinking and children's adjustment in a sample of 6- to 12-year-olds. Cardiac vagal tone was assessed during both a baseline condition and exposure to an audiotaped argument. Vagal suppression was calculated by subtracting vagal tone during the baseline from that recorded during the argument, with a higher number representing increased suppression of vagal tone during the argument. Emotional reactivity was based on both observations of overt behaviors of children and their reported feelings during the argument. A higher level of vagal suppression was a protective factor against children's externalizing, internalizing, and social problems associated with exposure to parental problem drinking. Emotional reactivity was a vulnerability factor, and children's increased anger and fear, and to a lesser degree sadness, each moderated and exacerbated the effects of parental problem drinking on child outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal relations between adolescent substance use and delinquency: A longitudinal latent variable analysis.

Reciprocal relations between self-reported substance use and delinquency were examined through the analysis of 4-wave panel data collected from 1,218 high school students. A longitudinal, latent-variable framework was used to investigate interrelationships between changing patterns of generalized involvement in these 2 problem behaviors, while simultaneously accounting for specificity in drug use (e.g., marijuana use) and delinquency (e.g., theft). Analyses revealed that a model of bidirectional effects between polysubstance use and general delinquency was plausible for boys but not for girls. For boys, the effect of delinquency on substance use was small but consistent over time, whereas the effect of substance use on delinquency was larger but restricted to the earlier waves of the study. Implications for the question of whether or not substance use and delinquency have causal connections are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of change in adolescent substance use and symptomatology: Impact of paternal and maternal substance use disorders.

The effects of paternal and maternal substance use disorders (SUDs) on trajectories of change in adolescent offspring nicotine, alcohol, and drug use and symptomatology were investigated in a population-based sample of adolescent twins (N = 1,514). Adolescent and parental substance phenotypes were assessed when most adolescents were 11 years old, with 2 assessments of adolescents approximately every 3 years thereafter. Growth curves were fit using hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated acceleration of substance involvement during adolescence, particularly for boys. Paternal and maternal SUD were each associated with more extreme trajectories. There was evidence for an additive, rather than interactive, combined parental effect. Findings help clarify the impact of paternal and maternal SUD on the development of substance involvement during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral couples therapy for female substance-abusing patients: Effects on substance use and relationship adjustment.

Married or cohabiting female drug-abusing patients (N=75) were randomly assigned to either a behavioral couples therapy condition (BCT, n=37), which consisted of group, individual, and behavioral couples therapy sessions, or to an equally intensive individual-based treatment condition (IBT; n=38), which consisted of group and individual counseling. During most of the 1-yr follow-up, compared with participants who received IBT, those who received BCT reported (1) fewer days of substance use, (2) longer periods of continuous abstinence, (3) lower levels of alcohol, drug, and family problems, and (4) higher relationship satisfaction. However, differences in relationship satisfaction and number of days of substance use dissipated over the course of the posttreatment follow-up period and were not significantly different by the end of 1 yr. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-control, symptomatology, and substance use precursors: Test of a theoretical model in a community sample of 9-year-old children.

The authors tested a theoretical model of how self-control constructs are related to psychological symptomatology and variables that predispose to involvement versus noninvolvement in substance use: willingness to use, affiliation with peers who use, and efficacy for resisting use. Data were obtained from a sample of 332 children (mean age = 9.3 years) who were interviewed in households. Structural equation modeling showed that good self-control was related to more positive well-being and less externalizing symptomatology, whereas poor self-control was related to more externalizing and to more internalizing symptomatology. Externalizing had paths to willingness and peer use, well-being had inverse paths to these variables, and poor self-control had a direct effect to lower resistance efficacy. Multiple-group analyses indicated gender differences in paths from symptomatology to predisposing factors. Implications for understanding vulnerability to substance use are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy of brief strategic family therapy in modifying Hispanic adolescent behavior problems and substance use.

This study investigated the efficacy of brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) with Hispanic behavior problem and drug using youth, an underrepresented population in the family therapy research literature. One hundred twenty-six Hispanic families with a behavior problem adolescent were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: BSFT or group treatment control (GC). Results showed that, compared to GC cases, BSFT cases showed significantly greater pre- to post-intervention improvement in parent reports of adolescent conduct problems and delinquency, adolescent reports of marijuana use, and observer ratings and self reports of family functioning. These results extend prior findings on the efficacy of family interventions to a difficult to treat Hispanic adolescent sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between adolescent substance use and young adult internalizing symptoms: Findings from a high-risk longitudinal sample.

The present study examined the role of adolescent substance use and its antecedent behavioral and familial risk factors in the prediction of young adult internalizing symptoms 10 years later, using a community sample of children of alcoholics (n = 194) and demographically matched controls (n = 209). Using growth curve modeling, the authors found that initial levels of adolescent alcohol and drug use (μage = 13) and growth in drug use during adolescence predicted higher levels of internalizing symptoms in young adulthood, even after including in the models shared risk factors for both internalizing symptoms and adolescent substance use. These effects remained significant after including concurrent substance use in adulthood, suggesting that adolescent substance use exerts a long-term impact on young adult internalizing symptoms over and above the effects of persistent substance use over time. The present investigation further revealed that initial levels of alcohol and drug use in adolescence mediate the relation between parental alcoholism and young adult internalizing symptoms. Findings provide evidence for the long-term effects of adolescent substance use on young adult functioning and can help inform both etiological and prevention research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between social problems and substance use in adolescent boys: An investigation of potential moderators.

This study investigated the relation between social problems and adolescent male substance use in the context of other potential moderating variables. Two hundred eighty adolescent boys completed measures of social problems, cognitive distortions, constructive thinking, affiliation with delinquent peers, and multiple aspects of substance use. Results revealed that social problems were not directly related to most substance use variables. Cognitive distortions moderated the relation between social problems and substance use in social situations, such that the relation was significant only at high levels of cognitive distortions. Constructive thinking and affiliation with delinquent peers were both related to substance use, but neither served a moderating function. It is concluded that the widely accepted relation between social difficulties and adolescent male substance use may be better understood in the context of cognitive variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brief motivational intervention with homeless adolescents: Evaluating effects on substance use and service utilization.

A brief motivational intervention with 117 homeless adolescents was evaluated using a randomized design and 3-month follow-up. The intervention was designed to raise youths' concerns about their substance use, support harm reduction, and encourage greater service utilization at a collaborating agency. The study was designed to strengthen initial promising results of an earlier study (P. L. Peterson, J. S. Baer, E. A. Wells, J. A. Ginzler, & S. B. Garrett, 2006). Several modifications in the clinical protocol were included to enhance engagement with the intervention. Analyses revealed no significant benefits for intervention participants when homeless youths' substance use rates were compared with those of control participants. Service utilization during the intervention period increased for those receiving the intervention but returned to baseline levels at follow-up. Participants reported overall reductions in substance use over time. Differences between sampling methods for the current and previous study are discussed, as are the limitations of brief interventions with this population. Future research needs to elucidate mechanisms of change and service engagement for highly vulnerable youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mother's emotional expressivity and children's behavior problems and social competence: Mediation through children's regulation.

The relations between mothers' expressed positive and negative emotion and 55–79-month-olds' (76% European American) regulation, social competence, and adjustment were examined. Structural equation modeling was used to test the plausibility of the hypothesis that the effects of maternal expression of emotion on children's adjustment and social competence are mediated through children's dispositional regulation. Mothers' expressed emotions were assessed during interactions with their children and with maternal reports of emotions expressed in the family. Children's regulation, externalizing and internalizing problems, and social competence were rated by parents and teachers, and children's persistence was surreptitiously observed. There were unique effects of positive and negative maternal expressed emotion on children's regulation, and the relations of maternal expressed emotion to children's externalizing problem behaviors and social competence were mediated through children's regulation. Alternative models of causation were tested; a child-directed model in which maternal expressivity mediated the effects of child regulation on child outcomes did not fit the data as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religiosity and substance use: Test of an indirect-effect model in early and middle adolescence.

The authors tested hypothesized pathways from religiosity to adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) with data from samples of middle school (n = 1,273) and high school students (n = 812). Confirmatory analysis of measures of religiosity supported a 2-factor solution with behavioral aspects (belonging, attendance) and personal aspects (importance, value, spirituality, forgiveness) as distinct factors. Structural modeling analyses indicated inverse indirect effects of personal religiosity on substance use, mediated through more good self-control and less tolerance for deviance. Religiosity was correlated with fewer deviant peer affiliations and nonendorsement of coping motives for substance use but did not have direct effects on these variables. Parental support and parent-child conflict also had significant effects (with opposite direction) on substance use, mediated through self-control and deviance-prone attitudes. Implications for prevention research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A finite mixture model of growth trajectories of adolescent alcohol use: Predictors and consequences.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 71(1) of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (see record 2007-16894-001). On p. 979 of this article, there was an error in the formula presented in Footnote 1. This erratum provides the correct formula.] The current study sought to identify classes of growth trajectories of adolescent alcohol use and to examine the predictors and outcomes associated with the classes. Alcohol use was assessed from Grades 7 to 12 in a school-based sample. Latent growth mixture modeling was used, and results indicated 5 discrete longitudinal drinking patterns. The 2 most common drinking patterns included occasional very light drinking from Grades 7 to 12 and moderate escalation in both quantity and frequency of alcohol use. One group drank infrequently but at high levels throughout the study period. Another group exhibited rapid escalation in both quantity and frequency. The final group started at high levels of frequency and quantity in Grade 7 and showed rapid de-escalation in frequency. Emotional distress and risk taking distinguished the classes, and all classes, particularly rapid escalators, showed elevated levels of alcohol-related problems relative to occasional very light drinkers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent change language within a brief motivational intervention and substance use outcomes.

Homeless adolescents who used alcohol or illicit substances but were not seeking treatment (n = 54) were recorded during brief motivational interventions. Adolescent language during sessions was coded on the basis of motivational interviewing concepts (global ratings of engagement and affect, counts of commitment to change, statements about reasons for change, and statements about desire or ability to change), and ratings were tested as predictors of rates of substance use over time. Results indicate that statements about desire or ability against change, although infrequent (M = 0.61 per 5 min), were strongly and negatively predictive of changes in substance use rates (days of abstinence over the prior month) at both 1- and 3-month postbaseline assessment (ps