The Healthy for Life project: sexual risk behavior outcomes

Sexual risk behavior outcome data from the Healthy for Life (HFL) project is presented. Using a social influences model, the intervention was designed to positively affect the health behaviors of middle school students in five related areas: alcohol use, tobacco use, marijuana use, nutrition, and sexuality. The in-school program was supplemented by parent, community and peer components. The research used self-report data on an initial sample of 2,483 middle school students followed from Grade 6 to Grade 10. Twenty-one schools were assigned to three conditions--age appropriate (program taught in Grades 6, 7, and 8), intensive (program taught in Grade 7) and control--using blocked randomization. Attrition was 20% (by Year 4) and 33% (by Year 5). By ninth grade the lifetime intercourse rate among both groups of HFL subjects was significantly higher than for controls (controlling for baseline substance use risk and involvement with the opposite sex), but reported past month intercourse rates and condom use did not differ. At the tenth grade follow-up, the age appropriate subjects reported higher adjusted rates of lifetime and past month intercourse than did the controls. Intensive subjects perceived significantly lower normative rates of intercourse than controls at ninth grade follow-up, but age appropriate subjects perceived significantly higher norms at tenth grade. Our expectation that this approach would be effective in reducing adolescent sexual risk behavior has not been supported. The influence of social and community norms and contextual factors has a far greater influence on the behavior of students (even 6 years later) than this school-based social influences program targeting only one grade cohort.     

Peer-group association and adolescent tobacco use.

P. Mosbach and H. Leventhal (see record 1988-32396-001) examined the relation of cigarette smoking to peer-group identification in rural Wisconsin adolescents. They found that among dirts (problem prone youth), regulars (average youth), hot-shots (good social or academic performers), and jocks (athletes), youth most likely to smoke were dirts and hot-shots. A replication was performed with a Southern California cohort and also for use of smokeless tobacco. The authors hypothesized that jocks would be the main users of smokeless tobacco and identified the same groups and an additional one, skaters (skateboarders or surfers). As Mosbach and Leventhal found, cigarettes were used most by dirts. Contrary to their results, but consistent with other research, hot-shots were least likely to smoke. Contrary to prediction, skaters and dirts were more likely to use smokeless tobacco than were jocks. Data show that both tobacco forms are used by problem-prone youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking behavior and smoking history of tobacco chippers.

Nicotine produces dependence in almost all cigarette smokers. 65 chippers (anomalous smokers who smoke regularly but at very low levels [1–5 cigarettes/day]) were compared with 72 matched regular smokers (20–40 cigarettes/day). Despite having smoked an average of 46,000 cigarettes in 19 yrs of smoking, chippers demonstrated little sign of nicotine dependence. They reported frequent casual abstinence from smoking without withdrawal symptoms, smoked their 1st cigarette of the day hours after waking, and scored low on a modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire, a measure of tobacco dependence. Although most chippers had never smoked heavily, a small subgroup of chippers reported previous extended periods of heavy smoking, which suggests that some people may be able to overcome dependence while continuing to smoke. These "converted chippers" could not be distinguished from "native chippers" on the basis of their current smoking behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prenatal tobacco exposure: Developmental outcomes in the neonatal period.

Smoking during pregnancy is a persistent public health problem that has been linked to later adverse outcomes. The neonatal period—the first month of life—carries substantial developmental change in regulatory skills and is the period when tobacco metabolites are cleared physiologically. Studies to date mostly have used cross-sectional designs that limit characterizing potential impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure on the development of key self-regulatory processes and cannot disentangle short-term withdrawal effects from residual exposure-related impacts. In this study, pregnant participants (N = 304) were recruited prospectively during pregnancy, and smoking was measured at multiple time points, with both self-report and biochemical measures. Neonatal attention, irritable reactivity, and stress dysregulation were examined longitudinally at three time points during the first month of life, and physical growth indices were measured at birth. Tobacco-exposed infants showed significantly poorer attention skills after birth, and the magnitude of the difference between exposed and nonexposed groups attenuated across the neonatal period. In contrast, exposure-related differences in irritable reactivity largely were not evident across the 1st month of life, differing marginally at 4 weeks of age only. Third-trimester smoking was associated with pervasive, deleterious, dose–response impacts on physical growth measured at birth, whereas nearly all smoking indicators throughout pregnancy predicted level and growth rates of early attention. The observed neonatal pattern is consistent with the neurobiology of tobacco on the developing nervous system and fits with developmental vulnerabilities observed later in life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some steps towards a psychological matrix for health behavior.

Predictions related perceived internal control inversely to health problem expectancies and directly to probabilism, or uncertainty, within these expectancies. Questionnaire responses from 134 7-17 yr. old boys and girls revealed a significant relationship between probabilism and perceived internal control, but questioned the measurement and generality of internal control constructs. Perceived internal control and probabilism were directly related to age. Significant correlations suggest that (a) perceived vulnerability to health problems is a personality characteristic, and (b) the degree of probabilism within health problem expectancies exhibits the same organizational qualities shown in other perceptual-cognitive phenomena. Perceived internal control was not related to health problem expectancies. (French summary) (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of client language and drinking outcomes in project match.

Client language during Motivational Interviewing interventions is an important predictor of drinking outcomes, but there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding what aspects of client language are most predictive. We characterized the structure of client language by factor analyzing frequency counts of several categories of client speech. The results provide limited support for a model proposed by Miller et al. (2006) and Amrhein et al. (2003) but with some important differences. While Amrhein et al. (2003) found that only increasing strength in client commitment language predicted behavior change, the current study revealed that client language preparatory to commitment predicted drinking outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Drug use and risky sexual behavior.

Reexamined findings from a national survey (M. T. Temple et al, 1993) that did not support an association between contiguous alcohol use and condom use with a new sexual partner. Data were available on the drug use and sexual behavior variables for 725 (mean age 36.1 yrs) of the original 2,058 interviewees. Results support an association between drug use (other than alcohol) and decreased likelihood of condom use with a new sexual partner. Individuals who used drugs and did not use condoms scored significantly higher on a scale assessing characteristic impulsivity, risk-taking, and sensation seeking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inattention as a key predictor of tobacco use in adolescence.

The authors examined the prediction from inattention to tobacco use among 2 cohorts (ages 7 and 13) of a community sample followed to young adulthood. Changes in self-reported tobacco use were tested with marginal transitional regression models, using parent and teacher ratings of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and other psychopathology, along with other factors, as predictors. Inattention, but not hyperactivity-impulsivity, significantly predicted adolescent tobacco use and young adult daily tobacco use. Peer substance use, parental substance use, and conduct disorder also predicted increases in tobacco use. African American ethnicity was strongly protective against later tobacco use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measure of religious background and behavior for use in behavior change research.

Consideration of religiosity as a factor in behavior change research requires a reliable measure of religious behavior. Such a measure may be particularly helpful in research on substance misuse given the negative association between religiosity and substance use and the role of religiosity and spirituality often reported in the process of recovery from substance use disorders. In this regard, this article describes the development and evaluation of the Religious Background and Behavior (RBB) questionnaire as a brief measure of religious practices. The results suggest the RBB is made up of two factors, labeled God Consciousness and Formal Practices , and that the RBB possesses excellent test-retest reliability and satisfactory internal consistency. It is concluded that the RBB can serve as a reliable instrument for assessing religious behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's use of intention cues in evaluating behavior.

Examines the proposition that 5–10 yr old children are unable to focus on intention cues but use consequence information in evaluating others' behavior. Piaget's paradigm for testing young children's moral evaluations is examined, as is related research. A conceptual analysis of the paradigm indicates that it is inappropriate for assessing the use of intention cues in evaluating behavior. A review of research suggests that children do evaluate on the basis of intentions and ignore consequence information when accidental and intentional acts are explicitly specified. The review also indicates that children's failure to judge on the basis of intentions when intent and outcome covary may be due to the fact that evaluation of ill-intentioned acts occurs earlier in the developmental sequence than does the evaluation of well-intentioned acts. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development and use of nonprescription behavior therapies.

The current proliferation of self-administered behavior therapies raises questions regarding the development, marketing, and clinical applications of these programs. The present paper suggests that a committee within the American Psychological Association might usefully be formed to consider these issues. A set of standards to guide professional developers and protect future consumers of self-help programs may also be desirable. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward the use of self-control in behavior modification.

Analyzes the concept of self-control in terms of a 2-stage process: general cognitive set and specific self-controlling responses. The incorporation of the cognitive set into a fuller understanding of behavior modification is emphasized. The set labeled commitment to change is viewed as an important motivational and mediating component in self-directed or therapist-guided therapy programs. A number of characteristics of this set are posited, and the problems of measuring such a commitment are discussed. Several programs describing techniques oriented to commitment are briefly reviewed. The cognitive set analysis seems especially important for discovering factors contributing to the frequent relapse following treatment for addictions. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's use of dispositions to predict classmates' behavior.

Kindergartners, 3rd, and 6th graders chose classmates whom they would and would not like to have on their team for an academic contest and as playmates. Ss also rated their classmates on likableness and academic ability. At all ages, children's choices for the academic competition and the play situation were significantly associated with their ratings of their classmates' academic and social competence, respectively. Ss typically referred to academic abilities to explain their teammate choices for the academic contest and to social competence or friendship to explain playmate choices. Questions about the stability of classmates' academic and social competencies revealed that not until 6th grade did Ss indicate that there are limits in the degree to which academic and social competencies could improve with effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negotiation behavior and outcomes: Empirical evidence and theoretical issues.

This article examines the ability of the individual differences, motivational, and cognitive approaches of negotiation to account for empirical research on dyadic negotiation. Investigators have typically focused on objective, economic measures of performance. However, social-psychological measures are important because negotiators often do not have the information necessary to make accurate judgments of the bargaining situation. Negotiators' judgments are biased, and biases are associated with inefficient performance. Personality and individual differences appear to play a minimal role in determining bargaining behavior; their impact may be dampened by several factors, such as homogeneity of S samples, situational constraints, and self-selection processes. Motivational and cognitive models provide compelling accounts of negotiation behavior. A psychological theory of negotiation should begin at the level of the individual negotiator and should integrate features of motivational and cognitive models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental-genetic analysis of aggressive behavior in mice: I. Behavioral outcomes.

In Exp I, stable lines of mice that differed in the frequency and latency of attacks were rapidly established in 2 series (by S? in the 1st series and S? or S? in the 2nd). For evaluation of the developmental-genetic proposal, an analysis was made of the ontogeny of aggressive expression in male mice of the 2 series, with a report provided of the S? and S? generations of the 2nd breeding series (Exps II and III). Comparisons between results of a longitudinal design and results of a new type of cross-sectional design (involving only siblings, or co-sibial) indicated (a) a reliable developmental course of attack expression, with a sharp rise in early maturity and a slow decline thereafter; (b) a convergence in later maturity of the behavior of lines selectively bred for high or low aggressive behavior, if Ss had been assigned to the longitudinal design; (c) a strong effect of repeated testing on attack latency and frequency, even though the dyadic tests were brief in duration and separated by long intervals. In addition, cross-generational comparisons suggested that the selective breeding differences came about primarily by changes in the behavior of the low aggressive lines, in that these Ss failed to show in early maturity the sharp increases in attack occurrence that were observed in earlier generations. Implications for developmental and evolutionary concepts (e.g., neoteny, acceleration, and heterochrony) are discussed. (27 ref) (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 (     

Effects of alcohol and initial gambling outcomes on within-session gambling behavior.

Concurrent drinking and gambling is prevalent among young adults and may increase negative consequences associated with each behavior. The effects of alcohol, initial gambling outcomes, gambling-related cognitions, and impulsivity on gambling behavior were evaluated. Initial gambling outcomes, gambling-related cognitions, and impulsivity were also assessed as potential moderators of the relation between alcohol and gambling behavior. Participants (N = 130) were randomly assigned to receive active placebo or alcohol (0.84 g/kg and 0.76 g/kg for men and women, respectively) and were invited to wager on a simulated slot machine programmed to produce 1 of 3 initial outcomes (win, breakeven, or loss) before beginning a progressive loss schedule. Alcohol consumption was associated with larger average bets and more rapid loss of all available funds, though no evidence was found for predicted main effects and interactions for gambling persistence. The effect of impulsivity was moderated by beverage condition, such that higher levels of impulsivity were associated with larger average bets for participants in the placebo but not the alcohol group. Results have direct implications for individual-focused and public-health interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)