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In this egocentric network study, we explored Chinese collectivism in relation to social network characteristics and sex work-related stigma among mid-age female sex workers (FSWs). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 1245 mid-age FSWs from three cities in China. We found that a one standard deviation (SD) increase in FSWs’ collectivism was associated with a 0.18 SD decrease in social support (95% CI − 0.32, − 0.04), a 0.20 SD decrease in network effective size (i.e., the diversity of a social network; 95% CI − 0.30, − 0.10), and a 0.21 SD decrease in network betweenness (i.e., the “bridging potential” of egos within their networks; 95% CI − 0.33, − 0.09). Among participants who perceived more sex work stigma, the association between collectivism and FSWs' network betweenness was attenuated. In a collective culture emphasizing group values and honor, belonging to a less interconnected social network may give FSWs a structural advantage to cope with stigma and secure social support.

Background: Single cigarette use among urban African Americans can perpetuate smoking continuation. There are no measures on perceptions related to reducing single cigarette use. Purpose: We develo...

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol ignition interlock devices (IID) reduce rates of drinking and driving. The interlock offers an opportune time for tailoring targeted interventions to develop habits to separate drinking from driving among this high-risk population. This study identified different types of IID users upon whom targeted interventions could be developed. METHODS: Participants (N = 114) were assessed at IID installation and again six months later. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted using drinking environment, drinking motivation, social support, drug use, and problem drinking behaviors as indicators. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted comparing latent class assignment with impaired driving attempts. RESULTS: LCA supported a 4-class model where 14.8% of participants fell into the low use/high awareness class; 30.6% fell into the heavy use/high awareness class; 30.6% fell into the mixed use/high awareness class; and 24.0% fell into the moderate use/low awareness class. Drivers in the moderate use/low awareness condition had increased early morning BAC lockouts. CONCLUSIONS: These typologies demonstrate important differences within high risk drivers. Indeed, drivers who fell into the moderate use/low awareness class may not have considered their alcohol-related behaviors problematic. This information could lend itself to the development of targeted interventions to address subgroups of drinking drivers.

Recent research indicates that perceived behavioral control is the strongest predictor of drowsy driving intention and willingness in young adult university students. This research also suggests that elevated perceived behavioral control concerning drowsy driving may impact a person’s perceptions of risk regarding drowsy driving, which subsequently may impact drowsy driving intention and willingness. Questionnaire data on drowsy driving beliefs and perceptions previously collected from 497 students at a university in the United States was used to investigate the relationship between perceived behavioral control, risk perception, intention, and willingness related to drowsy driving behavior. Regression analyses and Sobel tests revealed that drowsy driving risk perception partially mediates the relationship between perceived behavioral control and willingness to drive drowsy: greater perceived control over drowsy driving behavior decreases perceived risk concerning drowsy driving, which in turn increases willingness to engage in drowsy driving behavior. Limited evidence also was produced indicating that drowsy driving risk perception partially mediates the relationship between perceived behavioral control and intention to drive drowsy. These findings suggest important theory-based messaging strategies that can be developed to alter perceptions and subsequent behavior related to drowsy driving in young adult U.S. drivers.

Texting while driving is prevalent among college-aged students, despite distracted driving laws. Social Norms Theory suggests that individuals are influenced by perceptions of how their social groups act. Proximal sources of social influence, such as significant others (S.O.) may be more likely to effect college-aged students than distal sources (e.g. people they know in their friend or peer group, but don’t identify as people with whom they have a particularly important or meaningful relationship). We investigated whether perceived S.O. texting behaviors mediated the relationship between perceived risk of texting while driving and reported texting while driving among college-aged students. A sample of 835 undergraduate licensed drivers were surveyed about the influence of perceived risk of texting while driving on texting while driving within the past month. We examined whether seeing one’s S.O. (versus their friends) texting while driving mediated this effect. Two groups of drivers were considered: low-risk drivers, who never received a traffic citation nor got into a crash, and high-risk drivers, who had ever received traffic citation and been involved in a crash. We also examined gender differences within low-risk and high-risk groups. A series of logistic regressions, adjusting for gender and ethnicity, were conducted along with Sobel Tests to evaluate the significance of the mediation effect. Results showed that perceptions of the S.O. partially mediated the relationship between perceived risk of texting while driving and texting while driving. This effect was also observed for low risk (female only) and high risk drivers. There was no mediation effect for distal sources. These findings bolster the limited research on the importance of proximal sources of social influence and suggest prevention efforts should focus on proximal social networks of college-aged students as opposed to distal social influences when targeting young adults distracted driving.

to examine associations between childhood maltreatment and adulthood obesity, and mediating effects of adolescent depressive symptoms and BMI, using the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 10,894). Individuals who reported sexual maltreatment were 27% more likely to be obese (BMI≥30; AOR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.98-1.63) and 72% more likely to be extremely obese (BMI≥40) in adulthood (AOR = 1.72, 1.18-2.51) than those who did not. Individuals who reported physical maltreatment were 37% more likely to be extremely obese than those who did not (AOR = 1.37, 1.11-1.70). These relationships were true for males and females, and interaction terms by sex were not statistically significant. Adolescent depressive symptoms and BMI were statistically significant mediators between sexual and physical maltreatment and extreme obesity (p .05), and between physical maltreatment and self-rated obesity (p .05). Therefore, adolescent characteristics are mechanisms on the causal pathway between maltreatment and obesity in adulthood. Further research should explore these mechanisms.

Objective Alcohol use among older adults is a major public health concern given potentially negative effects to health and functioning in this population. Little is known about context in which alcohol use among older adults occurs, or how context of use is associated with risk behaviors. Method Invitation letters were mailed to licensed drivers 65 years and older in Maryland. A total of 825 participants completed an online survey that assessed demographic characteristics, alcohol use, social context of drinking, and driving behaviors. Results The analytic sample consisted of 604 older adult current drinkers (55% male). A factor analysis revealed three separate contexts of drinking: social facilitation, emotional comfort, and relaxation. Drinking in the context of social facilitation was associated with driving after drinking. Drinking in the context of emotional comfort was associated with getting drunk, driving after drinking, and running a stop sign or red light. Drinking in the context of relaxation was associated with traffic risk behaviors, including running a stop sign or red light and getting in a near crash or collision. Conclusions Understanding the social context of alcohol use among older adults may be useful for targeting and attempting to modify risky alcohol use and driving behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Substance use is prevalent and is associated with academic performance among adolescents. Few studies have examined the association between abstinence from all substances and academic achievement. METHODS: Data from a nationally representative sample of 9,578 twelfth graders from the 2015 Monitoring the Future survey were analyzed to examine relationships between abstinence from substance use and four academic variables: skipping school, grades, academic self-efficacy, and emotional academic engagement. Participants were categorized as lifetime non-users, former users, and past-year users based on the use of 14 substances. RESULTS: Approximately one-quarter of participants had never used cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs during their lifetime, and 8%(wt) used at least one substance during their lifetime but not during the past year. Adjusting for demographic variables, past-year substance users had 2.71 greater odds of skipping school during the past month than lifetime non-users and 1.74 greater odds of having low grades. Lifetime non-users reported greater academic self-efficacy and emotional academic engagement than past-year users. CONCLUSIONS: Many twelfth graders have abstained from all substance use during their lifetime, and these adolescents experience better academic outcomes than their substance-using peers. Substance use prevention programs should be evaluated as a way to promote academic achievement.

Extensive research has examined alcohol use context and motives among undergraduates, but less is known about where, when, and why graduate students drink. The current study aimed to describe the motives and situational context of graduate student alcohol use, identify demographic and program characteristics associated with alcohol use motives and context, and assess how alcohol use motives and context are associated with alcohol use behavior. A sample of master’s and doctoral-level students who drank during the past month (n = 2091; 63% female) completed an online survey. An exploratory factor analysis yielded two situational context factors: drinking in social situations (e.g., with friends, at a bar) and non-social situations (e.g., alone, at home). Graduate students most frequently endorsed social and enhancement drinking motives. Results of multivariate linear regression models showed that age, sex, race/ethnicity, and international student, marital, parental, and employment status were all associated with motives and context. Drinking for enhancement and drinking to cope were the motives most strongly associated with increased alcohol quantity and frequency, respectively. Drinking in social contexts was positively associated with alcohol quantity and frequency, and drinking in non-social contexts was positively associated with alcohol use frequency but inversely related to alcohol quantity. Graduate students who drink for enhancement reasons and in social situations might be at increased risk for higher quantity alcohol use, or graduate students who drink for coping reasons and in non-social situations might be at increased risk for more frequent alcohol use. Future longitudinal research is needed to explore whether drinking in certain contexts and with certain motivations is predictive of alcohol problems during and after graduate school.

Objective: Alcohol-impaired driving is a significant factor in fatal and serious injury-producing crashes in the United States and many other countries. In 2013, the State of Maryland implemented an anti-driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement program, called the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE). This enforcement effort consisted of a select team of 7 police officers from the Maryland State Police who engaged in high-intensity driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the impact of the SPIDRE program on impaired-driving crashes, DUI arrests, DUI adjudicative outcomes, and public perceptions of DUI enforcement. Methods: Data from alcohol-related crashes, arrests, and adjudicative outcomes of those arrests were used, along with data obtained from public opinion and bar patron surveys, to compare counties where the SPIDRE program operated and non-SPIDRE counties where it did not. The evaluation period extended from 2010 to 2016 in monthly intervals. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) methods were used for the data analyses of crashes and arrests. Results: There was no significant reduction in alcohol-related crashes as reported by the police associated with the SPIDRE program. However, there was a statistically significant decrease in the ratio of single-vehicle nighttime to multiple-vehicle daytime crashes in the SPIDRE counties but not in any other counties, suggesting a positive effect using this surrogate measure of impaired-driving crashes. The specific comparison counties as well as the other non-SPIDRE counties in Maryland experienced a statistically significant decrease in DUI arrests during the evaluation period, whereas the SPIDRE counties did not show such a decrease. Further, the arrests made by the SPIDRE team resulted in a significantly higher rate of positive adjudicative outcomes than arrests made by non-SPIDRE officers in those counties where the SPIDRE team operated. There was no evidence that the public was more aware of DUI enforcement efforts in the SPIDRE counties than in the non-SPIDRE counties. Conclusions: The SPIDRE program appeared able to prevent a downward trend in DUI arrests, experienced by the rest of the state, and achieved higher quality arrests resulting in more positive adjudicative outcomes. The way in which the SPIDRE team was deployed may have lacked sufficient duration and intensity (e.g., only 2–3 months of activity in any given county) to achieve a reduction in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes as reported by the police. It is recommended that the SPIDRE team increase its enforcement activities for at least 9–12 consecutive months in the county where they are employed.

Objectives This qualitative investigation sought to identify the motivational factors that contribute to drowsy driving in college students and to discover important messaging strategies that may help prevent or reduce this behavior in this population. Design Four focus groups of college students. Setting A large university in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area during the Fall 2016 term. Participants Twenty-six undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Measurements Notes and transcripts from the focus group sessions were analyzed to identify recurring themes regarding attitudes, motivations, experiences, influences, and potential preventive messaging strategies related to drowsy driving. Results Although most participants had heard of drowsy driving and were concerned about it, they did not associate it with legal risks and were more concerned about alcohol-impaired and distracted driving as crash risks. Participants viewed drowsy driving as a normal and unavoidable part of their lives over which they had little control. For potential anti–drowsy driving messaging strategies, participants preferred messages delivered via audiovisual or social media that featured graphic and emotional portrayals of crashes and their consequences. Participants also voiced strong support for preventive messaging strategies equating various degrees of sleep deprivation to known impairing levels of alcohol, as well as messages providing cues to action to actual drowsy drivers on roadways. Conclusions Increased enforcement, education, and public messaging campaigns are needed to increase knowledge and influence attitudes and opinions among young drivers about the dangers and social unacceptability of drowsy driving.

Being a hurried driver is associated with a variety of risky driving behaviors, yet the mechanisms underlying this behavior remain unknown. Distress tolerance, defined as an individual's capability to experience and endure negative emotional states, was examined as a predictor of hurried driving among 769 college students. Results indicate that after controlling for age, gender, race, ethnicity, the student's year in school, their grade point average, driving frequency, angry driving, aggressive driving as well as other forms of self-reported risky driving; hurried driving was significantly associated with lower levels of distress tolerance. Hurried drivers also reported greater levels of frustration and impatience with other drivers, suggesting that they have difficulty in withstanding or coping with negative psychological states when driving. Traditional traffic safety campaigns that emphasize enforcement may be less successful with these drivers. The need to develop campaigns that address the affective coping abilities that contribute to this behavioral pattern is discussed.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of driver dispositions with traffic safety behaviors and beliefs. METHODS: A random digit-dial telephone survey was conducted of 796 licensed drivers. RESULTS: Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses compared hurried and nonhurried drivers and found that hurried drivers were more likely to admit to a variety of risky behaviors. They were also less likely to believe they would be ticketed for speeding and to report wearing their seat belt than were nonhurried drivers. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed into identifying the underlying motivational factors of hurried drivers and what countermeasures will be most effective for them. Language: en

Few studies have investigated the association between the social context of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD). This longitudinal study of college students aimed to: develop a social context measure of cannabis use; examine the degree to which social context is associated with the transition from non-problematic cannabis use to CUD; and, examine the association between social context of cannabis use and depressive symptoms. The analytic sample consisted of 322 past-year cannabis users at baseline. Four distinct and internally consistent social context scales were found (i.e., social facilitation, emotional pain, sex-seeking, and peer acceptance). Persistent CUD (meeting DSM-IV criteria for CUD at baseline and twelve months later) was associated with using cannabis in social facilitation or emotional pain contexts, controlling for frequency of cannabis use and alcohol use quantity. Students with higher levels of depressive symptoms were more likely to use cannabis in an emotional pain or sex-seeking context. These findings highlight the importance of examining the social contextual factors relating to substance use among college students.

A web-based questionnaire was used to assess the utility of constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) to predict intentions and willingness to engage in drowsy driving in a sample of 450 university students. Those students who reported more favorable attitudes and subjective norm and greater perceived control and willingness in relation to drowsy driving behavior were more likely to report stronger intentions to engage in drowsy driving behavior. Augmenting the TPB constructs with the PWM construct of willingness significantly explained up to an additional 8 percent of the variance in drowsy driving intention. Perceived behavioral control and willingness were consistently the strongest predictors of drowsy driving intention in the augmented model, which together with the control (personal) variables explained up to 70 percent of the variance in intention. Thus, the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Prototype Willingness Model may be useful for understanding motivational influences on drowsy driving behavior in young people and present promising theoretical frameworks for designing more effective interventions against drowsy driving in this population.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which parents intend to place driving limits on adolescents approaching unsupervised driving. A total of 658 parents and their 16-year-old adolescents were recruited from a local Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration site as adolescents successfully tested for provisional licenses. Parents completed written surveys about parent-adolescent relations and anticipated adolescent unsupervised driving. The results indicated that parents reported high levels of intended limits on adolescents’ unsupervised driving, especially for trip conditions (e.g., getting permission) when compared with risk conditions (e.g., at night). Almost one third of parents reported completing driving agreements. Overall, intended driving limits and completed driving agreements were more likely when parents reported high levels of parental monitoring (2 times more likely), discussion of driving rules (2 to 4 times more likely), risk perception (2 times more likely), and vehicle access (2 to 3 times more likely). Completed driving agreements were not related to intended driving limits.

Objective: To explore the relations between familial factors and behavioral outcomes in Latino adolescents using a youth development framework. Methods: A convenience sample of Latino youth (n=446) completed an anonymous survey. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the associations between levels of family involvement and problem and prosocial behavior outcomes. Results: Higher levels of parental monitoring and familial connectedness were consistently associated with less problem-behavior involvement. Sociocultural encouragement was consistently associated with more prosocial-behavior involvement. Conclusion: The family context is critical the prevention of problem behaviors and the promotion of prosocial behaviors among Latino adolescents. (authors)

An analysis is presented of adolescent driving risk, the advantages of graduated licensing programs, and the potential for parent-based programs to moderate teen driving risks. Risk factors associated with youthful driving illustrate the potential importance and benefits of limiting the amount and conditions under which teens can drive. State policies, such as graduated driver licensing systems that formalize restrictions on youthful driving, have been shown to be effective. However, teen driving risks remain elevated. Parents are in a prime position to extend the benefits of state restrictions by developing and implementing their own tailored family policies on adolescent driving. Unfortunately, parents of adolescent drivers are often under-aware of the need to do so and fail to impose effective driving restrictions. An ongoing parent-based intervention to increase parental restriction on teen driving is described, and issues involved in implementing and evaluating family-centered approaches to reduce teen driving risk are raised.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the physical, social and temporal contexts of physical activity, as well as sex variations of the associations among 314 urban adolescents. METHODS: Three-day physical activity recall measured contextual information of physical activities. Logistic regressions and generalized estimating equation models examined associations among physical activity types and contexts, and sex differences. RESULTS: Active transportation was the most common physical activity. Home/neighborhood and school were the most common physical activity locations. School was the main location for organized physical activity. Boys spent more time on recreational physical activity, regardless of the social context, compared to girls. The average physical activity level was significantly lower for girls than for boys after school. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity promotion interventions need to target physical activity environments and social contexts in a sex-specific manner. Language: en

OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature and prevalence of parental involvement with teen driving and its relationship to teen driving risk. METHODS: A statewide sample of 424 Maryland parents and their provisionally licensed teenagers were interviewed. RESULTS: Parents were unaware of the extent to which their teens had engaged in high-risk traffic events, such as being distracted by friends or driving too fast. Teens who were allowed unsupervised access to a car at least several times a week were 3 times as likely to have driven too fast than were those who had access once a month or less. The frequency of parental teaching of driving skills was not strongly related to teen risk taking. CONCLUSION: The need to increase parents' capacity to impose and enforce driving restrictions on provisionally licensed teen drivers is indicated. Language: en

OBJECTIVES To establish reliability/validity of the Glover-Nilsson Smoking Behavioral Questionnaire (GN-SBQ). METHODS The GN-SBQ and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) were completed by 100 smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked, smoking duration, and craving were obtained. RESULTS The GN-SBQ was internally consistent (Cronbach α = .82), temporally stable (r = .86), and uncorrelated with FTND. There was a significant main effect for craving, F(3, 73) = 14.68, p < .001; and the GN-SBQ was a significant predictor of craving levels (β = .476, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS The GN-SBQ shows promise as a tool for distinguishing behavioral from physical nicotine dependence.

BACKGROUND: Trait aggression has been linked to alcohol-related problems among college students. However, the individual conditions underlying this association are unknown. Empirical evidence and theory suggest the importance of distress tolerance, defined as an individual's ability to withstand negative affective states, in the relationship between trait aggression and alcohol use. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether distress tolerance moderates the relationship between trait aggression and problematic alcohol use. METHODS: Participants were 646 undergraduate students in a large university, who reported any lifetime alcohol use. The dependent variable, problematic alcohol use, was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total score. The main independent variable, trait aggression, was assessed on the negative emotionality scale of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, and the moderator, distress tolerance, was determined using the Distress Tolerance Scale. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated a significant interaction between trait aggression and distress tolerance in predicting problematic alcohol use, adjusting for demographic variables, regular substance use, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, a significant positive relationship between trait aggression and problematic alcohol use was present among those with low, but not high, distress tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide evidence that college students with high levels of trait aggression are more likely to engage in problematic alcohol use if they also evidence an inability to tolerate negative affective states. Study implications are discussed, including the development of prevention and intervention programs that target distress tolerance skills. Language: en

To compare offenders with high versus low perceptions of risk for being stopped by police for drinking and driving using measures of beliefs, behaviors, social context of drinking, and perceived influence from a significant other in their social network.Telephone interviews were conducted with 161 individuals who received a first-time driving under the influence (DUI) citation in Maryland. They were divided into 2 groups: those who felt that it was almost certain or very likely that they would be stopped by the police if they drove after having too much to drink (n = 56) and those who felt that it was only somewhat likely or unlikely (n = 105).The 2 groups did not differ in terms of age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, employment, or marital status. Offenders with a low perceived risk of being stopped were less likely to believe that they would be convicted if they were stopped and arrested. They were more likely to report having an encounter with an aggressive driver, running through a stop sign or traffic light, drinking in a context of social facilitation, knowing someone in their social network who had received a DUI citation, and having a member of their social network suggest that they had had too much to drink and could not drive safely.The social context of drinking and the relationship they have to their social network have important implications for influencing first DUI offenders and preventing them from recidivating.

A random telephone survey of attitudes toward underage drinking was conducted in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The results revealed that alcohol use, especially alcohol-impaired driving, among youth were seen as serious problems by a majority (>80%) of the respondents. Strong support (>80%) was detected for imposing suffer penalties on bars and restaurants that sell alcohol to minors, older peers who purchase alcohol for minors, and driver's license restrictions for minors who possess and use alcohol. Over 50% favored stiffer penalties for parents who provide alcohol to minors. Respondents who were parents of teenage children were more likely to believe their teen's friends drink and drive (37%) than they were to believe their own teen drives drunk (10%). These parents were also unlikely to believe their teen had ever come home intoxicated (19%) despite the fact that almost 60% believed their teen has been to parties where there is drinking. These findings, and others from this survey, indicate that parents (especially whites) are unaware of the nature of teen drinking and are reluctant to accept the fact that their teens are involved with alcohol and high-risk alcohol-related behaviors. The implications of these findings for prevention programs are discussed.

An anonymous questionnaire was administered to students at two universities. The questionnaire contained the Social Context of Drinking Scales, the Sensation Seeking Scale, and measures of alcohol use intensity, frequency of alcohol-impaired driving, as well as frequency of riding with an impaired driver. The results revealed significant gender differences in the social context of drinking as well as sensation seeking. High intensity drinkers of each gender were more likely to drink in a context of Social Facilitation and score higher on the sensation seeking subscale--Disinhibition. High intensity men drinkers were more likely to drink in a context of Sex Seeking, whereas high intensity women drinkers tended to drink in a context of Emotional Pain. In general, the Social Context of Drinking Scales were superior to the Sensation Seeking Scales at being able to discriminate high from low intensity drinkers. The implications for targeted prevention programs on college campuses are discussed.

Background: Previous research has suggested important contextual factors that can differentiate problem and nonproblem drinkers. Objectives: To evaluate the strength of the prospective association between social contexts of drinking and subsequent alcohol use disorder and drunk driving 2-3 years later. Methods: The sample consisted of 652 individuals who were originally recruited at college entry, had complete data on at least one social context subscale, met the minimum criteria for Year 1 drinking, and had nonmissing data on at least one of the outcome variables in Years 3 and/or 4. Social contexts of drinking were assessed in Year 1 by using previously validated scales measuring six different situational and motivational contexts in which alcohol is consumed. DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence and drunk driving were assessed annually. Results: Holding constant gender, race/ethnicity, and baseline drinking frequency, the frequency of drinking in a context of social facilitation, sex-seeking, or in a motor vehicle during Year 1 was significantly related to a greater likelihood of alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, and drunk driving in Years 3 and/or 4. Drinking in a context of emotional pain was related to alcohol dependence and drunk driving but not to alcohol abuse. Conclusions: The Social Context of Drinking Scales have utility for identifying students who are at risk for developing alcohol-related problems. Scientific Significance: Identifying college students who might develop alcohol dependence requires an assessment of both situational and motivational factors that influence drinking, especially drinking in a motor vehicle. Language: en

An anonymous questionnaire was administered to more than 1,200 seventh to 12th grade students in four rural public schools in western New York State. The questionnaire measured alcohol use, the social contexts of drinking, and the personality trait known as "sensation seeking." A majority (57%) were drinkers, and discriminant function analyses were performed on their scores on these measures to determine if they could distinguish between different levels of alcohol use intensity, alcohol-impaired driving, and riding with an impaired driver. Results indicated social context measure were effective in distinguishing among levels on each indicant of abuse. In particular, high-intensity drinkers, impaired drivers, and riders of impaired drivers were more likely to drink in a context of social facilitation, stress control, and defiance of school and adult authority. The drinking context of peer acceptance was important only in distinguishing teen-agers who ride with drunk drivers from those who do not. Overall, the sensation seeking trait was of moderate importance in distinguishing among different alcohol abuse practices. Implications of these findings for assessment as well as school-based prevention programs are discussed.

This study investigated the potential effects of alcohol price increases on alcohol-related attitudes and perceptions of youth. Data were collected through a survey of high school students conducted after the federal excise taxes on alcohol beverages were increased in January 1991. Survey data lend support to previous research showing that higher alcohol prices contribute to lower alcohol consumption by youth, as well as to a decrease in related problems such as driving while intoxicated. Survey data also suggest that a price of around $7.50 for a six-pack of beer or a four-pack of wine coolers would discourage purchases by youth. Further studies are called for to substantiate and to expand on these findings with more diverse adolescent populations.

A series of items that measure the social context of alcohol consumption among adolescents was administered in a questionnaire survey to over 1,300 high school students. Emerging from a factor analysis were five factors which suggested that drinking occurs in the following social contexts: drinking for social facilitation where adults are not present, drinking at school or during school-related activities, drinking for stress control, drinking for conformity or to be part of a group, and drinking under parental supervision at home. Scales based on these factors appeared to be reliable, free from social desirability bias, and able to discriminate problem drinkers from nonproblem drinkers. The most important of these factors was drinking for social facilitation that is not restrained by the presence of adults. These findings reinforce the validity of examining the social context of drinking (which involves situational as well as motivational reasons for drinking) to uncover important etiological contributors of alcohol abuse in an adolescent population.

Two instruments measuring conceptually distinct models of alcohol use were administered to a sample of 18 to 22 year-old college drinkers. One instrument assessed social contexts of drinking, defined as a combination of intra personal motivations and immediate environmental variables which influence alcohol use. A second instrument assessed alcohol expectancies, which are the anticipated outcomes or reinforcements obtained from drinking. The results indicated that the social context set accounted for 70 per cent of the variance in a measure of alcohol use intensity, compared to 48 per cent which was accounted for by the expectancy set. Social Facilitation was the single most important context factor related to alcohol intensity. The implications of these findings and future directions for social context research are discussed.

This study examined the association between dating violence victimization and psychosocial risk and protective factors among Latino early adolescents. An anonymous, cross-sectional, self-reported survey was administered to a convenience sample of Latino youth ( n = 322) aged 11 to 13 residing in suburban Washington, D.C. The dependent variable was physical dating violence; the independent variables included violence, substance use, emotional well-being, prosocial behaviors, and parenting practices. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed and adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were examined. Overall, 13.5% ( n = 43) of Latino early adolescents reported being a victim of physical dating violence within the past year. The prevalence was 14.4% for girls and 12.9% for boys. Among the girls, binge drinking was the sole risk behavior associated with dating violence. Gun carrying, alcohol consumption, and having considered suicide were associated with dating violence among the boys. Physical dating violence appears to affect a small but significant proportion of Latino early adolescents and is associated with other risk behaviors. Healthy dating relationship programs are warranted for middle school youth with some tailoring to reflect gender differences in risk profiles.

The evidence concerning Maryland's anti-drunk driving program, Checkpoint Strikeforce, is reviewed. To date, there is no evidence to indicate that this campaign, which involves a number of sobriety checkpoints and media activities to promote these efforts, has had any impact on public perceptions, driver behaviors, or alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and injuries. This conclusion is drawn after examining statistics for alcohol-related crashes, police citations for impaired driving, and public perceptions of alcohol-impaired driving risk. Comparisons are also made with other states in the mid-Atlantic region, where similar campaign activities have occurred. Reasons for this failure in Maryland include insufficient levels of enforcement (e.g., too few sobriety checkpoints and vehicle contacts occurred to raise public perceptions of risk pertaining to impaired driving) and inadequate publicity surrounding this campaign. Suggestions for overcoming these problems are offered.

Introduction The purpose of this investigation was to identify beliefs, driving personality dispositions, and behaviors that distinguish self-defined aggressive drivers from non-aggressive drivers. Method Telephone surveys were used to identify self-reported aggressive drivers (n = 305) who were compared to non-aggressive drivers (n = 1,715) concerning their beliefs, driving behaviors, and self-described driving dispositions. Results Aggressive drivers, compared to non-aggressive drivers, were less concerned about speeding, aggressive driving, and cell phone use while driving, yet were more likely to have had an encounter with another aggressive driver. They were also more likely to report that they had driven when they knew they had too much to drink, yet they felt less likely that they would be stopped by the police. Conclusion Aggressive drivers display many dispositions that define them as high risk drivers and public information/motivational campaigns alone will likely be ineffective with this group of drivers. Strategies that combine visible enforcement with widespread publicity campaigns appear to be necessary.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to a brief intervention administered at the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) increases parental limits on teen driving. A total of 658 parents and their 16-year-old adolescents were recruited from a local MVA site as adolescents successfully tested for provisional licenses. At the MVA, participating parents completed written surveys about expected teen driving during the 1st month of provisional licensure. One month later, 579 parent-teen dyads completed follow-up telephone interviews about teen driving within the past month. On weeks assigned as intervention, parents were exposed to a video and given the video and a driving agreement to take home. In multivariate linear regression analyses, the results indicated that when controlling for selected demographic and baseline psychosocial variables, intervention parents reported more driving rules, restricted driving, limits for high-speed roads, weekend night restrictions, and overall driving limits than did parents in the control group. When compared to control teens, intervention teens reported more limits on passengers, high-speed roads, and night driving, and on overall driving limits, but there were no differences for overall driving or driving under high-risk conditions. In addition, intervention parents were about 3 times, and intervention teens were about 5 times, more likely than controls to report using a parent-teen driving agreement. These results indicate that brief exposure to intervention at an MVA office may help increase parental limits on teen driving.

This investigation sought to determine if Maryland’s new graduated licensing programwas associated with greater levels of parental involvement in, and restriction on, teens’ unsupervised driving. Separate samples of teens with provisional licenses were interviewed by telephone before ( n= 424) and after ( n= 600) the new program took effect. The findings indicated that teens in the new program reported significant increases in the frequency of parental driving instruction and supervised driving during the permit phase. There were no differences in amounts of instruction or supervised driving after provisional licensure. Also, teens in the new program reported greater overall amounts of parental restriction on their driving; however, few specific restrictions showed increases. Programs that encourage parents to regulate, restrict, monitor, and supervise the driving privileges of their teens during their provisional period of licensure are recommended. Graduated licensing laws and programs benefit from specific behavioral interventions targeted to, and implemented by, parents.

OBJECTIVES: To compare associations between teen and parent reports of parental driving influence to teen-reported high-risk driving. METHODS: A statewide sample of 424 Maryland parents and their provisionally licensed teenagers were interviewed. RESULTS: Reports of parental involvement with their driving to that of their parents indicated low levels of concordance. Teens who reported their parents had specific rules restricting who could ride with them as well as how many passengers were allowed to ride with them were less likely to report being distracted by friends, getting a ticket, driving too fast, or driving aggressively. CONCLUSION: Programs that enable parents to restrict and supervise their teen's driving, especially during the first 6 months of provisional licensure, are indicated. Language: en

This study of more than 1,300 high school students examined gender differences in the social context of drinking associated with four alcohol problem behaviors (high intensity drinking, binge drinking, driving while intoxicated, and riding with an alcohol impaired driver). A series of analyses treated five social contexts of drinking (Social Facilitation, School Defiance, Stress Control, Peer Acceptance, and Parental Approval) as dependent variables and revealed significant multivariate interaction effects between gender and all four alcohol problem behaviors. Male problem drinkers were more likely to drink in all social contexts than female problem drinkers or non-problem drinkers of both genders. Females were no more likely to drink in the context of Stress Control than males, a finding inconsistent with some previous research. The social contexts of Social Facilitation, School Defiance, and Stress Control were the best discriminators of problem versus non-problem drinkers of both genders (although the order of importance varied by gender and specific problem behavior). Implications for designing targeted interventions are discussed.

An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a sample of over 890 adolescent drinkers. The questionnaire contained measures of their social context of drinking, perceived social norms, and perceived parental behaviors regarding drinking. These measures were related to a variety of alcohol problem behaviors including binge drinking, driving while alcohol-impaired, riding with an alcohol-impaired driver, and experiencing one or more negative consequences because of drinking. Results indicated that drinking frequently in a social context of social facilitation, stress control or school defiance, as well as having close friends engage in these behaviors, tended to separate alcohol abusers from nonabusers. The implications for program development are discussed.

This study proposed to develop and validate a scale for the college population that measures self-efficacy in using condoms. The Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale (CUSES) was derived from several sources and consisted of 28 items describing an individual's feelings of confidence about being able to purchase condoms, put them on and take them off, and negotiate their use with a new sexual partner. This scale was administered to a sample of 768 college students. It was found to possess adequate reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .91; test-retest correlation = .81) and correlated well with the Attitude Toward the Condom Scale (r = .51) and the Contraceptive Self-Efficacy Scale for women (r = .55). Our scale also correlated with a measure of intention to use condoms (r = .40) but was unrelated to a measure of social desirability. Students who differed on measures of previous condom use as well as on sexual intercourse experience also showed significant differences on this scale in the expected direction, indicating evidence of this scale's discriminant validity. The potential uses of this scale in a college population are discussed, along with the issues underlying condom usage self-efficacy.The methods and validation results of the development of a condom self-efficacy scale (CUSES) for college students is reported. Development of the scale was based on previous literature, an expert panel, and input form 183 college students. 60 items were included in the initial questionnaire and 15 factors were identified as influencing college students; self-efficacy toward condom usage. 28 specific self-efficacy items were then created with a scale ranging from strongly agree to disagree. The 15 factors were 1) personal experience with condoms, 2) embarrassment at purchase, 3) alcohol use, 4) not wanting to offend with the implication of uncleanliness, 5) reduction in excitement, 6) loss of spontaneity, 7) breaking the mood, 8) not being prepared, 9) unsure of partner's feeling about condoms, 10) embarrassment, 11) communication with partner, 12) embarrassment about talking about condoms, 13) afraid of partner's refusal of condom use, 14) ability to maintain an erection, and 15) fear of reputation. The entire survey tested had 124 questions: the 28-item new scale, Brown's Attitude Toward Condom Use (ATC) scale, Levinson's Contraceptive Self Efficacy Scale for women (CSE), a short form of the Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability scale, and 3 outcome measures. Changes were made after 60 students pretested the questionnaire for readability, understanding, and anonymity. Validity scale measures are reported for the other scales used. 803 students were administered the questionnaire during class, but not sex education classes, and 2 weeks later. The demographics are given and were similar to the pretest. The mean score of CUSES was 75.69 )SD=15.50). Cronbach's alpha with 768 cases was .91 and after 2 weeks .81 and are comparable to other reliability coefficients. CUSES correlated significantly with the ATC scale (r=.51, p.001) and the CSE (r=.55, p.001) with evidence of convergent validity. It was significantly correlated with behavioral intentions (r=.40, p.001) and outcome efficacy score of condom users was M=81.31, n=260, and nonusers was M=74.91, n=407, and users mean was significantly greater. Those who had used a condom had significantly higher CUSES scores than those who had not, and those who had a prior sexually transmitted disease (STD) approached a significant difference. There was no significant difference between men and women. A limitation is that the sample was not random, and the measures of behavioral intention and past behavior are self-reports. Although behavioral intention is the best predictor of future behavior, it may not be an accurate measure. The sample was not ethnically or sexually diverse. The confidence with which students felt about some items is discussed and it may be helpful to educators to focus on condom purchase, negotiating condom use with a new partner, and homosexuality and STDs.

This article presents a model of parental involvement in prevention of teenage drinking and driving. Research findings are reviewed on why adolescents drink and drive, and what parents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices are related to youthful impaired driving. Reasons for parents' ineffectiveness at intervening to prevent their teenagers from drinking and driving are described. It is suggested that parents' effectiveness at preventing alcohol use and alcohol-impaired driving among their teenagers depends upon their stage of involvement. The different stages of parental involvement are defined as awareness, acceptance, action, and consequences. The specific components of these stages are described, and evidence is presented indicating that parents tend to be unaware of the true extent and nature of teen drinking, and thus less prone to acceptance and action.

College undergraduate smokers and nonsmokers were exposed to a persuasive anti-smoking communication. Measures were taken of their emotional arousal, attitudes toward smoking, perceived attitudes of family and friends, and intentions to engage in a variety of smoking-related activities. A follow-up measure of their behavior was taken one to two weeks af tar-ward. It was predicted that the influence of emotional state upon intentions and behavior would be indirect, being mediated through attitudes toward smoking. Attitudes and normative (family and friends') beliefs were expected to predict intentions, which were expected to predict actual behaviors. The results supported Leventhal (1970) and Fishbein and Ajzen (1975). Emotional state was independent of attitudes, perceived attitudes of family and friends, and all but one intention. Attitude-intention consistency was observed for all responses, while intention-behavior consistency was limited to two responses. Family attitudes predicted intentions to cut down on the amount smoked and stop smoking altogether. Intention-behavior inconsistency was discussed in terms of barriers that may inter fere with accomplishing one's intentions, and measurement issues which may distort the observed relationship between verbal intentions and subsequent actions.

Eighty dental patients were pretested with a scale measuring health locus of control and then exposed to a persuasive communication designed to manipulate their beliefs about the seriousness of periodontal disease and their susceptibility to it. The high seriousness condition increased feelings of fear, concern, and threat as well as intentions and reported compliance with recommended oral hygiene procedures. However, patient's perceived personal efficacy in performing the recommended behavior was the most important predictor of subsequent behavior. The implications of the results for Roger's protection motivation theory are discussed.

Summary An experiment was performed to test the hypotheses that (a) there would be a curvilinear relationship between increased degrees of a negative communication and persuasion, while (b) there would be a positive and linear relationship between a positive communication and persuasion. Two-hundred forty college undergraduate Smokers and Nonsmokers of both sexes were given false physiological feedback in order to manipulate their perceptions of different types of arousal (positive, negative, and control) and varying degrees of arousal (low, moderate, high, and control). The results showed that perceptions of negative arousal were related to belief acceptance and attitudes, while positive arousal was related to behavioral intentions. The results also demonstrated support for Fishbein and Ajzen's theory: beliefs predicted attitudes, while attitudes predicted intentions. However, subjective norms also predicted attitudes, and both attitudes and intentions predicted behaviors. The results not only demonstrat...

A conceptual replication and extension of Giesen and Hendrick's (1974) false physiological feedback experiment was performed. Bogus heart rate of different intensities as well as meter feedback indicative of affective types of arousal was presented to smokers and nonsmokers as they viewed an anti-smoking communication. Consistent with Giesen and Hendrick's intensity hypothesis, intensity feedback facilitated message acceptance while the type of feedback had no effect, but for nonsmokers only. This suggests that false feedback facilitates persuasion only for topics which subjects do not find directly relevant or of personal concern. For smokers, the false feedback appeared to inhibit persuasion, suggesting a resistance effect. The attributional significance of false physiological feedback is discussed.

Over 700 college students were measured with the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) along with eleven other personality scales in an attempt to identify the personality correlates of this scale. These eleven personality variables were analyzed to determine their contribution to a discriminant solution between extreme high scores (supposedly true Type A's) and low scores (supposedly true Type B's) as measured by the JAS. The results revealed that relative to those subjects who were classified as Type B's, those classified as Type A's exhibited significantly greater status concern, less alexithymia, more misanthropy and greater life satisfaction. Self-esteem and related self-concepts did not differ significantly between these two groups. These findings challenge the validity of this instrument as a measure of Type A trait.

The effects of different types of risk information in a simulated decision-making task were investigated to test the predictions of protection motivation theory. In accordance with predictions, outcome severity, efficacy of protection, and access to protection were related to protective decisions. The results are discussed in terms of general utility of this model for a variety of decision-making situations. The aspect of manageability, which is seen as a combination of efficacy of protection and access to protection, was discussed as an essential component for risk decision making.