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This project studied the convergent validity of current recall of tobacco-related health behaviors, compared with prospective self-report collected earlier at two sites. Cohorts were from the Oregon Research Institute at Eugene (N = 346, collected 19.5 years earlier) and the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (N = 294, collected 3.9 years earlier). Current recall was examined through computer-assisted interviews with the Lifetime Tobacco Use Questionnaire from 2005 through 2008. Convergent validity estimates demonstrated variability. Validity estimates of some tobacco use measures were significant for Oregon subjects (age at first cigarette, number of cigarettes/day, quit attempts yes/no and number of attempts, and abstinence symptoms at quitting; all P < 0.03). Validity estimates of Pittsburgh subjects’ self-reports of tobacco use and abstinence symptoms were significant (P < 0.001) for all tobacco use and abstinence symptoms and for responses to initial use of tobacco. These findings support the utility of collecting recalled self-report information for reconstructing salient lifetime health behaviors and underscore the need for careful interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a study which examines the association between prenatal alcohol exposure and the rate of conduct disorder in exposed and unexposed adolescents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Data from a longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposures were analyzed. Findings of the study revealed that prenatal alcohol use in the first trimester is significantly associated with an increased rate of conduct disorder in the adolescents.

Objective: To investigate the direct effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) on adolescent drug use, while controlling for other predictors of adolescent use., Method: Data are from a longitudinal study of PCE in which women and their offspring were assessed throughout childhood. Adolescents were interviewed at 15 years about their age at initiation of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco. The sample consisted of 214 adolescents and their caregivers: 50% was of white ethnicity, and 50% African American., Results: First trimester cocaine exposure significantly predicted earlier adolescent marijuana and alcohol initiation. The hazard of marijuana and alcohol initiation among exposed adolescents was almost two times greater than among nonexposed adolescents, adjusting for other significant factors. There were no differences in tobacco initiation. Other significant predictors of adolescent drug use were family history of alcohol problems, exposure to violence, and childhood maltreatment., Conclusions: Cocaine exposure during early pregnancy was associated with initiation of marijuana and alcohol use. Exposure to violence, childhood maltreatment, and familial factors also predicted adolescent initiation, but did not mitigate the effects of PCE. The combination of these risk factors has significant implications for the development of later substance use, social, and psychiatric problems., (Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Longitudinal studies of maternal depression in the postpartum period have demonstrated that a chronic state of depressive symptoms is not rare. In spite of this, however, the characteristics of chronically depressed mothers have rarely been studied. This study examines the demographic and socioenvironmental characteristics across time of childrearing women with chronic depressive symptoms., Methods: A cohort of 476 childrearing lower-income mothers was interviewed from the first trimester of pregnancy through the tenth year postpartum. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, L. (1977) Appl Psychol Meas 1:385-401) was used to define depressive symptomatology. Four groups were defined based on the CES-D scores at 18 months, 3, 6 and 10 years: never-depressed (CES-D < 16), depressed only at one phase (CES-D > or = 16), chronically mildly depressed (CES-D > 16 and < or =24 at three or more phases), and chronically severely depressed (CES-D > or = 25 at three or more times). Demographic and socioenvironmental characteristics of the groups were evaluated across time., Results: Chronically depressed women compared to never-depressed women were less likely to be married, had less education, had lower family income, and were more likely to use substances. They reported more frequent arguments with close family members or friends, separation/divorce with partners, financial problems, less social support, and more financial strain., Conclusions: Women who continue to be depressed across the 10 postpartum years have less optimal outcomes compared to women who are not depressed and those who are only intermittently depressed. Pregnancy and delivery and subsequent pediatric visits are important times to identify women who are depressed.

Alcohol use across pregnancy causes growth and other abnormalities in the offspring. Confirmation of pregnancy leads some women to discontinue alcohol use and other women to continue use. The study discussed in this article assessed alcohol use at the first and third trimesters and at delivery for 393 pregnant African American women in an urban area. At the first trimester, 118 women were moderate to heavy drinkers (one or more drinks per day), compared with 38 women who were at delivery. Socioenvironmental and psychological differences were identified for both women who reduced consumption and women who continued. An understanding of continued drinkers' vulnerability to factors that influence their drinking behaviors demands the development of appropriate, early, and effective intervention strategies. Social welfare implications are discussed.