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While the research in the area of fear of criminal victimization among students at school continues to grow, few studies have focused on the prevalence or correlates of fear of crime at school among teachers. Using data from 1,438 teachers from 54 public high schools in Kentucky, we examined the individual- and school-level predictors of teacher perceptions of school safety using hierarchical linear regression models (HLMs) of teacher perceived safety. Overall, we found that teacher perceptions of school safety were largely a function of individual experiences at school. Nonetheless, perceptions of safety did vary substantially across schools, and school-level characteristics accounted for part of this contextual variation. In particular, we found evidence that the incivility hypothesis--largely heretofore applied to understanding neighborhood variation in fear of crime--also extended to teachers nested within school settings. Presence of physical disorder (measured as both individual and within-school shared perceptions of incivility) decreased teachers' perceptions of school safety. (Contains 3 tables and 7 notes.)

Few studies have examined the predictors of substance use for ethnic minority adolescents. The current longitudinal study investigated whether factors predictive of substance use for Caucasian adolescents were also predictive for African American adolescents. Results indicated which predictors of substance use actually differ across African American and Caucasian adolescents (i.e., sensation seeking, peer substance use, and peer pressure resistance) and how they are different when race is crossed with gender. The current findings highlight the need for additional research on the similarities and differences in predictors of substance use across race. Directions for further research are provided including some discussion about contextual and cultural variables researchers might explore.

The discipline of epidemiology utilizes the constructs of agent, host, vector, and environment to study the incidence and prevalence (i.e., the nature, extent, distribution, correlates) and the contexts, and consequences of drug abuse in the United States. This paper provides a selected review of the results of 40 years of epidemiological study of drug abuse using surveillance systems, general population surveys, ethnography and qualitative research approaches. It then addresses the challenges in conducting research on drug abuse epidemiology. The paper concludes with some missed opportunities and lessons learned in four decades of a large portfolio of research studies conducted by an impressive array of distinguished scientists.

While school-based adolescent victimization has received a great deal of public attention, there exist relatively few theoretically driven studies aimed at explaining this phenomenon. We address this paucity by providing a test of a criminal-opportunity model of school-based victimization using data on over 3,000 students from 40 different Kentucky middle and high schools. The effects of opportunity-related concepts are estimated for both violent and property victimization, and comparisons are made for each victimization type across middle- and high-school student subsamples. Findings suggest that criminal opportunity theory is relevant to the understanding of school-based victimization. In particular, indicators of exposure to crime and target antagonism appear to be robust predictors. Further, there appears to be substantial generalizability in the effects of opportunity-related variables across violent versus property victimization as well as across middle-school versus high-school contexts.

This article investigates the relationship between school environment, self-regulation, and smoking among adolescents. Findings indicate that schools with high faculty involvement and student discipline prevent smoking students from increasing cigarette use and that students with poor self-regulation are less likely to begin smoking in this type of school environment.

Research into the connection between testosterone levels, carbon monoxide levels, current and adolescent nicotine use, and histories of pubertal onset in 30 young women smokers is presented. It is concluded that testosterone levels are connected with nicotine use in adult females.

This research examines three relatively unexplored questions about the effects of role socialization on the initiation of cocaine use: (1) What are the effects of adult social roles on the initiation of cocaine use? (2) What are the effects of the life-course timing of entry into adult social roles on the initiation of cocaine use? and (3) What are the effects of life-course timing of the initiation of other drugs - on the initiation of cocaine use? The data used in these analyses are from a national probability sample of men born between 1944 and 1954, inclusive (N = 1,933). Results indicate that the marital role was the only role which demonstrated a significant effect on the initiation of cocaine use. We find that either early or late entry into the marital role reduces its effect to nonsignificance. The timing of entry in the drug use roles indicates that the later the initiation of drug use, the greater the odds of cocaine initiation. Results are discussed in light of the role socialization and developmental perspectives.

Nicotine-laced gum (Polacrilex) has been found to be useful in controlling the desire to smoke while a person is attempting to withdraw from nicotine addiction. Much of the absorption of the nicotine occurs from the epithelium (lining) of the mouth, which is facilitated by the local acid-base balance of saliva. As the volume of saliva is small, the physical and chemical conditions of the mouth can also be influenced by a comparatively modest amount of other liquids, including coffee or soda. The present study examines the effect of cola and coffee on the local pH (an index of acidity) and the rate of absorption of nicotine as assayed by blood chemistry. Eight cigarette-smoking adults were used in a crossover experiment in which they were exposed to coffee, soda, or distilled water (a control) sequentially while undergoing measurements of their saliva pH and blood nicotine. The study demonstrates a gross reduction of nicotine absorption (approaching virtually none) from the Polacrilex when chewing immediately follows drinking either coffee or cola. The absorption of nicotine seems to depend upon the mildly basic (alkaline) condition of the saliva, which is disturbed by the acidic cola and coffee beverages. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Nicotine polacrilex is a drug designed for use with behavior modification therapy to help people stop smoking. It has proven superior to placebo (inactive) drugs in several published studies. The 1988 report of the Surgeon General contained several conclusions relevant to this product. These include the following: nicotine is addictive; many smokers are now heavy smokers; nicotine replacement therapy has been shown to be successful; nicotine polacrilex therapy is best when used with behavior modification techniques; and prevention of relapse is essential for successful nicotine withdrawal treatment. The Cooper/Clayton method of smoking cessation for heavy smokers (25 cigarettes or more per day) is discussed. This program replaces cigarettes with nicotine polacrilex, then gradually eliminates nicotine polacrilex, and provides support groups during the treatment program. The three-year success rate for this program was 36 percent, an encouraging figure. Patients' individual nicotine habits must be taken into account in designing their treatment. Suggestions are provided for proper use of nicotine polacrilex. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)