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The research extended prior research that showed that young adults' relationships with older adults during childhood was related to lower levels of ageist beliefs and lower levels of risk-taking in daily life. The present study investigated whether young adults' ageism and risk-taking would be related to their relationships with older adults in childhood and their prior experiences with illness, dementia, and death. We report a study with 491 participants (255 women and 236 men) whose results replicated the finding that childhood relationships with older adults were related to lower levels of current ageism and lower levels of current illegal drug use. Participants' experiences with illness and death did not predict ageism or illegal drug use. The results suggest that relationships between children and older adults, regardless of the older adults' health status, may lead to long term benefits for the children. Consequently, social programs that provide opportunities for children to interact with older adults should be encouraged by policy makers. Keywords: Ageism, Risk-taking, Sensation-Seeking, Terror Management Theory, Young Adults, Death Anxiety, Recent research suggests that relationships between children and older adults may lead to long-term benefits for both children and adults (Flouri, Buchanan, Tan, Griggs, & Attar-Swartz, 2010; Lussier, Deater-Deckard, Dann, [...]

ABSTRACT Use of prescription stimulants after college has not been well researched. In an online survey, current upperclassmen undergraduates (N = 96) and recent alumni (N = 33 7) reported [...]

THE FEMALE BODY HAS LONG BEEN REGARDED AS A SITE OF CONTESTATION, particularly in the areas of economics, sexuality, and the politics of representation, and women continue to experience assaults [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.04.025 Byline: Irma Arteaga (a), Chin-Chih Chen (b), Arthur J. Reynolds (b) Keywords: Substance abuse; Drug use; Longitudinal design; Prediction; Child development Abstract: Identification of the early determinants of substance abuse is a major focus of life course research. In this study, we investigated the child, family, and school-related antecedents of the onset and prevalence of substance abuse by age 26 for a cohort of 1208 low-income minority children in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Data on well-being have been collected prospectively since birth from administrative records, parents, teachers, and children. Results indicated that the prevalence of substance abuse by age 26 was 26% (self-reports or criminal justice system records) with a median age of first use of 17. Probit regression analysis indicated that substance abuse prevalence was primarily determined by gender (males had a higher rate), trouble-making behavior by age 12, school mobility, and previous substance use. Family and peer predictors included involvement in the child welfare system by age 9, parent expectations for school success at age 9, parent substance abuse by child's age 15, and deviant peer affiliation by age 16. Age of first substance use was predicted by gender and race/ethnicity (males and Blacks had earlier incidence), involvement in the child welfare system, and family risk status at age 8. As with prevalence, the pattern of predictors for males was similar to the overall sample but the magnitude of effects was stronger. The predictors of the timing of substance use dependency were gender, family conflict by age 5, involvement in the child welfare system, social maturity at age 9, adolescent school mobility, and school dropout by age 16. Findings indicate that the promotion of family involvement and positive school and social behaviors can reduce the risk of substance abuse. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities (b) Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities

Objectives. We examined whether cocaine-dependent homeless persons had stable housing and were employed 6, 12, and 18 months after they entered a randomized controlled trial comparing 2 treatments. Methods. One group (n = 103) received abstinence-contingent housing, vocational training, and work; another group (n = 103) received the same intervention plus cognitive behavioral day treatment. We examined baseline and early treatment variables for association with long-term housing and employment. Results. Although the enhanced-treatment group achieved better abstinence rates, the groups did not differ in long-term housing and employment stability. However, consecutive weeks of abstinence during treatment (and to a lesser extent, older age and male gender) predicted long-term housing and employment stability after adjustment for baseline differences in employment, housing, and treatment. Conclusions. Our data showed a relationship of abstinence with housing stability. Contrasting these results with the increasingly popular Housing First interventions reveals important gaps in our knowledge to be addressed in future research. (Am J Public Health. 2010;100:913-918. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.152975)

This article examines the relationship between substance use and gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and nativity among 250 Asian American youths involved in the dance club/rave scene. We find distinct patterns of drug use differing by country of origin and ethnicity. However, contrary to some literature we do not find significant differences corresponding to immigration status, or number of years in the U.S. The most significant differences between subgroups are related to gender and sexuality: male respondents consume more drugs, more frequently than female respondents, and non-heterosexual respondents consume more than heterosexual respondents, with differing patterns for men's' and women's sexual subgroups. There were also significant gender and sexuality differences with respect to the contexts in which respondents consume drugs, with the most significant differences being between heterosexual and non-heterosexual men. As we discuss, these findings illustrate the need for further investigation of drug-use patterns of gender and sexuality within Asian American communities.

There is considerable variation in the prevalence, etiology and consequences of alcohol and other drug use across racial/ethnic groups, but studies examining these issues among adult populations remain scarce. This is an important oversight as exposure to many of the risk factors associated with substance use and abuse has been shown to vary by race/ethnicity as well as age. This study examines the causes and correlates of adult alcohol abuse across the three largest racial/ ethnic groups in the United States--Whites, Blacks and Hispanics--and provides a theoretically grounded examination of substance abuse by applying two general theories of deviance, Agnew's general strain theory and Akers' social learning theory. Results indicate unconditional support for both theories when applied to White alcohol abuse but more conditional support when applied to patterns of adult alcohol abuse among Hispanics and Blacks. These results suggest that these three racial/ethnic groups experience somewhat different pathways to alcohol disorder.

Although the risks and protective processes influencing substance use behaviors of adult Latinos have been increasingly examined in the literature, substance abuse among adult Latinas remains a relatively understudied area. This study examined associations between mother-daughter attachment and substance abuse among 158 Latina mothers and their adult daughters (N = 316). Dyads of mothers and daughters were categorized into four groups: (a) mother/daughter both drug or alcohol abusers (Dyad 1), (b) mother abuser and daughter nonabuser (Dyad 2), (c) mother non-abuser and daughter abuser (Dyad 3), and (d) mother/daughter both non-abusers (Dyad 4). Dyad 1 participants reported lower levels of attachment to each other than all other types of dyads. Participants born in the U.S. reported more substance abuse than their non-U.S. born counterparts. Future longitudinal research is recommended to determine the presence of a mother-daughter attachment threshold that, if established early and maintained, may act as a protective mechanism against the intergenerational co-occurrence of substance abuse among adult Latinas.

The climate of domestic drug policy in the United States as it pertains to both women and men at the beginning of the 21st century is the criminalization mode of regulation--a mode that is based on the model of addiction as a crime and one that is used to prohibit the use of illegal drugs. In Canada, drug policy is based mainly on the harm reduction model, a policy or program directed towards decreasing the adverse health, social, and economic consequences of drug abuse without requiring abstinence from such use. Using a comparative perspective, several issues are examined in this article., the prevalence of substance abuse between the two countries, the significance of gender and substance abuse, drug costs relative to both countries, the prevalence of crime and substance abuse, and domestic drug control policies. KEYWORDS Canada, crime, gender, men, substance abuse, United States, women DOI: 10.1080/10509670903287667

Little is known about how substance use patterns affect social stability among persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). This manuscript examines associations, using survey data collected between 2003-2004, between substance use and social stability measures in 1,133 at-risk PLWH enrolled in 10 outreach programs across the US funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Substance use patterns were found to impact the social stability indicators of housing status, need for food, and income level. Effect varied by types and numbers of drugs used. These findings have important implications for policy and for planning effective program interventions for HIV-infected substance users.

This research focuses on the qualitatively descriptive accounts of drug-related violent incidents drawn from a treatment sample of 571 substance abuse clients in Ontario. Nearly half (n = 269) had experienced at least one violent incident in the past year, and 91% had used one or more substances prior to the most recent episode. The classification of the explicitly drug-related violent events (n = 176), based on Goldstein's tripartite model, is its first application in an adult drug treatment sample. Although respondents were not criminal offenders, and interpersonal violence related to psychopharmacological effects predominated, economic or systemic linkages related to drug scarcity and the drug market were implicated in one fifth of all occurrences. Alcohol and cocaine were the substances most implicated in all three aspects of the model. Since a drug treatment sample is a high-risk group for violence, interventions that raise awareness of potential for violence linked to not only intoxication but also scarcity conflicts and illicit drug market involvement are warranted. Since most violence occurs in the community, such initiatives may benefit those in treatment and serve as an important public health strategy.

Using a social capital framework, this study explores how aspects of social relationships within the social networks of injection drug users (IDUs) and crack smokers (CSs) influence their drug use-related risk and protective health behaviors. Interviews were conducted with a quota sample of 80 socioeconomically marginalized drug users in Toronto, Canada, and qualitative data were extracted from 77 of these interviews. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed themes indicating that social capital, in the form of collective norms, trust, and exchange of safer drug use information, within users' drug networks encouraged risk and/or protective behaviors within particular contexts. The analysis also highlighted the influence of social structural factors, such as harm reduction and health service delivery on the users' health behaviors. The implications of these findings for harm-reduction services are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between methamphetamine use and homicide. To carry out this study, data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities were combined to create a case-control design. The main exposure measure is methamphetamine use and the main outcome measure is homicide. Results suggest that the odds of committing a homicide are nearly 9 times greater for an individual who uses methamphetamine. More importantly, the association between methamphetamine use and homicide persists even after adjusting for alternative drug use (i.e., alcohol, heroin, crack, cocaine, PCP, LSD), sex, race, income, age, marital status, previous arrests, military experience, and education level. Methamphetamine was the only drug use variable that was strongly correlated with homicide. These results support recent clinical studies that suggest methamphetamine use is different than other drug use in its effects on violence. Keywords: methamphetamine and violence; homicide; drugs and violence

This study examines pathways to adult marijuana and cocaine use in a cohort of African Americans from Woodlawn, an inner city community in Chicago. Assessments were conducted in first grade (age 6), adolescence (age 16), early adulthood (age 32), and in mid-adulthood (age 42). The 'social adaptation life course' framework guided the focus on social adaptation, social bonds, and economic resources as predictors of adult drug use. Results indicate that more frequent substance use in adolescence and lower-income and less-frequent church attendance in early adulthood increase the risk of mid-life drug use. Shyness in first grade related inversely to later cocaine use and marijuana use (marginally significant). Indirect pathways to drug use also were identified. Gender differences were not significant. The findings show continuities in social maladaptation over time and the importance of social integration and economic resources in the early adult years.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.10.020 Byline: Adrienne J. Heinz (a), Johnny Wu (b), Katie Witkiewitz (b), David H. Epstein (c), Kenzie L. Preston (c) Keywords: Heroin; Cocaine; Social support; Marital status; Treatment Abstract: Marriage has been cited as a protective factor against drug use, but the relationship between marriage and drug use has not been explored longitudinally during addiction treatment. The current study assessed individual trajectories of substance use during treatment as a function of marital status and perceived closeness of the marital relationship. A parallel-process growth model was used to (1) estimate the rate of change in percentage of cocaine-positive and heroin-positive urine samples, and (2) examine the relationship between marital status and drug use trajectories over 35 weeks, during and after treatment. Percent days of use for both drugs were lowest for married participants across all time points. Among married participants, reporting a close relationship with one's partner predicted less cocaine and heroin use. These findings suggest that being married and having a close relationship with one's spouse are associated with better outcomes over time. The causal nature of the association is suggested by previous research that has demonstrated the effectiveness of couples therapy as an adjunct to methadone maintenance. Author Affiliation: (a) University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology (MC 285), 3022A Behavioral Sciences Building, 1007 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60302, USA (b) University of Washington, USA (c) National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.07.010 Byline: Jody Brook, Tom McDonald Keywords: Substance abuse; Family reunification; Maltreatment recurrence; Foster care; Reunification; Reentry; Alcohol or other drug abuse Abstract: Alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse by caretakers is frequently cited as a precipitating reason for the entry of children into foster care, however, little research has been done to examine the impact of alcohol and other drugs on the stability of family reunification. This study examined the likelihood of reentry into foster care following reunification for children whose primary caretakers were stratified into groups based on the type of substance abuse cited as a primary reason for the initial removal: those with alcohol only involvement, those with drug only involvement, those with both alcohol and other drug involvement, and those with no alcohol or drug involvement. Event history analysis showed that children whose reasons for initial placement in foster included caretakers with both alcohol and drug involvement were much more likely to reenter care following reunification than any of the other three groups. However, drug or alcohol involvement as the initial reason for removal was also associated with higher risk of reentry. Author Affiliation: The University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare, Twente Hall, 1545 Lilac Lane, Lawrence, KS 66044-3184, United States Article History: Received 23 April 2008; Revised 16 July 2008; Accepted 22 July 2008

The high cost of incarceration and a genera/confidence in the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment have led many states to adopt community-based drug abuse treatment as part of, or as an alternative to, incarceration. Community re-entry and aftercare have therefore received increasing attention from both practitioners and researchers. This article examines possibilities for encouraging change in both adult and juvenile justice treatment. Four issues are highlighted: (1) relapse and aftercare, (2) co-occurring disorder, (3) juvenile justice programming, and (4) womenis treatment. The success of U. S. drug treatment policy depends on a capacity to resolve these and related issues.

This paper reports on a research-driven community-based effort to assess the potential for a local methamphetamine drug epidemic and to build a public campaign to head off or at least minimize the potentially severe health and social costs of the spread of a powerful stimulant drug like methamphetame to a new area. Drawing on diverse national and local datasets, as well as on several years of monitoring changing drug use patterns and analysing illicit drug difussion, community researchers in Hartford, CT identified a reasonable likelihood that methamphetamine--which is rarely used in the city currently--would spread and cause a significant local drug epidemic. In response, community efforts were initiated to draw attention to this looming public health problem and to build a broadbased, citywide primary prevention campaign. Based on a review of the spread of methamphetamine nationally, and the considerable health problems that result from methamphetamine addiction, this paper describes the implementation phase of the Hartford prevention campaign, the challenges faced in this effort, and the implications for applied anthropology. Key words: drug epidemic, primary prevention, public health, drug monitoring, applied anthropology