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Time perspective is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that assesses individuals' feelings and thoughts about the past, present, and future. The current study examined relationships between feelings (time attitudes) and thoughts (time orientation) about time and substance use behaviors across three adolescent samples. Participants included a high-risk sample of adjudicated youth (N=124; M age =15.54, SD=1.69; 51.61% female) and two general population school samples (N=777; M age =15.82, SD=1.23; 53.41% female; N=1873; M age =15.87, SD=1.28; 52.22% female). Cross-sectional survey data were collected from samples in schools during 2010, 2016, and 2011, respectively. Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses indicated that overall, more positive feelings about time were associated with fewer substances used and, conversely, more negative feelings about time were associated with more substances used. These findings were particularly salient for participants with stronger positive and negative feelings toward the past and present time periods. Further, across the three samples, adolescents with a balanced time orientation (i.e., equal emphasis on all three time periods) generally reported less substance use than individuals who emphasized only one or two time periods. Findings highlight relationships between time perspective dimensions and substance use across diverse samples and illustrate opportunities for adapting time perspective-based substance use interventions for adolescents.

We investigated associations between experiences with police discrimination, police mistrust, and substance use in a convenience sample of 237 sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults in California. In a cross-sectional survey, collected between January 2016 and July 2017, participants reported substance use, lifetime experiences with SGM-related police discrimination, police mistrust, demographics and SGM visibility. In adjusted logistic regression models, we found a positive association between lifetime police discrimination and past-two-week heavy episodic drinking. Police mistrust also was positively associated with past-month marijuana use. Several significant interactions between lifetime police discrimination or police mistrust with other socially stigmatized identities including being African American, insecure housing, and being a gender minority on a few substance use outcomes suggest that effects of police discrimination and mistrust on substance use are stronger among participants with multiple stigmatized identities. Results suggest the importance of policies and interventions that focus on eliminating police discrimination and increasing police legitimacy to reduce risk of substance use among SGM individuals.

AbstractBackground and Objectives: We examined associations between sources of social influence (i.e. close friends, other underage people present) within specific settings with the number of drinks underage youth consumed. Methods: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey with 422 underage youth in California (14 to 19 years old) who reported past-6-month alcohol use. Participants were asked to think about the last time they drank alcohol in the past 6 months at: restaurants, bars/nightclubs, own home, another’s home, outdoors, and fraternities/sororities. Outcomes were the number of whole drinks participants drank the last time in each setting. Independent measures were social characteristics of these drinking events including number of people <21 years old present, number of close friends present, number of <21 years old who consumed alcohol, and number of close friends who consumed alcohol. We also assessed socio-demographics and accounted for the overall exposure to each setting in the past 6 months. Results: Using negative binomial regression models, the number of close friends was positively associated with number of drinks consumed at restaurants, another’s home, and outdoors. The number of close friends drinking was positively associated with the number of drinks at restaurants, own home, another’s home, and outdoors. Number of people <21 years old was positively associated with number of drinks at own home, and number of people <21 years old who consumed alcohol was positivity associated with number of drinks consumed at restaurants, own home, another’s home, and outdoors. Conclusions: Results suggest that social influence from close friends and from other underage youth are context-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that the context in which drinking occurs contribute to specific alcohol-related problems. In the current study we assessed how often adolescents attended different contexts in which they could drink, how often they drank in those contexts, and whether drinking patterns and parental monitoring were related to alcohol use in those contexts. We collected survey data from 1,217 adolescents 15-18 years of age in 24 midsized California cities. Measures included past-year frequencies of attending and drinking in restaurants, bars/nightclubs, and outdoor places, typical hours spent at home (i.e., own home or someone else's home), perceptions of parental control and disclosure to parents about free time activities, and demographics. Multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to assess associations between drinking patterns, parental control, and disclosure and frequency of attending and drinking in specific contexts. There were large variations in attending contexts in which drinking could take place. More frequent drinking was related to less time spent at home, while heavier drinking was associated with more time spent at home. Parental control was related to less frequent attendance at bars/nightclubs, and disclosure to less frequent involvement in outdoor activities and spending more time at home. Among drinkers, frequencies of attendance were strongly related to frequencies of drinking in all contexts except the home. Parental control and disclosure were related to more frequent drinking at restaurants and exposure to bars/nightclubs and drinking at outdoor activities. Parental monitoring may reduce exposure to risks by shifting adolescent contexts for alcohol use.

AIMS: To estimate the relationships of tobacco outlet density, cigarette sales without ID checks and local enforcement of underage tobacco laws with youth's life-time cigarette smoking, perceived availability of tobacco and perceived enforcement of underage tobacco laws and changes over time.DESIGN: The study involved: (a) three annual telephone surveys, (b) two annual purchase surveys in 2000 tobacco outlets and (c) interviews with key informants from local law enforcement agencies. Analyses were multi-level models (city, individual, time).SETTING: A sample of 50 mid-sized non-contiguous cities in California, USA.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1478 youths (aged 13-16 at wave 1, 52.2% male); 1061 participated in all waves.MEASUREMENTS: Measures at the individual level included life-time cigarette smoking, perceived availability and perceived enforcement. City-level measures included tobacco outlet density, cigarette sales without ID checks and compliance checks.FINDINGS: Outlet density was associated positively with life-time smoking [OR = 1.12, P

Introduction Cigarette smoking is among the most harmful ways to consume nicotine and tends to be concentrated among socially marginalized groups of people, including sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Though some approaches to tobacco control in the United States are harm reduction strategies (eg, smoke-free environments), often abstinence is an explicitly stated goal and discussions of tobacco harm reduction (THR) are controversial, particularly for young people. Despite this controversy in the tobacco field, emerging research suggests that THR may be gaining momentum as a "community-led" rather than "public health-led" health practice. To date, little is known about how SGM young adults negotiate their use of tobacco products, particularly in terms of minimizing the harms associated with smoking. Aims and Methods We conducted 100 in-depth interviews with SGM young adults ages 18–25 years living in the San Francisco Bay Area, to better understand participant perceptions and everyday practices related to THR. Results A thematic analysis of interview narratives revealed the ways in which participants relied upon various THR strategies while balancing their well-being within the context of broader socio-structural harms. Participants' narratives also underscored beliefs about the importance of pragmatic, nonjudgmental, and person-centered approaches to preventing inequities in tobacco-related illnesses. Conclusions Findings represent a significant departure from the mainstream discourse in the U. S. surrounding THR, by revealing how understanding the practice of THR among SGM young adults who use nicotine and tobacco can be instrumental in shaping approaches to tobacco control policy and prevention that may ultimately help to reduce inequities in tobacco-related illnesses. Implications Findings from this study present the perspectives and practices of THR among sexual and gender minority young adults and emphasize the importance of integrating this approach in tobacco control to better achieve tobacco-related equity. Results can be used to better design tobacco prevention, treatment, and policy strategies that are compassionate and responsive to the needs of these important priority populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]