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Adult Drinkers (adult + drinker)
Selected AbstractsThe effect of image complexity on attentional bias towards alcohol-related images in adult drinkersADDICTION, Issue 5 2010Melissa A. Miller ABSTRACT Aim Visual probe tasks are often used to measure attentional bias (AB) towards alcohol-related images in drinkers, but little is known about the effect of the properties of the images used in this task: specifically, image complexity. Methods AB was examined in a group of adult drinkers (n = 25). Two measures of attentional bias were obtained from a modified visual probe task. First, a traditional dot probe detection task measured attentional bias in drinkers based on their reaction times to probes replacing neutral and alcohol-related images. Secondly, an eye-tracking measure was applied to this task to directly assess the drinkers' eye gazes to the alcohol-related and neutral images. The effect of image complexity was examined by comparing AB towards images classified as simple and complex. Findings Results showed that drinkers displayed AB only towards simple alcohol-related images as measured by both probe RT and fixation times. Conclusion These findings suggest that complex alcohol-related images might be less effective at capturing drinkers' attention and could result in less attentional bias when used in visual probe tasks. [source] Drinking patterns, drinking contexts and alcohol-related aggression among late adolescent and young adult drinkersADDICTION, Issue 7 2005Samantha Wells ABSTRACT Aims The main objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the relative roles of heavy episodic drinking (HED), drinking frequency and drinking volume in explaining alcohol-related aggression and (2) whether drinking context variables (i.e. usual drinking locations, typical drinking companions and extent of peer drinking) confound or modify the relationship between HED and alcohol-related aggression or whether they predict alcohol-related aggression independently. Design A secondary analysis of the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth was conducted. Alcohol-related aggression (denoted fights after drinking) was measured based on self-reports of arguments or fights that occurred during or after drinking in the previous 12 months. Participants A composite sample of drinkers, ages 17,21, from the 1994, 1996 and 1998 Young Adult surveys (n = 738) was used. Findings Frequency of drinking and drinking volume largely confounded the association between HED and fights after drinking. Usually drinking in public locations away from home versus private locations was found to be significantly associated with a greater likelihood of fights after drinking among females. Among males, usual drinking location modified the relationship between drinking frequency and alcohol-related aggression, with the greatest risk of aggression for males who drank frequently and usually drank in public locations away from home. Conclusions Programs designed to reduce drinking frequency in this population and to increase the safety of drinking locations in public places away from home may prove to be beneficial in reducing alcohol-related aggression. [source] Binge Drinking and Suboptimal Self-Rated Health Among Adult DrinkersALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010James Tsai Background:, Binge drinking accounts for more than half of the 79,000 annual deaths in the United States that are owing to excessive drinking. The overall objective of our study was to examine the prevalence of binge drinking and consumption levels associated with suboptimal self-rated health among the general population of adult drinkers in all 50 states and territories in the United States. Methods:, The study included a total of 200,587 current drinkers who participated in the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. We estimated the prevalence of binge drinking (i.e., ,5 drinks on 1 occasion for men or ,4 drinks on 1 occasion for women) and heavy drinking (i.e., an average of >14 drinks per week for men or >7 drinks per week for women), as well as the average number of binge episodes per person during a 30-day period. Odds ratios were produced with multivariate logistic regression models using binge-drinking levels as a predictor; status of suboptimal self-rated health was used as an outcome variable while controlling for sociodemographic, health, and behavioral risk factors. Results:, We estimate that 34.7 million adult drinkers in the United States engaged in binge drinking in 2008, including an estimated 42.2% who reported either heavy drinking or at least 4 binge-drinking episodes in a 30-day period. Binge drinking with such levels was associated with a 13,23% increased likelihood of reporting suboptimal self-rated health, when compared to the nonbinge drinkers. Conclusions:, Binge drinking continues to be a serious public health concern. Frequent binge drinkers or binge drinkers who consume alcohol heavily are especially at risk of suboptimal self-rated health. Our findings underscore the importance of broad-based implementation in health care settings of screening for and brief interventions to address alcohol misuse, as well as the continuing need to implement effective population-based prevention strategies to reduce alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. [source] The Dimensionality of DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorders Among Adolescent and Adult Drinkers and Symptom Patterns by Age, Gender, and Race/EthnicityALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2009Thomas C. Harford Background:, There is limited information on the validity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) alcohol use disorders (AUD) symptom criteria among adolescents in the general population. The purpose of this study is to assess the DSM-IV AUD symptom criteria as reported by adolescent and adult drinkers in a single representative sample of the U.S. population aged 12 years and older. This design avoids potential confounding due to differences in survey methodology when comparing adolescents and adults from different surveys. Methods:, A total of 133,231 current drinkers (had at least 1 drink in the past year) aged 12 years and older were drawn from respondents to the 2002 to 2005 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. DSM-IV AUD criteria were assessed by questions related to specific symptoms occurring during the past 12 months. Factor analytic and item response theory models were applied to the 11 AUD symptom criteria to assess the probabilities of symptom item endorsements across different values of the underlying trait. Results:, A 1-factor model provided an adequate and parsimonious interpretation for the 11 AUD criteria for the total sample and for each of the gender,age groups. The MIMIC model exhibited significant indication for item bias among some criteria by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Symptom criteria for "tolerance,""time spent," and "hazardous use" had lower item thresholds (i.e., lower severity) and low item discrimination, and they were well separated from the other symptoms, especially in the 2 younger age groups (12 to 17 and 18 to 25). "Larger amounts,""cut down,""withdrawal," and "legal problems" had higher item thresholds but generally lower item discrimination, and they tend to exhibit greater dispersion at higher AUD severity, particularly in the youngest age group (12 to 17). Conclusions:, Findings from the present study do not provide support for the 2 separate DSM-IV diagnoses of alcohol abuse and dependence among either adolescents or adults. Variations in criteria severity for both abuse and dependence offer support for a dimensional approach to diagnosis which should be considered in the ongoing development of DSM-V. [source] Alcohol Dependence and Reproductive Onset: Findings in Two Australian Twin CohortsALCOHOLISM, Issue 11 2008Mary Waldron Background:, Although early alcohol use is a strong predictor of future alcohol problems and adolescent drinking is associated with risky sexual behavior predictive of early childbearing, reproductive dysfunctions associated with delayed childbearing have been reported in adult drinkers. We examine the relationship between lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD) and timing of first childbirth across reproductive development. Methods:, Data were drawn from two cohorts of Australian twins born between 1893 and 1964 (3634 female and 1880 male twins) and between 1964 and 1971 (3381 female and 2748 male twins). Survival analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards regression models predicting age at first childbirth from AD, with sociodemographic characteristics, regular smoking, history of psychopathology, and family and childhood risks included as control variables in adjusted models. Results:, Results suggest alcoholic women in both cohorts show overall delayed reproduction, with little effect of AD on timing of first reproduction in men. Effects of AD are particularly strong for women in the older cohort, where AD is associated with 73% decreased likelihood of first childbirth after age 29 [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10,0.75]. In adjusted models, effects reduce only slightly (HR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11,0.80). For women in the young cohort, AD is associated with delayed reproduction after age 24, with 40% decreased likelihood of first childbirth (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.48,0.75). AD remains predictive in adjusted models, but without age interaction (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.62,0.85). Conclusions:, Findings of delayed reproductive onset in alcoholic women are consistent with alcohol-related reproductive dysfunctions, although underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. To better understand AD differences in reproductive onset, continued research on both biological and psychosocial risks is needed. [source] | ||||||||||