A discriminant function analysis of various interferon parameters among alcoholics and heavy smokers.

A three-group design of alcoholics, heavy smokers and controls was used to investigate the status of the interferon system, including natural killer cell activity. Group differences were indicated via discriminant function analysis which correctly classified 86% of subjects. Test-retest relations were investigated for 14 subjects following a 30-day alcoholic inpatient program.

Self-efficacy, aftercare and relapse in a treatment program for alcoholics.

The role of self-efficacy in the prediction of relapse following alcoholism treatment was examined in a 12-month follow-up evaluation. Self-efficacy was assessed at intake to inpatient treatment and again at discharge. The drinking status of male alcoholics completing treatment then was assessed during six intervals over the course of the posttreatment year.

The limited utility of BAC for identifying alcohol-related problems among DWI offenders.

To see if blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a significant indicator of problem drinking or an alcohol-related diagnosis, the relationships between BAC at arrest for drinking and driving, typical drinking, alcohol-related problems, problem drinking and an alcohol abuse or dependence diagnosis were examined for 235 drinking and driving offenders referred for alcoholism evaluation. BAC and typical drinking correlated weakly and no significant relationship between alcohol-related problems and BAC was found. Further, no significant relationship was found between BAC and alcohol abuse or dependence diagnoses, or between problem drinking and BAC.

Drinking among homeless and marginally housed adults in New York State.

The drinking patterns of 412 homeless and marginally housed adults in New York State are described, and compared with 5,952 domiciled adults. The homeless and marginally housed persons interviewed were randomly selected from a representative group of public shelters and low-price hotels in New York City and upstate New York. They showed transience in their sleeping arrangements, and in recent months many had slept with friends or in public places.

The Temptation and Restraint Inventory for measuring drinking restraint.

In the present study, the measurement of drinking restraint was broadened by developing new items that better characterized its cognitive nature as well as by testing a factor structure which represents restraint as including both the regulation and the failure to regulate alcohol intake. A previously observed (Collins, George & Lapp, 1989) three-component structure of the Restrained Drinking Scale (RDS; Ruderman & McKirnan, 1984) was confirmed. In addition, two factors were extracted from the new set of cognitive items, which when combined with the RDS clusters formed a new measure of drinking restraint, the Temptation and Restraint Inventory (TRI).

Temperament and social support in adolescence: Interrelations with depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors.

This study investigated the interrelations between temperament, perceived family and friend support, and depressive symptoms and delinquent activity with a sample of 975 adolescents (¯xage=15.5 years). A "difficult temperament" index was devised, and manifested significant associations with depressive symptoms and delinquency, as well as with low family and friend support.

Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict: testing a model of the work-family interface.

A comprehensive model of the work-family interface was developed and tested. The proposed model extended prior research by explicitly distinguishing between work interfering with family and family interfering with work. This distinction allowed testing of hypotheses concerning the unique antecedents and outcomes of both forms of work-family conflict and a reciprocal relationship between them.

Alcohol misuse among college students and other young adults: findings from a general population study in New York State.

The predictors of heavier drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems are examined for young adults aged 18 to 25 years by using a large representative sample. The sample includes both college students and noncollege students. Young adult males have the highest rates of alcohol misuse when compared with all other age groups.

Multiple and single location drinking among DWI offenders referred for alcoholism evaluation.

Problem-drinker drivers who drank at multiple locations differ substantially from those who drank at only one location. Persons who drank at more than one location prior to their DWI arrest exhibit the most severe alcohol problems. Multilocation drinkers consumed significantly greater amounts of alcohol--for nearly all alcohol measures including consumption per drinking day, consumption averaged over 30 days, and consumption on the day of the DWI arrest--than single location drinkers.

Hand movement speed and accuracy in detoxified alcoholics.

Detoxified alcoholics (n = 192) were found to be 9.3% slower than age-matched controls (n = 112) with regard to the composite speed (movement time, MT) with which they were able to strike targets of various sizes and distances with a hand-held stylus at onset of a light stimulus (Fitts's Task). Females (n = 102) were 8% slower than males (n = 202), and blacks (n = 103) about 15.

Measures of maternal alcohol use as predictors of development in early childhood.

The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on growth, dysmorphology, and cognitive development at 6 years was examined in children whose mothers had completed a self-administered questionnaire during pregnancy. Drinking patterns prior to pregnancy recognition and indications of problem drinking (IPD) were assessed. Heavier alcohol intake was associated with slower growth in height and head circumference and increased dysmorphology, as evidenced by facial features associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and the prevalence of probable/possible fetal alcohol effects (FAE).

Marriage and alcohol use: a longitudinal study of "maturing out".

Earlier findings have suggested that marriage may provide protection from a variety of physical and psychological problems. In particular, numerous studies have demonstrated a consistent relationship between marital status and alcohol use. To examine this relationship more carefully, we performed a longitudinal analysis of data collected on the Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience.

Drinking among subgroups in the adult population of New York State: a classification analysis using CART.

Using data from a representative sample of 5,952 adults in New York State, CART (Classification and Regression Trees) methodology was used to classify abstainers and drinkers according to interactions among 10 sociodemographic characteristics. A CART analysis classifying abstainers versus drinkers selected income at $25,000 for the initial split with high rates of drinking among higher income individuals. Low rates of drinking were shown for low income women with less than a high school education.

Flumazenil (Ro15-1788) does not affect ethanol tolerance and dependence.

There are conflicting reports concerning whether flumazenil (Ro15-1788) can antagonize the central effects of ethanol and ethanol withdrawal reactions. C57BL/6J mice were treated chronically with an ethanol liquid diet. Control mice were pair fed an isocaloric diet containing no ethanol.

Quantity-frequency measures of alcohol consumption: beverage-specific vs global questions.

Estimates of alcohol consumption (ounces of absolute alcohol per day, AA) based on beverage-specific and global quantity-frequency (QF) questions were compared in a survey representative of the adult drinking population in New York State. Beverage-specific AA estimates were higher than global (0.72, 95% confidence intervals = 0.

Alcohol drinking patterns and blood pressure.

Background: Although blood pressure tends to increase with average alcohol consumption, little is known about the effects of drinking patterns on blood pressure. Therefore, the effects of average drinks per day and drinking pattern (defined as the independent and interactive effects of quantity and frequency) on blood pressure were compared.

Methods: Data were obtained from a random sample survey of 1,635 household residents in Erie County, New York.

The difficult temperament in adolescence: associations with substance use, family support, and problem behaviors.

This study investigated interrelations between the number of difficult temperament factors (e.g., arrhythmicity, inflexibility, high distractibility) and substance use, perceived family support, and problem behaviors for a sample of 297 adolescents (M age = 15.

The ability of chlordiazepoxide to maintain ethanol tolerance and dependence.

Two criteria need to be satisfied in the demonstration of cross-dependence to chlordiazepoxide (CDP) in ethanol-dependent mice. These are the ability of CDP to suppress ethanol withdrawal and to maintain the dependent state. In this study, mice which had been fed chronically an ethanol diet followed by two days of CDP diet treatment had more severe CDP withdrawal signs induced by Ro15-1788 than drug-naive mice which were similarly exposed to the CDP diet treatment.

Adolescent perceptions of help-seeking resources for substance abuse.

Adolescent perceptions of help-seeking social resources (e.g., parents, friends, school counselor, clergyman) they would utilize if they were having substance abuse difficulties were investigated for samples of early and middle adolescents.

Drinking experiences in three populations of male drinkers.

The first drinking experience has been suggested as an important point in etiological processes associated with alcohol use and abuse. In this study, initial drinking experiences were assessed among populations of alcoholics, problem drinkers, and non-problem drinkers. Results showed that the alcoholics and problem drinkers more frequently consumed 5 or more drinks during their initial drinking occasion than the nonproblem drinkers.

Antecedents and correlates of alcohol, cocaine, and alcohol-cocaine abuse in early adulthood.

We used a fourfold substance abuse typology consisting of non-abusers, alcohol abusers, cocaine abusers, and joint alcohol and cocaine abusers with a nationally representative sample of young adults (aged 19-26 years) to investigate issues related to prevalence, antecedents, and correlates of substance abuse. The prevalence data indicate higher alcohol abuse among white males, but approximately equal proportions of cocaine abuse and joint alcohol and cocaine abuse across gender and ethnic/racial groups. A simplex-like ordering was found for the four abuse groups with regard to the degree of problem severity associated with most of the antecedents and correlates.

Salient issues in the development of alcohol abuse in adolescence.

A developmental orientation that focuses on phase specific adolescent events is proposed to conceptualize and direct research concerning adolescent drinking behavior. The potential usefulness of this approach is illustrated with regard to the developmental events of the onset of puberty, the changing roles of peers and friends, and the process of individuation with regard to parental relations. The role of childhood behavior problems as risk factors for adolescent alcohol abuse is discussed and a proposal is made to investigate further coexisting disorders among chemically dependent adolescents.

Psychiatric symptoms and DWI offenders.

The utility of psychiatric symptoms for identifying potential DWI recidivists was examined. Results indicated that psychiatric symptoms were more related to whether the individual would have qualified for a DSM-III-R alcohol dependent diagnosis than to offender status. A second finding of importance was the high rate of alcohol dependence found for the first-time offenders.

Qualitative changes in relationships between substance use and adjustment during adolescence.

The present study examined qualitative differences in relationships between substance use and adjustment at five points of measurement from late childhood to young adulthood. The sample consisted of 133 participants from the New York Longitudinal Study. Cluster analysis was used to partition the sample into groups on the basis of multiple substance use (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other substances) at each point of measurement.