Getting Boozy in Books: Substance Use in Adolescent Literature

Media effects research provides evidence for a link between adolescent exposure to media portrayals of substance use and usage. Exposure to media content that glamorizes and normalizes substance use carries potential public health risks. Though substance use has been examined in other media, such as film, television, and magazines, no research to date examines usage portrayals in adolescent novels. Given that adolescents do read, and given the potential impact of content on adolescent attitudes and behavior, this study provides a detailed analysis of the frequency and nature of substance use in the understudied area of novels. Substance use was examined in 40 best-selling adolescent novels on the New York Times Best Sellers list (time span June–July 2008). Substance use varied widely. Of the various types of substances, alcohol portrayals were most common. Almost all substance use was portrayed as having no consequences. Alcohol use was portrayed in similar frequencies in books aimed at younger, middle, and older adolescents, though illegal drug use was more likely to be found in books aimed at older ages. Our results suggest that the manner in which substance use is generally portrayed may encourage use among adolescents. Researchers, parents, and adolescents are encouraged to examine books as one potentially overlooked area of influence.     

A Mean Read

Adolescents' exposure to violence in the media has been associated with increases in aggressive thoughts and behaviors. While violent content has been studied extensively in other media, aggression portrayed in literature has not been assessed in detail. Given the continued popularity of reading among adolescents and the potential impact of content on cognitions and behaviors, this study aims to increase knowledge in this understudied area. Aggressive behavior was coded in forty bestselling adolescent novels on The New York Times Best-Sellers List (time span June–July 2008). Results revealed that adolescents are exposed to a significant number of aggressive acts while reading novels. Relational and verbal forms of aggression were more frequent than physical forms. Most aggression was portrayed as having no consequences. Thus, books represent one potentially overlooked source of exposure to aggressive content. Content guides on books are discussed.     

Do you see what I see? A character analysis of health risk behaviors in television shows popular with Black adolescents in the US

Adolescents spend many hours per day watching television, and there are racial differences in time spent watching television and in show preferences. Prior research suggests there are also differential associations in how exposure to media content affects adolescent behavior. This study examines the demographic representation of main characters and health risk behaviors (i.e., sex, alcohol use, violence, bullying, and their combinations) portrayed in television content popular with Black and non-Black adolescents. A content analysis of television show characters (n = 377) from the 2014–2015 season was conducted on shows popular with 14–17-year old adolescent audiences in the United States. Group popularity was determined by Nielsen ratings segmented by Black and non-Black (primarily White) adolescents. Results suggest that character representation varies by whether shows were popular with Blacks or others, and that risk portrayals are common in all popular content with few group differences. Implications for adolescent behavior are discussed.     

Alcohol and substance use portrayals in Nigerian video tapes: an analysis of 479 films and implications for public drug education

There is an observed increasing trend of substance use among the adolescents and young adults. One of the important aetiologies is "modeling" especially from popular artists portraying their use to the viewing public over the electronic media. Indigenous films on video tapes acted in English or "Yoruba" (a popular Nigerian language) were randomly selected from various retail outlets in Lagos for viewing. The settings were the Ikorodu and Ipaja suburbs of Lagos. The viewing audience in each center was made up of a researcher and two adolescent secondary school students. They were to make notes on each film with scenes of substance use, type, and nature of use. A total of 479 video tapes were studied over a 6 month period, of which 268 (55.9%) contained scenes portraying the use of one or more substances. Two hundred forty-seven (51.6%, N = 479) depicted the use of only one type of substance and the rest, 21 (4.3%, N = 479), portrayed the use of multiple substances. The commonest substance portrayed to be used was alcohol, 197 (41.1%, N = 479), followed by tobacco, 81 (16.9%, N = 479). Cannabis was shown to be used in only 3 (0.6%, N = 479); Cocaine and Heroin in 8 (1.6%, N = 479) of the films. There was no statistically significant difference on substance use portrayal between the home movies acted in English and Yoruba (chi2 = 32.8; df = 7 at p > or = 0.05). A significant number of films on video tapes in Nigeria portrayed substance use which could act as triggers or reinforcement for substance use among the viewing audience, especially adolescents and young adults. The need to censor video tapes on substance use portrayal was advocated.     

Bullying Victimization and Substance Use Among U.S. Adolescents: Mediation by Depression

This study examined the link between bullying victimization and substance use and tested the mediating role of depression in male and female adolescents. Cross-sectional data were collected from a national sample of 1,495 tenth graders who participated in the 2005/06 Health Behaviors in School-aged Children U.S. Survey. Victimization, depression and substance use were all measured as latent variables. Substance use was measured by drinking alcohol, being drunk, smoking cigarettes and using marijuana in the past 30 days. Multiple-group structural equation modeling showed that victimization was linked to substance use in both males and females. Among females, depression was positively associated with both victimization and substance use and mediated the association between the two latter variables. Among males, depression was associated with victimization but not with substance use. Results highlight the elevated risk for victimization and substance use problems that depression poses among adolescent females.     

澳门青少年物质滥用健康教育效果分析

探索物质滥用教育对青少年物质滥用拒绝倾向和滥用行为的作用,为我国物质滥用预防教育评估提供参考.方法 采用“澳门在学青少年与药物之跟进调查2010”代表性数据,从青少年对澳门各项物质滥用预防教育的评价、物质滥用拒绝倾向(即反对态度、危害认知和拒交物质滥用朋友)和物质滥用行为评估其物质滥用预防教育工作的成效.结果 学生对社工教育资讯的评价高于其对大众和媒体教育(t值分别为32.02,2.95,P值均<0.01);社工教育能有效提高学生抗拒物质滥用(即反对态度、危害认知、拒交物质滥用朋友)的倾向(β值分别为0.06,0.11,0.03,P值均<0.01),预防其滥用物质(β值分别为-0.17,-0.06,-0.09,P值均<0.01);大众和媒体教育会促使学生滥用物质(β值分别为0.01,0.03,P值均<0.01);物质滥用拒绝倾向对物质滥用预防教育与青少年物质滥用行为的关系起中介影响(P<0.01).结论 青少年物质滥用预防教育的评估应从提高评价、物质滥用拒绝倾向和减少物质滥用行为出发,并着重考查其间接预防作用.     

Addressing the critical health problem of adolescent substance use through health care, research, and public policy

The use of addictive substances-tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs-during adolescence interferes with brain development and increases the risk of serious health and mental health conditions, including addiction. Yet, adolescents live in a culture in which family, social, community, and media influences regularly bombard them with pro-substance use messages, creating an environment in which substance use is considered an expected behavior, rather than a considerable health risk. To prevent the significant harm that falls to teens and young adults because of substance use, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia) undertook a study to explore how adolescent brain development relates to the risk of substance use and addiction; the cultural influences that create an environment in which substance use is considered normative behavior; individual factors that make some teens more disposed to substance use and addiction; and evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies for addressing this problem. The recently published report Adolescent Substance Use: America's #1 Public Health Problem concludes that risky substance use is a major public health problem that can be ameliorated through evidence-based public health measures, including education about the disease and its risk factors, screenings, and clinical interventions, and that addiction can be treated and managed effectively within routine health care practice and specialty care.     

Latino Adolescents’ Adjustment,Maternal Depressive Symptoms,and the Mother‐Adolescent Relationship*

Abstract: This study examined associations between adolescent behaviors, maternal depressive symptoms, and mother‐adolescent relationships. Latina mothers and adolescents (111 dyads) completed questionnaires and participated in videotaped discussions. Mothers’ depressive symptoms related to adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behaviors and family satisfaction. Observed maternal behavior during a conflict conversation also related to adolescent substance use. Family satisfaction partially mediated the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ substance use. Clinical implications for working with Latino adolescents are discussed.     

Socio-Demographic Variability in Adolescent Substance Use: Mediation by Parents and Peers

The current study examined socio-demographic variability in adolescent substance use and the mediating roles of maternal knowledge, paternal knowledge and peer substance use. The data were obtained from the United States records (N = 8,795) of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2005/2006 Survey, in grades 6 through 10. The analyses employed multiple indicator multiple cause and structural equation models. Adolescent substance use was measured by frequencies of alcohol use, being drunk, and cigarette and marijuana use in the past month. Peer influence had a direct influence on adolescent substance use. Maternal knowledge had both direct and indirect influences on adolescent substance use through its negative association with substance-using peers, whereas paternal knowledge only had an indirect influence. Parental knowledge and peer substance use totally mediated differences in adolescent substance use by grade; differences between Caucasian and African-American or Hispanic adolescents; and differences between adolescents from two-parent families and those from single-mother, single-father or mother-stepfather families. Parental knowledge and peer substance were important mediators which largely accounted for variability in the prevalence of adolescent substance use by grade, race/ethnicity, and family structure.     

The use of illicit substances in adolescent schizophrenia inpatients

Illicit substance use is a common co-morbidity in adolescent-onset schizophrenia/ schizoaffective patients. This study aimed to evaluate the rates of substance use among adolescent schizophrenia inpatients as compared to the general adolescent population. A total of 188 inpatients consecutively admitted to psychiatric adolescent inpatient unit were compared to a representative sample of 26,543 control adolescents screened for substance use by the Israel Anti-Drug Authority during the same time period. All illicit substances, except for opiates, were used in significantly higher rates by the inpatient sample. The distribution of the used psychoactive substances was different in the inpatient setting. Specific prevention and treatment programs must be developed in order to cope with this crucial clinical issue in these high-risk patients.     

Prevalence of substance use among male adolescents in an urban slum area of Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh

In recent years substance use has increased greatly throughout the world. Adolescence is the critical period when the first initiation of substance use takes place. Interventions at the adolescent age are effective to bring about lifestyle modifications. A community-based, cross-sectional study was carried out among 260 randomly selected adolescents in an urban slum area, with the objective of studying the prevalence and determinants of substance use among adolescents. The adolescent age group was selected as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) (10 - 19 years). The overall prevalence of substance use was 32.7%. About 31% initiated substance use at 13 - 15 years of age, and the reason was peer pressure in 52.9%. Education of the study subject, education of parents, and substance use by parents and by peers were significantly associated with substance use. Children and parents should be educated to prevent substance use. There was a need to change the social environment.     

Effectiveness of the universal prevention program 'Healthy School and Drugs': Study protocol of a randomized clustered trial

Background  

Substance use is highly prevalent among Dutch adolescents. The Healthy School and Drugs program is a nationally implemented school-based prevention program aimed at reducing early and excessive substance use among adolescents. Although the program's effectiveness was tested in a quasi-experimental design before, many program changes were made afterwards. The present study, therefore, aims to test the effects of this widely used, renewed universal prevention program.     

Reducing Adolescents' Growth in Substance Use and Delinquency: Randomized Trial Effects of a Parent-Training Prevention Intervention

The relationship between growth in adolescent substance use and delinquency was examined in a longitudinal, randomized controlled study of the Preparing for the Drug Free Years Program (PDFY), a universal family-focused prevention intervention. Latent growth curve modeling was used to analyze 5 waves of data collected from 429 rural adolescents. Results showed that adolescents assigned to the PDFY intervention condition had a slower rate of linear increase over time in both substance use and delinquency compared with adolescents assigned to the control condition. Moreover, pretest level of delinquency was a reliable, positive predictor of growth in substance use, whereas pretest level of substance use did not predict growth in delinquency.     

Substance use prevention for adolescents: the Icelandic Model

Data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol andother Drugs have shown that adolescent substance use is a growingproblem in western and particularly Eastern European countries.This paper describes the development, implementation and resultsof the Icelandic Model of Adolescent Substance Use Prevention.The Icelandic Model is a theoretically grounded, evidence-basedapproach to community adolescent substance use prevention thathas grown out of collaboration between policy makers, behaviouralscientists, field-based practitioners and community residentsin Iceland. The intervention focuses on reducing known riskfactors for substance use, while strengthening a broad rangeof parental, school and community protective factors. Annualcross-sectional surveys demonstrate the impact of the interventionon substance use among the population of 14- to 16-year-oldIcelandic adolescents. The annual data from two cohorts of over7000 adolescents (>81% response rate) show that the proportionsof those who reported being drunk during the last 30 days, smokingone cigarette or more per day and having tried hashish onceall declined steadily from 1997 to 2007. The proportions ofadolescents who reported spending time with their parents andthat their parents knew with whom they were spending their timeincreased substantially. Other community protective factorsalso showed positive changes. Although these data suggest thatthis adolescent substance use prevention approach successfullystrengthened a broad range of parental, school and communityprotective factors, the evidence of its impact on reducing substanceuse needs to be considered in light of the correlational dataon which these observations are based.     

A qualitative investigation of the perceived role of peers in influencing substance use among youth in Monrovia,Liberia

Substance use and abuse has become an issue for adolescents globally. While multiple factors contribute to substance use, peer influence is particularly important. As such, this study aimed to examine students’ beliefs related to substance use, including the role peers have on substance use behaviors in Monrovia, Liberia. Nine focus groups were conducted with a total of 72 public school students in Monrovia. All focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by a team of trained, qualitative coders. Per student report, peers both directly and indirectly influenced decisions related to substance use. Direct influence from peers included peer pressure, bullying and taunts, and putting drugs or alcohol into food and drinks to be consumed by peers without their knowledge. Indirect influence occurred when peers witnessed the substance use behaviors of others. Despite this, there was a subset of individuals who refused peer pressure, citing a number of reasons, including future negative outcomes. Given the central role that peers play in the substance use behaviors of adolescents in the Liberian cultural context, public health policies and interventions should target these interactions.     

Portrayals of Teen Smoking,Drinking, and Drug Use in Recent Popular Movies

Studies indicate that films can influence adolescents' attitudes toward and initiation of substance use. It is therefore important to periodically assess film content to assess the types of imagery adolescents are likely to encounter. This study content analyzed teen characters in top films featuring teenagers from 2007, 2008, and 2009 to assess smoking, drinking, and drug use portrayals. Results indicate a relatively low incidence of smoking and drug use. However, one in five teen characters are shown drinking. Overall, substance use depictions have diminished considerably compared with films released at the earlier end of the decade. However, consequences of substance use were infrequently depicted, and characters seldom refused invitations to drink or do drugs. Given these findings, some potentially counterproductive outcomes are discussed.     

Peer Attitudes Effects on Adolescent Substance Use: The Moderating Role of Race and Gender

We examined the relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of their close friends’ attitudes about substance use, and their own use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Using data from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a multistage area probability sample sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (n?=?17,865), we tested the direct and moderating effects of subgroups of race and gender on perceptions of adolescents’ close friends on past month substance use. Significant effects were found on peer attitudes influencing substance use for all race and gender subgroups. Close friends’ attitudes of indifference were associated with increased substance use and disapproval associated with reduced use, controlling for age, income, family structure, and adolescents’ own attitudes of risk of substance use. Significant moderating effects of peer attitudes on cigarette and marijuana use were found for both gender and race moderators. Conditional effects of the moderation by race were also examined for gender subgroups. The moderating effect of race on close friends’ attitudes impacting cigarette and marijuana use was stronger in magnitude and significance for females compared to males. Female marijuana and cigarette use was more influenced by close friends’ attitudes than males, and whites were more influenced by their close friends than Hispanics and blacks. White females are more susceptible to close friends’ attitudes on cigarette use as compared to white males and youth of other races. Implications for socially oriented preventive interventions are discussed.     

Objective and subjective social class gradients for substance use among Mexican adolescents

This study examines the shape of social class gradients for substance use among Mexican adolescents. Substance use and objective and subjective indicators of social class were assessed in house-to-house surveys conducted with 7614 Mexican adolescents in 2004. The sample was designed to be representative of the poorest urban communities in seven Mexican states. The prevalence of current smoking was 16.8%, alcohol consumption was 30.2%, and drug use was 4.6%. Multiple logistic regressions are used to estimate the associations of objective indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective social status (SSS)—at both community and societal levels–and smoking, alcohol and drug use. Adolescents who perceived themselves as higher in social status in reference to their local community reported more smoking and drinking. Our findings were similar when we used objective measures of SES, such as maternal education and total monthly household expenditures per person. In contrast, adolescents who perceived that they had high social standing in reference to Mexican society as a whole were less likely to report being current smokers and drinkers. We found no significant association between social status and drug use. Research into how adolescents perceive themselves in reference to their peer communities may help strengthen programs and policies aimed at promoting health in vulnerable adolescent populations.     

P3 in young boys as a predictor of adolescent substance use

Event-related potentials were recorded during a visual, continuous performance task from 36 boys before use of alcohol or other drugs began. The boys were sons of 13 recovering alcoholics who themselves had a family history of alcoholism, 11 nonalcoholics with a family history of alcoholism, and 12 nonalcoholics with no family history of alcoholism. Four years after electrophysiological assessment, a behavioral questionnaire was administered (mean age = 16.1 years). A Substance Use score was derived from reported use of alcohol and other drugs, and from highly correlated delinquent behavior scores. P3s of lowest amplitude were associated with the highest adolescent Substance Use. The combination of reduced amplitude and prolonged latency of both target and nontarget P3 significantly predicted adolescent Substance Use scores after correction for subjects' age. Although this is the first electrophysiological predictor of adolescent substance use we are aware of, the effect was small, indicating the utility of P3 as a vulnerability marker for substance abuse disorders is likely to depend on its joint use with other measures.