The effect of sensation seeking on alcohol use among middle school students: a latent state-trait analysis

ABSTRACT

Background

Sensation seeking has been implicated as a major risk factor for underage alcohol use, however little research into this personality trait has been conducted among children.     

Functional Constipation With Impaired Rectal Sensation Improved by Electrical Stimulation Therapy: Report of a Case

Patients with intractable constipation often complain of social, physical, and psychologic stress. Recently, biofeedback therapy has been widely used for the management of intractable constipation, particularly in cases of constipation associated with pelvic floor dyssynergia. However, some constipated patients often complain of absent or diminished sense of wanting to defecate. It is unclear whether impaired rectal sensation is a cause or outcome of constipation and what specific treatment is available for these patients. We treated a 25-year-old female patient who complained of intractable constipation for ten years. Colon transit time study and defecography showed nonspecific findings. Her anorectal manometric findings were within normal ranges with the exception of impaired rectal sensation. Rectal sensory threshold volumes for desire and urge to defecate and maximal tolerated volume were greatly increased. She was treated by electric stimulation therapy for the purpose of improving impaired rectal sensory function. After 14 sessions of electric stimulation therapy, her constipated symptoms improved dramatically. Furthermore, the desire and urge threshold volumes were remarkably decreased. We report this case of constipation with impaired rectal sensation possibly treated by electric stimulation therapy.     

Substance Use During Sex and Sensation Seeking as Predictors of Sexual Risk Behavior Among HIV+ and HIV− Gay Men

Substance use (i.e., use of recreational drugs and alcohol) has been associated with HIV-related sexual risk behavior in several studies involving gay men. One explanatory hypothesis proposes that substance use and sexual risk behavior are both a function of underlying personality traits. This paper examines sensation seeking and alcohol and drug use during sex as predictors of unprotected anal and oral sex and of a sexual risk index. The sample includes 117 predominantly gay-identified men (73 HIV+ and 44 HIV–) who participated in a 5-year natural history study of HIV disease in New York City. Repeated measures regression analyses tested predictor variables individually and in models including all predictor variables simultaneously. Alcohol use, drug use, and sensation seeking were each significantly associated with all sexual risk behavior variables when entered individually. When predictor variables were entered simultaneously in analyses involving unprotected receptive and insertive anal sex, sensation seeking remained a significant predictor, with substance use typically falling to marginal significance. However, significant associations between substance use and the other sexual risk behavior variables (oral sex and a risk index) are maintained even when controlling for sensation seeking. The results suggest that sensation seeking may partially account for the association between substance use and sexual risk behavior, but substantial independent associations also exist.     

Using sensation seeking to target adolescents for substance use interventions

Aims This study examines the predictive validity of sensation seeking as a predictor of adolescent substance use, in order to optimize targeting for substance use prevention programs. Design Longitudinal study. Setting Random‐digit dial telephone survey. Participants A total of 6522 US adolescents aged 10–14 years at baseline, resurveyed at 8‐month intervals for three subsequent waves. Measurements Two outcomes were assessed—onset of binge drinking (more than five drinks in a short time) and established smoking (>100 cigarettes life‐time). Sensation seeking level was assessed at baseline. Logistic regression was used to predict onset of substance use at any follow‐up wave as a function of sensation seeking. The receiver operating characteristics curve was used to illustrate how well sensation seeking predicted substance use as a function of different cut‐off points for defining high sensation seeking, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AROC) was the metric of predictive validity. Findings Of 5834 participants with one or more follow‐up assessments, 5634 reported no binge drinking and 5802 were not established smokers at baseline, of whom 717 (12.7% of 5634) reported binge drinking and 144 (2.5% of 5802) reported established smoking at one or more follow‐up interviews. Sensation seeking predicted binge drinking moderately well [AROC = 0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.69, 0.73)] and was a significantly better predictor of established smoking onset [AROC = 0.80 (0.76, 0.83)]. For binge drinking, predictive validity was significantly lower in blacks; for established smoking it was significantly higher for Hispanics. Implications for two targeting interventions are discussed. Conclusions Sensation seeking works moderately well at identifying adolescents at risk for onset of binge drinking and established smoking. This study offers a guide for determining the appropriate targeting cut‐off value, based on intervention efficacy, costs and risks.     

Sexual sensation seeking,sexual compulsivity,and high-risk sexual behaviours among gay/bisexual men in Southwest China

High-risk sexual behaviours (HRSBs), such as having male casual sexual partners (MCSPs) and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), are combined with a high prevalence of HIV infection among gay/bisexual men. Sexual sensation seeking (SSS) and sexual compulsivity (SC), which are intrapersonal factors, were observed to have associations with HRSB among gay/bisexual men in Western nations. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between SSS, SC, socio-demographic factors, and HRSB (defined as having MCSP and UAI with MCSP) among self-identified gay and bisexual men in Southwest China. The study was cross-sectional, with a sample of 436 respondents. And their mean age was 24.5 years. The results confirmed that SSS, SC, and sexual attitude are associated with both having MCSP and UAI with MCSP in the Chinese cultural context, among the subgroup of men who have sex with men. Being older, not a student, and having transactional sex in the last 6 months were independently associated with having MCSP. Lower educational level, unemployed, having a relationship with a man, and an unsure HIV status were independently associated with UAI with MCSP. This study indicates that SSS and SC are cross-cultural personality traits related to HRSB. The results of this study may shed light on HIV prevention among gay/bisexual men in China.     

癔球症患者上食管括约肌运动功能研究

目的:探讨上食管括约肌(UES)运动功能与癔球症的关系.方法:采用Polygraf HRTM食管测压系统对22例癔球症患者进行UES运动功能测定,25例健康志愿者作为对照组.结果:癔球症组UES长度、静息压、松弛压及松弛率[(3.6±0.6)cm、(43.4±8.0)mm Hg(1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa)、(0.3±0.8)mm Hg,100%]与对照组[(3.5±0.7)em、(41.8±8.5)mm Hg、(0.4±0.9)mm Hg、100%]比较差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).咽与UES的协调性均较好.结论:癔球症患者的UES运动功能是正常的,UES功能状况可能与癔球症的发生无关.     

癔球症的食管运动功能研究

目的 :探讨食管运动功能尤其是上食管括约肌 (UES)运动功能与癔球症的关系。方法 :采用PolygrafHRTM食管测压系统对2 2例癔球症患者进行食管运动功能测定 ,2 5例健康志愿者作为对照组。结果 :UES长度、静息压、松弛压、松弛率、食管体收缩压、下食管括约肌 (LES)长度及LES静息压 ,癔球症患者组 (3 .65± 0 .62cm ,43 .35± 7.96mmHg,0 .32± 0 .80mmHg ,1 0 0 % ,58.59± 1 5 .57mmHg,4.0 7± 0 .96cm ,2 6 .93± 3 .3mmHg)与正常对照组 (3 .52± 0 .71cm ,41 .83± 8.52mmHg,0 .35± 0 .89mmHg ,1 0 0 % ,56 .32± 1 3 .44mmHg,4.1 2± 0 .82cm ,2 8.56± 4 .5mmHg)比较均无显著差异 (P >0 .0 5)。结论 :大多数癔球症患者的食管运动功能是正常的 ,UES功能状况可能与癔球症的发生无关     

Barriers to health information seeking in Iranian patients with cardiovascular disease: A qualitative study

Objective

Providing patients with health care information is a critical component of the process of cardiovascular disease (CVD) management. The purpose of this study was to explore obstacles to seeking health care information among cardiovascular patients from the perspectives of patients, their family caregivers, and health care providers.

Methods

This study was conducted with a qualitative approach using conventional qualitative content analysis. The study included 31 Iranian participants including 16 cardiovascular patients, 5 family members, and 10 health care providers (multidisciplinary). Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and continued to the point of data saturation. Analysis of the data was performed continually and concurrently with data collection of using a comparative method.

Results

Five themes emerged including ‘poor quality of information provision,’ ‘mutual ambiguity,’ ‘beliefs, faith, and expectations,’ ‘from routine life to obtaining information,’ and ‘conditions governing information seekers.’ Seven sub-themes indicated participants' experiences and understandings of obstacles in health care information seeking.

Conclusion

Health care information seeking in cardiovascular patients and their family members occurs as a result of the influence of beliefs, interaction with numerous information sources, and in the context and structure that the care and information are provided. Understanding the nature of obstacles to health information seeking will help health care policy makers to provide evidence-based, reliable, and patient-centered information to encourage cardiovascular patients' involvement in treatment decisions.     

Correlation of Gastric Liquid Emptying with Various Thresholds of Sensation in Healthy Controls and Patients with Functional Dyspepsia

Our objective was to investigate the correlation between gastric emptying and sensation in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). Thirty patients with FD and 15 controls were studied. Proximal gastric compliance and sensation thresholds were measured with a barostat, and gastric emptying was assessed for 70 min after the ingestion of 500 ml of water using real-time ultrasonography. Results were as follows. (1) Patients showed a significantly longer half-time of gastric emptying than controls (30.03 +/- 8.20 vs. 23.07 +/- 4.67 min; P < 0.001). The sensation thresholds were significantly lower in patients than in controls based not only on pressure but on volume. However, there was no difference in gastric compliance between patients and controls. (2) The half-time of gastric emptying was correlated with various thresholds of sensation based on the volume (perception, r = -0.52, P < 0.005; discomfort, r = -0.54, P < 0.005; pain, r = -0.58, P < 0.005; maximal tolerance, r = -0.42, P < 0.005). But there was no significant correlation between gastric emptying and sensation thresholds based on pressure. Delayed gastric emptying and/or gastric hypersensitivity are present in more than 50% of FD patients. The coexistence of these two abnormalities is more common than the single impairment. There is a correlation between gastric emptying and visceral sensation to gastric distention in patients with FD.     

Relation Between Anal Electrosensitivity and Rectal Filling Sensation and the Influence of Age

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the effect of age and sex on the rectal filling sensation and anal electrosensitivity and to explore the relation between anal electrosensitivity and the parameters of the rectal filling sensation.METHODS Anal mucosal electrosensitivity and anorectal manometry, including the rectal filling sensation test were performed in 19 control subjects; 10 were younger than 60 years and 9 were older than that. Altogether, there were 11 men and 8 women. RESULTS Anal electrosensitivity did not differ between the two age groups. Women had a significantly lower electrosensitivity 4 and 5 cm from the anal verge than men, as well as a significantly shorter anal high-pressure zone. The rectal filling sensation did not differ between sexes. In the older age group, the rectal volumes required to induce filling sensations were smaller than those observed in the younger age group, but rectal pressures were comparable; as a consequence, rectal compliance was lower in older subjects. Anal electrosensitivity at different anal levels did not correlate with the rectal volume or pressure parameters of successive rectal filling sensations. The pressure recorded in the proximal anal canal at the consecutive rectal filling sensations strongly correlated with the rectal balloon pressure needed to elicit them.CONCLUSIONS The zones of high anal electrosensitivity and high pressure seem to coincide. The fact that both are shorter in females did not influence the parameters of the rectal filling sensation. Lower rectal volumes but comparable rectal pressures were needed to induce the rectal filling sensation in the older age group. Rectal sensation did not correlate with anal electrosensitivity, probably because the receptors are not stimulated by the type of anal stimulation used or because different receptors are involved. Hence, the rectal filling sensation test cannot be replaced by the simpler anal electrosensitivity test.     

Patterns of maternal care seeking behaviours in rural Bangladesh

OBJECTIVE: Seeking care from a basic or comprehensive facility in response to obstetric complications is a key behaviour promoted in safe motherhood programmes. This study examined definitions of care seeking for maternal health complications used by families in rural Bangladesh, and the frequency and determinants of locally-defined care seeking practices. METHODS: We conducted 24 semi-structured qualitative interviews with women who had recently given birth to characterize care seeking behaviours in response to perceived complications. Based on these findings, a quantitative household questionnaire was developed and administered to 1490 women, half of whom reported a 'serious or very serious' complication during their last pregnancy and/or delivery (n=769; 52%), and were included in the quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Informants described three care seeking patterns in qualitative interviews: (i) sending a family member to purchase treatment to administer in the home; (ii) sending for a provider to treat the woman in the home and (iii) taking the woman outside the home to a facility or provider's office. The quantitative survey revealed that most women sought care for 'serious' complications (86%), with 42% seeking multiple sources of care. The majority of women purchased a treatment to administer at home (68%), while 20% brought a provider to the home. Thirty per cent of women were taken to a provider or facility. CONCLUSIONS: Families generally seek care for complications, but care seeking does not correspond to definitions used by maternal health programmes. Local definitions of care seeking must be considered in intervention design so that promotion of care seeking increases for facility-based care for life-threatening emergencies rather than unintentionally increasing the use of home-based treatments of little medical value for prevention of mortality.     

Personality traits and negative consequences associated with binge drinking and marijuana use in college students

Background: Binge drinking is common in college students, and many drink in quantities greater than the standard definition of bingeing. Combined use of additional substances, particularly marijuana, is also common. Objectives: Increased impulsivity and sensation seeking are risk factors for bingeing, and this study was designed to characterize their association with extreme compared to standard bingeing, as well as with combined bingeing and marijuana use. Negative consequences of alcohol use were also investigated. Methods: Self-report personality measures and a measure of the negative consequences of alcohol use were given to a sample of 221 college students (109 females) sorted into a control and 4 binge groups based upon their patterns of bingeing and marijuana use. Narrowly defined, non-overlapping measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking were analyzed to assess the association of these personality measures with substance-use patterns and negative consequences of bingeing. Results: Standard bingers did not differ from non-bingeing controls on either impulsivity or sensation seeking, whereas extreme bingers had significantly higher impulsivity and sensation seeking scores than controls and also significantly higher sensation seeking than standard bingers. Exploratory analyses of a broader set of personality scales showed that a disinhibition scale was also significant predictor of substance use group. A number of personality traits significantly predicted substance use patterns as well as specific negative consequences of bingeing. Conclusions: Impulsivity, sensation seeking and disinhibition are significant associates of substance use patterns and the negative consequences of use in college students.