Alcohol misuse and depression in women criminals

The interaction of alcohol misuse and major depressive syndromes was examined in 66 convicted women felons. At an initial (index) evaluation and during a 6-yr follow-up, alcohol misuse and depression, although both highly prevalent, were not significantly related. Alcohol misusing and nonmisusing depressives had similar rates of treatment for depression. Follow-up alcohol misuse, occurring in one-quarter of those reinterviewed, was not predicted by an index history of depression even among index alcohol misusers. Nonsignificant trends did suggest some association between the two symptom groups. Depressive subjects with a history of alcohol misuse had a greater rate of depression during follow-up than nonmisusing index depressives. Follow-up misusers had a greater rate of follow-up depression than nonmisusers. Alcohol-related depression could not be discounted simply as a consequence of alcohol misuse. Depression in the context of alcohol misuse was highly predictive of future depression and suicide attempts. The relative independence of alcohol misuse and depression in this group underscores the complexity of their interaction, especially in a population with multiple disorders such as women criminals. The contention that phenomenologically defined major depressive disorders are heterogeneous is supported.     

Alcohol and drug use among homosexual men and women: epidemiology and population characteristics

Homosexual men and women have been described as at high risk for alcohol and drug abuse, due to psychosocial variables such as stress levels or the cultural importance of bar settings. However, there are few actual data in this regard. This paper presents the findings of a large (n = 3400) survey of a homosexual population regarding population characteristics and patterns of alcohol and drug use. Psychosocial variables that may account for substance use patterns both generally and in this population are discussed in an accompanying paper. Substantially higher proportions of the homosexual sample used alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine than was the case in the general population. Contrary to other reports, this was not accompanied by higher rates of heavy use, although homosexuals did show higher rates of alcohol problems. In the general population women consume less drugs and alcohol than do men, and substance use substantially declines with age. Neither of these patterns were found for the homosexual sample, thus creating overall higher rates of substance abuse. This may reflect differences between homosexuals and the general population in their adherence to sex-role stereotypes and age-related social role changes, as well as culturally specific stressors and vulnerability to substance use.     

Alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking: an exploration of the association in middle-aged men and women

The association of alcohol and cigarette consumption was explored among 13,673 black or white persons aged 40-49 years, who received check-ups from mid-1979 to 1985. Alcohol use was strongly associated with number of cigarettes smoked per day, but not with tar-yield, mentholation and presence of filters. Duration of cigarette use, frequency and depth of inhalation, proportion of cigarette smoked and greater time from arising to first cigarette were significantly related to alcohol use in some but not all race-sex groups. Among smokers who consumed alcohol, liquor drinkers smoked the most cigarettes per day and wine drinkers the least. Thus, the association between alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking is strong in middle-aged persons but there are race- and sex-related disparities when specific aspects of smoking behaviour are considered.     

Drug use, misuse, and the urban environment

Urbanization is probably the single most important demographic shift world-wide throughout the past and the new century and represents a sentinel change from how most of the world's population has lived for the past several thousand years. As urban living becomes the predominant social context for the majority of the world's population, the very ubiquity of urban living promises to shape health directly and to indirectly affect what we typically consider risk factors or determinants of population health. Although a growing body of research is exploring how characteristics of the urban environment may be associated with health (e.g. depression) and risk behaviours (e.g. exercise patterns), relatively little research has systematically assessed how the urban environment may affect drug use and misuse. In this paper we will propose a conceptual framework for considering how different characteristics of the urban environment (e.g. collective efficacy, the built environment) may be associated with drug use and misuse, summarize the existing empiric literature that substantiates elements of this framework, and identify potential directions for future research.     

Responsible disinhibition: Alcohol,men and violence to women

Theories about alcohol's role in stranger violence abound. Theories about alcohol's role in ‘domestic violence’1 do not. The targets of such violence differ as does the nature of the violence towards them. Theory needs to reflect this. This article reviews key theories linking alcohol and violence. Further, it reports on research with 20 women that resulted in an alternative theory on the role of alcohol in their partner's violence. The results of the research are summarised and placed within the theoretical model, ‘Responsible Disinhibition’. The model is grounded in the women's views and highlights individual responsibility for violence regardless of the level of intoxication. Finally, this article argues that theory needs to reflect the socio-cultural context in which it was constructed – a context that combines two culturally male and culturally tolerated behaviours – heavy drinking and violent behaviour.     

Alcohol abuse and familial alcoholism: psychosocial correlates in men and women

Multivariate and univariate analyses were conducted to investigate specific hypotheses concerning the effects of alcohol abuse, family history of alcoholism and gender on items in five categories: (1) family of origin; (2) childhood attention deficit, conduct and learning disorders; (3) intraindividual (psychological) variables; (4) peers and family of procreation; and (5) sociocultural and community variables. The sample consisted of 76 male and 72 female detoxified alcoholics and 50 male and 51 female community controls. By selection procedures, groups had an approximately 50% incidence of familial alcoholism; all were given detailed structured interviews covering the above areas. Significant differences between alcoholics and controls were found for all five categories, and four of the five categories showed significant family history effects. Gender differences were present on only one category. There were no significant Alcoholism X FH interactions. We conclude that (1) alcoholism and family history of alcoholism are distinct, separate factors that have additive and not interactional effects; and (2) these separate effects seem to operate in similar fashion in both male and female populations. The findings have relevance for methodological considerations and the identification of problem areas of functioning in the adult alcoholic and nonalcoholic offspring of alcoholics.     

Alcohol use in pregnant low-income women

OBJECTIVE: The present study had two aims: (1) to examine the prevalence rates of prenatal alcohol consumption in a group of women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Southern California, with special emphasis on Hispanic women, and (2) to identify variables associated with postconception drinking in low-income minority women. METHOD: The study employed a cross-sectional survey that assessed alcohol use rates, demographic variables, and alcohol risk status. Participants were 826 pregnant women enrolled in the Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE) WIC Program in Los Angeles and Orange counties, California. Pregnant women who enrolled self-administered a specially designed alcohol screener. RESULTS: Findings were that 24% of sample women were consuming alcohol post conception. Of that percentage, approximately two thirds drank prior to pregnancy recognition, and one third continued to drink after pregnancy was confirmed. Approximately 30% of white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic and English-speaking Hispanic women were found to drink post conception compared with 15.8% of Spanish-speaking Hispanic women. This finding supported recent research that suggests more acculturated Hispanic women tend to incorporate the drinking patterns of the larger U.S. population to a greater extent than less acculturated Hispanic women. Although a number of demographic variables differentiated women who were abstinent from those who were postconception drinkers, the best predictor of postconception alcohol consumption was the woman's high-risk drinking score as measured by the TWEAK (sensitivity = 70.1%, specificity = 88.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of screening low-income minority pregnant women in a community setting so that interventions can be initiated to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome and related conditions.     

Alcohol use among young men who have sex with men

This study reveals associations between alcohol use and demographic variables, as well as the relation between alcohol use and sexual activity, using episodic data. Data were obtained during summer and fall 2008 from a sample of 558 gay, bisexual, and other young men who have sex with men (YMSM), ages of 13-29 years in New York City. Recruitment strategies targeted potential participants at gay-related venues and public spaces often frequented by YMSM. Alcohol use varied by race/ethnicity, with White YMSM consuming significantly more alcohol than other races/ethnicities. Participants over the age of 21 drank significantly more alcohol than participants ages 13-20. Alcohol use was not found to be associated with sexual risk-taking activity. Our findings are enriched by a large, diverse sample of urban YMSM. Study limitations are noted.     

Alcohol and recreational drug use by HIV-seropositive homosexual men

The objectives of this study were to describe the patterns of alcohol and recreational drug use of HIV-seropositive homosexual men and to determine the effect of alcohol use on HIV risk-taking behaviour. Of particular interest was the effect of knowledge of HIV status on these behaviours. Information on alcohol and drug use was obtained from 485 HIV-seropositive homosexual and bisexual men presenting to a HIV-antibody testing and medical management clinic. Heavy alcohol use was common, with 46.2% reporting consumption of six or more standard drinks on one day recently. Men who knew that they were HIV infected drank significantly more than those men who had yet to learn of their HIV status at the time of interview. There was clear evidence in this study for a role of alcohol use in HIV risk-taking behaviour. Almost one-third (27%) of the HIV-seropositive men reported unprotected anal intercourse during the previous 3 months with approximately one-third of these (27/76, 35·5%) nominating alcohol as contributing to their high HIV-risk behaviour.     

Alcohol drinking patterns among Jewish and Arab men and women in Israel

OBJECTIVE: Jews and Muslim Arabs comprise the bulk of modern Israeli society. Jewish tradition permits controlled alcohol drinking, whereas Muslim tradition prohibits the use of any alcohol. Increasing exposure of the traditionally conservative Arab sector to the Western culture of modern Israel might impact on and be reflected in the drinking patterns of these two populations. The influence of religiosity and other factors on drinking patterns of Jewish and Arab adults are examined using data from a 1995 national household survey. METHOD: Past month drinking is assessed in this nationally representative sample of nearly 5,000 Jews and 1,000 Arabs (N = 5,954, 60% women). Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) are presented to describe associations between any and heavy drinking and nationality group, religiosity, education and marital status among men and women. Modification of the nationality-drinking relationship by religiosity is also examined. RESULTS: Any past-month drinking was reported more often by Jewish respondents than Arab respondents (OR = 2.9, 95% Cl: 2.5-3.4), and this difference remained statistically significant after accounting for the effects of the other covariables. This cross-nationality difference was more pronounced among women (OR = 6.4, 95% Cl: 4.6-8.8) than men (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.8-2.9). The proportion of drinkers who reported heavy drinking in the past month, however, was lower among Jews (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.2-0.4). Significantly higher rates of drinking were noted for secular men and women than for religious respondents in both nationality groups. Rates of drinking were more similar among secular Arabs and Jews than among religious respondents of these nationality groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results add support to the theory that adherence to religious traditions continues to serve as a barrier against drinking among both Arabs and Jews. Further work is required to determine if these patterns are stable over time and whether genetic factors are contributing to the sociocultural influences.     

Alcohol misuse and abuse among the elderly

Alcohol consumption is on the increase. The elderly are particularly at risk to the effects of alcohol misuse and abuse, for a variety of reasons. Excessive and/or prolonged use of alcohol by the elderly can lead to somatic, psychologic, social, and other serious consequences. Alcohol misuse also can interfere with the successful management of some chronic diseases and heighten the risk of drug interactions and their effects. A profile of the elderly alcohol abuser is presented, as are several diagnostic cluses that should make recognition of the alcohol abuser easier for those who recommend and monitor drug therapy for the elderly.     

Classical and novel psychoactive substances: rethinking drug misuse from an evolutionary psychiatric perspective

In this article, ontogenetic and phylogenetic causes of drug abuse and links to human emotional development are considered. Some evolutionary perspectives (e.g. that under certain conditions, consumption of otherwise toxic alkaloids may confer both physical and cultural advantages) are reviewed. As described in the ‘mismatch theory’, the capacity of the human genome to evolve defences against toxins has been outstripped by the pace of cultural change and technological development, such as purposeful fermentation of alcohol and more recently distillation of alcohol; purification and chemical manipulation of plant alkaloids; and the engineering of entirely novel psychoactive substances (NPS). The functions of the neurobiological substrates that mediate substance misuse and dependence are reviewed. Reasons are given why NPSs present greater cause for concern than plant‐derived substances of abuse. We argue that evolutionary biology provides an important orientation for the research agenda in substance misuse. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alcohol and drug use — A world perspective

The current world situation with regard to alcohol and other drug abuse is summarised, and the implications of the trends in use are considered from a public health perspective.     

Beliefs of older Mexican American women about alcohol and alcohol use

This exploratory study assessed the belief system regarding alcohol use in a non-clinical population of Mexican American women age 55 and older drawn from a potential population of 1,000 older adults who attend nine senior centers. The overriding research question was: What are the normative attitudes, knowledge, and behavior regarding alcohol in this population of older Mexican American women? Findings from this study can serve as a baseline for comparison for future studies of older Mexican American who are more acculturated or who are second- and third-generation Mexican Americans.