Manzardo AM, Penick EC, Knop J, Nickel EJ, Hall S, Jensen P, Miller CC, and Gabrielli WF.  Neonatal vitamin K might reduce vulnerability to alcohol dependence in Danish men.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):586-592, September 2005.

Address correspondence to A.M. Manzardo, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160, USA. E-mail: amanzardo@kumc.edu.

Summary: This study tested the hypothesis that vitamin K supplementation, administered to facilitate the synthesis of blood-clotting proteins in the perinatal period, a time when the development of reward-related limbic structures is particularly active, might also reduce the development of alcohol dependence later in life. Subjects were approximately full-term male infants, selected from a large Danish birth cohort. Two thirds of the original 330 subjects in this study were high-risk sons of alcoholic fathers; 241 of the total completed the 30-year follow-up. Of subjects reported on for this article (N = 238), 44 received vitamin K supplementation at birth; 161 were considered high risk, and 66 were categorized as having lower birth weight (<6 lbs). A comprehensive series of measures was obtained on each subject before, during, and shortly after birth as well as at 1 year of age. The 30-year outcome variables were Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised, diagnosis of alcohol dependence and a measure of lifetime problem drinking. Vitamin K treatment, inherited risk, and low birth weight each independently predicted alcohol dependence and problem drinking at age 30. Vitamin K treatment was associated with significantly lower rates of alcohol dependence and fewer symptoms of problem drinking. Vitamin K treatment at birth might protect against the development of alcoholism in adults by reducing early postnatal hemorrhage and oxidative brain damage. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   vitamin K, hypothesis testing, brain reward pathway, limbic system, AOD dependence, prevention approach, children of alcoholics,  paternal alcoholism, cohort study, follow-up study, risk analysis, hemorrhage, oxidative stress, brain damage, human study

Viljoen DL, Gossage JP, Brooke L, Adnams CM, Jones KL, Robinson LK, Hoyme HE, Snell C, Khaole NC, Kodituwakku P, Asante KO, Findlay R, Quinton B, Marais AS, Kalberg WO, and May PA.  Fetal alcohol syndrome epidemiology in a South African community: A second study of a very high prevalence area.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):593-604, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, National Health Laboratory Services, South Africa.

Summary: The prevalence and characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) were investigated in a second primary school cohort in a community in South Africa. Active case ascertainment, two-tier screening, and Institute of Medicine assessment methodology were employed among 857 first grade pupils, most born in 1993. Characteristics of children with FAS were contrasted with characteristics of a randomly selected control group from the same classrooms. Physical growth and development, dysmorphology, and psychological characteristics of the children and measures of maternal alcohol use and smoking were analyzed. The prevalence of FAS was found to be 65.2-74.2 per 1,000 first grade children, the highest rate reported in any overall community in the world. These rates are 33-148 times greater than U.S. estimates and higher than in a previous cohort study in this same community (40.5-46.4 per 1,000). Detailed documentation of physical features indicates that FAS children in South Africa have characteristics similar to those elsewhere: poor growth and development, facial and limb dysmorphology, and lower intellectual functioning. Frequent, severe episodic drinking of beer and wine is common among mothers and fathers of FAS children. Their lives are characterized by serious familial, social, and economic challenges, compared with controls. Heavy episodic maternal drinking is significantly associated with negative outcomes of children in the area of nonverbal intelligence but even more so in verbal intelligence, behavior, and overall dysmorphology (physical anomalies). Significantly more FAS exists among children of women who were rural residents (odds ratio = 7.36; 95% confidence interval, 3.31-16.52), usually among workers on local farms. Given social and economic similarities and racial admixture, the authors suspect that other communities in the Western Cape have rates that also are quite high. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  fetal alcohol syndrome, prevalence, South Africa, cohort study, developmental disorder, developmental delay, intellectual development, binge AOD use, craniofacial anomaly, congenital morphologic anomaly, risk analysis, risk factors, relative risk, human study

Verdurmen J, Monshouwer K, van Dorsselaer S, ter Bogt T, and Vollebergh W.  Alcohol use and mental health in adolescents: Interactions with age and gender-findings from the Dutch 2001 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):605-609, September 2005.

Address correspondence to J. Verdurmen, Trimbos Institute (the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction), Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail: jverdurmen@trimbos.nl.

Summary: The association between alcohol use and mental health in adolescence, specifically the interaction with age and gender, was examined in a cross-sectional study using data derived from the 2001 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. This survey is a repeated cross-sectional study with a total of 5,730 students aged 12-16 years, carried out as part of the World Health Organization cross-national HBSC Project. A two-stage random sampling procedure was used. Written questionnaires were administered in classroom settings. These contained questions about alcohol and other drug use as well as sociodemographic and behavioral variables. In addition, the Youth Self-Report was used to assess mental health. Weekly alcohol use among adolescents was related to less withdrawn behavior and more delinquent, aggressive behavior. Significant interactions between weekly alcohol use and age were found on both externalizing and internalizing problems, indicating a stronger association between weekly alcohol use and problems among younger adolescents. No interactions with gender were found. In conclusion, the weekly use of alcohol, particularly at a young age, was associated with mental health problems. Regular alcohol use should alert parents and professionals that these adolescents might experience problems in other areas. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adolescence, underage drinking, underage AOD use, mental health, statistical association, age differences, gender differences, survey, random sample, cross-sectional study, questionnaire, AOD use frequency, juvenile delinquency, aggressive behavior, human study

Ullman SE, Filipas HH, Townsend SM, and Starzynski LL.  Trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder and problem drinking in sexual assault survivors.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):610-619, September 2005.

Address correspondence to S.E. Ullman, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA. E-mail: seullman@uic.edu.

Summary: Although sexual assault history is associated with higher risk of problem drinking in women, little is known about the mechanisms involved. This study examined how trauma histories, alcohol-related cognitive mediators, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relate to past-year problem drinking in adult female sexual assault survivors. Data from self-report questionnaires completed by a large, diverse sample (N = 865) of community-residing women who had been sexually assaulted as adults were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to test a theoretical model examining the relationship between trauma exposure, alcohol-related cognitive mediators, PTSD symptoms, and past-year problem drinking. These analyses suggested that trauma exposure, drinking to cope with distress, and tension-reduction expectancies are the most consistent factors associated with problem drinking, whereas PTSD symptoms are not. Drinking to cope and tension-reduction expectancies were both related to greater PTSD symptoms, consistent with self-medication theory. The results suggest that trauma histories, drinking to cope, and tension reduction may be important risk factors distinguishing sexually assaulted women who develop problem drinking from those who do not. Screening women for trauma histories even within samples of victims and assessment of women's ways of coping and beliefs about alcohol's effects may help to identify those at greater risk for problem drinking. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  rape, posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma, problematic AOD use, female, risk factors, statistical modeling, coping, tension reduction theory of AODU, expectancy theory of AODU, self medication, human study

McCabe SE, Hughes TL, Bostwick W, and Boyd CJ.  Assessment of difference in dimensions of sexual orientation: Implications for substance use research in a college-age population.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):620-629, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Substance Abuse Research Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48105-2194, USA. E-mail: plius@umich.edu.

Summary: The associations between three distinct dimensions of sexual orientation and substance use were examined in a random sample of undergraduate students (N = 9,161) who were administered a Web-based survey in the spring of 2003. The participants were attending a large research university in the midwestern United States and were 56% female, 68% white, 13% Asian, 6% black, 4% Hispanic, and 9% other racial categories. Logistic regression analyses were used to compare several measures of alcohol and other drug use across three dimensions of sexual orientation: sexual identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior. All three dimensions of sexual orientation were associated with substance use, including heavy episodic drinking, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug use. Consistent with results of several other recent studies, "nonheterosexual" identity, attraction, or behavior was associated with a more pronounced and consistent risk of substance use in women than in men. These findings suggest substantial variability in substance use across the three dimensions of sexual orientation and reinforce the importance of stratifying by gender and using multiple measures to assess sexual orientation. Implications for future research and for interventions aimed at reducing substance use among college students are discussed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   sexual orientation, personal identity, sexual behavior, AOD use, undergraduate student, survey, Internet, regression analysis, binge AOD use, cigarette, smoking, illicit drug, homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, human study

Hipwell AE, White HR, Loeber R, Stouthamer-Loeber M, Chung T, and Sembower MA.  Young girls' expectancies about the effects of alcohol, future intentions and patterns of use.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):630-639, September 2005.

Address correspondence to A.E. Hipwell, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. E-mail: hipwellae@upmc.edu.

Summary: Although rates of alcohol use among young female adolescents have been increasing in recent years, little is known about the precursors of use and intentions to use alcohol among preadolescents. This prospective study examined the prevalence and correlates of alcohol use, future intentions, and alcohol-related expectancies in a community sample of preadolescent girls (n = 1,161). Alcohol use behaviors and attitudes were assessed annually over a 3-year period, from ages 8 to 10 years. The girls comprised the two oldest cohorts of the ongoing Pittsburgh Girls Study (N = 2,451). Data were collected via separate parent and child interviews conducted in the participants' homes. The prevalence of alcohol use without parental permission was less than 3% in any given year between ages 8 and 10. Most girls reported sipping only, and there was little continuity of use across assessments. Alcohol-related expectancies were predominantly negative during this period but decreased with age. Positive expectancies, however, increased, particularly among white girls. Early alcohol use was predicted by black race and peer use. Intentions to use alcohol were predicted by low levels of negative expectancies and peer use. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adolescent, female, underage drinking, preadolescent, prospective study, prevalence, correlation analysis, expectancy theory of AODU, interview, racial differences, predictive factor, negative AOD expectancies, positive AOD expectancies, human study

Greenberg MD, Morral AR, and Jain AK.  Drink-driving and DUI recidivists' attitudes and beliefs: a longitudinal analysis.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):640-647, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Michael D. Greenberg, Drug Policy Research Center, RAND, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. E-mail: michael_greenberg@rand.org.

Summary: The association between people's beliefs about the riskiness, social acceptability, and morality of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and subsequent alcohol-impaired driving was examined in a sample of multiple DUI offenders (N = 182). Baseline interview data included measures of moral and prescriptive beliefs concerning alcohol-impaired driving (internal behavioral controls), perceived risks of criminal punishment, and crashes associated with alcohol-impaired driving (external behavioral controls) and perceived peer-group attitudes toward alcohol-impaired driving (social control). The dependent variable was a measure of self-reported alcohol-impaired driving over the preceding 2 years, collected at 2-year follow-up from baseline. Results from multiple regression modeling showed significant protective effects associated with the beliefs that driving after drinking is immoral and that random police sobriety checks are a good idea (internal control items). Results also showed that a social desirability control measure was predictive of increased risk, at follow-up, for driving after drinking. These findings suggest that internal controls may protect against alcohol-impaired driving behavior, even in a high-risk sample of repeat DUI offenders, and that interventions to curtail DUI might be designed to promote these sorts of behavioral controls. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  impaired driver, drinking and driving, DWI arrest, interview, morality, immorality, justice system, social control, self-control, self report, follow-up study, regression analysis, protective factors, prevention of AOD associated consequences, prevention approach, human study

Proctor DC, Babor TF, and Xuan Z.  Effects of cautionary messages and vulnerability factors on viewers' perceptions of alcohol advertisements.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):648-657, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington 06030-6325, USA.

Summary: This study examined how individual difference vulnerability factors affect college students' perceptions of beer commercial actors' age, attractiveness, and drinking, and whether viewers' exposure to a cautionary message would affect their perceptions of the actors' drinking behavior. Three groups of college students were shown the same two alcohol ads. After watching them, each group received a different cautionary message prior to answering questions about the ad's content: (1) a neutral message (viewed by 42% [n = 119] of the sample), (2) a U.S. federal warning (viewed by 31% [n = 89]) and (3) an industry message (viewed by 27% [n = 76]). Three putative vulnerability factors were also examined: age (<21 years or not), gender and family history of alcohol problems (yes or no), as well as the effects of quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption, episodic heavy drinking, severity of alcohol dependence, disinhibition, sensation seeking, and the eight factors of the Alcohol Expectancy Scale. The cautionary messages had no effect on viewers' perceptions of characters' age, attractiveness, and drinking behavior. Although neither commercial depicted the physical act of drinking, the student raters nevertheless perceived the characters to be heavy episodic drinkers. Those reporting more alcohol dependence symptoms perceived increased drinking for the male characters, as did females and viewers with expectancies for social and physical pleasure. It was concluded that perceptions of the drinking in beer commercials are based partly on the character depicted in the ad and partly on the demographic and personal vulnerability factors of the viewer. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  portrayal of AODU in the media, AOD use behavior, AOD product advertising, beer, undergraduate student, counteradvertising, risk factors, age differences, family AODU history, AOD use frequency, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, binge AOD use, AOD dependence, familial alcoholism, disease severity, disinhibition, sensation-seeking behavior, expectancy theory of AODU, demographic characteristics, individual differences, human study

Beresford HE, Deitrich R, and Beresford TP.  Cyclosporine-A discourages ethanol intake in C57bl/6j mice: A preliminary study.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):658-662, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Mental Health Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, Colorado 80220-0116, USA.

Summary: The remarkably high rates of abstinence among alcohol-dependent persons who have received a liver transplant have been thought to be solely due to selection or other nonbiological factors. However, the persistence of abstinence in transplant recipients suggested to the authors that it might be a biological effect of immunosuppressive medications. They tested the hypothesis that mice treated with cyclosporine-A and given a choice between water and 10% ethanol would drink less ethanol. After a 3-day ethanol conditioning period, C57bl/6j mice (n = 20) medicated with cyclosporine-A (50 mg/kg) and a control group of unmedicated mice (n = 20) injected with saline were given free access to either water or the ethanol solution. The medicated mice drank significantly less ethanol throughout the 11-day choice protocol. This was significant whether measured by mean ethanol consumption per day (p = 0.003) or by ethanol preference as a percent of total liquid intake per day (p = 0.03). The two groups did not differ significantly in total daily fluid consumption. The results suggest that cyclosporine-A lowers alcohol preference in mice. Mechanism of action, similar effects by other centrally acting immunosuppressants, and translation to humans all remain to be studied. If fruitful, elucidating the actions of cyclosporine and other immunosuppressants that activate central nervous system receptors may illuminate the pathophysiology of alcohol use and addiction. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   organ transplantation, alcoholic liver disorder, AOD dependence, AOD abstinence, immunosuppressive agents, hypothesis testing, causal model, laboratory mice, ethanol, AOD consumption, animal study

Fillmore MT, Marczinski CA, and Bowman AM.  Acute tolerance to alcohol effects on inhibitory and activational mechanisms of behavioral control.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):663-672, September 2005.

Address correspondence to M.T. Fillmore, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506-0044, USA. E-mail: fillmore@uky.edu.

Summary: This study examined the expression of acute alcohol tolerance to impaired behavioral control in terms of changes in a drinker's ability to activate and inhibit behavioral responses as blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ascended and declined following an ethanol dose. Social drinkers (N = 20) performed a cued go/no-go task that measured behavioral control after receiving a moderate dose (0.65 g/kg) of alcohol and a placebo. The development of acute tolerance was measured by testing behavioral control twice: once during the ascending phase and again at comparable BACs during the descending phase of the blood alcohol curve. Inhibitory and activational aspects of behavioral control both were impaired by alcohol. Acute tolerance developed to the impaired activation but not to the impaired inhibition of behavior. The results highlight the importance of considering behavioral requirements when testing for the development of acute tolerance under a dose of alcohol. By modeling behavioral control as the net effect of countervailing activational and inhibitory influences, the study suggests that fundamental mechanisms of control might not display uniform tolerance development. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  ethanol, AOD tolerance, acute AODE, BAC, AOD use behavior, social drinking, controlled study, human study

Foisy ML, Philippot P, Verbanck P, Pelc I, van der Straten G, and Kornreich C.  Emotional facial expression decoding impairment in persons dependent on multiple substances: Impact of a history of alcohol dependence.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):673-681, September 2005.

Address correspondence to Department of Psychiatry, Free University of Brussels, Brugmann Hospital, Belgium.

Summary: The decoding of emotional facial expressions is impaired in recovering alcoholics and less severely so in opiate-dependent persons without alcohol dependence antecedents. This study examined how these deficits change with long-term abstinence during an institutionalized therapeutic program and whether alcohol-dependent antecedents constitute a factor impairing a potential recovery. Participants (N = 65; 54 men, 11 women) recruited at a long-stay post-detoxification treatment center were assigned to one of four groups, depending on (1) whether or not they met alcohol dependence criteria in the past and (2) whether they were at therapeutic Stage 1 or Stage 2. Stage 1 was defined as being in the first 2 months of the therapeutic program, and Stage 2 was defined as being in the long-term therapeutic community (i.e., from 2 to 10 months in therapy). Participants were shown 16 photographs portraying happiness, anger, disgust, and sadness. They were asked to rate the estimated intensity level of each photograph on eight scales labeled as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise, shame, and contempt — all presented successively. A complementary scale assessed the self-estimated difficulty in performing the task. Individuals with substance dependence and past alcohol dependence showed a greater deficit than former substance-dependent persons who had never met standard alcohol dependence criteria. However, there was no effect of long-term abstinence on emotion decoding abilities whatever their past dependence. Thus substance dependence is associated with dysfunctions in emotional facial expression decoding processing, with alcohol dependence being linked with more impairments and no improvement after months of abstinence. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   expression of emotion, face, AOD dependence, apperception, AOD abstinence, AODR disorder, AODR behavioral markers, comparative study, human study

Kaskutas LA, Ammon L, Witbrodt J, Graves K, Zemore S, Borkman T, and Weisner S.  Understanding results from randomized trials: Use of program- and client-level data to study medical and nonmedical treatment programs.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):682-687, September 2005.

Address correspondence to L.A. Kaskutas, Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, California 94709, USA. E-mail: lkaskutas@arg.org.

Summary: To address unanticipated results from randomized trials, researchers often focus on client-level data about services received during treatment. Program-level observations can also be helpful, especially in understanding treatment delivered in groups. This study used both approaches to understand inconsistent results from a trial comparing medical and nonmedical group-format day treatment. Dependent treatment seekers were randomized to a hospital-based medical day-treatment program or to one of two community-based nonmedical day treatment programs. Services received during treatment were learned from clients using the Treatment Services Review (N = 230 subjects; 78 women), and group sessions were observed to measure therapeutic style using an Event Form (N = 48 observations). The trial had found better medical outcomes at the hospital than at either nonmedical program, but most other tests had demonstrated similar outcomes at day hospital and one of the nonmedical sites and worse outcomes (psychiatric, family/social, and employment) at the other nonmedical study site. Analysis of services reported by study participants found a pattern of fewer substance misuse-oriented groups and less serious discussions about medical, psychiatric and family/social problems at the same nonmedical site that had worse outcomes. The way services were delivered at that site further helped to explain the poorer outcomes there: groups tended to be more didactic, classroom-like, and less discussion-oriented. Although services received are helpful in explaining treatment outcome, treatment observation adds explanatory value. Without increasing the cost of service provision, programs that rely heavily on didactic approaches might improve their outcomes simply by encouraging more interactive discussions that engage the clients. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  treatment factors, treatment method, treatment outcome, hospital, community-based treatment, comparative study, human study

McMillan GP, Hanson T, Bedrick EJ, and Lapham SC.  Using the Bivariate Dale Model to jointly estimate predictors of frequency and quantity of alcohol use.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):688-692, September 2005.

Address correspondence to G.P. McMillan, Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, USA. E-mail: gmcmillan@bhrcs.org.

Summary: This study demonstrates the usefulness of the Bivariate Dale Model (BDM) for estimating the relationship between risk factors and the quantity and frequency of alcohol use, as well as the degree of association between these highly correlated drinking measures. The BDM was used to evaluate childhood sexual abuse, along with age and gender, as risk factors for the quantity and frequency of beer consumption in a sample of driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenders (N = 1,964; 1,612 men). The BDM allowed estimation of the relative odds of drinking up to each level of ordinal-scaled quantity and frequency of alcohol use, as well as modeling the degree of association between quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption as a function of covariates. Individuals who experienced childhood sexual abuse had increased risks of higher quantity and frequency of beer consumption. History of childhood sexual abuse had a greater effect on women, causing them to drink higher quantities of beer per drinking occasion. The BDM is a useful method for evaluating predictors of the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. SAS macrocode for fitting the BDM model is provided. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  risk factors, AOD use pattern, AOD intake per occasion, AOD consumption, AOD use frequency, bivariate analysis, sexual abuse, abused as child, age differences, gender differences, beer, DWI arrest, relative risk, statistical modeling, predictive factor, comparative study, human study

LaBrie J, Pedersen E, and Earleywine M.  A group-administered Timeline Followback assessment of alcohol use.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):693-697, September 2005.

Address correspondence to J. LaBrie, Department of Psychology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California 90045, USA. E-mail: jlabrie@lmu.edu.

Summary: Retrospective self-reports of quantity and frequency of drinking were compared with the timeline followback (TLFB) method administered to groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods. College students (N = 211) who reported drinking at least two times a week participated; 118 completed the TLFB in a group setting and 93 completed it individually. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks, and total drinks during a 30-day period. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed significant correlations between single-item quantity and frequency measures and the TLFB on all three variables for the two administration styles. Furthermore, the group TLFB yielded similar correlations to self-reports as the individual TLFB on drinking days and average drinks. However, the correlation between total drinks on the TLFB and the individual item report of drinking days was higher for individual administration than in the group administration. The results suggest that the group TLFB accurately determines students' quantity of drinking, but not their drinking frequency. The group-administered TLFB also has the potential to parallel individual interviews and serve as an efficient means of collecting information, but further studies with modified research designs are necessary to validate this alternate method of TLFB administration. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  self report, timeline followback, AOD use pattern, AOD use frequency, AOD intake per occasion, AOD consumption, comparative study, undergraduate student, correlation analysis, human study

Martens MP, Ferrier AG, Sheehy MJ, Corbett K, Anderson DA, and Simmons A.  Development of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(5):698-705, September 2005.

Address correspondence to M.P. Martens, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, ED220, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222, USA. E-mail: mmartens@uamail.albany.edu.

Summary: A promising approach for combating heavy alcohol use among college students is identifying protective behavioral strategies that may reduce consumption and its resulting negative consequences among students who do choose to drink alcohol. The purpose of this study was to develop and conduct initial psychometric analyses on a new scale, the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey. Data were collected on undergraduate volunteers (N = 437) at a large public university in the northeastern United States. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three theoretically meaningful factors that were labeled Limiting/Stopping Drinking, Manner of Drinking, and Serious Harm Reduction. The three factors were, as a group, significantly associated with both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, but the strongest unique relationship existed between Manner of Drinking and the outcome variables. Protective behavioral strategies seem to be a measurable construct related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, and thus may be a useful component of intervention and prevention programs with college students. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  undergraduate student, heavy AOD use, AOD consumption, prevention of AODR problems, AOD use behavior, prevention strategy, survey, behavioral change, psychometric properties, factor analysis, protective factors, prevention program, intervention (persuasion to treatment), school-based intervention, school-based prevention, human study

Miles DR, Silberg JL, Pickens RW, and Eaves LJ.  Familial influences on alcohol use in adolescent female twins: testing for genetic and environmental interactions.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):445-451, July 2005.

Address correspondence to D.R. Miles, Department of Human Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, P.O. Box 980003, 800 East Leigh St., Biotech One, Suite 100, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0003, USA. E-mail: dmiles@hsc.vcu.edu.

Summary: The aim was to determine whether measures of family adaptability and cohesion may moderate the genetic influence on risk for alcohol use among female adolescent twins. Log-linear models were applied to examine such interactions using data from the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development, a longitudinal study with extensive home interviews of adolescent (8-17 year old) female twins (386 monozygotic [MZ] pairs, 185 dizygotic [DZ] pairs) and their parents. Twin concordance for alcohol use varied by average twin/parent reports of parental closeness. Differences between MZ-DZ correlations for alcohol use in families with low parental closeness, for example, were 0.97 and 0.67 (p < 0.001), respectively, compared with 0.79 and 0.73 (p = 0.24) for high parental closeness families. In addition, differences in twin concordance regardless of zygosity were found with greater twin similarities for alcohol use in families with strict parents compared with families with lenient parents, which suggests that the twin association interacts with common environmental influences on alcohol use. The findings indicate that genetic effects on adolescent alcohol use interact with measured family environment and that the heritability of alcohol use may vary according to quality of the parental relationship. If confirmed, prevention programs may benefit from this knowledge, tailoring their intervention to quality of parental relationship. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  twin study, adolescent, female, risk factors, underage drinking, family relations, parent-child relations, parental control, parental tolerance of adolescent AOD use, parental attitude, correlation analysis, comparative study, hereditary vs environmental factors, human study

Schuckit MA, Smith TL, Beltran I, Waylen A, Horwood J, and Davis JM; The ALSPAC Study Team.  Performance of a self-report measure of the level of response to alcohol in 12- to 13-year-old adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):452-458, July 2005.

Address correspondence to M.A. Schuckit, Department of Psychiatry (116A), University of California, San Diego, and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, California 92161-2002, USA. E-mail: mschuckit@ucsd.edu.

Summary: Low level of response (LR) to alcohol characterizes groups at high risk for alcoholism and predicts future heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems. This study examined LR in 12- to 13-year-old adolescents (N = 1,106) participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Information about alcohol and other substance use and problems was obtained using a structured interview, and LR from the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire. Drinking was reported by 80 boys and girls (7.3% of all subjects). Boys comprised 62.5% of the sample; the mean (SD) age of subjects was 12.9 (0.16) years. Among the 80 drinkers, alcohol had been consumed on an average of 5.4 occasions over the prior 6 months, the average maximum drinks ever imbibed was about 3.3, and 23.8% had any of 26 possible alcohol-related problems. In this group, 36.3% had smoked cigarettes and 12.5% had used marijuana. The First 5 SRE score among drinkers correlated with the maximum number of drinks consumed at one time at 0.61 (p < 0.001), the number of alcohol problems at 0.25 (p < 0.01), and the frequency of drinking at 0.29 (p < 0.01). When considered along with smoking and marijuana histories, sex, and weight, the SRE score contributed significantly to the prediction of maximum drinks per occasion (beta = 0.60, p < .001) and drinking frequency (beta = 0.24, p < 0.05), with a trend (beta = 0.17, p = 0.08) for alcohol problems. The results support the conclusion that a low LR to alcohol correlates well with the maximum number of drinks consumed even early in the drinking career among individuals for whom acquired tolerance or other factors were unlikely to have explained the relationship. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  underage drinker, level of response (to AOD), predictive factor, heavy AOD use, AODR disorder, interview, questionnaire, self report, AOD use frequency, AOD use pattern, smoking, cigarette, marijuana in any form, correlation analysis, predictive factor, human study

Simons JS, Gaher RM, Oliver MN, Bush JA, and Palmer MA.  An experience sampling study of associations between affect and alcohol use and problems among college students.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):459-469, July 2005.

Address correspondence to J.S. Simons, Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069, USA. E-mail: jsimons@usd.edu.

Summary: Experienced sampling methodology was used to examine the relationship between affective functioning and alcohol consumption and problems in college students (N = 56; 54% women), who provided baseline data on measures of impulsivity and distress tolerance and provided experience sampling data for 2 weeks on measures of negative affect, positive affect, and alcohol consumption and problems. The sample ranged in age from 21 to 23 years (mean [SD] = 21.50 [0.57]); 98% were white, and 2% were Asian. As predicted, higher levels of both positive and negative affect during the day were associated with higher consumption that night. In contrast, negative, but not positive, affect was associated with alcohol-related problems after controlling for alcohol consumption. Impulsivity was associated with higher consumption and problems and moderated the relationships between negative affect and problems and also between alcohol consumption and problems. Low distress tolerance was associated with a decreased association between positive affect and alcohol consumption. Through the use of experience sampling methodology this study replicated and extended previous research on affective models of alcohol use and problems. Associations were demonstrated between affective variables and alcohol consumption and problems measured through near real-time assessment. The results suggest a functional association between alcohol consumption and problems and both within-person changes in affect and between-person differences in impulsivity and distress tolerance. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD consumption, problematic AOD use, alcoholic beverage, undergraduate student, mood and affect disturbance, impulsive behavior, statistical association, individual differences, variable, characteristic, factor, human study

Perkins HW, Haines MP, and Rice R.  Misperceiving the college drinking norm and related problems: a nationwide study of exposure to prevention information, perceived norms and student alcohol misuse.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):470-478, July 2005.

Address correspondence to H.W. Perkins, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York 14456, USA. E-mail: perkins@hws.edu.

Summary: The aims were to examine the prevalence of misperceptions of college student drinking norms across campuses nationwide, the importance of perceived norms in predicting high-risk drinking, the association of exposure to alcohol education information with students' perceptions of campus drinking norms, and the differences in high-risk drinking rates between schools where exposure to alcohol information is associated with more accurately perceived norms and schools where exposure to information is unrelated to perceptions or is associated with greater misperceptions. An aggregate database of the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) survey was analyzed using multivariate analyses. The NCHA was administered to 76,145 students from 130 colleges and universities nationwide from spring 2000 through spring 2003. A consistently large percentage of students nationwide overestimated the quantity of alcohol consumed by their peers. Students' perception of their campus drinking norm was the strongest predictor of the amount of alcohol personally consumed, compared with the influence of all demographic variables. Lower levels of high-risk drinking and negative consequences were found among students attending the relatively few colleges where exposure to prevention information was associated with less exaggerated perceptions of the drinking norm, compared with students attending other schools. Misperceived drinking norms are a pervasive problem, and reducing these misperceptions is a potentially powerful component of prevention. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  prevalence, perception of norms, hazardous drinking, undergraduate student, risk-taking behavior, comparative study, educational institution, predictive factor, demographic characteristics, institution-based prevention, prevention approach, prevention through education, human study

Laforge RG, Borsari B, and Baer JS.  The utility of collateral informant assessment in college alcohol research: results from a longitudinal prevention trial.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):479-487, July 2005.

Address correspondence to R.G. Laforge, Department of Psychology, CPRC Building, Room 48W, University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, USA. E-mail: rlaforge@uri.edu.

Summary: Collateral informants have been used to assess independently the validity of data self-reported by college students, but it is unclear under what conditions collateral reports might be valid and useful in college research. The authors carried out two studies to examine aspects of these issues using data from college students (N = 1,264) participating in a brief intervention prevention trial at a public university. The first study examined the characteristics and predictors of agreement on reports of alcohol use and problems from 219 student-collateral informant pairs. The second study investigated whether collateral verification resulted in changes in student self-reports (pipeline effects) on two subsequent survey assessments over 1 year using longitudinal data from 1,264 students. Results provided little support for the assumption that nondependent college drinkers underreport drinking behaviors and consequences. Collaterals who reported more occasions of drinking together, higher confidence in the report, and a close relationship with the participant provided reports that were more consistent with participant drinking reports. No evidence was found that pipeline effects of collateral verification improve the accuracy of college student self-reports at future assessments. The results are consistent with much of the published literature showing that use of collateral reports to verify the self-reports of college students (and adults) may result in increased, not decreased, misclassification error. The findings suggest that the time and expense required to collect collateral data in the college setting may be better spent on establishing assessment conditions that will foster accurate self-reporting. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  brief intervention, undergraduate student, prevention of AODR problems, prevention program, validation study, accuracy of variables and methods, self report, human study

Homish GG, and Leonard KE.  Marital quality and congruent drinking.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):488-496, July 2005.

Address correspondence to G.G. Homish, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14203-1016, USA. E-mail: ghomish@ria.buffalo.edu.

Summary: The authors examined whether changes in marital quality over the early years of marriage were related to alcohol use patterns among three groups of couples: congruent nondrinkers, congruent drinkers who usually drank with their spouses, and congruent drinkers who usually drank apart from their spouses. Couples (N = 418) were assessed for marital satisfaction and drinking behaviors when newly wed and at their first and second anniversaries. Cross-sectional analyses compared couples at each assessment and multilevel modeling assessed changes in marital satisfaction over time. Husbands and wives who usually drank with their partners reported greater levels of marital satisfaction at each assessment. Marital satisfaction declined over time for both husbands and wives.  Husbands in each group experienced similar declines in marital quality, but the rate of decline was not the same among wives. Although wives in the nondrinking group and wives who usually drank with their husbands had similar initial marital satisfaction, the nondrinkers experienced a greater decline in marital satisfaction than the wives who drank with their husbands. The rate of change for the wives in the nondrinking group was quite similar to wives who more often drank apart from their spouses. The results suggest that alcohol use may be a part of the couple's socializing and may increase interaction, thereby increasing marital satisfaction. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   marital satisfaction, marital relations, spouse or significant other, alcoholic beverage, AOD use behavior, AOD use pattern, family attitude toward AOD, AOD nonuse, cross-sectional study, comparative study, follow-up study, gender differences, interpersonal interaction, human study

Tracy SW, Kelly JF, and Moos RH.  The influence of partner status, relationship quality and relationship stability on outcomes following intensive substance-use disorder treatment.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):497-505, July 2005.

Address correspondence to S.W. Tracy, Center for Health Care Evaluation, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (MPD-152), Stanford University School of Medicine, 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. E-mail: stephen.tracy@med.va.gov.

Summary: Addiction treatment studies examining the influence of patients' partners suggest that partner behaviors affect patients' substance-use outcomes. This prospective, intact-group study examined the influence of having a partner at treatment entry, as well as the influence of the general quality of support and substance-using status of the partner, on treatment outcomes. The influence of relationship stability on treatment outcomes, and baseline partner behaviors that may predict relationship stability, were also examined. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Participants (N = 3,014) from 15 intensive substance use disorder treatment programs were assessed at treatment entry and 1 year after discharge. Although patients with partners had a more favorable clinical profile, their outcomes were no better than those of single patients. However, patients whose relationships lasted through the first year following treatment had better outcomes than those whose relationships ended. Relationships with more positive partner behaviors and fewer negative partner behaviors at intake were more likely to remain intact through the the first year following discharge. Positive partner behaviors did not enhance patients' outcomes directly, but partner interpersonal stressors and patients' belief that their partner had a substance-use problem had a significant deleterious impact on patients' substance-use outcomes. It was concluded that the quality of patients' relationships with partners should be routinely assessed by clinicians. If deleterious partner behaviors exist, empirically supported interventions such as behavioral couples therapy could be used to reduce these behaviors and ultimately reduce relapse risk. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  addiction, AOD dependence, treatment factors, spouse or significant other, marital status, family support, interpersonal relations, treatment program, treatment outcome, regression analysis, couple counseling, relapse prevention, human study

Hurt RD, Patten CA, Offord KP, Croghan IT, Decker PA, Morris RA, and Hays JT.  Treating nondepressed smokers with alcohol dependence in sustained full remission: Nicotine patch therapy tailored to baseline serum cotinine.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):506-516, July 2005.

Address correspondence to R.D. Hurt, Nicotine Dependence Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street South West, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. E-mail: rhurt@mayo.edu.

Summary: This study examined the smoking abstinence rate in smokers (N = 195) in sustained full remission from alcoholism (as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) who were receiving nicotine patch therapy with the dose tailored to the baseline serum cotinine concentration. The primary aim was to determine the 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence rate at the end of 8 weeks of nicotine patch therapy in doses projected to achieve 100% venous replacement. Nicotine patch dose was based on the baseline serum venous cotinine as follows: participants with ≤200 ng/ml, 22 mg/day; those with 201-300 ng/ml, 33-mg/day, and those with >300 ng/ml, 44-mg/day. A second (steady-state) serum cotinine concentration was obtained between weeks 2 and 7 to determine the percentage replacement. The point prevalence smoking abstinence rate at the end of the 8 weeks of nicotine patch treatment was 51% (95% confidence interval [CI], 45%-58%) which is higher than would be expected, and percent replacement >80% was achieved in 49 of 85 (58%) tobacco-abstinent subjects. Higher cigarettes per day (odds ratio [OR] = 1.030, 95% CI, 1.004-1.057, p = 0.023) and a history of depressed mood on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (OR = 1.940, 95% CI, 1.044-3.605, p = 0.036) were found to be multivariate independent predictors of smoking at week 8. However, percentage replacement did not predict smoking abstinence. In conclusion,  >80% replacement was achieved in most subjects, and there was no evidence of severe nicotine toxicity associated with the tailored dose of nicotine patch therapy. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  smoking, cigarette, AOD dependence, multiple drug use, remission,  AOD abstinence, nicotine, drug therapy, drug metabolism, patient history, emotional and psychiatric depression, multivariate analysis, relative risk, predictive factor, human study

Ilgen M and Moos R.  Deterioration following alcohol-use disorder treatment in Project MATCH.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):517-525, July 2005.

Address correspondence to M. Ilgen, Center for Health Care Evaluation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine, 795 Willow Road (MPD 152), Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. E-mail: Mark.Ilgen@med.va.gov.

Summary: The authors examined the prevalence and predictors of deterioration during the 3 months following treatment in Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity), a multisite clinical trial of three different treatments for alcohol-use disorders. The outpatient and aftercare samples of Project MATCH were examined to identify the prevalence of deterioration, as reflected by a decline in percentage of days abstinent between the 3 months prior to baseline and the 3 months immediately following treatment. Analyses of predictors of deterioration were based on baseline sociodemographic and psychological factors, including substance-related and psychiatric symptoms, and treatment-related factors, including treatment type, treatment duration, and therapeutic alliance. Approximately 10% (91/927) of patients in the outpatient sample and 7% (50/738) of patients in the aftercare sample deteriorated in the 3 months following treatment. Primary predictors of deterioration in the outpatient sample were lower baseline severity of alcohol dependence, higher baseline depression, fewer sessions of treatment, and lower ratings of therapeutic alliance. The only factor associated with deterioration in the aftercare sample was fewer sessions of treatment. Despite the general positive response of patients to alcohol-use disorder treatment, researchers and treatment providers need to be aware of the potential for deterioration in a sizable minority of patients. Potential methods for identifying patients at risk for deterioration early in treatment are discussed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  patient-treatment matching, treatment outcome, AOD dependence, AOD abstinence, AODD relapse, follow-up study, treatment method, treatment factors, demographic characteristics, social indicators, treatment duration, psychopathology, outpatient care, predictive factor, problem severity, professional-client relations, human study

Collins SE, Carey KB, and Smyth J.  Relationships of linguistic and motivation variables with drinking outcomes following two mailed brief interventions.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):526-535, July 2005.

Address correspondence to Susan Collins, Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA. E-mail: susan.collins@med.uni-tuebingen.de.

Summary: Writing samples following the administration of two mailed brief alcohol interventions were subjected to post hoc analysis to identify linguistic and motivation variables. At-risk college drinkers (N = 100) were mailed personalized normative feedback (PNF) or an alcohol education (AE) brochure. Participants responded to open-ended questions describing their reactions to the information they received. The writing samples were then coded for linguistic characteristics using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program and for proportions of self-motivational statements using a modified version of the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code. Group comparisons revealed that the PNF group used a significantly higher percentage of first-person-singular and school-related words, whereas the AE group used a higher percentage of discrepancy, second-person, and body-related words. Furthermore, the PNF group produced more language consistent with motivation to change than the AE group. Hierarchical regressions testing mediation and moderation indicated that linguistic references to school and motivation moderated the group effect on changes in consumption during the heaviest drinking week. Furthermore, although the group predicted reduction in heavy, episodic drinking, its effect was completely mediated by linguistic variables. The findings confirmed that PNF elicits distinct verbal responses that are associated with increased motivation and behavior change. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  brief intervention, undergraduate student, communication feedback, motivation, behavioral change, questionnaire, comparative study, regression analysis, AOD consumption, prevention research, prevention approach, prevention outcome, binge AOD use, predictive factor, human study

Perrine MW and Schroder KE.  How many drinks did you have on September 11, 2001?  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):536-544, July 2005.

Address correspondence to M.W. Perrine, Vermont Alcohol Research Center, PO. Box 8505, Essex, Vermont 05451, USA. E-mail: bperrine@varc.edu.

Summary: The predictability of error in retrospective self-reports of alcohol consumption on September 11, 2001 ("9/11"), when terrorists attacked the United States, was tested in light, medium, and heavy drinkers (N = 80; 52 men and 28 women) in the state of Vermont. The subjects were participating in daily self-reports of alcohol consumption for a total of 2 years, collected through interactive voice response technology (IVR). In addition, retrospective self-reports of alcohol consumption on 9/11, were collected by telephone interview 4-5 days after the attacks. Retrospective error was calculated as the difference between the IVR self-report of drinking behavior on 0/11 and the retrospective self-report collected by telephone interview. Retrospective error was analyzed as a function of gender and baseline drinking behavior during the 365 days preceding 9/11. The intraclass correlation (ICC) between daily IVR and retrospective self-reports of alcohol consumption on 9/11 was 0.80. Women provided, on average, more accurate self-reports (ICC = 0.96) than men (ICC = 0.72) but displayed more underreporting bias in retrospective responses. Amount and individual variability of alcohol consumption during the 1-year baseline explained, on average, 11% of the variance in overreporting (r = 0.33), 9% of the variance in underreporting (r = 0.30), and 25% of the variance in the overall magnitude of error (r = 0.50), with correlations up to 0.62 (r2 = 0.38). The size and direction of error were clearly predictable from the amount and variation in drinking behavior during the 1-year baseline period. The results demonstrate the utility and detail of information that can be derived from daily IVR self-reports in the analysis of retrospective error NIAAA Glossary Terms:  self report, AOD consumption, AOD use behavior, life event, trauma, data collection, interview, memory, correlation analysis, gender differences, retrospective study, recall bias, human study

Schonfeld AM, Mattson SN, and Riley EP.  Moral maturity and delinquency after prenatal alcohol exposure.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):545-554, July 2005.

Address correspondence to A.M. Schonfeld, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA. E-mail: aschonfeld@mednet.ucla.edu.

Summary: Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with cognitive, behavioral, and social deficits, including delinquency. Although delinquent populations and those with intellectual and behavioral deficits exhibit impaired moral judgment and reasoning, this area remains unexplored in alcohol-exposed individuals. Moral maturity and delinquency were evaluated in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure (n = 27, age range 10-18 years) and nonexposed controls (n = 29) matched on age, gender, handedness, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Moral maturity was evaluated with the Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form, and delinquency with the Conduct Disorder Questionnaire. Additional measures included social desirability and inhibition. The prenatally exposed group performed at a lower level of moral maturity than the controls. Whereas Verbal IQ primarily predicted this difference, a deficit on the moral value judgment having to do with relationships with others was specific to prenatal alcohol exposure. Furthermore, delinquency was higher in the prenatally exposed group, and specific sociomoral values were predictive of delinquent behavior. Finally, half of the children and adolescents with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure but without fetal alcohol syndrome had probable conduct disorder. The results indicate that interventions aimed at reducing delinquency are necessary in persons with prenatal alcohol exposure, and targeting moral judgment for this purpose may be beneficial. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  prenatal alcohol exposure, fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effects, postnatally AOD-exposed child, developmental disorder, cognitive ability, behavioral problem, social deviance, juvenile delinquency, morality, immorality, childhood, adolescence, controlled study, conduct disorder, social behavior, inhibition, intelligence level, predictive factor, human study

Uyarel H, Ozdol C, Gencer AM, Okmen E, and Cam N.  Acute alcohol intake and QT dispersion in healthy subjects.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):555-558, July 2005.

Address correspondence to H. Uyarel, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, Department of Cardiology, Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail: uyarel@yahoo.com.

Summary: QT dispersion (QTd) is the maximal interlead difference in the QT interval on the surface 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). An increase in QTd is found in patients with various cardiac diseases and reflects cardiac autonomic imbalance. Variability of QT duration among the 12 surface ECG leads expresses electrical instability and greater susceptibility to malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Electrophysiological studies have shown that heavy episodic drinking facilitates the induction of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in some heavy drinkers. However, the association between QTd and acute alcohol intake has not been studied previously in healthy subjects. In this randomized crossover study, 10 healthy male volunteers (average [SD] age 30 [2.1] years, range 25-33 years) received either alcohol (six 12-ounce cans of beer) or placebo (juice). The alcohol group consumed 0.97 [0.12] g of ethanol/kg body weight, and the placebo group consumed the same amount of juice in a 1-hour period. After a 48-hour washout period, the alcohol group drank juice, and the juice group drank alcohol. QTd and corrected QTd (cQTd) were measured in a baseline ECG after the alcohol period (AP) and after the juice period (JP). In comparison with baseline ECG (31.7 [9.4] ms), QTd values were significantly prolonged after AP (42.1 [10.8] ms; p = 0.027), but not after JP (33.8 [7.1] ms; p = N.S.). Also in comparison with baseline ECG (35.7 [11.1] ms), cQTd values were significantly prolonged after the AP (49.8 [12.7] ms; p = .005), but again, not after the JP (36.8 [7.3] ms; p = N.S.). Thus heavy episodic drinking is associated with an increase in QTd and cQTd. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   electrocardiography, electrical life processes, ethanol, binge AOD use, heavy AOD use, AOD intake per occasion, acute AODE, cardiac arrhythmia, heart ventricle, controlled study, randomized controlled trial, human study

Slawecki CJ, Thorsell A, and Ehlers CL.  Antagonism of neuropeptide YY1 receptors does not inhibit ethanol's effects on cortical EEG and ERPs in Wistar rats.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):559-566, July 2005.

Address correspondence to C.J. Slawecki, The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuropharmacology, CFN-14, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. E-mail: cslawecki@scripps.edu.

Summary: Ethanol and neuropeptide Y (NPY) can have additive neurobehavioral effects. This study examined whether the NPY Y1 receptor antagonist BIBP3226, administered alone or in combination with a moderate dose of ethanol, interacts with ethanol's neurobehavioral effects. Male Wistar rats were implanted with cortical recording electrodes and a lateral ventricular cannula. The effects of 1 nmol BIBP3226, 0.75 g/kg ethanol, and the combined drugs (BIBP3226 + EtOH) on neurophysiological activity and locomotion were then assessed. Ethanol significantly increased 1-2 Hz parietal cortical power and this effect was partially antagonized by BIBP3226. Peak frequencies in the parietal cortical 6-8 Hz and 8-16 Hz bands were also altered by ethanol, but these effects were not reversed by BIBP3226. BIBP3226 or ethanol, when administered alone, did not alter motor activity or cortical event-related potentials (ERPs), but administration of BIBP3226 + EtOH reduced motor activity, reduced parietal cortical N1 ERP amplitude and increased frontal cortical N1 ERP latency. The most prominent effect of antagonizing central NPY Y1 receptors was a facilitation of the effects of ethanol. In particular, the effects of combined administration of BIBP3226 and ethanol are indicative of enhanced sedation and possibly cognitive impairment. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  ethanol, neuropeptide Y, neuropeptide receptors, antagonists, electroencephalography, brain wave, neuroelectric phenomenon, laboratory rat, locomotion, cerebral cortex, event-related potential, sedative-hypnotics, cognitive ability, animal study

McCarthy DM, Pedersen SL, and Leuty ME.  Negative consequences and cognitions about drinking and driving.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):567-570, July 2005.

Address correspondence to D.M. McCarthy, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, 210 McAlester Hall, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA. E-mail: mccarthydm@missouri.edu.

Summary: Drinking and driving is a highly persistent behavior, even after negative consequences such as arrest. This study tested the association between consequences of drinking and driving and cognitions related to drinking and driving by examining whether the experience of negative consequences was associated with perceptions of risk associated with drinking and driving. The participants were college students (N = 938; 57% female; 85% white) who completed questionnaires to assess alcohol use, drinking and driving behaviors, drinking and driving cognitions, and lifetime drinking and driving consequences.  Results indicated that participants who had experienced consequences of drinking and driving (either as a driver or rider) reported more current drinking and driving and greater alcohol consumption. Most cognition measures differentiated those reporting lifetime consequences from the rest of the sample, with the consequence groups reporting more risky cognitions. However, experiencing a personal consequence of drinking and driving was associated with perceiving negative consequences of drinking and driving to be more likely. The results provide evidence that most cognitive risk factors for drinking and driving remain high even after a negative consequence is experienced. This may contribute to the persistence of drinking and driving in prior offenders. The finding that the perception of negative consequences may be influenced by experiencing consequences may have implications for intervention and treatment efforts. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  drinking and driving, AOD effects and consequences, questionnaire, AOD use, impaired driver, AOD consumption, risk-taking behavior, human study

Gruenewald PJ, Searles J, Helzer J, and Badger GJ.  Exploring drinking dynamics using interactive voice response technology.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):571-576, July 2005.

Address correspondence to P.J. Gruenewald, Prevention Research Center; Pacific Institutefor Research and Evaluation, 1995 University Avenue, Ste. 450, Berkeley, California 94704, USA. E-mail: paul@prev.org.

Summary: The authors developed a model of daily drinking that relates probabilities of drinking on any day to amounts consumed 1 day and 1 week earlier. It was assumed that positive and negative experiences with alcohol shape drinking levels and probabilities of subsequent drinking. The model predicts that nonmonotonic functions will relate drinking levels to subsequent drinking probabilities. Maxima of these functions represent optimal drinking levels that provide greatest positive returns from any drinking occasion for each drinker. Interactive Voice Response technology was used to obtain annual time series of daily drinking levels from 33 drinkers sampled from public establishments in the state of Vermont. Two predictions from the model were tested: (1) Temporal dependencies exist between the onset of drinking events over time; and (2) these dependencies are nonmonotonically related to prior drinking levels. Dynamics were separately assessed for each drinker using bootstrapped logistic regression models. Time series data from 5 of 30 respondents (17%) who provided data suitable for analysis exhibited no temporal dynamics. Data from 25 (83%) respondents exhibited either daily or weekly dynamics. Data from 18 (60%) respondents exhibited the expected nonmonotonic relationship between drinking levels and subsequent drinking events. Daily probabilities of drinking were conditional upon and nonmonotonically related to prior drinking levels among a majority of respondents. These results support models of daily drinking in which positive and negative experiences with alcohol shape daily drinking patterns. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  statistical modeling, AOD use pattern, AOD use frequency, AOD consumption, AOD intake per occasion, time series analysis, predictive factor, regression analysis, human study

Wilhelm J, Bleich S, Kornhuber J, and Hillemacher T.  Limited use of CK-MB as a screening parameter for acute coronary syndrome in patients with alcohol dependency.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(4):577-578, July 2005.

Letter to the editor. (No abstract available.)

Windle M, Mun EY, and Windle RC.  Adolescent-to-young adulthood heavy drinking trajectories and their prospective predictors.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):313-322, May 2005.

Address correspondence to M. Windle, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Center for the Advancement of Youth Health, 912 Building, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1200, USA. windle@uab.edu.

Summary: Longitudinal trajectories of heavy drinking were investigated in males and females from adolescence to young adulthood (age 16 to age 25). Semiparametric group-based mixture modeling was used to derive trajectories of heavy drinking separately for participants (N = 760; 430 females and 330 males) who have been participating in a long-term prospective study of risk factors for the development of heavy drinking and alcohol disorders. Four trajectory groups were identified for males and five for females; the trajectories indicated both continuity and change in heavy drinking across time for the identified groups. Major common predictors for the high and very high heavy drinking trajectory groups supported the influences of values and beliefs (such as religious commitment), stressful life events, and substance use. Additional predictors for males included lower academic functioning and task orientation, and for females, more frequent sexual behavior and general deviance. The results suggest that the frequency of heavy drinking behavior will further increase for some teens into their young adult years. Implications of the findings are discussed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  heavy AOD use, AOD abuse, AODR disorder, AOD use pattern, AOD use behavior, adolescence, adulthood, young adult, longitudinal study, statistical modeling, gender differences, risk analysis, risk factors, predictive factors, sociocultural values, stress as an AODC, stressor, spirituality and religion, academic performance, sexual behavior, gender differences, human study

Anderson KG, Schweinsburg A, Paulus MP, Brown SA, and Tapert S.  Examining personality and alcohol expectancies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):323-331, May 2005.

Address correspondence to K.G. Anderson, University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive (151B), San Diego, CA 92161, USA.

Summary: The relation between functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responding, personality and alcohol expectancies was examined in adolescents. This area has not been investigated previously. Adolescents (N = 46; ages 12-14 years; 61% male) with minimal substance use histories completed measures of neuroticism, extraversion, and alcohol expectancies, and performed a go/no-go task during fMRI acquisition. Greater blood oxygen level-dependent response to inhibition predicted fewer expectancies of cognitive and motor improvements from alcohol but more expectancies of cognitive and motor impairment. In addition, extraverted youths reported more positive alcohol expectancies. However, blood oxygen level-dependent response did not predict neuroticism or extraversion. These preliminary results suggest that decreased inhibitory neural processing may contribute to more positive and fewer negative expectancies, which can eventually lead to problem drinking. Extraversion may also yield more positive expectancies and could underlie a vulnerability to disordered alcohol use. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   magnetic resonance imaging, brain imaging, personality trait, expectancy theory of AODU, adolecents, neuroticism, extroversion, cognitive ability, motor coordination, inhibition, problematic AOD use, human study

Curtin JJ, Barnett NP, Colby SM, Rohsenow DJ, and Monti PM.  Cue reactivity in adolescents: Measurement of separate approach and avoidance reactions.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):332-343, May 2005.

Address correspondence to J.J. Curtin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. E-mail: jjcurtin@wisc.edu.

Summary: The goals were: (1) to demonstrate that adolescents display drug-specific cue reactivity to alcohol and cigarette visual cues that varies based on drug-use history and (2) to test the unique contribution of adolescents' avoidance reactions to alcohol and cigarette cues, independent of approach/craving reaction. Adolescents (N = 143; age 13-20 years; 58 males) with varied substance-use histories were recruited from school and community sites. They were presented with a series of alcohol, cigarette, and nondrug comparison visual cues and were asked to report their approach/craving and avoidance reactions. They also completed individual difference measures related to their alcohol and cigarette use and experiences. When adolescents were grouped according to their current alcohol or cigarette use (none, low, or high, increased use of alcohol or cigarettes was associated with stronger reactions (increased approach, decreased avoidance) to cues for that substance but not to nondrug control cues. Simultaneous regression analyses demonstrated that after controlling for approach/craving reactions, avoidance cue reactions predicted unique or incremental variance in measures of alcohol and cigarette usage, recent change in patterns of use, alcohol expectancies, alcohol restraint, and parental alcohol problems. In conclusion, adolescents displayed robust alcohol and cigarette cue-specific reactions that varied systematically with their current use of these drugs. Across numerous clinically relevant individual difference variables, the inclusion of both avoidance and approach reactions greatly enhanced predictive power. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   cue reactivity, adolescence, alcoholic beverage, cigarette, study subject AODU history, harm-avoidance behavior, AOD craving, AOD nonuse, light AOD use, heavy AOD use, AOD use pattern, controlled study, regression analysis, predictive factor, expectancy theory of AODU, human study

Hussong AM, Galloway CA, and Feagans LA.  Coping motives as a moderator of daily mood-drinking covariation.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):344-353, May 2005.

Address correspondence to A.M. Hussong, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, CB#3270 Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3270, USA. E-mail: hussong@unc.edu.

Summary: This study examined the extent to which college students' reports of drinking to cope (DTC) with negative affect moderate the daily covariation between specific types of negative mood (sadness, fear, hostility, shyness, and boredom) and alcohol use. The participants (72 full-time college students, aged 18-20 years, 50% males, attending a large Southeastern university) completed an experience-sampling protocol over a 1-month interval, to assess daily mood and alcohol use. A series of hierarchical general linear models found that individuals who reported low motives to cope through drinking showed an expected absence of daily mood and drinking covariation. For those reporting high coping motives, a complex and somewhat counterintuitive series of findings were found; students high in DTC drank less on days in which they experienced greater sadness. Analyses on the quadratic effects of mood revealed that when experiencing moderate to high levels of fear and shyness, individuals high in DTC were more likely to drink. For those low in coping motivations, fear and shyness did not predict daily drinking. The findings highlight the need for better understanding of the exact meaning of DTC measures. There is also a need to study how the context of college drinking influences self-medication and students' self-reports of DTC. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   AOD use, alcoholic beverage, coping, undergraduate student, mood and affect disturbance, analysis of covariance, motivation, emotional depression, fear, self medication, human study

Thomas SE, Drobes DJ, and Deas D.  Alcohol cue reactivity in alcohol-dependent adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):354-360, May 2005.

Address correspondence to S.E. Thomas, Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Institute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. E-mail: thomass@musc.edu.

Summary: This study sought to determine whether alcohol-dependent adolescents show alcohol cue reactivity. Alcoholic (n = 28) and nonalcoholic adolescents (n = 25), aged 14-19 years, were compared using a standard cue reactivity procedure where participants view, hold, and sniff different beverages, one of which is their preferred alcoholic beverage. Cue reactivity was assessed with subjective craving ratings, salivation (grams), and heart rate (beats per minute). Analyses were conducted by covarying response to control beverages. Alcoholic adolescents responded with both greater craving and greater salivation to the alcohol cue (controlling for response to control cues) than nonalcoholics. Heart rate showed no differential cue effect between alcoholics and controls. The findings support the hypothesis that adolescent alcoholics experience alcohol cue reactivity, as indicated by increased salivation and subjective craving in the presence of alcohol-related stimuli. The authors conclude that investigation of treatments that may reduce alcohol craving and cue reactivity in alcohol-dependent adolescents is warranted. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  cue reactivity, adolescence, underage drinker, AOD dependence, controlled study, alcoholic beverage, AOD craving, saliva, heart rate, hypothesis testing, human study

Babor TE, Higgins-Biddle J, Dauser D, Higgins P, and Burleson JA.  Alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care settings: Implementation models and predictors.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):361-368, May 2005.

Address correspondence to T.E. Babor, Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-6325, USA. E-mail: babor@nso.uchc.edu.

Summary: The aims were to compare two different implementation strategies for Cutting Back, a primary care alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) program for hazardous and harmful drinkers, and to identify organizational factors contributing to the success or failure of SBI implementation. Cutting Back was implemented in 10 primary care practices associated with managed care organizations (MCOs) in five states. Clinics were randomly assigned to one of two brief intervention systems: In the P Model, medical providers were responsible for delivering interventions, whereas in the S Model mid-level professionals, usually nurses, provided that service. Data were collected to measure the performance of screening and delivery of interventions in each clinic. The S Model screened a higher percentage of patients than the P Model during the best month of program operation (50% vs 44%) and over all months of operation (24% vs 19%). Of  patients who screened positive, more in the S condition received an intervention  (73.1% vs 57.1%), but there was a considerable range of performance among the five sites within each condition. Results at the MCO level were mixed, with some performing alcohol SBI significantly better with the S model and others doing better with the P model. The ability of clinics to conduct SBI was significantly correlated with both provider characteristics and organizational factors . Lack of provider time, staff turnover, and competing priorities correlated negatively with SBI performance. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  comparative study, intervention (persuasion to treatment), brief intervention, heavy AOD use, problematic AOD use, primary health care, managed care, identification and screening for AODD, clinical study, human study

Epstein EE, Drapkin ML, Yusko DA, Cook SM, McCrady BS, and Jensen NK.  Is alcohol assessment therapeutic? Pretreatment change in drinking among alcohol-dependent women.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):369-378, May 2005.

Address correspondence to E.E. Epstein, Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8001, USA. E-mail: bepstein@rci.rutgers.edu.

Summary: Changes in alcohol consumption resulting from reactivity to pretreatment assessment have generally not been studied. In a previous clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol-dependent women, the authors found a reduction in drinking days from 90 days before the start of treatment to 3 months after treatment initiation, with no significant additional reduction during the second 3 months of treatment. Their current study examined the points at which these participants stopped or reduced their drinking during the pretreatment assessment period. As part of a randomized clinical trial of 6 months of individual or couples CBT for  alcoholic women (N = 102), study participants were assessed briefly via a telephone screen, a 90-minute clinical intake session with their spouses, and then a 3- to 4-hour baseline research interview. Changes in drinking frequency occurred at all four points in the pretreatment assessment process, resulting in 44% of the participants becoming abstinent before the first session of treatment. A decrease in drinking quantity across the assessment period also was found. Participants who significantly reduced drinking prior to Session 1 demonstrated better drinking outcomes during and 12 months after treatment. The authors recommend that changes in alcohol consumption during the assessment process in treatment outcome studies be examined in future studies, as there are numerous implications  for interpretation of results from clinical trials. They also recommend that implications regarding the active ingredients in brief interventions and mechanisms of the therapeutic impact of alcohol assessment be further addressed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD consumption, AOD intake per occasion, AOD use pattern, AOD use frequency, AOD abstinence, patient assessment, clinical trial, brief intervention, human study

Funk M, Wutzke S, Kaner E, Anderson P, Pas L, McCormick R, Gual A, Barfod S, and Saunders J; World Health Organization Brief Intervention Study Group.  A multicountry controlled trial of strategies to promote dissemination and implementation of brief alcohol intervention in primary health care: Findings of a World Health Organization collaborative study.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):379-388, May 2005.

Address correspondence to M. Funk, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, 20O Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. E-mail: funkm@who.int.

Summary: The impact of marketing strategies on the dissemination of a brief alcohol intervention program to general practitioners (GPs) was examined in an multinational study. The study also examined the impact of training and support strategies to promote the program's implementation in routine primary care. A trial was carried out in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, England, New Zealand, and Spain (Catalonia) in which GPs were randomly allocated to receive direct mail, telemarketing, or academic detailing (personal visits). The GPs who requested a brief intervention program and agreed to use it were stratified by previous marketing condition and randomly allocated into one of three implementation strategy groups: written guidance, outreach training, and outreach training plus ongoing telephone support. Acceptance of the brief intervention program was more effective with use of telemarketing (65%) and academic detailing (67%) than with direct mail (32%) for promoting awareness about and consideration of a brief alcohol intervention program. The median proportion of patients screened was higher for trained GPs (6%) and supported GPs (9%) than for control GPs (1%), who received only written guidance on how to conduct brief intervention. Similarly, the median rate for giving advice to at-risk patients was higher for trained GPs (3%) and supported GPs (3%) than for control GPs (0%). The adoption of more direct approaches for disseminating evidence-based intervention programs to GPs is a necessary first step for changing practice behavior. However, outreach training was required to promote actual use of a new procedure in routine practice. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  brief intervention, general practitioner, primary health care, marketing strategy, controlled study, comparative study, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, training program, human study

Mundt MP, French MT, Roebuck MC, Manwell LB, Barry KL.  Brief physician advice for problem drinking among older adults: An economic analysis of costs and benefits.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):389-394, May 2005.

Address correspondence to M.P. Mundt, Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 777 South Mills Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53715, USA. E-mail: mmundt@fammed.wisc.edu.

Summary: The economic cost and benefits of brief intervention for at-risk drinking older adults were evaluated in a controlled clinical trial with 24-month follow-up. The study tested the effectiveness of brief physician advice in reducing alcohol use, health care utilization, and other consequences among adult problem drinkers ≥65 years old. Of patients screened for problem drinking in 24 community-based primary care practices in Wisconsin (N = 6,073) , 158 met inclusion criteria and were randomized into control (n = 71) or intervention (n = 87) groups. Patients in the intervention group received two 10- to 15-minute physician-delivered counseling sessions including professional advice, education, and contracting using scripted workbooks. The intervention group significantly reduced alcohol use (p = 0.001) and frequency of excessive drinking (p = 0.03) compared with the control group over 24 months, but there were no significant differences in economic outcomes, including hospital days, emergency department visits, office visits, medications, lab and x-ray procedures, injuries, legal events, or mortality. Although the clinical benefits of brief alcohol interventions with older adults are clear, the economic results in this age group are less certain. Older adult problem drinkers may need more intensive and costly interventions to achieve economic benefits similar to those seen in younger adult problem drinkers. Methodological issues, such as statistical power, outcome measures, outlier cases, and follow-up periods, are identified for future evaluations. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  brief intervention, alcohol use disorder in the elderly, controlled study, clinical trial, follow-up study, evaluation study, cost-benefit analysis, AOD consumption, health care utilization, problematic AOD use, primary health care, randomized controlled trial, intervention (persuasion to treatment), counseling, length of stay, heavy AOD use, AOD use frequency, emergency care, drug therapy, laboratory test, injury, legal issues, mortality, human study

Brennan PL and Greenbaum MA.  Functioning, problem behavior and health services use among nursing home residents with alcohol-use disorders: Nationwide data from the VA minimum data set.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):395-400, May 2005.

Address correspondence to P.L. Brennan, Center for Health Care Evaluation, Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park Division, Menlo Park, California, USA. E-mail: penny.brennan@med.va.gov.

Summary: The aims were to determine (1) whether nursing home residents with alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) function more poorly, have more behavioral problems, and use more health services than control residents without such disorders, and (2) whether AUDs interact with alcohol consumption to predict poorer behavioral and health services outcomes among nursing home residents. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Patient Treatment File data were used to identify a nationwide sample of older VA nursing home residents with recent AUD diagnoses (n = 3,336) and a demographically matched sample without such diagnoses (n = 3,336). The groups were compared on the Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set indexes of health-related functioning, substance use, problem behavior, and health services use. Two-way analyses of variance were used to determine interactions between presence of an AUD and alcohol consumption on problem behavior and health services use. Residents with AUD diagnoses functioned somewhat better than the controls, but were more likely to have falls and fractures, experience difficulties in social functioning, and use more health services. AUD diagnoses interacted with alcohol consumption to predict an elevated risk of falls and fractures and more mental health services use. In conclusion, older residents with AUDs form a distinct nursing home population that functions somewhat better than residents without such disorders but may pose more challenges to staff and use more health care services. The authors recommend that residents' drinking histories be considered in formulating nursing home policies on alcohol consumption. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   nursing home, alcohol use disorder classification, function, behavioral problem, health care utilization, veteran, demographic characteristics, AOD use, AOD consumption, controlled study, fall injury, bone fracture, social behavior, social participation, human study

Conner KR, Sorensen S, and Leonard KE.  Initial depression and subsequent drinking during alcoholism treatment.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):401-406, May 2005.

Address correspondence to K.R. Conner, Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 300 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. E-mail: kenneth_conner@urmc.rochester.edu.

Summary: The impact of depression at treatment entry on drinking over the course of treatment was investigated using the data set of Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatment to Client Heterogeneity), a randomized, multisite psychosocial treatment trial for alcoholism. The sample consisted of 1,450 subjects, of whom 1,102 (76.0%) were male and 348 (24.0%) were female. Cross-lagged analyses of (1) depression and drinking intensity and (2) depression and drinking frequency were conducted using path analysis. Covariates were age, gender, race, and treatment assignment. Analyses focused on the 3-month active treatment phase of the trial. Depression at treatment entry predicted more intense drinking and more frequent drinking in the first month of treatment but showed little association with drinking in the second and third months. Thus individuals entering alcoholism treatment with elevated levels of depression may be slower to benefit from treatment. Because the initial phase of treatment may be crucial to successful engagement and retention, it may be beneficial to develop interventions to improve early success in treatment among individuals with elevated levels of depression. Future studies should examine the long-term, bidirectional relationship of depression and drinking following treatment. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  emotional and psychiatric depression, treatment factors,  psychosocial treatment method, patient-treatment matching, clinical trial, AOD dependence, AOD consumption, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, predictive factor, treatment outcome, human study

Lipsky S, Caetano R, Field CA, and Larkin GL.  Is there a relationship between victim and partner alcohol use during an intimate partner violence event? Findings from an urban emergency department study of abused women.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):407-412, May 2005.

Address correspondence to Sherry Lipsky, Dallas Regional Campus, University of Texas School of Public Health, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, V8.112, Dallas, Texas 75390-9128, USA. E-mail: sherry.lipsky@utsouthwestern.edu.

Summary: A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify factors associated with drinking during an intimate partner violence (IPV) event among abused women (N = 182) presenting to an urban emergency department. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were used to identify substance use factors associated with an abused woman drinking while victimized or while perpetrating IPV. An increased number of drinks per week, consuming five or more drinks per occasion, alcohol abuse and dependence, and illicit drug use were significantly associated with the abused woman's drinking while victimized or while perpetrating IPV. Partner's drinking five or more drinks per occasion was associated only with the woman's drinking while victimized. Partners were more likely to drink while perpetrating IPV in the relationship whether or not the woman drank while victimized. Among couples in which the abused woman also perpetrated violence, the partner's drinking more closely paralleled the woman's drinking in events perpetrated by the woman. Independent risk factors associated with the abused woman drinking during victimization included number of drinks she consumed per week (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.31 for every five drinks) and her illicit drug use (OR = 4.3). The odds of an abused woman drinking while perpetrating IPV increased 1.4 times for every five drinks she consumed per week. The results suggest that alcohol-related behavior by both couples and individuals are important factors to consider in the relationship between IPV and alcohol use in this population. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  cross-sectional study, AOD consumption, AOD use behavior, alcoholic beverage, AODR violence, marital conflict, spouse or significant other, victimization, emergency care, regression analysis, bivariate analysis, risk factors, risk analysis, relative risk, gender differences, illicit drug, human study

Gussler-Burkhardt NL and Giancola PR.  A further examination of gender differences in alcohol-related aggression.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):413-422, May 2005.

Address correspondence to Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0044, USA.

Summary: The purpose was to replicate and extend findings from a previous study on the acute effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in men and women in a laboratory setting. The subjects (N = 234; 111 men, 123 women) were healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age who were randomly assigned to either an alcohol or a placebo group. Aggression was measured using a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, in which electric shocks are received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a supposed competitive interpersonal task. Aggression was operationalized as the intensity and duration of shocks that subjects administered to their "opponent." Provocation was a stronger elicitor of aggression than either gender or alcohol. Overall, alcohol increased aggression for men but not for women. In conjunction with other laboratory investigations on alcohol-related aggression, the results of this study suggest that alcohol increases aggression for men but not for women. This may be due to gender-related differences in liability thresholds for aggression and in responses to different forms of provocation. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  aggressive behavior, alcoholic beverage, social drinking, randomized controlled trial, comparative study, gender differences, human study

Rootman DB, Mann RE, Ferris LE, Chalin C, Adlaf E, and Shuggi R.  Predictors of completion status in a remedial program for male convicted drinking drivers.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):423-427, May 2005.

Address correspondence to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, Canada.

Summary: Attrition rates in alcohol and drug treatment programs are often greater than 50%, and completion of treatment has been shown to be a potent predictor of posttreatment outcome. This study examined both rates and predictors of completion among male participants in a remedial program for convicted drinking drivers in which the return of a suspended driver's license is contingent on completing the program. Males (N = 5,409) convicted of a drinking driving offense in Ontario, Canada, between October 2000 and December 2002 who did and did not complete a mandatory rehabilitation program were compared on demographic, drug use, and legal variables collected at time of assessment. The program completion rate was extremely high (97.3%). In multivariate analyses, noncompleters -- relative to completers -- were younger; drank more frequently; were less likely to own a home; and were more likely to live in urban centers, to have two or more lifetime convictions for impaired driving, and to have experienced more than one adverse consequence of substance use. Ontario's remedial measures program for convicted drinking drivers demonstrates a very low level of client attrition. Individuals who do not complete the program bear many similarities to those at high risk for persistent drinking and driving behavior and its associated negative health consequences. NIAAA Glossary Terms:   treatment completion, AOD dependence, treatment outcome, predictive factor, DWI arrest, license suspension, license reinstatement, mandatory treatment, AODD rehabilitation, comparative study, demographic characteristics, AOD use, legal compliance, patient assessment, age differences, AOD use frequency, urban area, impaired driver, criminal conviction, multivariate analysis, drinking and driving, AOD use behavior, physical health, human study

Cherpitel CJ, Ye Y, Bond J, Borges G, Cremonte M, Marais S, Poznyak V, Sovinova H, Moskalewicz J, and Swiatkiewicz G.  Cross-national performance of the RAPS4/RAPS4-QF for tolerance and heavy drinking: Data from 13 countries.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):428-432, May 2005.

Address correspondence to C.J. Cherpitel, Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, California 94709, USA. E-mail: ccherpitel@arg.org.

Summary: Few cross-national data are available on the performance of brief screening instruments for alcohol-use disorders. This study analyzed the performance of one such instrument in several countries. Performance of the RAPS4 for tolerance and the RAPS4-QF for heavy drinking were analyzed from emergency room data across 13 countries included in the combined Emergency Room Collaborative Alcohol Analysis Project (ERCAAP) and the World Health Organization Collaborative Study on Alcohol and Injuries. Sensitivity and specificity for tolerance were good for most of the countries, but were higher in countries that were higher on societal-level detrimental drinking patterns. Prevalence of tolerance was also higher in countries with high detrimental drinking pattern scores. Sensitivity of the RAPS4-QF for heavy drinking was uniformly high across countries, while maintaining good specificity, and did not vary by detrimental drinking patterns. The results suggest the RAPS4 and RAPS4-QF may hold promise cross-nationally. Future research should more fully address the performance of brief screening instruments for alcohol-use disorders (using standard diagnostic criteria) cross-nationally, with consideration of the impact of societal drinking patterns. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use disorder classification, international differences, AOD tolerance, heavy AOD use, psychometric properties, specificity and sensitivity of measurement, prevalence, AOD use pattern, cultural patterns of drinking, human study

Kenna GA, Longabaugh R, Gogineni A, Woolard RH, Nirenberg TD, Becker B, Minugh PA, Carty K, Clifford PR, and Karolczuk K.  Can the short index of problems (SIP) be improved? Validity and reliability of the three-month SIP in an emergency department sample.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):433-437, May 2005.

Address correspondence to George A. Kenna, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Box G-BH, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, USA. E-mail: George_Kenna@brown.edu.

Summary: The Short Index of Problems (SIP) is often used, but little is known about its psychometric properties in special populations. This study examined whether it is possible to substitute items to enhance the psychometric properties of the SIP and whether the SIP, or improved scale, is as sensitive as the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC) to assess intervention effectiveness. The sample consisted of injured patients (N = 404) who were treated in the emergency department (ED) of a major teaching hospital that serves southern New England. Three approaches were used to guide development of the 3-month SIP-R, the potential alternative to the SIP. Cronbach's alpha assessed intrascale reliability; hierarchical multiple regression assessed construct validity; performance of the scales assessing intervention change were compared to the total 3-month DrInC as a function of intervention using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). There was no evidence that changing the current SIP items significantly improves performance. The 3-month SIP performed as well as the 3-month DrInC-2R in predicting 12-month DrInC scores and in determining intervention change at 12 months. Of the 45 DrInC items, 31 also predicted a difference across intervention groups. The results suggest there is no advantage to changing the current SIP items. The 3-month SIP is a psychometrically sound measure for assessing consequences of alcohol consumption in an ED sample and is almost as sensitive to intervention change as the full DrInC. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD effects and AODR problems, AOD effects and consequences, AOD associated consequences, psychometric properties, special populations, patient assessment, emergency care, problematic AOD use, heavy AOD use, sensitivity of measurement, regression analysis, construct validity, comparative study, analysis of covariance, predictive factor, human study

Naimi TS and Brewer RD.  "Binge" drinking and blood alcohol concentration (letter).  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):438, May 2005.

(No abstract available.)

Nelson TF and Xuan Z.  "Binge" drinking and blood alcohol concentration (letter).  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(3):438-439, May 2005.

(No abstract available.)

Magnusson A, Goransson M, and Heilig M.  Unexpectedly high prevalence of alcohol use among pregnant Swedish women: Failed detection by antenatal care and simple tools that improve detection.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):157-164, March 2005.

Summary: The authors examined alcohol use during early pregnancy by urban Swedish women, the ability of Swedish antenatal care to identify alcohol-related risk in pregnancy, and potential tools for improving identification. Women attending regular antenatal care were randomized to regular assessment only (controls, n = 156) or to an intensified screening intervention (n = 147). Alcohol use in the intervention group was determined with the timeline followback (TLFB) interview and alcohol use habits with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); biomarkers for alcohol use were also analyzed. Data were typically obtained in the 12th week of pregnancy. In the intervention group as a whole, average absolute alcohol consumption during the first 6 weeks of pregnancy was low but highly variable (mean = 24.9 g/week, SD = 50.5; 4.8 episodes for the entire 6-week period, SD = 6.0); 22 women (15%) drank more than 70 g/week during any ≥2 weeks or in a binge pattern, 60 g/episode, on ≥2 episodes. The AUDIT had a moderate sensitivity (54%) to identify these subjects. Biomarkers identified subjects with somatic illness rather than high alcohol consumption. In the control group, only 4 (3%) were identified as using alcohol, indicating a probable underestimation of alcohol use by regular antenatal screening procedures (p = .0001). An unexpected proportion of pregnant urban Swedish women consume alcohol at levels likely to produce adverse effects. Regular antenatal care did not identify most of these risk pregnancies. The TLFB identified pregnant women with risk use of alcohol during pregnancy who were only partly identified by analyzing pre-pregnancy alcohol use patterns with the AUDIT. Elevated laboratory markers likely indicated somatic illness rather than harmful drinking. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  prenatal alcohol exposure, pregnancy, prenatal care, Sweden, alcohol use test, AOD consumption, AOD use frequency, AOD intake per occasion, biological markers, interview, risk-taking behavior, prevention effort directed at people at risk, sensitivity of measurement, physical health, prevention of AODR problems, controlled study, human study

Moraes CL, Viellas EF, and Reichenheim ME.  Assessing alcohol misuse during pregnancy: evaluating psychometric properties of the CAGE, T-ACE and TWEAK in a Brazilian setting.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):165-173, March 2005.

Summary: The psychometric properties of the Portuguese-language versions of the CAGE, TWEAK, and T-ACE questionnaires in identifying alcohol misuse during pregnancy were evaluated and compared to historical data from the English-language versions. Construct validity of the Portuguese versions was also assessed. Data were collected from March to September 2000 in three large public maternity wards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sample size varied according to the analysis. Evaluation of intra-observer reliability involved 95 replications carried out within a 24-48 hour period. Kappa was used as an estimator. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, whether or not each item from the analysis was excluded, and the item-rest point-biserial correlations addressed internal consistency (N = 786). For appraisal of construct validity (n = 528), the relationship between alcohol misuse (evaluated by each instrument according to different cutoff points) and several putative underlying theoretically related dimensions (schooling, age, smoking, marital status, social support, illicit drug use, domestic violence, and per capita household income) were evaluated. All kappas were above 0.70. The alpha coefficients for the Portuguese versions ranged from 0.48 to 0.68, consistent with studies assessing the original instruments in English. A systematic increase in alpha was observed with all three instruments when the item on morning alcohol use ("Eye-opener") was removed from the analysis. Regarding construct validity, most tested hypotheses were corroborated, except for the CAGE using the cut-off point of 2. This study confirms reported findings that all but the CAGE may be recommended to identify heavy alcohol use during pregnancy in general as well as in Portuguese-speaking populations in particular. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  psychometric properties, alcohol use test, heavy AOD use, AOD abuse, pregnancy,  prenatal alcohol exposure, comparative study, validation study, evaluation, questionnaire, Portuguese language, English language, correlation analysis, construct validity, hypothesis testing, human study

Schuckit MA, Smith TL, Danko GP, Anderson KG, Brown SA, Kuperman S, Kramer J, Hesselbrock V, and Bucholz K.  Evaluation of a level of response to alcohol-based structural equation model in adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):174-184, March 2005.

Summary: Low level of response (LR) to alcohol is associated with family history of alcoholism and predicts future heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems. This study evaluated how LR functions in the context of a Social Information Processing Model, using subjects (N = 238; 13-19 years old) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). A structural equation model (SEM) was used to evaluate the relationship among (1) family history (FH) of alcoholism, (2) LR to alcohol, (3) expectations as measured by the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire, and (4) the recent pattern of drinking among parents in the home as predictors in the teenagers of maximum recent amount of drinking, maximum number of drinks ever consumed in 24 hours, and number of alcohol problems. When tested in the SEM, LR mediated the relationship between FH of alcoholism and alcoholic outcome, and expectancy partially mediated the relationship between LR and outcome. Invariance testing revealed that the SEM performed similarly in light and heavy drinkers, both sexes, and older vs. young subjects. Both the measurement model and SEM had good characteristics of fit, and direct paths within the model explained 49% of the variance of outcome. Consistent with results from the San Diego Prospective Study, when tested in the more heterogeneous COGA population, LR functioned as a mediator of the relationship between the FH and alcoholic outcome. In these adolescents, LR not only had a direct relationship to alcoholic outcome but, in contrast to prior results in adults, also appeared to operate through expectations of the effects of alcohol in predicting heavier drinking and a higher rate of alcohol-related problems among teenagers. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  genetic trait, family AODU history, familial alcoholism, parental alcoholism, expectancy, questionnaire, level of response (to AOD), AOD use pattern, light AOD use, heavy AOD use, AOD intake per occasion, AOD dependence, predictive factor, underage drinking, adolescence, adolescent, statistical modeling, AOD effects and AODR problems, mediation analysis, human study

Hendershot CS, MacPherson L, Myers MG, Carr LG, and Wall TL.  Psychosocial, cultural and genetic influences on alcohol use in Asian American youth.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):185-195, March 2005.

Summary: Environmental and cultural factors, as well as a variant of the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (the ALDH2*2 allele), have been identified as correlates of alcohol use among Asian Americans. However, these variables have rarely been examined concurrently. This study assessed parental alcohol use, acculturation, and ALDH2 gene status in relation to lifetime, current, and heavy episodic drinking among Chinese and Korean American undergraduates. The participants (N = 428; age 18-19 years; 51% women, 52% Chinese American) were first-year college students in a longitudinal study of substance use initiation and progression. Data were collected by structured interview and self-report, and participants provided a blood sample for genotyping at the ALDH2 locus. Drinking behavior was significantly predicted by gender, parental alcohol use, and acculturation, but none of the hypothesized moderating relationships was significant. In contrast with previous studies, ALDH2 gene status was not associated with alcohol use. These findings indicate that although the variables examined influence alcohol use, moderating effects were not observed in this sample of Asian American college students. The findings further suggest that the established association of ALDH2 status and drinking behavior in Asians may not be evident in late adolescence. It is possible that ALDH2 status is associated with alcohol consumption only after initiation and increased drinking experience. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  Asian American, parental AOD use, environmental factors, hereditary factors, cultural patterns of AOD use, aldehyde dehydrogenases, isoenzymes, genetic polymorphism, allele, mutation, acculturation, undergraduate student, interview, self report, genotype, AOD use behavior, predictive factor, gender differences, hypothesis testing, protective factors, human study

Cook TA, Luczak SE, Shea SH, Ehlers CL, Carr LG, and Wall TL.  Associations of ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes with response to alcohol in Asian Americans.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):196-204, March 2005.

Summary: Previous research has shown that individuals with variant aldehyde dehydrogenase gene ALDH2*2 exhibit enhanced reactions to alcohol compared with those without this genetic variant, but evidence that the varient alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH1B*2 is associated with a greater alcohol response is mixed. This study investigated whether the ADH1B genotype is associated with more intense reactions to alcohol after controlling for the ALDH2 genotype. The participants (N = 101) were Asian American college students. Each was evaluated using objective and subjective measures before and after ingesting alcohol and placebo beverages. Participants with the ALDH2*1/*2 and ALDH2*2/*2 genotypes were more likely to vomit after ingesting the alcohol beverage than those with the ALDH2*1/*1 genotype and also had greater pulse-rate increases, observed flushing ratings, and subjective feelings of intoxication 30 minutes after ingesting alcohol, despite equivalent blood alcohol concentrations. Among participants with the ALDH2*1/*1 genotype, there were no additional effects of the ADH1B genotype on any measures of response to alcohol. Among subjects with the ALDH2*1/*2 genotype, those with the ADH1B*2/*2 genotype were more likely to experience alcohol-induced vomiting and to report feeling less "great overall" 30 minutes after ingesting alcohol than those with the ADH1B*1/*2 genotype. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that there is an additional effect of ADH1B*2 on level of response to alcohol, but only among individuals with the ALDH2*1/*2 genotype. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  aldehyde dehydrogenases, alcohol dehydrogenases, isoenzymes, genetic polymorphism, genotype, alcoholic beverage, Asian American, protective factors, undergraduate student, ethanol metabolism, AOD sensitivity, controlled study, comparative study, BAC, AOD intoxication, vomiting, heart rate, alcohol flush reaction, hypothesis testing, human study

Ramisetty-Mikler S and Caetano R.  Alcohol use and intimate partner violence as predictors of separation among U.S. couples: A longitudinal model.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):205-212, March 2005.

Summary: The authors investigated the relationship between partner violence (male-to-female and female-to-male) and heavy drinking (≥5 drinks per occasion) and the effect of this relationship on marital separation. Married and cohabiting couples were selected through multistage random probability sampling from U.S. households. Baseline interviews were conducted in 1995 with 1,635 couples, and 1,392 of these couples were re-interviewed in 2000. The final analysis included couples who were still married or living with the same partner (n = 1,136) from the baseline, and couples who had broken up (n = 191) sometime during the 5-year follow-up period. Couples who reported female-perpetrated violence, female alcohol-related problems, and male heavy-drinking episodes (one to three a month) had 2.5- to 3-fold greater risk of separation. On the other hand, female heavy drinking (one to three episodes a month) was less likely to predict separation. Cohabiting couples also had greater risk of separation than married couples. Couples with longer relationships were less at risk of separation. It was concluded that marital counseling, therapy, or intervention programs must address issues pertaining to partner violence and alcohol use among couples while concurrently providing information about healthy relationships and helping couples develop skills to attain them. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  AODR violence, interpersonal AODR problems, spouse or significant other, heavy AOD use, AOD intake per occasion, marital conflict, cohabitation of unmarried partners, survey, random sample, interview, follow-up study, divorce, predictive factor, counseling, marital therapy, intervention (persuasion to treatment), interpersonal skills, human study

Drapkin ML, McCrady BS, Swingle JM, and Epstein EE.  Exploring bidirectional couple violence in a clinical sample of female alcoholics.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):213-219, March 2005.

Summary: Research suggests that the relationships of alcoholics are characterized by high levels of dissatisfaction, conflict, and aggression. This study addressed aspects of bidirectional violence that occur in the relationships of female alcoholics. The study subjects were women (N = 109) and their partners participating in a randomized clinical trial comparing individual and couple treatment for female alcoholics. Participants completed the Modified Conflicts Tactics Scale (CTS), and four CTS subscales were calculated: Verbal Aggression, Psychological Coercion, Minor Violence, and Severe Violence. At least some violence in the previous year was reported by 61% of the couples, and 27% reported severe violence. In 23% of the couples the woman was more severely violent than the man; in 11% of the couples the man was more severely violent. The results suggest that verbal aggression, psychological coercion, and physical violence occur in the context of a distressed relationship. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  AOD dependent, female, AODR violence, spouse or significant other, spouse abuse, randomized controlled trial, comparative study, individual counseling, couple counseling, marital conflict, aggressive behavior, psychological stress, gender differences, human study

McAweeney MJ, Zucker RA, Fitzgerald HE, Puttler LI, and Wong MM.  Individual and partner predictors of recovery from alcohol-use disorder over a nine-year interval: Findings from a community sample of alcoholic married men.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):220-228, March 2005.

Summary: In contrast to most studies of the predictors of recovery in alcohol use disorder (AUD), which have been retrospective and have measured only predictors of short-term recovery after treatment, this study prospectively evaluated the role of psychological and social factors in a community sample of alcoholics and their partners in predicting recovery over a period of several years. Alcoholic diagnostic status and life functioning of community-recruited, initially coupled men (N = 134) meeting standard criteria for a 3-year AUD diagnosis at baseline were assessed over a span 9 years. Their partners also were assessed. Prediction was based on comparing those who still had an AUD diagnosis at 9-year follow-up with those who no longer did. Predictors of recovery included number of experiences with treatment, education, number of years of intervening recovery over the follow-up period, partner baseline AUD status, and partner's social support network. Initial severity of drinking did not predict long-term outcome. Additionally, the partners of recovered men decreased their AUD in the interim, whereas nonremitters' partners increased their AUD. These findings highlight the transitions in and out of AUD, with 62% of the men having stable patterns of either remission or unremitting AUD diagnosis over the entire follow-up period. The study shows the importance of interpersonal factors in maintaining AUD or promoting recovery and the need to consider partner characteristics and the marital context as factors in the recovery process. The authors conclude that future research should examine predictors of recovery in women, adolescents, and racial groups other than white. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  alcohol use disorder classification, AOD dependence, AOD use pattern, predictive factor, treatment factors, treatment outcome, spouse or significant other, follow-up study, longitudinal study, comparative study, educational level achieved, social support, disease severity, interpersonal interaction, marital status, marital relations, human study

Bray RM, Bae KH, Federman EB, and Wheeless SC.  Regional differences in alcohol use among U. S. military personnel.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):229-238, March 2005.

Summary: This study examined differences in heavy alcohol use and alcohol-related negative effects among American military personnel stationed in four different world regions and factors that may account for regional differences. Data were drawn from the 1998 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Military Personnel, a large survey of a representative sample of active-duty U.S. forces. Heavy alcohol use and related negative effects (severe consequences, productivity loss, and alcohol overuse) were examined in Asia, Europe, Hawaii, and continental United States (N = 17,154; 86% men) using multivariate logistic regression models that controlled for demographic factors. U.S. military personnel stationed in Asia were significantly more likely to be heavy drinkers than personnel stationed in the other regions. Productivity loss was also significantly greater in Asia, but severe consequences and alcohol overuse were not. Possible explanations for the findings include local regional culture, alcohol availability, freedom from restraints, response to stress, military culture, and selection effects. In conclusion, heavy alcohol use by military personnel varies by region of assignment and may be attributable to a variety of factors. The authors recommend that future studies examine regional alcohol use in greater detail with measures specific to potential explanatory domains to permit a more complete understanding of underlying causal mechanisms of heavy drinking by U.S. forces in Asia. Current findings suggest that alcohol use prevention and early intervention programs should be tailored to take account of regional differences. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  military, United States, Asia, Europe, Hawaii, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, AOD effects and consequences, regional differences, regression analysis, labor productivity, cultural patterns of drinking, stress, human study

Link MW and Mokdad AH.  Effects of survey mode on self-reports of adult alcohol consumption: A comparison of mail, web and telephone approaches.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):239-245, March 2005.

Summary: Adult members of the general public were surveyed by mail, Web, and telephone to examine effects of survey method on self-reported alcohol consumption.  Web and mail versions of the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) instrument, originally a telephone-only survey, were developed and administered to address-matched households drawn from the random-digit dialed sampling frame used for the BRFSS. Comparisons were made with results from the ongoing telephone-based surveillance. Interviews (N = 4,051; 836 mail, 1,143 Web, and 2,072 telephone) were completed with adults ages 18 or older in four U.S. states. Considerable variation was found in the estimates for heavy drinking (five or more drinks on an occasion during the past 30 days) obtained across these modes and population subgroups, particularly among the Web respondents. Mail surveys appear to be a viable alternative to more traditional telephone surveys, but use of Web surveys with the general public appears more problematic. Both approaches, however, may complement telephone studies when used in mixed-mode designs. Because alcohol consumption is associated with a number of diseases, caution is required when using different modes of data collection in epidemiological studies. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  AOD consumption, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, AOD intake per occasion, survey, interview, United States, intermethod comparison, reliability (research methods), comparative study, Internet, human study

Bott K, Meyer C, Rumpf HJ, Hapke U, and John U.  Psychiatric disorders among at-risk consumers of alcohol in the general population.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):246-253, March 2005.

Summary: Patterns of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, (DSM-IV) lifetime co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders were examined in individuals in the general population with at-risk alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, and moderate drinking/abstention. Cross-sectional data of a representative general population-based study were analyzed. Based on DSM-IV criteria, men and women aged 18-64 years (N = 4,074; 2,045 men) were diagnosed using a standardized computer-assisted version of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). Nonpsychotic Axis-I lifetime diagnoses were examined. At-risk drinking was defined as an average of more than 20 g (0.71 oz) pure alcohol/day for women and 30 g (1.06 oz)/day for men, with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence excluded. Nearly 9% of participants were identified as at-risk drinkers. Psychiatric disorder prevalences for at-risk drinkers were 16.9% for affective, 18.1% for anxiety, and 17.8% for somatoform. Compared with moderate drinkers/abstainers, at-risk drinkers had twice the risk of a psychiatric disorder. Subjects with alcohol abuse showed a comparable level of risk, and alcohol-dependent subjects showed an even greater risk. Female at-risk drinkers were twice as likely to have a psychiatric disorder as their male counterparts. However, there were no gender differences in the odds ratios for psychiatric disorders in at-risk drinkers compared with moderate drinkers/abstainers. These findings emphasize the relevance of at-risk drinking and represent an important challenge to public health efforts in screening of psychiatric disorders and referral to appropriate treatment services. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  comorbidity, dual disorder, psychopathology, psychiatric status rating scales, mentally ill, problematic AOD use, AOD abuse, AOD dependence, moderate AOD use, AOD nonuse, risk-taking behavior, AOD intake per occasion, cross-sectional study, survey, interview, prevalence, mood and affect disturbance, anxiety, somatoform disorder, gender differences, risk analysis, risk factors, relative risk, medical screening and diagnostic method, intervention referral, epidemiology, public health, human study

Rosenbloom MJ, O'Reilly A, Sassoon SA, Sullivan EV, and Pfefferbaum A.  Persistent cognitive deficits in community-treated alcoholic men and women volunteering for research: Limited contribution from psychiatric comorbidity.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):254-265, March 2005.

Summary: The contribution of psychiatric comorbidity to cognitive status was assessed in a sample of treatment-seeking alcoholics who met participation criteria in studies of effects of chronic alcohol misuse on brain structure and cognition. Alcoholics (N = 64; 43 men, 21 women) who responded to notices about a research study were screened, clinically assessed, and administered Wechsler Memory and Intelligence tests after an average 3 months of sobriety. Their cognitive performance was compared with that of an age-matched sample of healthy controls (N = 51). Overall, the alcoholics scored significantly lower than controls on summary indices of the Wechsler Memory and Adult Intelligence Scales and showed greater decline from estimated premorbid intelligence levels than controls. Almost 60% of the alcoholics had at least one additional psychiatric (mood or anxiety) or past substance-dependence comorbidity. There were no marked sex differences in comorbidity patterns. Comorbid alcoholics were younger, had lower lifetime alcohol consumption, and performed between noncomorbid alcoholics and controls on all tests. Mood and anxiety comorbidity did not necessarily compound poor cognitive test performance associated with chronic alcohol misuse. While unexpected, this finding suggests that, in this sample, poorer cognitive performance was more a function of alcoholism per se than nonalcoholic comorbidity. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  AOD dependence, comorbidity, dual diagnosis, psychopathology, mentally ill, chronic AODE, cognitive ability, cognitive and memory disorder, intelligence test, psychological performance test, controlled study, comparative study, age differences, AOD consumption, mood and affect disturbance, anxiety, human study

Paschall MJ, Bersamin M, and Flewelling RL.  Racial/Ethnic differences in the association between college attendance and heavy alcohol use: A national study.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):266-274, March 2005.

Summary: Racial and ethnic differences in the association between college attendance and heavy alcohol use were examined, along with factors that may underlie this relationship. Interview data from young adult participants (N = 12,993) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed to determine if 4- or 2-year college enrollment is differentially associated with heavy alcohol use for five groups (whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, others) and to assess the explanatory value of selected social and psychological factors. Attendance at a 4-year college was positively associated with heavy alcohol use among young adult whites but inversely related to heavy drinking among blacks and Asians. Two-year college attendance also was inversely associated with heavy drinking among blacks, Hispanics, and others. Among whites, the association between 4-year college attendance and heavy drinking was partly explained by living away from parents, friends' heavy drinking, and time socializing with friends. The inverse relationship between college attendance and heavy alcohol use among blacks was partially explained by lower levels of friends' heavy drinking, depression, and delinquency. Friends' heavy drinking also partly explained observed relationships between college attendance and heavy drinking among Asians and others. Thus 4-year college attendance increases the likelihood of heavy alcohol use among white young adults but may decrease the likelihood among blacks and Asians. Two-year college attendance also may reduce the risk for heavy drinking among blacks, Hispanics, and young adults who are Native American or multi-ethnic. Social and psychological factors partly explain these relationships and also differ among racial and ethnic groups. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  heavy AOD use, undergraduate student, educational level, racial differences, ethnic differences, White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, socioenvironmental factors, friend, peer group, statistical association, emotional and psychiatric depression, juvenile delinquency, young adult, risk factors, risk analysis, human study

Henry KL, Slater MD, and Oetting ER.  Alcohol use in early adolescence: The effect of changes in risk taking, perceived harm and friends' alcohol use.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):275-283, March 2005.

Summary: Friends' substance use, sensation seeking, and low perceived harm are well-established risk factors for substance use. Instead of treating these traits as stable factors that affect adolescents' likelihood of substance use, as is often done, this study investigated the effects of changes in risk factors for individual adolescents. The participants were male and female students (N = 1,065) who were in sixth or seventh grade at the initial survey and were surveyed three more times  over the next 2 years. Random-coefficient models were used to assess the intra-individual variability of friends' alcohol use, perceived harm, and risk taking and their effect on alcohol use. As expected, the overall number of alcohol-using friends was correlated with a student's own alcohol use. In addition, it was found that changes in friends' alcohol use was accompanied by parallel changes in alcohol use by the individual. Perceived harm of alcohol use and risk taking were validated as moderating variables of the effect of friends' alcohol use. The effect of increased exposure to alcohol-using friends was more robust during times when an adolescent also had become less likely to perceive the harmful effects of alcohol use or when an adolescent indicated increased interest in risk-taking behavior. In conclusion, although friends' alcohol use is a salient predictor of an adolescent's own use of alcohol, some types of students are more likely than others to be influenced by friends' behavior. In particular, students' perception of harm and predisposition to risk taking are important moderators of the effect of friends' influence. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  underage drinking, adolescent, peer group, friend, sensation-seeking behavior, survey, statistical modeling, correlation analysis, risk factors, predictive factor, human study

Werch C, Jobli E, Moore MJ, DiClemente CC, Dore H, and Brown CH.  A brief experimental alcohol beverage-tailored program for adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):284-290, March 2005.

Summary: A brief experimental alcohol preventive intervention matched to the use of specific alcohol beverages was developed and tested in adolescents. High school students (N = 232) who drank within the last year were randomly assigned to either the experimental intervention group or a minimal intervention (control) group. This article reports 4-month postintervention data. Overall multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were significant (p values <0 .05) on the risk factors influenceability, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, and perceived peer prevalence for three of six beverages (beer, wine, and spirits), with a fourth, malt liquor, approaching significance (p  = 0.06). These tests showed that the intervention group experienced less risk for alcohol use than the control group. Although the overall MANCOVA for malt liquor use was not significant, univariate analyses were significant for 30-day frequency (F = 5.69, 1/195 df, p = 0.01) and 30-day quantity of malt liquor use (F  = 4.03, 1/195 df, p = 0.04), with the intervention group showing less consumption than the controls. Post hoc analysis of differential intervention effects using preintervention drug use as a factor (i.e., 30-day cigarette or marijuana use) showed a significant overall factorial MANCOVA interaction (F = 6.90, 4/189 df, p  =  0.000), with drug-using intervention adolescents consuming cigarettes and marijuana less frequently than drug-using control adolescents at postintervention. The 4-month findings suggest the brief, beverage-tailored intervention reduced certain risk factors for individual alcohol beverage use and consumption of malt liquor and may have reduced the frequency of cigarette and marijuana use among those already using drugs. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  alcoholic beverage, beer, wine, distilled alcoholic beverage, targeted prevention, prevention strategy, prevention trial, underage drinking, adolescent, controlled study, multivariate analysis, analysis of covariance, univariate analysis, risk factors, peer group, perception of norms, prevention outcome, AOD use frequency, AOD consumption, cigarette, marijuana in any form, study subject AODU history, human study

Neal DJ, Sugarman DE, Hustad JT, Caska CM, and Carey KB.  It's all fun and games...or is it? Collegiate sporting events and celebratory drinking.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):291-294, March 2005.

Summary: Although heavy drinking is prevalent among college students and college sporting events may precipitate heavy drinking, relatively few studies have examined student drinking on the days of sporting events. In 2003, Syracuse University won the men's National College Athletic Association basketball championship. Ongoing data collection allowed an investigation of alcohol consumption at Syracuse University during the two Final Four game days, when the semifinals and championship games are played. This study examined the level of alcohol use on these days and factors related to game-day consumption. Undergraduate students (N = 206) completed several questionnaires, then returned daily drinking diaries at 1-week intervals for 4 consecutive weeks. Alcohol consumption on the two game days exceeded typical levels for Syracuse University students. Further analyses using zero-inflated negative binomial regression modeling demonstrated that heavier drinkers were more likely to drink alcohol, and to drink it heavily, on both game days. Lack of impulse control was independently associated with increased likelihood of drinking on both days. Although results from this study should be considered preliminary, the data document heavier drinking associated with high-profile athletic events. Sporting events may be a particularly opportune time and venue for collegiate risk-reduction programs. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  undergraduate student, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, AOD use at sporting event, survey, questionnaire, self report, regression analysis, risk analysis, risk factors, statistical modeling, statistical association, impulsive behavior, harm reduction, human study

Neighbors CJ, Zywiak WH, Stout RL, and Hoffmann NG.  Psychobehavioral risk factors, substance treatment engagement and clinical outcomes as predictors of emergency department use and medical hospitalization.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):295-304, March 2005.

Summary: Previous research on health care utilization (HCU) after treatment for substance abuse has not accounted for posttreatment clinical outcomes or for putative confounders associated with both substance use and health care. This study examined (1) the association of posttreatment HCU with treatment factors (program type and time in treatment) and baseline psychological/behavioral risk factors (smoking status and level of depressive and alcohol/drug dependence symptoms) and (2) whether posttreatment clinical outcomes (participation in aftercare, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) attendance, substance use, depressive symptoms, and smoking) were associated with subsequent HCU. Predictors of posttreatment medical hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) use were analyzed among participants (N = 15,041) in a multistate treatment evaluation conducted from 1987 to 1995. Greater time in treatment reduced the likelihood of future hospitalizations and ED use, whereas clients in outpatient treatment were less likely to be hospitalized. Baseline measures of depressive and alcohol/drug dependence symptoms were each independently associated with subsequent HCU. Posttreatment aftercare participation reduced the likelihood of future hospitalization and ED use, as did AA attendance. Posttreatment counts of depressive symptoms increased the likelihood of HCU. Substance relapse increased the likelihood of subsequent ED use. Greater treatment involvement is associated with less use of high-cost medical services. NIAAA Glossary Terms :  health care utilization, AOD use, AOD abuse, AOD dependence,  treatment program, treatment method, treatment outcome, Alcoholics Anonymous, emotional and psychiatric depression, smoking, emergency care, hospital, statistical association, outpatient care, aftercare, evaluation study, human study

Gomez A, Conde A, Santana JM, and Jorrin A.  Diagnostic usefulness of brief versions of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for detecting hazardous drinkers in primary care settings.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(2):305-308, March 2005.

Summary: The diagnostic usefulness of the brief versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for detecting hazardous drinkers was evaluated and compared with that of the full-AUDIT in primary care settings. Patients (N = 500) randomly selected in a primary care center were administered an interview on quantity-frequency for assessment of weekly alcohol intake. Hazardous drinking was defined as alcohol consumption of 280 g/week for men and 168 g/week for women. Cut-off points were 8 for the full-AUDIT, 1 for the AUDIT-3 (third item), 3 for the AUDIT-C (items 1, 2 and 3), 5 for the AUDIT-PC (items 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10), and 3 for the modified Fast Alcohol Screening Test (m-FAST; items 3, 5, 8 and 10). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were measured. Diagnostic usefulness of each questionnaire for detecting hazardous drinkers was as follows: full-AUDIT: 81.4% sensitivity, 94.6% specificity, and 0.97 AUROC curve; AUDIT-3: 83.1% sensitivity, 90.9% specificity, and 0.89 AUROC curve; AUDIT-C: 100% sensitivity, 79.4% specificity, and 0.97 AUROC curve; AUDIT-PC: 98.3% sensitivity 90.9% specificity, and 0.97 AUROC curve; m-FAST: 79.7% sensitivity, 93.7% specificity, and 0.93 AUROC curve. The AUDIT-C and AUDIT-PC show higher sensitivity, lower specificity, and similar AUROC curves in comparison with the full-AUDIT. This allows their use as screening instruments that are as reliable as the original test for detecting hazardous drinkers. The AUDIT-3 and m-FAST performed less well than the full-AUDIt, which limits their use for this purpose. NIAAA Glossary Terms :   screening and diagnostic method for potential AODD, AOD dependence, AOD abuse, risk-taking behavior, questionnaire, comparative study, evaluation study, specificity and sensitivity of measurement, predictive factor, diagnostic criteria, human study

Simons-Morton B and Chen R.  Latent growth curve analyses of parent influences on drinking progression among early adolescents.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):5-13, January 2005.

Summary: The authors used latent growth curve analyses to examine the nature of parent influences on early adolescent substance use. The subjects were a sample of adolescents (N = 2,453) from seven middle schools who were randomized to a problem behavior prevention program or a control condition and were assessed a total of five times during sixth to ninth grade. Although adolescent drinking was positively associated with the growth in the number of friends who drink, parental involvement, monitoring, and expectations over time provided direct protective effects against drinking progression and indirect effects by limiting increases in the number of friends who drink. These results provide evidence in a sample of early adolescents that parenting behavior -- including involvement, monitoring, and expectations -- protected against progression in drinking directly as well as indirectly by limiting growth in the number of friends who drink. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adolescent, underage drinking, parent involvement, parental monitoring, parental attitude, parent-child relations, friend, peer group, peer resistance, human study

Grekin ER, Brennan PA, and Hammen C.  Parental alcohol use disorders and child delinquency: the mediating effects of executive functioning and chronic family stress.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):14-22, January 2005.

Summary: This study examined (1) the relationship between parental alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and child violent and nonviolent delinquency and (2) the mediating effects of executive functioning and chronic family stress on the parental AUD/child delinquency relationship. The participants were families (N = 816) with children (414 boys, 402 girls) born between 1981 and 1984 at the same hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Parents and children completed semistructured interviews, questionnaires, and neuropsychological tests that assessed parental alcohol use, family psychiatric history, chronic family stress, child delinquency, and child executive functioning. Child violent and nonviolent delinquency were predicted by paternal (but not maternal) AUDs. Executive functioning mediated the relationship between paternal AUDs and violent delinquency, whereas family stress mediated the relationship between paternal AUDs and both violent and nonviolent delinquency. The findings support a biosocial conceptualization of the paternal AUD/delinquency relationship, suggesting that paternal AUDs may be associated with child executive functioning and family stress, which in turn may lead to child delinquency. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  childhood, violence, juvenile delinquent, parent, alcohol use disorder classification, AOD dependence, interview, questionnaire, neuropsychological assessment, family background, psychiatric care, stress, familial alcoholism, paternal alcoholism, maternal alcoholism, human study

Read JP, Wood MD, and Capone C.  A prospective investigation of relations between social influences and alcohol involvement during the transition into college.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):23-34, January 2005.

Summary: Structural equation modeling was used to test whether prospective relations between prematriculation social influences and alcohol involvement in college were most consistent with peer selection, peer socialization, or reciprocal determinism explanations and to determine if observed relations varied according to measurement interval. It was hypothesized that "active" (alcohol offers) and "passive" (social modeling, perceived norms) social influences would be uniquely and reciprocally associated with alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences across two and three waves of assessment. Prospective undergraduates (N = 388) completed self-report assessments in the summer before matriculation (Wave 1), in the spring of their freshman year (Wave 2), and in the spring of their sophomore year (Wave 3). Reciprocal effects were seen between social influences and alcohol use in both two-wave and three-wave models. There was some evidence for reciprocal associations for social modeling with alcohol use and alcohol problems. Overall, however, there was only modest support for a reciprocal influence conceptualization of social influences in alcohol problems. For alcohol problems, the results were more consistent with selection effects. No significant reciprocal associations were observed for perceived norms. The results generally support the social learning theory concept of reciprocal determinism but suggest that the relationship between individual drinking behaviors and the social environment varies when distinguishing between alcohol use and alcohol problems. The results also indicate the importance of distinguishing among different types of social influences when delineating processes that result from and lead to heavy drinking in college. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use, AODR disorder, problematic AOD use, heavy AOD use, undergraduate student, statistical modeling, peer relations, prospective study, hypothesis testing, social community, social group, perception of norms, social learning theory of AODU, AOD use behavior, human study

Dees WL, Srivastava VK, Hiney JK.  Alcohol alters insulin-like growth factor-1 activated oct 2 POU domain gene expression in the immature female hypothalamus.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):35-45, January 2005.

Summary: Although the Oct 2 POU homeodomain gene has been shown to increase during late juvenile development, the upstream control of this gene is not known. Because insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is known to act centrally to stimulate luteinizing hormone (LH)-releasing hormone (LHRH) release and advance female puberty, the authors examined whether this peptide induces transcription of Oct 2 genes as an early pubertal event. Since ethanol blocks IGF-1-induced LHRH and LH release acutely, they also examined whether it could affect the ability of IGF-1 to stimulate Oct 2 gene expression. Female 25-day-old rats were administered saline or rat IGF-1 (20 ng/3 microI) in the third ventricle at 0900 hours and were killed 2, 4, and 6 hours later for assessment of Oct 2 gene expression in the preoptic area (POA) and the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH). Another experiment examined whether ethanol (3 g/kg) could block IGF-1-induced Oct 2 gene expression. In the POA, IGF-1 did not affect the expression of Oct 2a, but it increased Oct 2c messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels at 2 hours. In the MBH, both transcripts were elevated 4 hours after IGF-1 stimulation. Ethanol did not alter basal expression of either of the Oct 2 gene isoforms, but it blocked IGF-1-induced gene expression in both regions. IGF-1 induced Oct 2 genes prior to the normal increase during the late juvenile period, indicating this IGF-1 induction may be an early event in the activation of the LHRH secretory pathway. This action is blocked by ethanol, suggesting the Oct 2 POU gene is a likely target by which ethanol can interfere with glial-neuronal interactions and interrupt LHRH secretion during prepubertal development. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  ethanol, insulin like growth factor, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, secretion, hypothalamus, gene expression, laboratory rat, hypothalamus, mRNA, gene transcription, controlled study, neuroglia, neuron, animal study

Slawecki CJ, Jimenez-Vasquez P, Mathe AA, and Ehlers CL.  Effect of ethanol on brain neuropeptides in adolescent and adult rats.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):46-52, January 2005.

Summary: It is possible that the increased risk of alcoholism in adolescent drinkers is related to the susceptibility of the adolescent brain to ethanol. To begin elucidation of potential substrates that could mediate the differential effects of ethanol in adolescent and adult rats, this study assessed the effects of ethanol exposure on several neuropeptides. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to ethanol vapor or air during adolescence (30 days old, n = 9) or adulthood (80-90 days old, n = 9) for 10 days (8 control animals for each group). Blood ethanol concentrations in the exposed groups averaged 250 mg/dl during this period. Seven weeks after cessation of ethanol exposure, brain tissue was collected from the frontal cortex, caudate, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus to assess the immunoreactivity levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY-LI), corticotropin-releasing hormone, substance P (SP-LI) and neurokinins (NK-LI). Ethanol exposure decreased overall hippocampal NPY-LI and increased SP-LI and NK-LI in the caudate, but these effects were more prominent in adult rats. Rats in the adult treatment groups (both ethanol exposed and controls) also had significantly lower levels of frontal cortical NK-LI, frontal cortical SP-LI, and hypothalamic SP-LI relative to rats in the adolescent treatment groups. Thus brief exposure to alcohol had long-term effects on levels of NPY-LI, SP-LI, and NK-LI. These effects were primarily in rats exposed to ethanol during adulthood, however, and are unlikely to contribute to the increased susceptibility of adolescents to the effects of chronic ethanol exposure. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adolescence, adulthood, early AODU onset, AOD dependence, chronic AODE, risk analysis, neuropeptides, ethanol, BAC, frontal cortex, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, neuropeptide Y, substance P, corticotropin RH, controlled study, comparative study, laboratory rat, animal study

Glasner SV, Overmier JB, and Balleine BW.  The role of Pavlovian cues in alcohol seeking in dependent and nondependent rats.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):53-61, January 2005.

Summary: The impact of ethanol-associated cues on selective ethanol-seeking behavior was examined in groups of alcohol-dependent and nondependent rats. Rats (N = 24) received Pavlovian conditioning in which each of two stimuli, a tone and white noise, was paired alternately with a 10% sweetened ethanol solution and a polycose-quinine solution. The rats were trained to perform two instrumental actions, with one action earning access to the sweetened ethanol and the other to the polycose-quinine. After training, half of the animals were made ethanol-dependent by intragastric (ig) administration of 36 g/kg of ethanol over 4 days; the other half received ig administration of an isocaloric polycose solution. On the next day, the animals were given a choice extinction test in which they were free to choose between both actions with no outcomes being delivered. During this test, the ethanol- and polycose-associated Pavlovian cues were presented to assess performance of the two instrumental actions both in the presence and absence of these stimuli. Pavlovian cues associated with both the ethanol or the polycose exerted a nonspecific excitatory influence on reward-seeking behavior in both nondependent and alcohol-dependent rats. Responses through which rats gain access to ethanol appear to be subject to the general excitatory influence of the general motivational arousal induced by reward-related cues. The rats' performance apparently did not depend on encoding the specific consequences of their actions and thus was not affected by the selective retrieval or priming of those consequences in memory. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  classical conditioning, conditioned response, cue reactivity, ethanol, AOD dependence, animal behavior, reward dependence behavior, motivation, memory, quinine, laboratory rat, animal study

Schuckit MA, Smith TL, Danko G, Kuperman S, Bierut LJ, and Hesselbrock V.  Correlations among first-degree relatives for responses on the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire in teenagers.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):62-65, January 2005.

Summary: The level of response (LR) to ethanol is an intermediate phenotype related to the alcoholism risk, with a heritability of at least 0.4 as estimated from ethanol challenge experiments. A measure of LR that can be used in adolescence at a time close to drinking onset is the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) Questionnaire, which contains questions related to the number of drinks required for up to four different effects early in the drinking career ("first five" score). This study is the first to examine the familial nature of SRE-based scores among a sample of teenagers. As part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism Phase II (follow-up) Protocol, SRE scores were available on 487 teenagers (251 females and 236 males, ages 13-19 years). Correlations were compared among father-offspring, mother-offspring, sibling pairs, and comparable unrelated individuals. For the 487 subjects, correlations among first-degree relatives were all statistically significant and ranged from 0.14 to 0.22. Correlations among comparable unrelated pairs ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 and were not significant. Similar results were seen when males and females were evaluated separately, although the correlations were more variable perhaps because of fewer subjects. The results are consistent with a potential proportion of the variance related to genes for first five SRE scores of between 0.3 and 0.4. They parallel previously published data in adults and are similar to heritability estimates for LR on ethanol challenges. The data support the potential use of the first five SRE score in adolescents as a measure of LR in genetic and environmental model-based studies in young populations at a time close to the onset of drinking. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD dependence, risk factors, level of response (to AOD), genetic trait, gene, adolescence, early AODU onset, correlation analysis, adolescent, mother, father, sibling, daughter, son, controlled study, comparative study, questionnaire, human study

Chen YY and Weitzman ER.  Depressive symptoms, DSM-IV alcohol abuse and their comorbidity among children of problem drinkers in a national survey: Effects of parent and child gender and parent recovery status.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):66-73, January 2005.

Summary: The authors estimated the risk of depressive symptoms, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) alcohol abuse, and their comorbidity among children of problem drinkers (COPDs) in college and the effects of parent and child gender and parent drinking status on outcomes and on COPDs' treatment utilization. The study population was a nationally representative sample of 27,430 college students from 119 4-year colleges who completed survey questionnaires for the Harvard College Alcohol Study in 1997 and 1999. Psychiatric outcomes and patterns of treatment/counseling were estimated by logistic regression. COPDs who reported that their parents were active problem drinkers (CAPDs) were at increased risk of depressive symptoms, DSM-IV alcohol abuse, and their comorbidity. Female CAPDs were at increased risk of depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.57, p < 0 .01) and comorbidity of depressive symptoms and alcohol abuse (OR = 2.09, p < 0.01). Male CAPDs were at risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 1.69, p < 0.05) only. Stratified analysis by both parent and child gender revealed that depressive symptoms among female COPDs were affected by both paternal and maternal drinking, whereas depressive symptoms among male COPDs were present only when the father was the affected parent. Male children of recovered problem drinkers were more likely to seek and receive psychiatric treatment/counseling than male CAPDs. In conclusion, the psychiatric risk of COPDs varied by respondent and parent gender, and by whether the affected parent was reported to be actively disordered or in recovery. The results indicate the importance of early and gender-specific interventions for COPDs. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD dependence, family AODU history, emotional and psychiatric depression, comorbidity, undergraduate student, gender differences, problematic AOD use, parent-child relations, psychiatric care, treatment outcome, questionnnaire, risk analysis, risk factors, relative risk, human study

Power TG, Stewart CD, Hughes SO, and Arbona C.  Predicting patterns of adolescent alcohol use: A longitudinal study.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):74-81, January 2005.

Summary: The purpose was to examine how adolescent drinking patterns change during the high school years and to identify some of the individual, family, social life, and community predictors of changes in drinking patterns over time. The participants were a sample of students in grades 9 through 12 (N = 1,253; 57% female) in a large metropolitan school district.  African Americans, European Americans, and Mexican Americans were represented in the sample. Students completed questionnaires every 6 months for a 2-year period (N = 743 at the fourth questionnaire). Cluster analyses of the drinking variables yielded one problem-drinking group (heavy, multiple-context drinking), two high-risk groups (i.e., date and outdoor drinking), and three normative groups (light, family/parent, moderate/party drinking). The most predictable patterns of longitudinal changes in adolescent drinking were consistent with the following progression (or the reverse): abstainer --> normative drinker --> high-risk drinker --> problem drinker. Paternal attitudes toward adolescent drinking and peer involvement in antisocial behavior predicted movement into normative drinking; social activity with peers predicted movement into high-risk drinking; and emotional distress predicted the transition into problem drinking. The findings are consistent with the multistage social learning model, demonstrating that the predictors of adolescent alcohol use vary across different levels of adolescent alcohol involvement. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adolescent, AOD use pattern, underage drinking, predictive factor, African American, White American, Hispanic, questionnaire, longitudinal study, cluster analysis, heavy AOD use, drinking venue, AOD nonuse, problematic AOD use, risk analysis, antisocial behavior, emotional instability, level of AOD use among peers, social learning theory of AODU, human study

Abbey A, Saenz C, and Buck PO.  The cumulative effects of acute alcohol consumption, individual differences and situational perceptions on sexual decision making.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):82-90, January 2005.

Summary: This study evaluated a theoretical model of ethanol's effects on sexual decision making that places ethanol's acute effects in context by including background measures as well as affective and cognitive responses to the specific situation. College students (N = 180; 90 men and 90 women) completed a survey that included measures of individual difference characteristics and past experiences. About 1 month later they participated in an ethanol administration study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three drink conditions (sober, placebo, ethanol), after which they read a story about a couple that wanted to have sex, but had no condoms available. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses, acute ethanol consumption significantly predicted participants' perceived likelihood that they would have sex without a condom in such a situation; an earlier step included gender, impulsivity, self-reported alcohol expectancies, frequency of heavy drinking, lifetime number of sexual partners, and frequency of condom use. There was no significant effect associated with the expectancy that one had consumed alcohol, nor was there a significant interaction between drink condition and self-reported alcohol expectancies. By including measures of individual differences and responses to the specific situation, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of the factors that affect college students' sexual decision making, compared with laboratory studies that examine the effects of acute ethanol consumption in isolation. Ethanol consumption explained a significant yet relatively small amount of variance. Researchers need to consider the broader context to understand how intoxication influences sexual decision making. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  sexual behavior, condom use, ethanol, decision making, acute AODE, AOD intoxication, undergraduate student, risk-taking behavior, expectancy theory of AODU, controlled study, regression analysis, self report, multiple sexual partners, human study

Parry CD, Pluddemann A, Steyn K, Bradshaw D, Norman R, and Laubscher R.  Alcohol use in South Africa: Findings from the first Demographic and Health Survey (1998).  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):91-97, January 2005.

Summary: This study was part of the 1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey, which included questions assessing the extent of alcohol use, risky drinking, and alcohol problems among South Africans to obtain up-to-date baseline estimates of consumption and risky drinking and to inform intervention efforts. A two-stage random sample of persons ages 15 or older (N = 13,826; 59% women) was included in the survey. Eight questions, including the CAGE questionnaire, assessed alcohol use. Frequency analyses for different age groups, geographic setting, education level, population group, and gender were calculated, as were odds ratios for these variables in relation to symptoms of alcohol problems. Current alcohol consumption was reported by 45% of the men and 17% of the women. White men (71%) were most likely and Asian women (9%) least likely to be current drinkers. Urban residents were more likely than nonurban dwellers to report current drinking. One third of the current drinkers reported risky drinking over weekends, and 28% of the men and 10% of the women scored above the cutoff level on the CAGE questionnaire. Symptoms of alcohol problems were significantly associated with lower socioeconomic status, no school education in women, and being older than 25 years of age. The authors conclude that a comprehensive strategy is needed to address the high levels of risky drinking and reported symptoms of alcohol problems. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use, heavy AOD use, AOD effects and AODR problems, problematic AOD use, risk-taking behavior, South Africa, random sample, survey, cross-sectional study, prevalence, alcohol use test, questionnaire, gender differences, age differences, racial differences, White, Asian, urban area, rural area, regional differences, socioeconomic status, educational level achieved, human study

Grusser SM, Wolfling K, Morsen CP, Albrecht U, and Heinz A.  Immigration-associated variables and substance dependence.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):98-104, January 2005.

Summary: This study compared immigrants with and without drug dependence and assessed whether drug dependence and social status after immigration contribute independently to negative mood states, stress-coping strategies, and satisfaction with life in Germany. The study participants were immigrants (N = 80) who had emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Germany. Drug-dependent immigrants (n = 40, 24 men and 16 women, mean age 33 years, SD = 9 years) were compared with healthy immigrants (n = 40, 26 men and 14 women, mean age 35 years, SD = 12 years) on current emotional status, trait-anxiety, depression, stress-coping strategies, drug craving, and immigration-related data. Compared with healthy immigrants, drug-dependent immigrants showed significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, and negative stress-coping strategies, independent of differences in education or employment status. Satisfaction with being in Germany was associated with both drug dependence and employment status. Drug craving severity was significantly associated with negative mood states but not with any other measured sociodemographic variable. The findings show that drug dependence is associated with increased negative mood states and poor stress-coping strategies, independent of the assessed sociodemographic variables. Drug dependence may thus severely interfere with acculturation in the adopted country. Because immigrants often face reduced treatment options as a result of cultural and language barriers, these findings underline the importance of adequate drug treatment facilities for dependent immigrants. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  immigrant, Germany, U.S.S.R., AOD dependence, AOD craving, controlled study, comparative study, anxiety, emotional and psychiatric depression, stress,  coping skills, satisfaction, mood and affect disturbance, demographic characteristics, treatment barriers, human study

Trocki KF, Drabble L, and Midanik L.  Use of heavier drinking contexts among heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals: Results from a National Household Probability Survey.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):105-110, January 2005.

Summary: This study examined epidemiological patterns of alcohol contexts in relation to sexual identity, using data from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey, a large national probability population survey. The prevalence of spending leisure time in each of two social contexts -- bars and parties -- that are associated with heavier drinking was examined by sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and self-identified heterosexuals with same sex partners). Levels of drinking were also compared within these social contexts by sexual orientation. Exclusively heterosexual women spent less time in these two contexts than all other groups of women. Homosexual men spent considerably more time in bars compared with the other groups of men. Heterosexual women who reported same sex partners drank more at bars, and bisexual women drank more alcohol at both bars and parties than exclusively heterosexual women. For men, there were no significant differences for average consumption in any of these contexts. Inclusion of background and demographic variables in logistic regression analyses did little to modify these associations. The results provide empirical evidence that some groups of homosexual and bisexual women and men spend more time than heterosexual individuals in heavier drinking contexts. For men, the frequency of being in these two social contexts does not appear to be associated with heavier drinking in those places, but it may be among some groups of women. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  sexual orientation, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay male, survey, self report, epidemiological indicators, drinking venue, bar, social behavior, prevalence, AOD consumption, AOD intake per occasion, AOD use pattern, heavy AOD use, gender differences, regression analysis, human study

Drabble L, Midanik LT, and Trocki K.  Reports of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual respondents: Results from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):111-120, January 2005.

Summary: Few population-based studies have explored differences in alcohol consumption by sexual orientation. This study examined the prevalence of abstinence, drinking, heavier drinking, alcohol-related problems, alcohol dependence, and help-seeking among homosexual and bisexual women and men compared with heterosexuals. Data analyzed were from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey, a national population-based, random digit telephone dialing survey of adults (N = 7,612) in all 50 states of the United States and Washington, DC. Four categories of sexual orientation were created using questions on both self-identified sexual orientation and behavior: homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual with same sex partners, and exclusively heterosexual. Five past-year alcohol measures were used in the analyses: (1) mean number of drinks, (2) days consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion, (3) drunkenness, (4) negative social consequences (two or more) and (5) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, alcohol dependence. A lifetime measure of help-seeking for an alcohol problem was also analyzed. There were few significant differences by sexual orientation among men, but both homosexual and bisexual women had lower abstention rates and significantly greater odds of reporting alcohol-related social consequences, alcohol dependence, and past help-seeking for an alcohol problem. The findings suggest that alcohol dependence and alcohol-related consequences differ by sexual orientation, particularly among women. The findings also emphasize the need to include sexual-orientation items in population-based surveys so prevalences within these subgroups can be effectively monitored. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  sexual orientation, sexual behavior, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay male, survey, self report, prevalence, AOD use behavior, AOD use pattern, AOD intake per occasion, AOD nonuse, AOD intoxication, AOD dependence, AOD effects and consequences, help-seeking behavior, gender differences, human study

Todd M, Armeli S, Tennen H, Carney MA, Ball SA, Kranzler HR, and Affleck G.  Drinking to cope: A comparison of questionnaire and electronic diary reports.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):121-129, January 2005.

Summary: The correspondence between questionnaire reports of dispositional drinking to cope (DTC) and different indices of daily DTC was assessed in a sample of nondependent heavy drinkers. Data from electronic diary records of interpersonal problems, negative affect, coping, and drinking were used to examine how questionnaire reports of dispositional DTC corresponded to diary reports of daily DTC and to within-person associations among diary reports of negative affect, interpersonal problems, and drinking. The participants were community-residing heavy drinkers (N = 98) who recorded their moods, interpersonal problems, coping attempts, desire to drink, and drinking in electronic diaries for 21 consecutive days. The findings demonstrated correspondence between questionnaire reports of dispositional DTC and (1) diary reports of daily DTC, (2) intensity of negative mood associated with daily drinking initiation, and (3) some individual differences in within-day prediction of drinking and desire to drink from mood and interpersonal problem ratings. Those reporting higher dispositional DTC were somewhat more likely to drink in response to some negative moods and less likely to drink in response to some positive moods than those reporting relatively lower dispositional DTC, but these findings were mixed. It was concluded that questionnaire reports of dispositional DTC are at best inconsistently linked to observed within-person associations among daily moods, interpersonal problems, and drinking even among heavy drinkers. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  questionnaire, self report, coping, AOD use pattern, AOD use frequency, heavy AOD use, interpersonal AODR problems, mood and affect disturbance, human study

Hustad JT and Carey KB.  Using calculations to estimate blood alcohol concentrations for naturally occurring drinking episodes: A validity study.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):130-138, January 2005.

Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy of retrospective estimated blood alcohol concentrations (eBACs) for recreating intoxication resulting from a naturally occurring drinking event. Five eBAC equations were identified and applied to self-report data. eBACs were then compared to actual blood alcohol concentration determined by breath analysis. A convenience sample of drinkers (N = 109) was recruited near drinking establishments and asked to provide breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) samples. Participants were contacted by telephone on the next waking day to gather data required for five algorithms that determine eBAC. BrAC and eBAC obtained from each equation were compared to determine the level of agreement between the two approaches. eBACs correlated highly with each other (r ≥ 0.99); R2 for all algorithms ranged from 0.54 to 0.55 with BrAC as the criterion. On average, eBAC equations overestimated BrAC. Regression analysis identified the following as factors related to discrepancy: amount of time spent drinking, number of standard drinks, weight, and year in school. The results indicate that, although all equations produce eBACs that are highly related, their relationship to BrAC does vary across equations. Using the best fitting equation, eBAC is more strongly correlated with BrAC when intoxication is less than 0.08 g/210 L of breath, and the magnitude of the relationship decreases as intoxication increases. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  BAC, self report, synthetic estimation, breath alcohol analysis, AOD intoxication, comparative study, correlation analysis, human study

Martino SC, Collins RL, and Ellickson PL.  Cross-lagged relationships between substance use and intimate partner violence among a sample of young adult women.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 66(1):139-148, January 2005.

Summary: The longitudinal relationship between substance use and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration was examined in young adult women. Data for the investigation were provided by a sample of women (N = 509) who participated in Waves 8 (age 23) and 9 (age 29) of a multiyear panel study and indicated that they were living with a partner or spouse at both times. Path analysis was used to examine the cross-lagged relationships between women's substance use and IPV victimization and perpetration over the two waves of data. Although strong within- and across-time associations between substance use and IPV victimization and perpetration were found at the bivariate level, substance use did not predict women's subsequent IPV victimization or perpetration in the cross-lagged model. Instead, victims of IPV at age 23 were found to be at increased risk for later heavy drinking. Perpetrators of IPV at age 23 were less likely than nonperpetrators to report heavy drinking at age 29. The results suggest that substance use does not increase women's long-term risk of experiencing or perpetrating IPV but that victimization by IPV puts women at risk for subsequent heavy drinking. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use, heavy AOD use, violence, spouse or significant other, intimacy, female, causal path analysis, longitudinal study, victim of abuse, victimization, bivariate analysis, risk factors, human study

Joseph AM, Willenbring ML, Nugent SM, and Nelson DB.  A randomized trial of concurrent versus delayed smoking intervention for patients in alcohol dependence treatment.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):681-691, November 2004.

Summary: Despite the high prevalence of smoking among alcohol dependent patients, there is a reluctance to treat tobacco dependence and alcohol dependence concurrently for fear of jeopardizing drinking outcomes. This study compared the effects on smoking and alcohol use of concurrent treatment for smoking and alcohol dependence with delayed smoking treatment. Patients in intensive treatment for alcohol dependence or abuse (N = 1,943) were screened for participation, and 499 who were smokers were randomized to concurrent or delayed (6 months later) smoking intervention. The smoking intervention included individual behavioral counseling and nicotine replacement. The main smoking outcome measure was 7-day point prevalent tobacco abstinence and the main drinking outcome measure was 6-month prolonged alcohol abstinence, both measured 18 months after study enrollment. Participants in the concurrent group were more likely than those in the delayed group to participate in smoking treatment (78.5% vs 64.5%, p = .005), but there was no significant difference in smoking cessation rates at 18 months (12.4% vs 13.7%). Prolonged, 6-month alcohol abstinence was worse in the concurrent group than in the delayed group at 6, 12, and 18 months (respectively: 41% vs 56%, p = 0.001; 33% vs 42%, p = 0.06; and 41% vs 48%, p = 0.14), and 30-day prolonged alcohol abstinence was also worse in the concurrent treatment group (51% vs 64%, p = 0.004; 46% vs 53%, p = 0.11; 48% vs 60%, p = 0.01). Thus drinking outcomes were worse with concurrent tobacco treatment. The results suggest that patients should be provided smoking cessation intervention after intensive alcohol treatment. The findings are not consistent with the existing literature, however, and need to be confirmed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD dependence, AOD abuse, multiple drug use, nicotine, smoking, ethanol, combined modality therapy, randomized controlled trial, clinical trial, treatment issues, treatment outcome, human study

Tapert SF, Pulido C, Paulus MP, Schuckit MA, and Burke C.  Level of response to alcohol and brain response during visual working memory.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):692-700, November 2004.

Summary: Neural correlates of the low level of response to alcohol were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) during a challenging visual working memory task. Healthy adolescent participants (N = 35) with a range of drinking patterns were recruited from local high schools. After abstinence from alcohol and other drugs for at least 5 days, FMRI, neuropsychological testing, and the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol were administered. Self-report of initial level of response to alcohol was significantly predicted by FMRI blood O2 level-dependent response to the visual working memory task in the right prefrontal and bilateral anterior cingulate region (12% of unique variance, p < 0.05) and right cerebellum and parahippocampal gyrus (17% of unique variance, p < 0.01), above and beyond effects accounted for by drinks consumed per month, age, gender, and ethnicity. It was concluded that young people who report having needed more alcohol to achieve specific effects during early drinking experiences show higher levels of brain response during visual working memory, perhaps suggesting less capacity to adjust cognitive processing to contextual demands. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  ethanol, AOD consumption, AOD sensitivity, AOD effects and consequences, magnetic resonance imaging, visual memory, adolescence, high school student, self report, neuropsychological assessment, predictive factor, oxygen, cerebellum, hippocampus, cognitive ability, human study

Croissant B, and Olbrich R.  Stress response dampening indexed by cortisol in subjects at risk for alcoholism.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):701-707, November 2004.

Summary: This study investigated the stress response dampening (SRD) hypothesis of alcoholism by examining the dampening effects of ethanol on the classical stress hormone cortisol, instead of the autonomic nervous system measures used by various investigators to index stress responses. The subjects were 46 healthy male and 40 healthy female adults; 36 of the men were sons of alcoholics (SOAs) and 28 of the women were daughters of alcoholic fathers (DOAs). Ten men and 12 women had no family history of any alcohol use disorders (sons of nonalcoholics, SONAs; daughters of nonalcoholics, DONAs). The subjects were part of a large-scale project in which participants received two laboratory sessions with exposure in each to three experimental paradigms involving psychological stress while various psychophysiological and neuroendocrine measures were taken. Alcohol was administered In one of the sessions. In the hour after termination of the stress paradigms, SOAs showed significantly lower plasma cortisol levels on laboratory days with alcohol administration than on days without alcohol administration at two of the three poststress sampling points. DOAs did not exhibit a dampening pattern for cortisol. No stress response attenuation effects of alcohol were observed in the SONA and DONA control groups. The results of experimental laboratory work with individuals at risk of alcoholism in this and other studies add to the validity of SRD models of this disorder. The article concludes with a discussion of research strategies that should provide direct evidence for the SRD hypothesis. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  adult children of alcoholics, paternal alcoholism, psychological stress,  stress and adjustment reaction, ethanol, cortisol, genetic theory of AODU, genetic trait, hypothesis testing, gender differences, controlled study, psychophysiology, risk factors, human study

Borges G, Cherpitel CJ, MacDonald S, Giesbrecht N, Stockwell T, and Wilcox HC.  A case-crossover study of acute alcohol use and suicide attempt.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):708-714, November 2004.

Summary: Acute alcohol use has been associated with suicidal behavior in several studies. To clarify the magnitude and nature of the relationship, this study examined the impact of acute alcohol use on suicide attempts treated in the emergency room (ER) using the case-crossover design. Seven ER studies carried out in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia from 1984 to 1996, with probability samples and similar methodology, were merged yielding a total of 102 suicide attempters; 52% were male and 59% were under 30 years of age. Thirty-six patients reported alcohol use within 6 hours prior to the suicide attempt. When usual alcohol consumption during the past 12 months served as the control value, the estimated relative risk (RR) for patients who reported alcohol use within 6 hours prior to the suicide attempt was 9.6 (95% confidence interval, 5.7-16.3). Although the prevalence of alcohol use differed by sex, there was no statistically significant difference in the estimated RRs (RR for men = 13.6, RR for women = 5.3; p = 0.11). Thus a positive association was found between suicide attempts and alcohol use within the past 6 hours in 102 ER cases in four countries. The authors consider the case-crossover methodology well suited to studies for which an external control group is not easily obtainable. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use, ethanol, acute AODE, suicidal behavior, emergency care, case study, controlled study, meta-analysis, risk analysis, relative risk, study design, human study

Tran GQ, Anthenelli RM, Smith JP, Corcoran KJ, and Rofey DL.  Alcohol use, cognitive correlates of drinking, and change readiness in hazardous drinkers with high versus low social anxiety.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):715-724, November 2004.

Summary: College hazardous drinkers with high social anxiety (HD-HSA) were compared with college hazardous drinkers with low social anxiety (HD-LSA). The aim was to identify drinking and psychological characteristics that may distinguish the two groups and inform development of group-specific interventions. After completing a self-report assessment battery hazardous drinkers (N = 152; 51% men; median age 19 years) were selected from an undergraduate volunteer sample on the basis of their scores on an alcohol screen. HD-HSA (n = 76) and HD-LSA (n = 76) were hazardous drinkers who scored respectively in the top third and the bottom third of the volunteer sample on a social anxiety measure. HD-HSA students reported greater expectancies that alcohol reduces social anxiety and lower alcohol refusal self-efficacy in social drinking situations than HD-LSA did and also tended to report more frequent heavy drinking in negative affect situations. However, the groups did not differ in consumption quantity, heavy drinking in positive affect situations, or hazardous drinking levels. Compared to HD-LSA, HD-HSA reported greater interest in attending a social anxiety workshop and showed a trend towards having stronger interest in an alcohol workshop, although the sample's overall readiness to change alcohol behaviors was low. The findings emphasize the importance of situational specificity in alcohol assessment and suggest a need to develop group-specific interventions for college hazardous drinkers with high versus low social anxiety. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  undergraduate student, anxiety, social behavior, AOD use pattern, AOD use frequency, heavy AOD use, alcohol use test,  expectancy theory of AODU, AOD consumption, AOD intake per occasion, comparative study, self-efficacy, treatment readiness, readiness to change, patient-treatment matching, human study

Ohannessian CM, Hesselbrock VM, Kramer J, Bucholz KK, Schuckit MA, Kuperman S, and Nurnberger JI Jr.  Parental substance use consequences and adolescent psychopathology.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):725-730, November 2004.

Summary: The relationship between parental substance use consequences and adolescent psychological problems was examined by gender of the adolescent and gender of the parent. Data used in the study were collected between 1989 and 1994 from 173 (116 proband and 57 control) families participating in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) project. All adolescents (N = 173; 51% boys) completed the Structured Assessment Record of Alcoholic Homes (SARAH) to assess parental substance use consequences. The Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism for Adolescents (C-SSAGA-A) also was administered to all adolescents to obtain clinical psychiatric diagnoses. Concern about maternal substance use was significantly associated with adolescent alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder. Concern about paternal substance use was significantly related to adolescent alcohol dependence. Avoidance of the mother when she was drinking or using drugs and maternal anger when drinking or using drugs also was significantly associated with adolescent alcohol dependence, conduct disorder, and major depressive disorder. In contrast, avoidance of the father and paternal anger when drinking or using drugs was not related to any of the adolescent diagnoses. These results suggest that the consequences of maternal substance use may be more closely linked to adolescent psychological adjustment than the consequences of paternal substance use. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD use, AOD effects and consequences, maternal alcoholism,  paternal alcoholism, familial alcoholism, family relations, psychological assessment, adolescent, underage drinker, AOD dependence, major depression, anger, conduct disorder, controlled study, risk analysis, human study

Ciemins EL.  The effect of parity-induced copayment reductions on adolescent utilization of substance use services.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):731-735, November 2004.

Summary: This study examined whether an intervention of lower copayments increases the number of unique adolescent users of substance use outpatient services. The data for the study were 31,585 records from administrative claims data on use of mental health and substance abuse services from members of a state indemnity plan from July 1998 through December 2001, translating to 36 months of pre-intervention data and 6 months of postintervention data. Monthly longitudinal data before and after benefit design change were analyzed in a quasi-experimental time series design using Box and Jenkins' autoregressive, integrated, moving-average time-series modeling methods. The primary outcome measure was the number of unique services users. The analyses supported the hypothesis that participation in adolescent substance use services would increase following a reduction in copayment amount. The number of unique adolescent participants in substance use services increased significantly in the month following the intervention (p < 0.01). The results suggest that a reduction in adolescents' substance use service copayment requirements to a level equal to those for general medical services may be a step toward assuring full parity between such types of services. They also provide potentially important information about the possible effects of broader policy changes, as parity in benefit design is a common component of laws that attempt to ensure full parity. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  health care utilization, underage AOD use, adolescent, outpatient care, treatment factors, treatment barriers, health care costs, hypothesis testing, trend,  time series analysis, longitudinal study, human study

Neighbors C, Palmer RS, and Larimer ME.  Interest and participation in a college student alcohol intervention study as a function of typical drinking.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):736-740, November 2004.

Summary: The authors investigated the relationship between typical alcohol consumption and interest in participating in a brief alcohol intervention study, and between typical consumption and actual participation in the study, among college students (N = 1,115; 59.7% female). An inverted U relationship was predicted as a potential explanation for mixed findings from previous investigations of risk status and participation in alcohol intervention research, with those at the lowest and highest ends of the drinking spectrum expressing the least interest in participating. The same pattern was expected for likelihood of actual participation among study invitees. A subsample of the students (n = 377) who expressed interest and reported at least one heavy-drinking episode in the previous month were subsequently invited to participate in a brief intervention study. Drinkers were more likely than nondrinkers to report interest in participating, and there was a positive relationship between likelihood of expressing interest and typical consumption. The predicted quadratic relationship was evident with those at the lowest and highest ends of the drinking spectrum expressing the least interest in participating. The same pattern was evident for actual participation among the heavy-drinking subsample invited to participate in the alcohol intervention study. Thus a nonlinear relationship may account for mixed findings on the relationship between risk status and participation in alcohol intervention studies. The results are interpreted in terms of psychological relevance and defensiveness. These findings indicate the need for added effort in recruiting, or alternative recruitment strategies, for those at highest risk. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  intervention (persuasion to treatment), brief intervention, AOD consumption, AOD use pattern, problematic AOD use, heavy AOD use, risk-taking behavior, treatment readiness, predictive factor, undergraduate student,  human study

Turner JC, Bauerle J, and Shu J.  Estimated blood alcohol concentration correlation with self-reported negative consequences among college students using alcohol.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):741-749, November 2004.

Summary: This study investigated the association of the estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC), a potentially useful index of alcohol intoxication and impairment, with negative consequences associated with alcohol use.  Self-reported negative consequences were assessed in a stratified random sample of undergraduate students (N = 4,705) at a public university. Based on survey questions the "typical" eBAC for each respondent was calculated. The eBACs were correlated with demographic characteristics and self-reported negative consequences. The effectiveness of eBAC in predicting negative consequences was compared with drinks per week and consumption at or above the heavy episodic drinking level by calculating receiver operator characteristic values and incremental validity through multiple logistic regressions. The odds of reporting a higher eBAC were significantly elevated for men, underage underclassmen, and members of fraternities and sororities. The odds of reporting a negative consequence were highly associated with each incremental increase in the eBAC. In correlating with negative consequences, the performance of the eBAC index was not significantly different from drinks per week and the heavy episodic drinking index. As an index of alcohol consumption, the "typical" eBAC was correlated with 17 self-reported social and health consequences. It was concluded that there are potential advantages in using the eBAC index for assessing alcohol use among college drinkers. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  BAC, synthetic estimation, self report, survey, undergraduate student, AOD consumption, AOD intoxication, AOD impairment,  AOD effects and consequences, AOD use pattern, binge AOD use, underage drinker, random sample, predictive factor, demographic characteristics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, age differences, gender differences, human study

Lloyd JJ, Chen CY, Storr CL, and Anthony JC.  Clinical features associated with receipt of alcohol treatment.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):750-757, November 2004.

Summary:  The objective was to identify specific clinical features of alcohol dependence and other characteristics of recent drinkers that might help differentiate those who receive treatment. Data were from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (N = 18,722 adults, including 12,437 who reported drinking in the year prior to the survey). Most of those reporting drinking in the previous year self-marked answers to standard items on drug experiences, including clinical features of alcohol dependence and receipt of treatment. Multivariate modeling with generalized linear model and generalized estimating equations with adjustment for age, gender, and race revealed that individuals who received treatment reported all seven clinical features more often than drinkers who went untreated, with the greatest adjusted odds ratios (ORs) observed for alcohol-related emotional problems (OR = 15.0), health problems (OR = 13.5), reduced important activities (OR = 10.4), and inability to cut down (OR = 10.1) (all p values <0.05). Treatment-related differences were less pronounced for other clinical features (e.g., reported tolerance [OR = 4.8], drinking more than was intended [OR = 6.2], and salience of alcohol-related behavior [OR = 6.2]; all p values <0.05 ). These estimates were not altered appreciably by further adjustment for use frequency and age of first use. It was concluded that future research should give more attention to reasons for excess occurrence of alcohol-related problems in community samples of drinkers who receive treatment, particularly whether self-awareness of alcohol-related problems motivates drinkers to seek treatment or if treatment promotes awareness and decreases denial about alcohol problems. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  AOD dependence, treatment factors, treatment readiness, help-seeking behavior, survey, questionnaire, self report, multivariate analysis, statistical estimation, risk analysis, relative risk, predictive factor, emotion as an AODC, emotional instability, AOD tolerance,  AODR behavioral problem, physical health, AODR disorder, motivation, self awareness theory of AODU, denial, causal pathways, human study

Kane RL, Wall M, Potthoff S, and McAlpine D.  Isolating the effect of alcoholism treatment on medical care use.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):758-765, November 2004.

Summary: The objective was to refine the analysis of the effects of alcoholism treatment on subsequent use of medical services by examining components of the latter.  Claims and encounter data of 29,122 adult alcoholics (mean age 40, 35% female) receiving benefits from both a mental health managed care program and its parent medical care insurance company were analyzed. A longitudinal Poisson regression model fit by the generalized estimating equation method was used to compare differences between the groups in medical servoce use before and after alcoholism treatment. The diagnoses associated with medical care were assigned to one of four groups: alcohol specific, alcohol acute, alcohol chronic, and nonalcohol related. All persons applying for alcoholism treatment benefits were included, and those who had fewer than four visits for alcoholism treatment served as controls. The largest effect of alcoholism treatment was seen for medical encounters associated with the acute effects of intoxication. The frequency of encounters related to conditions associated with chronic alcohol abuse were the only type that did not significantly decline 1 year past treatment in the outpatient treatment group. The results support the view that alcoholism treatment is directly associated with a change in medical care use. However, they suggest that the impact on service use varies with the type of medical care. The largest effects appear to be for acute problems that may be most directly attributed to the effects of active drinking. Changes in medical service use in this area, therefore, may be responsible for the cost-offset of alcoholism treatment that has been observed in previous studies. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  health care utilization, treatment factors, AOD dependence, AOD abuse, AOD intoxication, AODR disorder, chronic AODE, acute AODE, outpatient care, regression analysis, health insurance, controlled study,  managed care,  medical history, health care costs, human study

Pagano ME, Friend KB, Tonigan JS, and Stout RL.  Helping other alcoholics in alcoholics anonymous and drinking outcomes: Findings from Project MATCH.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):766-773, November 2004.

Summary: The specific mechanisms of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that mobilize and sustain behavior change are poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between helping other alcoholics in AA and relapse in the year following treatment for alcohol use disorders. Data were derived from a longitudinal investigation of the efficacy of three behavioral treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence (Project MATCH). Probabilities of time to alcohol relapse were calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. Proportional hazards regressions, with control for number of AA meetings attended, were conducted to determine whether the likelihood of relapse was lower for those who were helping other alcoholics. Age was the only demographic characteristic that distinguished participants involved in helping other alcoholics; those who were helping other alcoholics were, on average, 3 years older than those who were not helping alcoholics and were significantly less likely to relapse in the year following treatment, independent of the number of AA meetings attended. Thus recovering alcoholics who help other alcoholics maintain long-term sobriety after formal treatment are better able to maintain their own sobriety. The authors conclude that clinicians who treat substance abuse disorders should encourage their clients to help other recovering alcoholics to stay sober. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  Alcoholics Anonymous, mutual help and support group, AOD dependence, AOD abuse, AOD abstinence, relapse prevention, statistical estimation, regression analysis, age differences, human study

Carey KB, Carey MP, Maisto SA, and Henson JM.  Temporal stability of the timeline followback interview for alcohol and drug use with psychiatric outpatients.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):774-781, November 2004.

Summary: This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Timeline Followback (TLFB) interview for assessing daily alcohol and drug use in adults with a severe mental illness. The participants were psychiatric outpatients (N = 132; 64% men) with a confirmed schizophrenia-spectrum (52%) or major mood disorder (48%) and a lifetime history of substance use disorder. They completed a 90-day TLFB twice, separated by 5 days on average, and represented 55% of the participants who originally consented to be in the study. Test-retest reliability coefficients (rounded) ranged from 0.73 to 1.00 for 30-day TLFB and from 0.77 to 1.00 for the 90-day TLFB. Within-subject comparisons of means across the three 30-day windows revealed no significant differences, and no degradation of the magnitude of the reliability coefficients was observed with increasingly distant assessment periods. It was concluded that the TLFB is a reliable method of assessing alcohol and drug use in outpatients diagnosed with severe mental illness. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  mentally ill, AOD use, AOD intake per occasion, evaluation study, reliability (research methods), schizophrenia, mood and affect disturbance, patient interview, outpatient care, clinical study, human study

Chisholm D, Rehm J, Van Ommeren M, and Monteiro M.  Reducing the global burden of hazardous alcohol use: A comparative cost-effectiveness analysis.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):782-793, November 2004.

Summary: The costs and effects of interventions to reduce hazardous alcohol use were estimated at a population level. Analyses were carried out for 12 epidemiological World Health Organization subregions of the world. A population model was used to estimate the impact of evidence-based personal and nonpersonal interventions, including brief physician advice, taxation, roadside random breath testing, restricted sales access, and advertising bans. Costs were measured in international dollars (i$); population-level intervention effects were gauged in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. Average and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (CERs) were computed. The most costly interventions to implement were brief advice in primary care and roadside breath testing of drivers. In populations with a high prevalence of heavy drinkers (more than 5%, such as Europe and North America), the most effective and cost-effective intervention was taxation (more than 500 DALYs averted per 1 million population; CER < i$500 per DALY averted). In populations with a lower prevalence of heavy drinking, however, taxation is estimated to be less cost effective overall than other, more targeted strategies, such as brief physician advice, roadside breath testing, and advertising bans. Thus the most efficient public health response to the burden of alcohol use depends on the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use, which is related to overall per capita consumption. Population-wide measures, such as taxation, are expected to represent the most cost-effective response in populations with moderate or high levels of drinking, whereas more targeted strategies are indicated in populations with lower rates of hazardous alcohol use. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  heavy AOD use, prevention of problematic AODU, prevention of AODR problems, prevention approach, brief intervention, primary care, taxes, roadside sobriety check, AOD availability, prevention through decreasing availability and accessibility, product advertising regulation, cost-effectiveness, AODR disability, prevalence, economic aspects of AOD and AOD use, human study

Pal HR, Jena R, and Yadav D.  Validation of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in urban community outreach and de-addiction center samples in North India.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):794-800, November 2004.

Summary: The performance of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was compared with that of the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST) in a region of North India. Consecutive subjects (N = 297) who had used alcohol in the past year were recruited from an addiction treatment center (n = 97) and a community outreach setting (n = 200) in West Delhi. Internal consistency and interscale correlations were evaluated, along with sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The AUDIT had very high internal reliability (α = 0.92) in this Indian sample. There was, in general, good correlation between the total and factor scores of the AUDIT and SMAST (r = 0.28 to 0.97), which were higher in the community than in the clinical sample. The AUDIT (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.883) and SMAST (AUC = 0.870) were similar in detecting harmful use of alcohol. The AUDIT optimal cutoff score was 16 (sensitivity 85.3, specificity 89.4) for ICD-10 harmful use and 24 (sensitivity 69.4, specificity 87.5) for ICD-10 alcohol dependence. In conclusion, the AUDIT and SMAST seem comparable in their ability to screen subjects with alcohol use disorders. The AUDIT score for screening harmful use in the sample appears to be higher than previously reported. The utility of such high cutoff for screening subjects for intervention is obvious, but it is quite likely that some positive cases might be missed. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  alcohol use test, problematic AOD use, AOD abuse, AOD dependence, comparative study, evaluation study, specificity and sensitivity of measurement, reliability (research methods), human study

Freyer J, Tonigan JS, Keller S, John U, Rumpf HJ, and Hapke U.  Readiness to change versus readiness to seek help for alcohol problems: The development of the Treatment Readiness Tool (TReaT).  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(6):801-809, November 2004.

Summary: A short self-report measure for treatment readiness (a construct correlated with but distinct from general change readiness) was developed and psychometrically evaluated. The measure, the Treatment Readiness Tool (TReaT), was based on the transtheoretical model of behavior change. A nontreatment-seeking sample of  patients (N = 748) from general hospitals who met criteria for at-risk or harmful drinking was recruited as part of an intervention study in Western Pomerania, Germany. Exploratory (n = 498) and confirmatory (n = 250) factor analyses supported the presence of a three-factor structure (Precontemplation, Contemplation, and Preparation) among nontreatment-seeking high-risk drinkers. High internal item consistency was found for the three TReaT scales, and strong convergent validity was obtained with measures of alcohol use and consequences. Pearson correlations between the three TReaT scales and parallel scales collected by a measure of general change readiness indicated that the two constructs were relatively distinct (19% shared variance). These results suggest that measuring treatment readiness might have advantages in predicting treatment compliance, processes, and outcome relative to measures of general behavior change readiness. The predictive validity of the measure needs to be investigated, however. NIAAA Glossary Terms:  problematic AOD use, heavy AOD use, treatment readiness, self-report, questionnaire, evaluation study, validation study, factor analysis, stages of change, readiness to change, AOD effects and consequences, correlation analysis, predictive factor, predictive validity, human study

Journal of Studies on Alcohol
  Volume 65, Number 5, September 2004
(Updated on 1st availability, 11/14/04)

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  Volume 65, Number 4, July 2004
(Updated on 1st availability, 9/22/04)

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Journal of Studies on Alcohol

Volume 65, Number 3, May 2004

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Journal of Studies on Alcohol
  Volume 65, Number 2, March 2004

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MANN, R.E.; SMART, R.G.; STODUTO, G.; ADLAF, E.M.; AND IALOMITEANU, A.  Alcohol Consumption and Problems among Road Rage Victims and Perpetrators.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 65(2):161-168, March 2004.