Biomedical subjects

A W Stacy

Publications and source records attributed to A W Stacy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Project Towards No Drug Abuse: generalizability to a general high school sample.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the generalizability of a successful classroom-based prevention program developed for youth at alternative high schools (high risk) to youth at general high schools. METHOD: A replication of a previously tested prevention program in a general high school population was conducted with 1-year follow-up data. Classrooms within each of three schools were randomly assigned to two conditions, classroom education or standard care control. RESULTS: Statistically significant effects on alcohol and illicit drug use were achieved in this population through a 1-year period following the program, although effects were not achieved on cigarette smoking and marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that this program (Project Towards No Drug Abuse) has applicability to a wide range of older teens.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Self-reported high-risk locations of drug use among drug offenders.

The present study provides a detailed, multiple-choice, self-report analysis of home, work, and other public locations where drug offenders report using drugs. In addition, these settings were examined as a function of gender, ethnicity, type of drug used, and drug abuse/dependence status. The participants for the present study were 462 individuals attending drug diversion programs in southern California. The single most frequently reported location of use was the subjects' living room with a small group of friends. However, heavier users used different drugs across a greater variety of locations. Not surprisingly, drugs were used least at work (though a surprising 47% had used at work). Popular situations of drug use among drug offenders are similar to that of high-risk youth.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Longitudinal relationship between the alcohol warning label and alcohol consumption.

OBJECTIVE: The present study reports the longitudinal relationship between alcohol warning label exposure and alcohol consumption among adolescents. METHOD: In-school surveys assessed adolescents at three annual time points beginning in tenth grade. There were 649 participants measured at all three time points; 51% were female. Four effects were the focus of the covariance structure, latent growth analysis of these data: (1) an exposure effect, whereby earlier alcohol use leads to more exposure to the warning label; (2) a deterrent effect, whereby earlier alcohol warning label exposure reduces subsequent alcohol consumption; (3) a harmful effect, corresponding to a positive relationship between early exposure and subsequent consumption; and (4) both exposure and deterrent effects operating at the same time. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant exposure effect such that earlier alcohol use was associated with later exposure to the warning. The association between earlier alcohol warning label exposure and subsequent alcohol use was generally negative but not statistically significant, suggesting that the warning did not affect alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the alcohol warning label is having the intended effect as described in the law requiring the warning. That is, it is informing and reminding persons of the risks associated with alcohol use. The warning does not appear to significantly increase or decrease alcohol consumption.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Implicit cognition and HIV risk behavior.

Implicit cognition theory differs from most other approaches to health behavior in that it emphasizes neurobiologically plausible and experimentally documented memory association processes rather than rational decisions, considerations of pros and cons, or beliefs. The present study of adults from a community population investigated the predictive effects of implicit cognition, as well as behavioral and personality variables (sensation seeking, hostility, conscientiousness, and polydrug use), on risky sexual behaviors (lack of condom use, sex after drug use, and multiple sexual partners). In addition, this study simultaneously investigated the predictors in both a high-risk and a low-risk sample. Results showed that the implicit cognition indicator was a significant, independent predictor of lack of condom use in the high-risk sample. Polydrug use and sensation seeking also had important predictive effects. The results encourage more research on implicit cognition in health behavior and further document links among drug use, personality, and HIV risk behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

The alcohol warning and adolescents: 5-year effects.

OBJECTIVES: This study, a follow-up to the authors earlier report, examined the effects of the alcohol warning label on adolescents during the first 5 years that the warning was required. METHODS: Surveys were administered to 10th-grade (n = 16,661) and 12th-grade (n = 15,856) students from the 1989-1990 school year through the 1994-1995 school year. The measures were awareness of, exposure to, and recognition memory of the alcohol warning label; beliefs about the risks listed on the warning; and open-ended statements about consequences of alcohol use, alcohol consumption, and self-reported driving after drinking. RESULTS: There were increases in warning awareness, exposure, and recognition memory. These effects leveled off approximately 3.5 years after the inclusion of the warning on alcohol beverage containers. There was no beneficial change attributable to the warning in beliefs, alcohol consumption, or driving after drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The initial positive effects of the alcohol warning label on adolescents have leveled off, consistent with theories of repeated exposure to persuasive information. The alcohol warning has not affected adolescents' beliefs about alcohol or alcohol-related behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Associations between drug abuse treatment and cigarette use: evidence of substance replacement.

The influence of risk-behavior bias, drug use, prior cigarette use, and prior and current participation in drug treatment on cigarette use was analyzed using a 3-wave survey of 346 drug abusers. Participation in drug treatment and a risk-behavior bias were hypothesized to predict greater cigarette use. After controlling for prior levels of cigarette use with a longitudinal path model, it was found that participation in drug treatment at Wave 2 significantly predicted increased cigarette use at Wave 2. There were similar results at Wave 3. Additional analyses indicated that reduced heroin use was especially associated with more smoking. Risk-behavior bias predicted more drug and cigarette use and predicted less participation in drug treatment at Wave 3. These results suggest that drug treatment, reduced heroin use, and a tendency toward risky behavior may lead to increased cigarette use, which may represent a form of substance replacement.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Adolescent drug use and adult drug problems in women: direct, interactive, and mediational effects.

The authors studied effects of variables assessed in adolescence on problems from drug use in adulthood in a community sample of women. One focus of this 13-year longitudinal study was moderators, which were hypothesized to exacerbate, or attenuate, the effects of early drug consumption on later drug problems. Potential moderators were sensation seeking, social conformity, academic orientation, parental support, depression, and drug problems in parents. Direct and mediating effects of these variables, as well as of drug consumption, were also evaluated. Results showed that most of the significant effects involved sensation seeking and social conformity. In addition, adolescent drug use significantly predicted adult polydrug problems. The effects of sensation seeking are consistent with the view that this variable reflects a sensitivity to drug use, which makes it more likely that drug use gets translated into drug abuse.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Memory association and personality as predictors of alcohol use: mediation and moderator effects.

We investigated the nature of the effects of memory associations on alcohol use and abuse. First, we determined if effects of memory associations on drinking problems are mediated entirely through the frequency of alcohol consumption or, alternatively, if such effects are more direct. Second, personality traits were assessed to evaluate whether they were confounded with memory association in their effects or whether they might moderate the effects of memory associations on alcohol use and abuse. The results showed that memory association measures directly and independently predicted alcohol consumption; these measures indirectly predicted problems from drinking, including drunk driving. None of the assessed personality variables moderated the predictive effects of memory association. The results are consistent with the view that memory associations influence behavior through cognitive processes that are not affected by personality traits or by cognitions emanating from such traits.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Implementation and process evaluation of a school-based drug abuse prevention program: Project Towards No Drug Abuse.

The present study provides an implementation, process, and immediate outcomes evaluation of the classroom component of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND). This project involves development and evaluation of a school-based drug abuse prevention curriculum for continuation high school youth, who are at relatively high risk for drug abuse. Three randomized conditions were evaluated: a standard care, classroom only, and classroom plus school-as-community. The latter condition was an enhanced school-based condition which involved outside-of-classroom meetings and activities. Implementation was high in both program conditions even though this was a higher risk context. Process evaluation data were favorable and did not vary between the two program conditions. Immediate outcomes data (knowledge) was higher in the two program conditions than in the standard care condition. Regarding the classroom program, addition of extra-classroom activities does not appear to alter the quality of delivery of the program.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Reasons for quitting and smoking temptation among adolescent smokers: gender differences.

Adolescent cigarette smokers from randomly selected classrooms from 24 California and Illinois high schools were assessed regarding their interest in cessation, reasons for quitting, and smoking temptation circumstances. These data were analyzed by gender. Males and females were not found to differ in quit stage or perceived likelihood of ever quitting smoking, although males reported being somewhat more likely to have ever tried to quit in the past. The associations of reasons for quitting were not found to vary by gender in most comparisons. On the other hand, the associations of smoking temptation circumstances with gender showed that a greater percentage of females than males reported more circumstances that would make them tempted to smoke. Smoking cigarettes to regulate one's affective states, and to avoid nicotine withdrawal, may be functions of smoking that impede efforts at quitting, particularly among adolescent females.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Memory activation and expectancy as prospective predictors of alcohol and marijuana use.

This study examined whether indicators of drug-related memory associations predicted drug use prospectively. The predictive effects of outcome expectancies, sensation seeking, and other variables also were investigated. The results revealed that the memory association measures significantly predicted subsequent drug use. Outcome expectancies and sensation seeking predicted alcohol use, but not marijuana use. The findings suggest 2 possibly different aspects of cognition involved in drug use motivation: (a) a memory activation or implicit cognition component, representing the effects of memory associations that are prompted relatively spontaneously by the prevailing motivational and situational circumstances and (b) an outcome expectancy component, which is more likely to reflect explicit cognitions involved in introspection and deliberate decision-making processes.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Implementation and process evaluation of a student "school-as-community" group. A component of a school-based drug abuse prevention program.

Little documentation exists regarding the functioning of formalized adolescent groups as drug abuse prevention agents. Two studies are described that were conducted at high schools whose students are at high risk for drug abuse. Twenty-one schools were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) standard care, (b) classroom drug abuse education only, or (c) classroom plus school-as-community. Results of the first study indicated that the school-as-community component--which involved weekly meetings and periodic events at seven schools--was implemented as planned, drug abused focused, and perceived as productive in discouraging drug abuse. In the second study, staff in the classroom plus school-as-community condition self-reported involvement in the greatest number of community activities across the school year, compared with staff from the other two conditions. These two studies support the feasibility of formalized groups of high-risk youth to promote drug-free events.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

The impact of a written parental consent policy on estimates from a school-based drug use survey.

The authors examine differences between mean, variance, and correlation parameter estimates derived from a full school-based sample and subsamples restricted by the provision of parental consent. A total of 1,607 students at 21 continuation high schools and 1,192 students at 3 traditional high schools completed a survey containing variables related to sociodemographics, drug use, mental health, and violence. The employment of a researcher-initiated home-telephone-call procedure substantially increased the parental response rate over a student-/school-assisted consent method. The subsamples restricted by the written consent criterion showed some small biases in estimates of sociodemographic variables but little or no biases on measures related to mental health, drug use, or violence measures. The augmentation of the written consent samples with verbally consented students reduced observed biases.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Immediate impact of thirty-two drug use prevention activities among students at continuation high schools.

Those teenagers who are unable to remain in the regular school system for reasons including substance use are transferred to a continuation high school. Generic comprehensive social-influence-drug-use-prevention-activities are less likely to be effective for use with these at risk youth. Thus, both classroom and self-instruction (main mode of instruction at continuation high schools) versions of 16 activities derived from different theoretical sources were tested and ranked on immediate outcome variables. 388 students from six continuation high schools were provided with a pretest-activity-posttest "component study" protocol. The scores on perceived quality ratings were standardized and averaged to permit easy comparisons across lessons. While yielding similar knowledge changes, students who received the health educator led activity consistently reported higher scores on perceived quality. Social influence-oriented lessons, in general, were rated of relatively low perceived quality. The present approach assisted in selection of the lessons with the greatest overall immediate impact.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Automatic activation of alcohol concepts in response to positive outcomes of alcohol use.

Seventy-one subjects with various levels of drinking experience completed a computerized semantic priming task. Prime phrases (describing positive outcomes of drinking alcohol or neutral phrases) were presented immediately before a target word (either alcohol-related or not). The results replicated earlier basic research examining the effects of semantically related primes on the processing of subsequent words. Furthermore, the results provided evidence that, for heavy drinking subjects, the presentation of phrases describing positive drinking outcomes significantly primed, or facilitated, responses to the alcohol-related words. These results are consistent with the view that for some individuals, thoughts about certain outcomes automatically prime, or make accessible, concepts related to alcohol use. An increase in the accessibility of these concepts has important implications for behavioral decisions about alcohol consumption.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Predictors of misreporting cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents.

This study examines the prevalence of invalid reports of cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents (i.e., reporting cigarette smoking at one time point and denying ever trying cigarettes at a subsequent time point) and the association of misreports with scores on other problem-prone variables. Misreports did not vary as a function of item complexity and did not reflect careless responding. In the seventh grade, misreporters' scores on the problem-prone variables were higher than those of nonsmokers and lower than those of smokers. In contrast, when measured in the eighth grade, misreporters' scores did not differ from those of nonsmokers. Misreporters did show a greater decrease in intentions to smoke, alcohol use, and number of friends who smoke compared to nonsmokers and consistent smokers. Explanations for these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Use of the "theme study" as means of curriculum development in continuation high schools.

This article presents the evaluation of written paragraphs which described twenty-one drug abuse prevention "themes" contained in thirty-five separate activities, as part of the process of curriculum development targeting Continuation High School students. The goal was to determine which activities were most preferred by these youth. The paragraphs consisted of descriptions of traditional drug abuse prevention program activities, alternative activities using the themes underlying traditional activities, and novel activities generated from newly developed themes. The study was conducted with seven Continuation High Schools. Three hundred and fifteen students participated in this study. Each student rated detailed written descriptions of five activities. Classrooms were randomly assigned to different combinations of paragraphs. An analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences in preferences among activities, with a marked preference for the alternative and novel activity presentations. Females, Latinos, older students, and non-marijuana users rated the activities higher overall. There were no significant interactions between demographic variables and order of activity preference. If there is a limit in amount of allotted time and resources, the theme study is an appropriate and cost-effective tool for gaining important information for health curricula development.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Two-year behavior outcomes of project towards no tobacco use.

The article presents 2-year follow-up data from a school-based tobacco use prevention project designed to test the effectiveness of 3 primary components in social influence programs. The components either teach refusal skills, awareness of social value misperceptions, or physical consequences. Curricula were tested with a randomized experiment involving 48 junior high schools. These data suggested that (a) a physical-consequences curriculum is successful at attenuating increases in adolescent smokeless tobacco use, (b) cigarette experimentation may be attenuated by various approaches, and (c) a comprehensive program with all 3 components was necessary to attenuate increases in weekly use of both forms of tobacco. These results also indicate that school-based tobacco use interventions can be effective at least 2 years postprogram, after students make their transition to high school.

Adolescent↗