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B F Grant

Publications and source records attributed to B F Grant.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Alcohol use and dependence among employed men and women in the United States in 1988.

This paper provides estimates of alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence among employed men and women in the United States. Data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey indicate that the percentages of drinkers in white-collar occupations are higher than the percentages of drinkers in blue-collar occupations among both men and women; however, the men and women in blue-collar occupations who drink have a higher average daily consumption than drinkers in white-collar occupations. DSM-III-R criteria were used to classify respondents as alcohol-dependent. Consistent with an earlier survey of employed adults in Detroit, the prevalence of alcohol dependence is highest in certain blue-collar occupations (craftsmen, laborers, and service workers among men; machine operators, laborers, and service workers among women). Directions for further research on the occupational and drinking experiences of employed men and women are discussed.

Alcohol Drinking↗

DSM-III-R and the proposed DSM-IV alcohol use disorders, United States 1988: a nosological comparison.

The purpose of the present study was to compare DSM-III-R and the proposed DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence in a representative sample of the United States general population. Alcohol abuse and dependence diagnostic categories were contrasted in terms of prevalence and overlap. The prevalence of DSM-III-R diagnoses of alcohol abuse and dependence combined (8.63%) was greater than the corresponding DSM-IV diagnoses (6.00%). Disaggregation of abuse and dependence diagnoses showed that the major discrepancy between the classification systems resided between the abuse categories. Reasons for the discrepancies are discussed in terms of differences in the content of the DSM-III-R and DSM-IV abuse categories, in the relationship that each abuse category shares with its respective dependence category, and the impact of the DSM-III-R duration criterion.

Adolescent↗

Family history as a predictor of alcohol dependence.

The effects of various levels of positive family history of alcoholism on the probability of past year alcohol dependence were investigated using a general population sample of 23,152 drinkers 18 years of age and older. Forty percent reported a positive family history. After adjustment for age, race, gender, and poverty and compared with persons with a negative family history, the odds of alcohol dependence were increased by 45% among persons with alcoholism in second or third degree relatives only, by 86% among those with alcoholism in first degree relatives only, and by 167% among those with alcoholism in first and second or third degree relatives. The effects of family history did not vary among population subgroups as defined by age, race, gender, and poverty.

Adolescent↗

The CIDI-core substance abuse and dependence questions: cross-cultural and nosological issues. The WHO/ADAMHA Field Trial.

The CIDI is a fully standardised, structured interview for the assessment of psychiatric disorders according to DSM-III-R and proposed ICD-10 criteria. The development of this interview has been the collaborative effort of researchers from 18 sites around the world. In a field trial to test the cross-cultural acceptability and reliability of the questions, there was found to be high acceptance and excellent reliability for the substance use questions, problems with the lengthy alcohol section, and difficulties translating relevant substance use concepts into different languages. There is therefore room for further improvement in the substance-related questions. There proved to be differences between ICD-10 and DSM-III-R regarding substance abuse and dependence disorders.

Alcoholism↗

Concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol with cocaine: results of national survey.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of the concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol and cocaine in the general population and to examine differences in these rates between important sociodemographic subgroups. The results indicated that a sizable proportion of Americans were engaged in both substance use patterns. The population estimate for simultaneous use of both substances (i.e., simultaneously or on the same occasion) was approximately 4 million for the month preceding the interview, rising to approximately 9 million when the past year timeframe was considered. Corresponding figures for the concurrent use of alcohol and cocaine (i.e., use of both substances during the same time period) were approximately 5 million during the past month and 12 million during the past year. The extent of each substance use practice varied as a function of sociodemographic factors. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the need for age-sex-ethnic-specific prevention strategies. The need for future analytic epidemiologic research to determine the precise relationship between dose, frequency and duration of concurrent and simultaneous use and each adverse consequence is emphasized. The need for longitudinal research in the general population is also highlighted.

Adolescent↗

Concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol with sedatives and with tranquilizers: results of a national survey.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of concurrent and simultaneous use of alcohol with sedatives and with tranquilizers in the general population and to examine differences in these rates between important sociodemographic subgroups. The results indicated that a sizable proportion of Americans engaged in both substance use practices in the year preceding the interview. The population estimate for simultaneous use of alcohol in combination with sedatives (i.e., use of both substances simultaneously or on the same occasion) was approximately 3 million while the concurrent use of both substances (i.e., during the same time period) was approximately 4 million. Corresponding figures for the simultaneous and concurrent use of alcohol and tranquilizers were both approximately 6 million. The extent of each substance use practice varied as a function of sociodemographic factors. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the need for age-sex-ethnic-specific prevention strategies. The need for future analytic epidemiological research to determine the precise relationship between dose, frequency, and duration of concurrent and simultaneous use and each adverse consequence is emphasized. The need for longitudinal research in the general population is also highlighted.

Adolescent↗

Alcohol abuse among grandsons of alcoholics: some preliminary findings.

Drawing upon self-reports of family history for alcoholism, the present study compared the level of alcohol abuse among grandsons of alcoholic maternal and paternal grandfathers. Although based on a small sample of grandsons (N = 29), the results indicated a significantly higher level of alcohol abuse among maternal compared with paternal grandsons.

Alcoholism↗

The relationship between ethanol intake and DSM-III-R alcohol dependence.

The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the relationship between ethanol consumption and DSM-III-R alcohol dependence using mathematical modeling techniques that allowed for the control of confounding and assessment of interaction. Although sex, education, ethnicity and marital status were not identified as actual confounders in the logistic regression model, the ethanol intake-dependence association was stronger among younger as opposed to older respondents. For 20 year olds, the average log odds for dependence increased .62 for each additional ounce of ethanol consumed daily, while the corresponding increase in risk among 60 year olds was .26. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of age differences in drinking patterns and differential social control of drinking behavior. Separate analyses in which aggregates of the alcohol dependence criteria served as outcome measures helped qualify the interpretation of the overall ethanol intake-dependence relationship. The need to examine components of global classifications of alcohol dependence using better operationalizations is highlighted.

Adolescent↗

Alcohol problems increase while physician attention declines. 1967 to 1984.

Physician intervention holds the potential to arrest excess drinking in medical patients, but little information has been available on trends over time in medical attention to this problem. Three epidemiologic studies in which nationally representative samples of US adults were interviewed about their drinking practices and problems provide some data on this issue. Analyses of data from these three studies (conducted in 1967, 1979, and 1984) indicate that multiple alcohol problems and at least one occasion of recent heavy alcohol consumption have increased over time in the general population. At the same time, the probability of a physician recommending reduction in drinking declined for both males and females. When only male subjects with multiple alcohol problems were considered, physician recommendations to reduce drinking did not decline significantly between 1967 and 1984. However, the sharp decline over time in physician's medical advice to female subjects with multiple alcohol problems was statistically significant. Similar results were found for physician attention to drinking among the more inclusive group of subjects with at least one recent occasion of heavy drinking. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗

Screening for major depression among alcoholics: an application of receiver operating characteristic analysis.

When comparing several screening tests designed to detect the same disease, methodological problems arise in determining which is most accurate. We have previously demonstrated that receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology can provide a set of statistical procedures which allow for objective comparisons of screening tests. In this report, ROC methodology is brought to a different substantive area: the detection of clinical depression among treated alcoholics. In a sample of hospitalized alcoholics, we compared the accuracies of several commonly used screening tests for depressive disorders, as well as comparing each of these with a screening test for anxiety disorders. No test offered a statistically significant advantage over any other, and all did poorly in detecting clinically diagnosed major depression. The performance of the screening tests was worst when the non-depressed comparison group included subjects with remitted disorder, but was still poor when the comparison group did not include such potentially 'noisy' subjects. Factors contributing to the difficulty of screening for clinical depression are discussed, as well as suggestions for improvements in future screening efforts.

Adult↗

Effects of estrogen on circulating "free" and total 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and on the parathyroid-vitamin D axis in postmenopausal women.

We evaluated the effect of estrogens on "free" and total calcitriol levels and on the calcitriol response to a hypocalcemic challenge in 12 postmenopausal women, age 55-74 yr. Endogenous calcitriol production was induced by intravenous Na-EDTA before and after conjugated estrogens, 1.25 mg/d for 30 d. Free calcitriol was determined by centrifugal ultrafiltration and by the molar ratio of calcitriol to vitamin D-binding protein (DBP). Estrogen increased fasting total calcitriol from 38.5 +/- 3.8 to 62.3 +/- 7.0 pg/ml (P less than 0.05). This was accompanied by a rise in free calcitriol from 104.5 +/- 11.4 to 158.7 +/- 16.4 fg/ml (P less than 0.05). Vitamin D-binding protein increased from 348 +/- 16 to 428 +/- 12 micrograms/ml (P less than 0.001), and the ratio of calcitriol/DBP increased from 1.50 +/- 0.14 to 1.94 +/- 0.18 (P less than 0.005), confirming the rise in free calcitriol. Increases in free calcitriol and in calcitriol/DBP ratios were significantly correlated, r = 0.72. Hypocalcemia led to a rapid increase in circulating immunoreactive parathyroid hormone, and to a rise in calcitriol at 24 h. The hypocalcemia-induced rise in total and free calcitriol was similar before and after estrogen, whether expressed as increments or as percent changes. We conclude that estrogen increases circulating levels of biologically active free calcitriol in postmenopausal women, but that a 30-d period of estrogen administration does not apparently improve the renal 1 alpha-hydroxylase response to a PTH challenge.

Aged↗

Screening for current drug use disorders in alcoholics: an application of receiver operating characteristic analysis.

The major objectives of the present study were 2-fold: (1) to demonstrate the superiority of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology in the comparison of screening tests that yield continuous values; and (2) to identify the best screening indicator of current drug use disorders in alcoholics. We evaluated the ability of the screening tests to detect drug use disorder (DUD) according to the research diagnostic criteria. Results showed that the language of addiction - drug version and the reasons for drug use (RDU) screening tests offered excellent detectability for current DUD. The accuracy of both tests was reduced as the result of broadening the clinical spectrum in the comparative group. Implications of these findings to the neglected topic of clinical and co-morbid spectrums in screening test evaluation is presented. Issues surrounding the use of psychiatric diagnoses as standards, assessment of efficacy, the role of screening in defining subthreshold disorder, and the use of biochemical screening as an adjunct to the questionnaire approach are also discussed.

Adult↗

Epidemiology of alcoholic liver disease.

Although there exists a relationship between alcohol consumption and alcoholic liver disease at both the aggregate and individual levels, it is also well established that less than one-third of alcoholics or heavy drinkers develop serious alcohol-related liver damage. A number of factors have been proposed to account for this susceptibility. Evidence supporting the direct dose-response relationship and the role of genetic and environmental factors in influencing vulnerability are reviewed. To date, no consistent evidence attests to the significance of any one factor in the susceptibility to developing alcoholic liver disease.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Severity of alcohol dependence and social/occupational problems: relationship to clinical and familial history.

We examined the relationship of major depression, aspects of antisocial personality disorder, family history of alcoholism, treatment history, and onset of alcohol problems to the severity of alcohol dependence and severity of social/occupational problems due to alcohol. Subjects were 111 randomly sampled patients in alcohol rehabilitation. The predictor variables formed different patterns of relationships with alcohol dependence and with social/occupational problems. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.

Adult↗

Stability of alcohol consumption among youth: a National Longitudinal Survey.

The present study draws upon the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) of Labor Market Experience in Youth (ages 17-24) to describe alcohol use patterns over a 2-year period during the transition years between adolescence and young adulthood. Specifically, turnover in current (using any amount of alcohol in any frequency during the past month) and heavier (drinking six or more drinks on at least 2-3 occasions during the past month) drinking levels among panel members was examined by charting incidence, remission, chronicity, and abstinence between 1982 and 1983. The prevalence of each consumption level increased between the ages of 17 and 22 but declined thereafter for each sex until the age of 24. Changes in prevalence from 1982 to 1983 were shown to be a function of changes in drinking level status. The analysis of turnover in current and heavier drinking levels indicated that there was continuity in drinking behavior over time. Sex differences observed in these trends were examined and their implications to internal and external age- and sex-appropriate constraints and paradigmatic development were explicated.

Adolescent↗

Cocaine and heroin dependence compared in poly-drug abusers.

Concerns about cocaine dependence are increasing, in some ways replacing heroin as the focus of highest concern. We compared cocaine and heroin dependence by levels of cocaine and heroin use in poly-drug users. While dependence indicators differed markedly between regular and sporadic users of these drugs, cocaine dependence indicators did not differ from heroin dependence indicators. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Male/female differences in alcohol-related problems: alcohol rehabilitation patients.

Differences in male and female prevalence of drinking problems have been studied previously. However, few studies have focused on gender differences in a range of alcohol-related problems in individuals identified as dysfunctional drinkers. We analyzed such differences in 299 alcohol patients who met DSM-III criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence. Male and female patients differed significantly on heavy consumption patterns and negative social experiences resulting from drinking. However, no significant differences were found in loss of control, dependence, or health problems. The similarities were obtained even though females had been problem drinkers for a shorter number of years. Implications of these results are discussed.

Adolescent↗