Biomedical subjects

Craig R Colder

Publications and source records attributed to Craig R Colder.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The natural history of college smoking: trajectories of daily smoking during the freshman year.

Although the initiation of cigarette use typically occurs prior to age 18, there is evidence for considerable change in smoking behavior after this age. College may be a particularly important period to study smoking because it is a time when adolescents transition into a new social context where substance use is normative. Using a longitudinal design, daily assessments of smoking were collected during the entire first year of college for a large cohort of freshman (N=496). Findings suggested a weekly cycle of smoking such that the probability of smoking was much higher on weekends (Friday and Saturday) than on remaining days of the week. In addition to this weekly cycle, there was an overall trend for smoking to decline over the course of the year. Substantial individual variability in levels of smoking was observed. These findings provide new insights into college smoking, and have implications for assessment, policy, intervention, and future directions for research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

A factor analytic approach to distinguish pure and co-occurring dimensions of proactive and reactive aggression.

This study used a confirmatory factor model to distinguish pure and co-occurring dimensions of proactive and reactive aggression, and examined the relation between parenting variables and these dimensions of aggression in a sample of 100 children (9 to 12 years of age; 69 boys). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported 3 dimensions of proactive and reactive aggression: pure proactive, pure reactive, and their co-occurrence. Parenting variables differentially related to the pure and co-occurring dimensions of aggression. Findings indicate that CFA provides a promising approach for conceptualizing aggression on a continuum and allows researchers to distinguish pure and co-occurring dimensions of proactive and reactive aggression.

Aggression↗

PubMed2006

Development and preliminary validation of the young adult alcohol consequences questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: A substantial proportion of U.S. college students drink alcoholic beverages and report significant deleterious effects. The present study describes the development and initial validation of a measure designed to capture a broad range of alcohol-related consequences experienced by male and female college students. METHOD: College students (N=340, 176 women) completed a self-report questionnaire battery consisting of information about demographic characteristics, drinking behaviors, and drinking consequences. Drinking consequences were assessed with a composite measure based on the Drinker Inventory of Consequences, the Young Adult Alcohol Problem Screening Test (YAAPST) and items developed by the researchers. To assess concurrent validity, a subset of the total sample (n=126) also completed the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses supported an eight-factor solution (Social-Interpersonal Consequences, Impaired Control, Self-Perception, Self-Care, Risk Behaviors, Academic/Occupational Consequences, Physical Dependence, and Blackout Drinking), with all factors loading on a single, higher-order factor. YAACQ total scores correlated with alcohol quantity and frequency, and the RAPI. Gender comparisons suggest that the YAACQ assesses constructs of interest equally well for women and men. CONCLUSIONS: These results offer preliminary support for this measure. Research and clinical applications include the potential to predict future problems by specific type of consequence and to offer detailed feedback about drinking consequences to students as part of a preventive intervention. As such, the YAACQ may serve as an aid in both the description of and intervention for heavy drinking in college.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Childhood behavior problems and peer selection and socialization: risk for adolescent alcohol use.

To date, research examining the role of peers in the development of substance use has focused almost exclusively on externalizing behavior problems without considering internalizing behavior problems. This is a notable omission in the literature, because there is some evidence to suggest that internalizing behavior increases risk for substance use, and peers are considered to be among the strongest proximal influences of substance use. The current study considered both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and examined peer socialization and selection models of alcohol use using a 2-year longitudinal design. We examined potential reciprocal relations between internalizing and externalizing behavior and affiliations with delinquent peers, and how these variables predicted initiation of alcohol use. Participants were 86 children (71% male) ranging from 9-12 years of age (M=10.87). Results were consistent with socialization, whereby delinquent peer affiliations were associated with increases in externalizing behavior, and subsequently early initiation of alcohol use. There was also evidence to suggest that internalizing behavior served as a protective factor for delinquent peer affiliations and for early initiation of alcohol use. Implications of these findings for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed2005

Factor structure of posttraumatic stress among Western New York undergraduates following the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The structure of posttraumatic stress is of both theoretical and clinical interest. In the present study, seven models of posttraumatic stress were compared using confirmatory factor analysis. A sample of 528 Western New York undergraduate students was assessed 1 and 3 months after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. At the Month 1 assessment, the current three-factor Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) model, which consists of Intrusions, Avoidance/Numbing, and Hyperarousal, did not provide a good fit to the data; however, a four-factor model consisting of factors labeled Intrusions, Avoidance, Dysphoria, and Hyperarousal did fit the data well and provided better fit than the three-factor model and other competing models. Importantly, Dysphoria spans symptoms from the traditional DSM Numbing and Hyperarousal clusters. The four-factor model continued to fit the data well at Month 3. These findings parallel the results of earlier studies which suggest that a four-factor model better reflects the nature of posttraumatic stress than do simpler models, including the DSM. The present work is consistent with a dimensional model of stress responses and calls for further longitudinal work in this area.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Predicting alcohol patterns in first-year college students through motivational systems and reasons for drinking.

In the present study, a typological approach was used to identify patterns of alcohol use in a sample of 533 college freshmen students (<21 years old; 342 women; 191 men), on the basis of quantity and frequency of consumption, and alcohol-related problems. Personality (sensitivity to reward, SR; sensitivity to punishment, SP) and reasons for drinking were examined as correlates of drinking patterns through a mediational model. Analyses were done separately by gender. Latent profile analyses suggested 5 drinking patterns for both genders, including 3 problematic groups. SR was only associated with the problematic drinking patterns, and enhancement, coping, and social reasons for drinking mediated this relationship. These findings demonstrate the utility of latent profile analysis for identifying a drinking typology and for integrating personality and drinking motives to distinguish drinking patterns.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Gray's reinforcement sensitivity model and child psychopathology: laboratory and questionnaire assessment of the BAS and BIS.

The Behavioral Approach System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) are widely studied components of Gray's sensitivity to reinforcement model. There is growing interest in integrating the BAS and BIS into models of risk for psychopathology, however, few measures assess BAS and BIS functioning in children. We adapted a questionnaire measure and reaction time task from adult studies to assess the BAS and BIS in a sample of 9-12 year olds (N = 63; 42% female). A continuous performance task was also administered to assess physiological correlates of the BAS and BIS. Factor analysis supported 3 subdimensions of the BAS (Drive, Reward Responsivity, and Impulsivity/Fun seeking), and one dimension of the BIS (sensitivity to punishment). Results supported the utility of the questionnaire measures and reaction time task as assessments of BAS and BIS functioning. Moreover, these measures were associated with internalizing and externalizing problem behavior as expected. High levels of impulsivity/fun seeking, but not drive or reward responsivity, were associated with high levels of externalizing problems, whereas high levels of sensitivity to punishment were associated with high levels of internalizing behavior problems. The relation between physiological indices and caregiver reports of the BAS, BIS, and problem behavior were complex and not consistent with expectation.

Child↗

PubMed2004

Psychometric Properties of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI): a replication with motor vehicle accident survivors.

This study examined the factor structure, internal consistency, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and discriminative validity of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI; E. B. Foa, A. Ehlers, D. M. Clark, D. F. Tolin, and S. M. Orsillo, 1999) in a sample of 112 individuals who had experienced a serious motor vehicle accident. Results generally supported the 3-factor structure of the PTCI: (a) Negative Cognitions About Self, (b) Negative Cognitions About the World, and (c) Self-Blame. Subscales reflecting negative thoughts of the self and world showed adequate internal consistency, as well as good concurrent, discriminant, and discriminative validity. However, difficulties with the subscale representing self-blame emerged, specifically poor concurrent and discriminant validity. Potential reasons for this finding are discussed. The PTCI seems to be a promising measure of negative and dysfunctional posttrauma cognitions, which deserves continuing attention.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2004

Identifying and predicting adolescent smokers' developmental trajectories.

Very few studies have defined trajectories of smoking. In the present study, we modeled growth in adolescent smoking and empirically identified prototypical trajectories. We conceptualized escalation of smoking as a growth process and modeled rates of change and heterogeneity of these patterns using latent growth mixture modeling. The analysis identified six trajectories with low ambiguity about group membership (early rapid escalators, late rapid escalators, late moderate escalators, late slow escalators-smokers, stable puffers, and late slow escalators-puffers). A trajectory of quitters was not identified. We also examined predictors of the smoking trajectories. The predictors were assessed across the adolescent years and included variables related to smoking and other substance use, as well as a range of variables related to sociodemographic factors and mental health. Observed change in the pattern of predictors across age has implications for the mechanism of effect of these variables in relation to smoking trajectories, including predictors that differentiated among daily smokers, variables that may determine the trajectory (e.g., friends smoking), and variables that may result from the trajectory (e.g., marijuana use, less attachment to friends).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The interactive effects of infant activity level and fear on growth trajectories of early childhood behavior problems.

The current study examined the interactive effects of infant activity level and fear on growth trajectories of behavior problems in early childhood (age 4 to 8 years) using maternal ratings. The sample was drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and included children who were between 1 and 11 months in 1986. Findings suggested that boys characterized by high activity level and low levels of fear in infancy escalated in both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Also, boys characterized by high fear and low activity level increased in internalizing symptoms and these effects seemed to be specific to depression rather than anxiety. Temperament did not predict escalation in externalizing symptomatology for girls, but low levels of fear predicted increases in internalizing symptoms. There was also evidence for a decline in depression specific symptoms for girls characterized by high fear and low activity in infancy. These findings suggest the importance of examining interactive models of temperament risk and considering gender specific pathways to behavior problems.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2002

A finite mixture model of growth trajectories of adolescent alcohol use: predictors and consequences.

The current study sought to identify classes of growth trajectories of adolescent alcohol use and to examine the predictors and outcomes associated with the classes. Alcohol use was assessed from Grades 7 to 12 in a school-based sample. Latent growth mixture modeling was used, and results indicated 5 discrete longitudinal drinking patterns. The 2 most common drinking patterns included occasional very light drinking from Grades 7 to 12 and moderate escalation in both quantity and frequency of alcohol use. One group drank infrequently but at high levels throughout the study period. Another group exhibited rapid escalation in both quantity and frequency. The final group started at high levels of frequency and quantity in Grade 7 and showed rapid de-escalation in frequency. Emotional distress and risk taking distinguished the classes, and all classes, particularly rapid escalators, showed elevated levels of alcohol-related problems relative to occasional very light drinkers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The role of self-assessed health in the relationship between gender and depressive symptoms among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the concurrent and longitudinal relations between gender, self-assessed health (SAH), and depressive symptoms among adolescents. METHOD: Two measures of SAH (physical symptom reports and global health ratings) and a measure of depression were completed on two occasions over two years by 232 adolescent boys and girls. RESULTS: Physical symptom reports were related to depressive symptoms both concurrently and longitudinally. Longitudinal path analysis revealed a significant path from gender to physical symptom reports (Wave 1) to depressive symptoms (Wave 2). Although global health ratings were related to depressive symptoms concurrently, the prospective relation was not significant in the cross-lagged path model. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the development of poorer SAH, particularly the perception of physical symptoms, may place adolescent girls at risk for subsequent depressive symptoms. Potential mechanisms for the SAH-depression relationship are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Attention biases and disinhibited behavior as predictors of alcohol use and enhancement reasons for drinking.

Disinhibition is a risk factor for alcohol use that may be specifically linked to drinking to enhance positive affect (enhancement motives). In this study individual differences germane to disinhibition were assessed, and their relation to alcohol use and reasons for drinking was examined. Laboratory tasks assessed attentional biases for reward and punishment cues and disinhibited behavior. Self-reported personality, alcohol use, and reasons for drinking were included. Frequent alcohol use and frequent drinking for enhancement, but not for coping or social reasons, were associated with a bias to attend to reward cues and disinhibited behavior. Poor inhibitory control assessed by self-reports was also associated with alcohol use and enhancement reasons for drinking. Results support a positive reinforcement mechanism of alcohol use.

Adult↗