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Biomedical subjects

E M Adlaf

Publications and source records attributed to E M Adlaf.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The prevalence of elevated psychological distress among Canadian undergraduates: findings from the 1998 Canadian Campus Survey.

For a study of elevated psychological distress, the authors used data based on a national probability sample of 7,800 Canadian undergraduate students from 16 universities. They used the 12-item General Health Questionnaire to assess mental health. Thirty percent of the students in the sample reported elevated psychological distress, which varied significantly according to sex, region, year of study, and recreational and academic orientation. Rates of elevated distress were significantly higher among the students than among the general population in Canada.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Comorbidity of psychiatric and substance use disorders in late adolescence: a cluster analytic approach.

Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of youths with past-year substance and/or psychiatric disorders (N = 110, mean age 19.0 years). Data for this study came from a community-based, prospective longitudinal investigation of speech/language (S/L) impaired children and matched controls who participated in extensive diagnostic and psychosocial assessments at entry into the study at 5 years of age and again at follow-up. Clustering variables were based on five DSM diagnostic categories assessed at age 19with the University of Michigan Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Using Ward's method, the five binary variables were entered into a hierarchical cluster analysis. An iterative clustering method (K-means) was then used to refine the Ward solution. Finally, a series of analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were run to analyze group differences between clusters on measures of Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), criminal involvement, anxiety and depressive symptomatology, and frequency of drug use and heavy drinking. The analysis yielded eight replicable cluster groups, which were labeled as follows: (a) anxious (20.9%); (b) anxious drinkers (5.5%); (c) depressed (16.4%); (d) depressed drug abusers (10%); (e) antisocial (16.4%); (f) antisocial drinkers (10%); (g) drug abusers (8.2%); (h) problem drinkers (12.7%). These groups were differentiated by external criteria, thus supporting the validity of our cluster solution. Cluster membership was associated with a history of S/L impairment: A large proportion of the depressed drug abusers and the antisocial cluster group had S/L impairment that was identified at age 5. Clarification of the developmental progress of the youths in these cluster groups can inform our approach to early intervention and treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Incorporating the AUDIT into a general population telephone survey: a methodological experiment.

This study assessed potential ordering and wording effects of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT). In total, 688 respondents were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: Intact order/original wording (n=148), intact order/revised wording (n=183), split order/original wording (n=192), split order/revised wording (n=166). Changes to question order and wording had no discernable impact on the scores of the AUDIT. Our results suggest that alterations to the AUDIT can be made in order to integrate it within a larger survey without adversely affecting its measurement properties.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Nonmedical drug use among adolescent students: highlights from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.

BACKGROUND: During the 1990s, rates of nonmedical drug use among adolescents escalated. We assessed data from 5 cycles of the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey for overall trends in the proportion of students reporting illegal drug use between 1991 and 1999. METHODS: The survey is a repeated, cross-sectional, 2-stage cluster-design survey of students enrolled in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13. Outcome measures were prevalence of use of 17 drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, over the 12 months preceding the survey. RESULTS: The rates of drug use increased between 1993 and 1999. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the differences in proportions between 1997 and 1999 indicated significant increases in the overall use of 6 drugs: alcohol (95% CIdiff 6.1, 1.9-10.3), cannabis (95% CIdiff 46.3, 0.2-8.4), glue (95% CIdiff 2.3, 1.3-3.3), other solvents (95% CIdiff 5.0, 3.1-6.3), barbiturates (95% CIdiff 1.9, 0.4-3.4) and hallucinogens such as mescaline and psilocybin (95% CIdiff 3.5, 0.8-6.9). Fewer grade 7 students in 1999 than in earlier cohorts reported using alcohol or cigarettes by age 9. INTERPRETATION: The public health implications of the findings are mixed. On the positive side, there is no evidence of increases in early onset of drug use. On the negative side, the overall proportion of students reporting illegal drug use has continued to rise.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Age at first alcohol use: a risk factor for the development of alcohol disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the natural course of DSM-III-R alcohol disorders as a function of age at first alcohol use and to investigate the influence of early use as a risk factor for progression to the development of alcohol disorders, exclusive of the effect of confounding influences. METHOD: Data were obtained from a community sample (N=5,856) of lifetime drinkers participating in the 1990-1991 Mental Health Supplement of the Ontario Health Survey. RESULTS: Survival analyses revealed a rapid progression to alcohol-related harm among those who reported having their first drink at ages 11-14. After 10 years, 13.5% of the subjects who began to drink at ages 11 and 12 met the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse, and 15.9% had a diagnosis of dependence. Rates for subjects who began to drink at ages 13 and 14 were 13.7% and 9.0%, respectively. In contrast, rates for those who started drinking at ages 19 and older were 2.0% and 1.0%. Unexpectedly, a delay in progression to harm was observed for the youngest drinkers (ages 10 and under). Hazard regression analyses revealed a nonlinear effect of age at first alcohol use, marked by an elevated risk of developing disorders among subjects first using alcohol at ages 11-14. CONCLUSIONS: First use of alcohol at ages 11-14 greatly heightens the risk of progression to the development of alcohol disorders and therefore is a reasonable target for intervention strategies that seek to delay first use as a means of averting problems later in life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence of problem gambling in adolescents: findings from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of gambling disorders in adolescent students in Ontario. METHOD: Data were based on a random survey of 2371 Ontario students in grades 7 to 13 using the South Oaks Gambling Screen revised for adolescents (SOGS-RA). RESULTS: In total, 5.8% of students met the criteria for past-year problem gambling, and an additional 7.5% met the criteria for at-risk gambling. Gambling disorders were significantly higher among male students than female, but did not differ significantly by age or region. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of gambling disorders among adolescents warrants thorough investigation and ongoing monitoring.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

A cluster-analytic study of substance problems and mental health among street youths.

Based on a cluster analysis of 211 street youths aged 13-24 years interviewed in 1992 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we describe the configuration of mental health and substance use outcomes. Eight clusters were suggested: Entrepreneurs (n = 19) were frequently involved in delinquent activity and were highly entrenched in the street lifestyle; Drifters (n = 35) had infrequent social contact, displayed lower than average family dysfunction, and were not highly entrenched in the street lifestyle; Partiers (n = 40) were distinguished by their recreational motivation for alcohol and drug use and their below average entrenchment in the street lifestyle; Retreatists (n = 32) were distinguished by their high coping motivation for substance use; Fringers (n = 48) were involved marginally in the street lifestyle and showed lower than average family dysfunction; Transcenders (n = 21), despite above average physical and sexual abuse, reported below average mental health or substance use problems; Vulnerables (n = 12) were characterized by high family dysfunction (including physical and sexual abuse), elevated mental health outcomes, and use of alcohol and other drugs motivated by coping and escapism; Sex Workers (n = 4) were highly entrenched in the street lifestyle and reported frequent commercial sexual work, above average sexual abuse, and extensive use of crack cocaine. The results showed that distress, self-esteem, psychotic thoughts, attempted suicide, alcohol problems, drug problems, dual substance problems, and dual disorders varied significantly among the eight clusters. Overall, the findings suggest the need for differential programming. The data showed that risk factors, mental health, and substance use outcomes vary among this population. Also, for some the web of mental health and substance use problems is inseparable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Recent findings from the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.

BACKGROUND: Every 2 years, the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario, a division of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, sponsors the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey. The results of the surveys conducted in 1995 and 1997 are presented here and compared with results from the early 1990s. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by 3870 and 3990 Ontario public school students enrolled in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 in 1995 and 1997 respectively. The outcome measures were prevalence of use of 20 types of drugs and other substances, including alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs, over the previous 12 months. RESULTS: For several drugs the prevalence of use in the previous 12 months had increased from 1993 to 1995, but from 1995 to 1997 there was a significant increase for only one type (hallucinogens such as mescaline and psilocybin). The inhalation of glue declined, and the use of the other 18 types of drugs remained stable. INTERPRETATION: Recent data suggest that increases in adolescent student drug use reported earlier this decade have not continued. However, the stability in rates of drug use is not a justification for complacency in this important area of public health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Adolescents, bush parties and drinking-driving.

OBJECTIVE: We describe the prevalence of bush party (an outdoor gathering of youth) attendance and examine predictors of attendance and of driving after drinking at bush parties. METHOD: The 1995 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) data on students (n = 1,853) in schools across the province in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 are employed to estimate prevalence of bush party attendance within the previous 12 months. The 1994 Graduated Licensing Study (GLS), a multi-community survey of drivers (n = 1,157, 53.6% male) in grades 11 and 12 in Ontario, data are employed to study predictors of attendance and of drinking-driving. RESULTS: Based on the OSDUS, the prevalence of bush party attendance is 37.6%. Based on the GLS, 38.4% attended bush parties, and among attenders 71.5% drank at bush parties, 63.5% observed drinking-driving, 16.1% rode with a drinking-driver and 16.6% drove after drinking at bush parties. Logistic regression reveals that attendance at bush parties is positively associated with number of other places alcohol was consumed, tobacco use, number of alcohol-related problems, number of kilometers ever driven, sensation seeking and northern residents. Among attenders who drank at bush parties, males were three and a half times more likely to drive after drinking at a bush party, and the probability of drinking and driving increased with the number of other drugs used. CONCLUSIONS: Despite important differences in the design and purpose of the two surveys, both indicate that bush party attendance is prevalent among adolescents. Driving after drinking at these events is common and warrants community action.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effect of question structure on self-reports of heavy drinking: closed-ended versus open-ended questions.

OBJECTIVE: We compared open-ended versus closed-ended questions on the frequency of consuming five or more drinks in a single sitting. METHOD: From a general population survey of Ontario adults (N = 2,022, 62% male), we analyzed a subsample of 649 respondents who reported drinking five or more drinks in a single sitting at least once in the past year. Differences in agreement between the two questions and rates of missing data were evaluated. RESULTS: For the most part, the two measures were not consistent, with the closed-ended question eliciting higher rates of heavier drinking. Rates of missing data were also higher for the open-ended question. CONCLUSIONS: Open-ended question may not necessarily be more suitable than closed-ended questions for estimating the frequency of heavy alcohol use.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Procurement of alcohol and underage drinking among adolescents in Ontario.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to examine the procurement of alcohol among underage drinkers. METHOD: The data are based on a survey of 3,571 students in Ontario schools. Underage drinkers were those younger than 19 years of age. Data were gathered with an anonymous questionnaire administered in classrooms in 1992. The data include descriptive analysis of underage procurement and a cluster analysis of underage drinker types (n = 1,125: 566 female). RESULTS: Most students found alcohol easy to obtain, with the most common access being from parents' supplies or older friends. Four types of underage drinkers were identified: bar drinkers (5%), frequent purchasers (10%), frequent obtainers (3%) and infrequent obtainers (83%). CONCLUSIONS: Frequent self purchasers and infrequent secondary purchasers have the highest levels of consumption and problems. However, most underage drinkers report no problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Is the association between drug use and delinquency weakening?

In this paper we examine period or secular changes in the association between drug use and delinquency among Ontario adolescent students between 1983 and 1991. The results show that during this period drug use and drug-selling declined significantly, whereas reported non-drug-related delinquency increased. In addition to differing secular trends in rates of drug use and delinquent behaviour, the association between the two behaviours weakened. There was a steady decline in the correlations between drug use and delinquency across time, and the typological patterning of drug use and delinquency changed significantly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The relationships between declines in drinking and alcohol problems among Ontario students: 1979-1991.

This article reports data from a 12-year cross-sectional study of drinking and drinking problems among students in grades 7-13 in Ontario schools. It was expected that rates of drinking and levels of drinking problems would be related. Large declines in drinking levels were found, however declines were found for only about half of the drinking-problem items. No declines were found in rates of the most serious problems and this indicates there is an unchanging proportion of students with drinking problems who will likely need interventions such as treatment and counseling.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Declining drug use in relation to increased drug education: a trend study 1979-1991.

During the 1980s alcohol and drug education increased in Ontario schools, especially at the Grade 7 level. This article reports aggregate relationships between increased levels of exposure to classroom alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis education, and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis by students in Ontario schools. The data were derived from repeated cross-sectional probability surveys of alcohol and drug use conducted every two years since 1979. There were strong inverse associations between increases in exposure to alcohol and drug education and reported levels of use of these substances, especially for alcohol and for Grade 7 students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Adolescent drug sellers: trends, characteristics and profiles.

This study examines drug selling among representative samples of high school students in Ontario. It involves three approaches, (i) examining the trend in drug selling between 1983 and 1989, (ii) assessing differences between sellers and non-sellers on demographic characteristics, levels of alcohol and drug use, and problems, and (iii) drawing detailed profiles of drug seller types. Drug selling declined considerably between 1983 and 1989. Sellers were more likely to be males and to use alcohol and drugs more often than non-sellers. Sellers also had more alcohol and drug problems and engaged in more delinquent acts. Drug sellers who sold cannabis only were less frequent users of drugs, less likely to have drug problems, and were also delinquent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Substance use and work disabilities among a general population.

Using data derived from a representative survey of 869 Ontario adults, we examined the association between work disabilities and substance use, i.e., drinking, alcohol problems, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers. Overall, we found a significant association between substance use and disability. For alcohol problems, we found that those with moderate limitations reported the greatest number of problems, holding constant age, gender, income, and frequency of drinking. For the use of sleeping pills and especially tranquilizers, we found a strong positive relationship to limitation status. A number of significant interactions involving tranquilizer use showed that two groups, females with total limitations and those aged over 40 years with sensory disabilities, reported exceptionally high rates of tranquilizer use.

Adolescent↗