Biomedical subjects

E R Galaif

Publications and source records attributed to E R Galaif.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

The drug-crime nexus in a community sample of adults.

The authors tested several theories using prospective data to explain the associations between drug abuse and crime in a community sample of 470 adults. Polydrug problems in early adulthood predicted both criminal behavior and polydrug problems in adulthood. Consequences of drug problems as a young adult included arrests and convictions for drug-related offenses, property damage, and driving under the influence of other drugs. Predictors of later polydrug problems included thefts, driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, arrests and convictions for drug-related offenses, and a lack of support for drug problems. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Prospective relationships between drug problems and work adjustment in a community sample of adults.

The prospective relationships between drug problems and work adjustment (e.g., job instability, job satisfaction) were examined in a community sample of 470 adults. Polydrug problems (alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine problem drug use) were both predictors and consequences of work adjustment. In partial support of the impaired functioning theory, polydrug problems predicted reduced job satisfaction 4 years later. Supporting the work-related strain theory, early job instability predicted polydrug problems 4 years later. In support of the theory of general deviance, low social conformity predicted later job instability. Finally, supporting social support theory, early support for drug problems reduced polydrug problems and increased job satisfaction 4 years later.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Gender differences in the prediction of problem alcohol use in adulthood: exploring the influence of family factors and childhood maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to contrast men and women in prospective relationships among family-oriented and alcohol-related variables obtained during adolescence, childhood physical, emotional and sexual abuse collected retrospectively, and later adult problem alcohol use. METHOD: In structural equation models, early family processes (support/bonding, parent drug-use problems, parental divorce and childhood maltreatment) and prior alcohol use simultaneously predicted adult problem alcohol use at two later time points in a longitudinal community sample of 426 (305 female) adults. RESULTS: Significant relationships were found among family processes, childhood maltreatment, and problem alcohol use within time and longitudinally for both men and women. Greater family support/bonding during adolescence predicted less problem alcohol use in adulthood. Men and women who experienced sexual abuse as a child reported more problem alcohol use in adulthood. Problem alcohol use was stable across time. Men reported more problem alcohol use in adolescence and adulthood, and women reported more early sexual abuse. These results contradict those that find no significant relationships between childhood abuse and subsequent alcohol-related problems. Parental drug use problems during the participant's adolescence did not directly predict problem alcohol use in adulthood. The relationship was more indirect in that parental drug use was associated with family-related concomitants that in turn were significant predictors of more problem alcohol use in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: The strong stability for problem alcohol use across the three time periods is a signal that alcohol use in adolescence should not be ignored; furthermore, family dynamics need attention in addressing problem alcohol use.

Adolescent↗

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↗

PubMed1997

The correlates of substance abuse and dependence among adolescents at high risk for drug abuse.

Correlates of substance abuse disorders in teenagers may suggest new treatment modalities. The present article examines correlates of self-reported substance abuse and dependence among a sample of 1936 youth at high risk for drug abuse, from 21 southern California continuation high schools. Among 32 demographic, drug use, drug use intention, coping, or health attitude-related variables, gender, cigarette smoking, anger coping, depression, and addiction concern were most consistently associated with self-reported substance abuse or substance dependence. These results suggest that affect management may help facilitate the prevention or control of adolescent drug abuse.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

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

School-as-community activity selection at continuation high schools.

This paper describes two studies which together provide an example of an empirically based "school-as-community" development process used in a large-scale school-based drug prevention trial among youth at continuation high schools in California. First, we generated a list of schools' current community involvement from 96 school personnel and 144 students from 20 continuation high schools. Second, we reduced the number of activities indicated, with some discussion, to a list of 12 populars. Then, we administered this list to a total of 388 students from six continuation high schools who provided perceived quality ratings. We generated six categories of activities from the results of these two studies. These studies reveal a means to determine activities likely to be completed by this school system and a means to limit the variability of activities which could be manipulated in an experimental trial involving a school-as-community component.

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

The relations of school staff smokers' attitudes about modeling smoking behavior in students and their receptivity to no-smoking policy.

This study examined school personnel smokers' reports regarding how they would feel if a no-smoking ban was instituted on school premises. Demographics, smoking history, interest in quitting, and perception of school staff as role models for student smoking behaviors were examined as concurrent predictors of personnel attitudes toward a school-wide no-smoking policy. Generally, the fifty-nine respondents, sampled from fourteen schools, were interested in quitting smoking, but they did not favor a policy prohibiting smoking on campus. A staff role model index was a significant predictor of support for a no-smoking policy; the stronger the belief that staff influence their students' smoking, the greater the desire for a smoking ban at school. Compliance by school staff to future regulations that schools become smokefree environments may be improved if staff believe or are taught that they can directly affect students' smoking behaviors.

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

Continuation high schools: youth at risk for drug abuse.

Students at alternative high schools may be at substantial risk for drug abuse. The present article provides a general overview of the drug use-related context of continuation high schools in southern California. A total of 144 students and ninety-six staff were interviewed from twenty continuation high schools. The interview data revealed that continuation school students show high levels of substance use. However, only 20 percent of the students report that they received any drug abuse prevention programming. Also, students at continuation high schools aspired to a productive life after high school including continued education. Thus, these youth may still be amenable to preventive educational interventions which deter them from drug use and help them to fulfill their future goals.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

For whom does Alcoholics Anonymous work?

A brief summary of the literature to evaluate for whom Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is or is not likely to be effective is provided. A description of A.A. is presented. Next, support and criticisms of A.A., details of who A.A. seems to help and does not seem to help, and alternatives to A.A. are discussed. Finally, recommendations regarding matching clients to supportive treatments are made.

Alcoholics Anonymous↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of polydrug use among four ethnic groups: a 12-year longitudinal study.

We examined adolescent risk and protective constructs associated with adult polydrug use among four ethnic groups. Both mean and relational differences among the constructs were examined by ethnic group. Teenage polydrug use was a significant predictor of adult polydrug use for Caucasians, African-Americans, and Latinos. Although this relationship was not evident for Asians, teenage alcohol use increased adult cigarette use, and early religiosity increased adult alcohol use. Early parental support/bonding predicted less adult Polydrug Use for Caucasians. For Latinos, general social conformity and low liberalism decreased cigarette use as an adult. In general, the implications of the results are that prevention strategies should emphasize the reduction of teenage drug use to decrease adult polydrug use among Caucasians, Latinos, and African-Americans. Future research should examine other possible risk and protective conditions related to adult polydrug use among diverse populations.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial predictors of current drug use, drug problems, and physical drug dependence in homeless women.

We examined risk and protective factors associated with three qualitatively different drug use constructs describing a continuum of drug use among a sample of 1,179 homeless women. Relationships among positive and negative sources of social support, positive and negative coping strategies, depression, and the drug constructs of current drug use, drug problems, and physical drug dependence were assessed using structural equation models with latent variables. Current drug use was predicted by more negative social support (from drug-using family/friends), depression, and less positive coping. Drug Problems were predicted by more negative coping, depression, and less positive coping. Physical Drug Dependence was predicted by more negative social support and depression, and less positive social support. Results highlighted the importance of investigating both the positive and negative dimensions of psychosocial functioning, while suggesting that empowering homeless women and offering tangible resources for coping with the stress of being homeless may be beneficial to them.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of a videotape on smoking cessation among African-American women.

The African-American female smokers identified stress, pleasure, and addiction as the reasons that they smoked. These reasons were similar to those provided by the other smokers. The African-American female smokers reported greater addiction to nicotine than the other smokers, as indicated by greater incidence of smoking within 30 minutes of waking. The African-American female smokers also identified with the characters depicted in the videotape more strongly than did the other smokers. African-American female smokers identified behavioral coping strategies as those that they would use in their quit attempts more frequently than did the other smokers. Cessation rates were similar for the African-American females and other smokers. Although low, the 9.7% reported cessation rate, or the 4.6% conservative cessation rate estimate, is higher than the 3% 3-month quit rate observed among a group of 50 African-American female smokers living in South-Central Los Angeles during the same time period who were not participating in a quit-smoking program. Therefore the present data suggest an effect above mere testing.

Adult↗