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Biomedical subjects

G J Warheit

Publications and source records attributed to G J Warheit.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The impact of Hurricane Andrew on deviant behavior among a multi-racial/ethnic sample of adolescents in Dade County, Florida: a longitudinal analysis.

Findings from a longitudinal study are presented on the relationships between the problems and stresses resulting from Hurricane Andrew and posthurricane minor deviant behavior. The sample (N = 4,978) included Hispanic, African-American, and White non-Hispanic middle school students enrolled in Dade County, Florida public schools. Two waves of data were collected prior to the hurricane; a third was obtained approximately 6 months following the storm. Results indicated that females were likely to report higher levels of hurricane-related stress symptoms than males. After controlling for prehurricane levels of minor deviance, family support, and race/ethnicity, hurricane stress symptom level remained a significant predictor of posthurricane minor deviant behavior. The findings lend support to stress theories of social deviance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

A replication and elaboration of the esteem-enhancement model.

Adolescents treated in clinical settings for drug use problems are often observed to have low self-esteem. This has led some researchers to the belief that mood or personality characteristics of adolescents predispose them to drug use. However, longitudinal field studies have failed to confirm a direct relationship between low self-esteem and substance abuse (Petraitis et al. 1995). Evidently, if an important causal relationship exists between self-esteem and drug use in the nonclinical adolescent population, it is complex and mediated by other factors. To address this issue, explanatory theories are needed that can organize the relationships between drug abuse and its antecendent causes including low self-esteem. One of the few theoretical approaches that has been put forward for empirical verification is the esteem-enhancement theory of Kaplan, Johnson, and Bailey (1986a, 1987, 1988).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Disaster related stresses, depressive signs and symptoms, and suicidal ideation among a multi-racial/ethnic sample of adolescents: a longitudinal analysis.

Longitudinal findings are presented on the relationships between disaster related stresses, depression scores, and suicidal ideation among a multi-racial/ethnic sample of adolescents (N = 4,978) all of whom have been exposed to Hurricane Andrew. Regression analysis showed that being female, hurricane generated stresses, low levels of family support, pre-hurricane suicidal ideation, and post-hurricane depression scores were significant predictors of post-hurricane suicidal ideation. Path analysis revealed that being female, low socioeconomic status, pre- and post-hurricane depression, high stress scores, low family support, and pre-hurricane suicidal ideation had significant direct/indirect effects on post-hurricane suicidal ideation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Gender and ethnic differences in the prevalence of alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use over time in a cohort of young Hispanic adolescents in south Florida.

The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of substance use among young Hispanic adolescents of Cuban and Central/South American heritage, many of whom are recent immigrants to the U.S. At present there are very little epidemiologic data on these Hispanic ethnic subgroups, particularly for girls. A cohort of 848 middle school boys and girls in Miami, Florida completed questionnaires in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades concerning their use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. African Americans and White non-Hispanics were used as comparison groups. In general, White non-Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics had the highest lifetime and past year prevalence rates of substance use. While no statistically significant gender differences were found for any of the racial/ethnic groups, the use of substances among Hispanic girls often exceeded that of their male counterparts. A progressive increase in use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs was evident over the two and one-half year duration of the study for both gender groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Teacher and parent perceptions of behavior problems among a sample of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white students.

A multiracial/multiethnic sample of middle school adolescents and their teachers was used to assess whether teacher ratings of student behavior problems varied according to teacher-student racial/ethnic differences and students' perception of teachers' attitudes toward them. No significant mean score differences were found for Hispanic or non-Hispanic white students according to the race/ethnicity of the teachers doing the ratings. However, African American students rated by Hispanic and non-Hispanic white teachers had significantly higher mean total behavior problem scores than African American students rated by African American teachers. Teacher ratings were also compared to those made by parents. The percentage of students rated as cases by teachers but not by parents differed significantly by race/ethnicity of student. Other findings indicated highly significant relationships between student-perceived teacher disparagement and the assignment of high behavior problem scores to students by teachers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Self-rejection/derogation, peer factors, and alcohol, drug, and cigarette use among a sample of Hispanic, African-American, and white non-Hispanic adolescents.

Data from the first two waves of a longitudinal study are reported on the relationships between self-rejection/derogation and substance use among a multiracial/ethnic sample of adolescents (N = 4,983). Significant increases were found for all three groups between Waves 1 and 2. African-Americans had the lowest rates at both time periods. Peer factors, rejection/derogation, and race/ethnicity were significant predictors of alcohol and cigarette use but not of illicit drug use. Peer factors were more powerful predictors of substance use than rejection/derogation. Interaction analyses indicated peer and rejection/derogation factors were independent predictors of substance use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Who is Hispanic? Definitions and their consequences.

What is the appropriate method for classifying Spanish-speaking-origin inhabitants of the United States? This paper presents relevant data from the first wave of a longitudinal study of adolescents in the greater Miami area. As expected, the broadest definition--"up to third generation" Hispanic--identified the largest proportion of the sample as Hispanic, whereas parent self-report placed the smallest proportion into the Hispanic category. When policymakers are concerned about enumerating the entire Hispanic population, a definition broader than self-identification should be used; in estimating prevalence rates, however, the use of self-identification may be adequate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Prevalence of bulimic behaviors and bulimia among a sample of the general population.

Data are presented on the prevalence of bulimic symptoms and bulimia among a sample of adults residing in north-central Florida (n = 2,075). The data were gathered between 1984 and 1986. The sample included 1,736 whites and 339 blacks, of whom 1,040 were females and 1,035 were males. A current diagnosis of bulimia was made using the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Edition (DSM-III), of the American Psychiatric Association. Females had significantly higher rates than did males on nine of the 10 bulimic symptoms. Blacks had symptom rates equal to or greater than whites on eight of the 10 items, and those in the lowest socioeconomic groups (SES) had rates greater than those in the highest SES group on nine of the 10 symptoms. Eight persons, 0.4% of the total sample, met the DSM-III criteria for a diagnosis of bulimia. These included six white females and two black males. Five of the females were aged 18-29 years; one was over 45. Five of the females were in the lower middle SES group; one was in the upper middle SES group. Both of the black males were aged 30-44, and both were in the lowest SES group. The data emphasize the need to distinguish between bulimic type symptoms and bulimia when estimating the prevalence of eating-related problems in the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Acculturation and delinquent behavior among Cuban American adolescents: toward an empirical model.

Uses data derived from a study of 6th- and 7th-grade Cuban American adolescents in the greater Miami, Florida, area. The effects of immigrant cultural adjustment on the behavior of adolescents, especially deviant behavior, has been a subject of interest for decades. However, heretofore, little empirical research has been conducted. Key findings indicate that family factors are related to the development of attitudes favoring deviance, whereas acculturation conflicts are associated with delinquent behavior. Results are considered tentative but important for developing a comprehensive and theoretically grounded model of factors contributing to deviant behavior among Hispanic adolescents.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1993

Decision-making orientation and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Hispanic, African-American, and white adolescents.

How adolescents' personal sense of directedness (i.e., peer, parent, or self-directed orientation) affects the decision-making processes of adolescent students regarding AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and skills (KABBS) is examined. The sample consisted of 10th-grade students in 8 public high schools (N = 2,515) in Dade County (greater Miami), Florida. The findings showed that decision-making orientation and directedness was a significant predictor of AIDS-related KABBS of adolescents. Overall, the level of AIDS-related KABBS that were associated with low risk was found significantly more often among self-directed students and least often among peer-directed students. The findings of this study suggest that future preadult health-risk research should incorporate the concept of differences of information processing across adolescents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Risk factors for early adolescent drug use in four ethnic and racial groups.

OBJECTIVES: It is widely believed that risk factors identified in previous epidemiologic studies accurately predict adolescent drug use. Comparative studies are needed to determine how risk factors vary in prevalence, distribution, sensitivity, and pattern across the major US ethnic/racial groups. METHODS: Baseline questionnaire data from a 3-year epidemiologic study of early adolescent development and drug use were used to conduct bivariate and multivariate risk factor analyses. Respondents (n = 6760) were sixth- and seventh-grade Cuban, other Hispanic, Black, and White non-Hispanic boys in the 48 middle schools of the greater Miami (Dade County) area. RESULTS: Findings indicate 5% lifetime illicit drug use, 4% lifetime inhalant use, 37% lifetime alcohol use, and 21% lifetime tobacco use, with important intergroup differences. Monotonic relationships were found between 10 risk factors and alcohol and illicit drug use. Individual risk factors were distributed disproportionately, and sensitivity and patterning of risk factors varied widely by ethnic/racial subsample. CONCLUSIONS: While the cumulative prevalence of risk factors bears a monotonic relationship to drug use, ethnic/racial differences in risk factor profiles, especially for Blacks, suggest differential predictive value based on cultural differences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Risk factors for suicidal behavior among Hispanic, African-American, and non-Hispanic white boys in early adolescence.

Using survey data from a longitudinal study of adolescents (n = 6760) in Miami, Florida, we assessed prevalence and risk factors for suicide ideation and attempts among a sample of Cuban-American, Nicaraguan, other Hispanic, African-American, and non-Hispanic white 6th- and 7th-grade boys. The results indicated that African-American boys had the highest level of suicide ideation (19.2%) during the past 6 months and that Nicaraguans and other Hispanics had the highest levels of lifetime suicide attempts (7.8%). The risk factor analyses indicated a differential distribution of risk factors by ethnic-racial subsamples, with blacks scoring higher than the other subsamples. Cumulative risk factors were related to increased suicidal ideation and attempts in all subsamples. However, the highest percentage of attempts among boys with eight or more risk factors was among other Hispanics (56.9%), and the lowest percentage was among non-Hispanic white boys (21.7%). An odds ratio analysis predicting attempts indicated that depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, and teacher and parent derogation were relatively higher for African-American and Hispanic subsamples, and deviancy-delinquency was relatively higher for non-Hispanic whites. High acculturation was associated with higher levels of suicide attempts in the three Hispanic subsamples (P < .05).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The Pre-Adult Health Decision-Making Model: linking decision-making directedness/orientation to adolescent health-related attitudes and behaviors.

In light of the broad consequences of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, as well as the increased rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy, and alcohol and drug abuse among adolescents, there is a great need to understand how adolescents make health decisions. This paper presents a model for adolescent health behavior, the Pre-Adult Health Decision-Making Model (PAHDM), which takes into account the differential information processing from peer sources, parent sources, or through critical or reflexive self-analysis. Also presented is a review of the large corpora of psychological and sociological literature on adolescent development, adolescent health behaviors, and, more specifically, AIDS and other STDs as a public health problem. The need for additional research in the area of adolescent health decision-making, and for a health behavior model that is specific to the "lifeworld" of the adolescent, is stressed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Epidemiological study of problem eating behaviors and related attitudes in the general population.

This article presents data on the eating behaviors and related attitudes among a probability sample of 2,075 adults living in the southeastern United States. These following results were found: 45.2% felt guilty after eating, 44.2% thought they had a weight problem, 21.9% had been dieting in the past 2 months; 12.9% reported some lifetime binging, 1.2% admitted self-induced vomiting, and 7.9% said their life was often dominated by food-related conflicts. Females, blacks, and those in the middle and lower socioeconomic status percentiles tended to have higher problem rates than their counterparts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The relationship between alcohol use and attempts and success at smoking cessation.

This study assessed the relationships between alcohol use and smoking cessation in a general population sample (N = 2115) of adults living in a county in north Florida. Nearly half of the sample had ever smoked. Of these, 44% had successfully quit; 34% had tried unsuccessfully to quit; 21% reported never having tried to quit. In multivariate analyses which controlled for background factors, heavy drinkers were found to be less likely to attempt to quit smoking. And, if they had attempted to quit, they were less likely to succeed. Having quit drinking was very strongly related to success at smoking cessation, and slightly negatively related to attempts to quit smoking. Individuals who enjoyed smoking with alcohol were more likely to attempt to quit smoking and to be successful at quitting than those who did not enjoy smoking and drinking concurrently. Those who enjoyed smoking at stressful times were less likely to have tried to quit than those not using smoking to cope with stress. The authors suggest social-situational and stress perspectives as conceptual frameworks for future research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Race, socioeconomic status, and psychological distress: an examination of differential vulnerability.

Using data from a 1985 epidemiological survey of 2,115 adults in Florida, this research has two goals: it tests the proposition that race and SES jointly influence mental health, and it examines the contribution of undesirable life events and economic problems to psychological distress across SES groups. Using multiple indicators of SES and mental health, we found that the evidence for a model of joint influence of race and SES on mental health varied with the measures being used. The most general conclusion is that SES interacts with race to increase psychological symptoms of distress. Partitioning the sample into three SES categories (low, middle, high), we examined the contribution of stressors to the greater distress among lower-SES blacks compared to other blacks and lower-SES whites. Lower-SES blacks are more vulnerable than lower-SES whites to the impact of undesirable events, but they are less vulnerable than lower-SES whites to the impact of economic problems. Lower-SES blacks are more vulnerable than middle-SES blacks to the impact of both discrete events and economic problems. Limitations of the study indicate a need for future longitudinal studies with measures of coping resources and support networks to further our understanding of the race, social class and psychological distress relationship.

Adolescent↗