Road to alcohol dependence: a commentary on Sartor et al. (2007).
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Alcohol Drinking↗
Biomedical subjects
Kenneth J Sher
Publications and source records attributed to Kenneth J Sher.
Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model.
This paper presents a review and a model of the development of addictive behaviors in (human) adolescents, with a focus on alcohol. The model proposes that addictive behaviors develop as the result of an imbalance between two systems: an appetitive, approach-oriented system that becomes sensitized with repeated alcohol use and a regulatory executive system that is not fully developed and that is compromised by exposure to alcohol. Self-regulation critically depends on two factors: ability and motivation to regulate the appetitive response tendency. The motivational aspect is often still weak in heavy drinking adolescents, who typically do not recognize their drinking as problematic. Motivation to regulate use often develops only years later, after the individual has encountered serious alcohol-related problems. Unfortunately, at that point behavioral change becomes harder due to several neurocognitive adaptations that result from heavy drinking. As we document, there is preliminary support for the central elements of the model (appetitive motivation vs. self-regulation), but there is a paucity of research directly addressing these mechanisms in human adolescents. Further, we emphasize that adolescent alcohol use primarily takes place in a social context, and that therefore studies should not solely focus on intra-individual factors predicting substance use and misuse but also on interpersonal social factors. Finally, we discuss implications of the model for interventions.
Adolescent↗
Heavy drinking across the transition to college: predicting first-semester heavy drinking from precollege variables.
Parents, public health officials, college personnel, and society at-large continue to be concerned about the increase in heavy drinking that occurs across the transition to college, prompting alcohol researchers to continue the search for effective interventions. In this report we use data from a large (N=3720) prospective study to (1) estimate how predictable heavy drinking in the first semester of college is on the basis of information obtained prior to college and (2) identify precollege variables that are important predictors of heavy drinking in the first semester. We found that first-semester heavy drinking is highly predictable, primarily because of continuity from precollege heavy drinking, but also from precollege peer drinking norms, precollege other substance use (esp. tobacco use), and precollege party motivation for attending college. These findings have implications for both the timing and targets of interventions. Interventions timed to occur prior to college and/or in the early months of college may disrupt the momentum of previously established drinking behavior. Furthermore, interventions may be most effective if they target conjoint alcohol and tobacco use, college party motivation, and self-selection into heavy-drinking social environments.
Adolescent↗
Individual differences in the "Greek effect" on risky drinking: the role of self-consciousness.
Although the environmental influence of Greek affiliation on drinking has been established, little is known about intrapersonal characteristics that make individuals susceptible to this influence. Self-consciousness (attending to one's self) was hypothesized to represent dispositional vulnerability to environmental influence. The potential moderating effect of self-consciousness on the relation between Greek involvement and drinking was examined longitudinally among college students (N = 319). The effect of Greek status was moderated by private and public self-consciousness and by gender. Specifically, non-Greek members' drinking was not influenced by self-consciousness. However, sorority members increased drinking as private self-consciousness increased, whereas fraternity members increased drinking as private and public self-consciousness decreased. These findings indicate that the "Greek effect" interacts with individual characteristics to affect drinking.
Adult↗
Comparison of longitudinal phenotypes based on number and timing of assessments: a systematic comparison of trajectory approaches II.
The popularity of trajectory-based research to characterize developmental courses of alcohol (and other drug) involvement is growing rapidly. Given the increasing use of these methods, there is a need to identify methodological factors that affect course shape and prevalence. Using growth mixture models, the authors characterized the developmental course of 2 indices of alcohol involvement, alcohol use disorder and frequency of heavy drinking, with a prospective sample of 489 young adults (Year 1 age = 18.52; 55% female; 51% with family history of alcoholism) assessed 6 times over 11 years. Then, the authors explored the extent to which trajectory models that eliminated an assessment (at the beginning, middle, or end of the study interval) were similar to the full 6-wave model. Although classifications showed relatively high concordance, trajectory shape and predicted prevalences varied. Misclassification was associated with methodological factors such as probability of class membership and missing data. Findings suggest that researchers thoughtfully consider the nature of the phenomena being studied and the developmental period of interest when designing prospective studies.
Adolescent↗
Personality and substance dependence symptoms: modeling substance-specific traits.
Personality traits related to neuroticism and disinhibition have been consistently associated with substance use disorders (SUDs). It is unclear, however, whether different personality traits predict distinct forms of substance dependence. Additionally, it is unclear whether personality traits continue to predict alcohol, drug, and tobacco dependence after controlling for comorbid antisociality and other SUDs. The current study addresses these questions by characterizing relations between personality traits and substance dependence symptoms in a longitudinal sample of 3,720 college students. Results revealed that antisociality and certain core personality traits predicted multiple types of substance pathology. In addition, several personality traits were differentially associated with alcohol, drug, and tobacco symptomatology.
Adolescent↗
Family history of alcoholism and the stability of personality in young adulthood.
The authors examined the magnitude and durability of personality differences related to family history of alcoholism (FH) and the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in late adolescence and early adulthood. Data were taken from a longitudinal sample (N = 487; approximately half FH-positive [+]) who completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (H. J. Eysenck & S. B. G. Eysenck, 1975) at 3 points spanning 11 years (participants were 18 years old at baseline). Hierarchical linear analyses showed that FH+ participants had higher levels of neuroticism and psychoticism over the study period, independent of AUD. Despite relatively large mean decreases in neuroticism (as well as extraversion), the magnitude of the between-groups differences found at age 18 were maintained over the next decade. These changes thus reflect stable underlying differences in personality and not artifacts of higher rates of AUDs in FH+ individuals, recently living in an alcoholic home, vulnerability to the developmental challenge of leaving home, and/or a developmental lag.
Adolescent↗
Characterizing alcohol dependence: transitions during young and middle adulthood.
Community and high-risk sample studies suggest that alcohol dependence is relatively stable and chronic. By contrast, epidemiological studies demonstrate a strong age-graded decline whereby alcohol dependence tends to peak in early adulthood and declines thereafter. The authors identified the latent trajectory structure of past-year alcohol dependence to investigate (a) whether the syndrome is characterized by symptom profiles and (b) the extent to which the syndrome is stable and persistent. Data from current drinkers (N = 4,003) in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed across two waves: 1989 (ages 24-32 years) and 1994 (ages 29-37 years). Three classes of alcohol dependence were observed; symptom endorsement probabilities increased across successively severe classes. Latent transition analyses showed high rates of stability, supporting alcohol dependence as a relatively chronic condition. Although there was evidence of progression to more severe dependence, there was greater syndrome remission. Trajectory classes and transition probabilities were generalizable across race and sex and, to a lesser extent, age cohort and family history of alcoholism.
Adolescent↗
Alcohol dependence symptoms among college freshmen: prevalence, stability, and person-environment interactions.
College students are at risk for problematic alcohol use. Few studies, however, have examined alcohol dependence symptoms within a college sample. The current study assesses the prevalence, predictors, and stability of proxy Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) alcohol dependence symptoms among college freshmen. Participants were 3,720 freshmen taking part in a longitudinal study. Participants completed measures of alcohol use, fraternity and sorority membership, and behavioral undercontrol. Results revealed that alcohol dependence symptoms were prevalent and moderately stable among college freshmen. Both membership in a Greek organization and behavioral undercontrol predicted responses to our alcohol dependence proxy. In addition, Greek status interacted with behavioral undercontrol to predict alcohol dependence symptoms, such that Greek members high in behavioral undercontrol were especially vulnerable to symptoms of dependence.
Adolescent↗
Searching for the full picture: structural equation modeling in alcohol research.
This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium presented at the 2005 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Santa Barbara, California. This symposium begins with a description by Michael Windle of structural equation modeling (SEM), including the assets and liabilities of this approach. Next, Marc Schuckit and Tom Smith demonstrate the application of an SEM approach to understanding the impact of a low level of response to alcohol, using data from both adolescent and adult populations. Victor Hesselbrock and colleagues next review the results when an SEM approach is used in the longitudinal study of externalizing behaviors. This is followed by a description of the application of SEM to an affect-related model as discussed by John Kramer and Kathleen Bucholz. Finally, Kenneth Sher offers thoughts on how to place these findings into perspective.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
Female offspring of alcoholic individuals: recent findings on alcoholism and psychopathology risks: symposium presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism, 2004, Vancouver Aruna Gogineni, Chair.
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Adolescent↗
Investigation of profiles of risk factors for adolescent psychopathology: a person-centered approach.
Latent variable mixture modeling was used to identify subgroups of adolescents with distinct profiles of risk factors from individual, family, peer, and broader contextual domains. Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Four-class models provided the most theoretically meaningful solutions for both 7th (n = 907; 48% boys) and 11th (n = 1039; 51% boys) graders. The 4-class solution for 7th graders included low risk (LR; 66%), socioeconomic disadvantage (SD; 19%), peer high risk (PHR; 9%), and family high risk (FHR; 6%) groups. Similarly, the 4-class model for 11th graders included LR (32%), SD (43%), high risk (HR; 21%), and FHR (4%) groups. Subgroup membership predicted reported levels of depressive symptoms and conduct problems both concurrently and over time. Strengths and potential limitations of using latent variable mixture modeling to investigate risk profiles for adolescent psychopathology are discussed.
Adolescent↗
Risk for minor childhood injury: an investigation of maternal and child factors.
OBJECTIVE: To examine how maternal and child characteristics interact to moderate injury rate and injury severity for young children. METHODS: In this study, 149 mothers reported their toddlers' injuries over a 6-month period during biweekly interviews. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing parenting behaviors, psychological characteristics, and their children's injury-relevant behaviors. RESULTS: Maternal locus of control was found to moderate the association between children's risky behavior and child injury rate. Specifically, an external locus of control was associated with increased child injury rate for high-risk but not for low-risk children. CONCLUSION: These findings illuminate the potential importance of parental locus of control in moderating high-risk injury-relevant behavior.
Child, Preschool↗
Drinking among college students. Consumption and consequences.
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Achievement↗
Hangover frequency and risk for alcohol use disorders: evidence from a longitudinal high-risk study.
Data from a prospective high-risk study (N=489; 51% with a family history of alcoholism) were used to test whether family history is associated with greater hangover proneness and whether hangover is a risk factor for alcohol use disorders. Hangover was more frequent in family-history-positive participants during the college years. Persons with an alcohol diagnosis showed excess hangover before earning a diagnosis. Year 1 hangover predicted alcohol use disorders at Years 7 and 11, even when family history, sex, Year 1 diagnoses, and Year 1 drinking were statistically controlled. Several nonhangover drinking symptoms failed to predict later diagnoses. Taken together, the findings suggest a need for further research and theory on the role of hangover in the etiology of drinking problems.
Alcohol-Related Disorders↗
Conjoint developmental trajectories of young adult alcohol and tobacco use.
Developmental and etiological advances have set the stage for considering trajectories of problem behavior across the life course, but little work thus far addresses co-occurring problem behavior trajectories. Although recent work characterizes drinking and smoking trajectories, none has explored the course of concurrent drinking and smoking. Using panel data from the Monitoring the Future Project (N=32,087), the authors applied growth mixture modeling to 4 waves of heavy drinking and smoking in a young-adult sample. The authors extracted a single latent group membership factor from heavy drinking and smoking. Associations between trajectory classes and risk factors were relatively unique to the substance being predicted. The association of smoking with alcohol expectancies and delinquency appeared to exist by virtue of smoking's comorbidity with drinking.
Adult↗
Similarities and differences of longitudinal phenotypes across alternate indices of alcohol involvement: a methodologic comparison of trajectory approaches.
Extant developmental research distinguishing young adults who moderate versus persist in alcohol consumption has not consistently evaluated the domain of alcohol involvement being modeled, making it difficult to compare findings across studies. In the present study, the authors characterized the developmental course of 5 indices of alcohol involvement using a prospective (6-wave) sample of 377 young adults (Year 1 age = 18.52 years; 55% female; 51% with family history of alcoholism) over 11 years. Growth mixture models were applied to each measure. Despite similarity in trajectory shape, predicted prevalences varied, and the consistency of trajectory classifications across alternate indices revealed low agreement. Correlates of drinking course, however, were somewhat robust across alcohol index. The finding that trajectories are conditional on the specific indices used suggests that it may be hazardous to generalize across alternate indices of alcohol involvement.
Alcoholism↗
Adolescence: booze, brains, and behavior.
This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2004 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, organized and chaired by Peter M. Monti and Fulton T. Crews. The presentations and presenters were (1) Introduction, by Peter M. Monti; (2) Adolescent Binge Drinking Causes Life-Long Changes in Brain, by Fulton T. Crews and Kim Nixon; (3) Functional Neuroimaging Studies in Human Adolescent Drinkers, by Susan F. Tapert; (4) Abnormal Emotional Reactivity as a Risk Factor for Alcoholism, by Robert Miranda, Jr.; (5) Alcohol-Induced Memory Impairments, Including Blackouts, and the Changing Adolescent Brain, by Aaron M. White and H. Scott Swartzwelder; and (6) Discussion, by Kenneth Sher.
Adolescent↗