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Biomedical subjects

M J Drop

Publications and source records attributed to M J Drop.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Adolescent drinking behavior: an observational study of the influence of situational factors on adolescent drinking rates.

Adolescent drinking behavior was observed on weekend nights (9 PM until midnight) in three youth bars, three youth centers and two discos located in the most southern part of the Netherlands. Drinking rates, individual characteristics, drinking group variables and aspects of the overall drinking situation were recorded. Boys and girls appeared to differ in the variables of influence on their drinking rates. Boys were observed to drink at a higher rate on evenings with loud music, when they participated in large, all-male groups and when their (estimated) age was less than 20. Together these variables explain 24% of the variance in boys' drinking rates. Girls drank less fast when they participated in a group not buying rounds and in a drinking group of constant composition. Although analysis showed that girls' drinking rates did not vary significantly with aspects of the overall situation and individual variables, still 14% of the total variance here could be explained by the drinking group variables. These results are to some extent consistent with findings from other observational studies on drinking behavior. Most of these studies showed males in large groups to drink at the highest rates. However, only a few observational studies were aimed exclusively at young people's drinking behavior and those studies did not include aspects of the overall drinking situation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Correlates of stages in the progression from everyday drinking to problem drinking.

Data is presented on the following related problems: (1) social characteristic associated with differences in drinking style; (2) variables correlated with intensified consumption; (3) variables, other than consumption level, correlated with harmful effects of alcohol. The concepts of status role, positional role and situation role were used to develop hypotheses. Drinking alcoholic beverages is considered as an element of situation roles in which drinking alcohol is considered meaningful and appropriate. The hypotheses are that status groups tend to differ in drinking style (problem 1) and because of these differences, differ also in the degree to which drinking is associated with harmful effects (problem 3). The three positional roles: living with a partner, care for children at home, and employment were combined to indicate the structure of everyday life. The hypotheses were that people with a less structured everyday life are inclined to intensify their consumption (problem 2); and are more vulnerable to harmful effects (problem 3). Most of these hypotheses were confirmed. Gender and the integration of alcohol use appear to be intervening variables concerning the effect of the structure of everyday life on intensified consumption and on harmful effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Validation of a new measure of clinical problem-solving.

A review of the literature on the assessment of medical problem-solving by means of written tests reveals serious short-comings. Most important is the low correlation repeatedly found among cases, which suggests the inability of the measures to assess a general problem-solving ability. The literature further suggests that instruments should focus on the brief period of time after the first encounter of a clinical problem and warns against the effects of cueing. Based on these considerations a new measure for the assessment of medical problem-solving was developed. This test, called Simulation of Initial Medical Problem-Solving (SIMP), consists of a number of short case histories, followed by an open-ended question. Reliability analysed by means of generalizability theory proved satisfactory and concurrent validity was established by a significant correlation with a global judgement of performance in a simulated patient encounter. The moderate correlation between cases is interpreted as an acceptable correlation among test items and leads to the conclusion that a reliable and valid test of clinical problem-solving should consist of a substantial number of different cases.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1986

Cigarette smoking in the USA: sociocultural influences.

During the period 1971-1979 the prevalence of cigarette smoking slightly decreased. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was lower among regular churchgoers and older people. Higher prevalences of former smokers of cigarettes were found among men, people with a higher education and whites. It was possible to formulate hypotheses on the influence of three sociocultural factors on smoking behaviour. The decrease of cigarette smoking can be related to the distribution of antismoking information, although the relative influence of antismoking campaigns, statutory measures, etc. cannot be estimated. With respect to sex differences in smoking behaviour the emancipation of women appears to be largely complete. The correlation between regular churchgoing and less cigarette smoking indicates an influence of puritanical norms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The discriminative value of psychological characteristics in anorexia nervosa. Clinical and psychometric comparison between anorexia nervosa patients, ballet dancers and controls.

The present controlled study examined anorexic and psychological characteristics of female ballet dancers, who by career choice must focus on thinness, and anorexia nervosa patients. Anorexia nervosa (AN) patients, female ballet (BA) students as well as asymptomatic female controls (AF) were compared with respect to the psychological characteristics: the Drive to Achieve, the Motive to Avoid Failure (Negative Fear of Failure) and the Motive to Achieve (Positive Fear of Failure). The results confirmed previous empirical and clinical findings that the AN group and the BA group can be differentiated from a control group with respect to a heightened Drive to Achieve. However, the Drive to Achieve of AN patients was found to originate in an avoidance of failure (the Negative Fear of Failure), while in BA students this drive was found to stem from a motive to achieve (the Positive Fear of Failure). The findings underline the importance of an evaluation of psychological characteristics in subjects with anorexic symptoms.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antecedents of smoking cessation among adolescents: who is motivated to change?

BACKGROUND: In recent years many longitudinal studies have examined the predictors of smoking acquisition. However, only a few studies have focused on the precursors of smoking cessation. The current study is one of the first concentrating on longitudinal predictors of young people's smoking cessation. METHODS: Subjects were 215 smokers ages 14-15 years who were reinterviewed 3 years later. These smokers were allocated to four groups based on their motivation to quit and actual quitting behavior at the last wave. Independent variables were smoking-specific cognitions, social influences, and aspects of smoking habits. RESULTS: Univariate comparisons between the four groups showed that those with a positive attitude toward smoking and lower self-efficacy were less likely to be motivated to quit 3 years later. No long-term effects of environmental influences were found. Aspects of smoking habits, such as intensity and frequency of smoking, and the context of cigarette use affected the motivation to quit. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in predictors between the groups in more detail. These analyses revealed that differences mainly in attitudes and self-efficacy affected whether subjects were absolutely not motivated to quit or had actually quit 3 years later. Differences in smoking behavior affected the allocation to the more closely related groups (e.g., preparing versus quitting). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' motivation to quit is affected by smoking-related cognitions and habitual factors. More research is needed to decide whether the relation between intensity and frequency of smoking and the likelihood to quit later on should be interpreted in terms of differences in smoking initiation or in terms of preparation to quit.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inconsistencies in adolescents' self-reports of initiation of alcohol and tobacco use.

This study focuses on errors in estimations of age at which alcohol and tobacco are used for the first time. The data come from a 5-year longitudinal study with three measurements. Self-reports about age of first use at the baseline measurement were compared with similar self-reports at two follow-up surveys. Adolescents were more likely to report a higher age of first use at follow-up measurements. Those who at the baseline measurement reported having smoked (n = 338) or consumed alcohol (n = 523) 61.7% and 89%, respectively, underestimated their years of use. By comparison with estimations at the first and third measurement, 13.6% for smoking and 4.6% for drinking were consistent about their age of first use. Self-reports about the age of onset at the baseline measurement were correlated with frequency and intensity of tobacco and alcohol use 5 years later to assess the predictive power of age of onset for later use. With one exception (correlation with intensity of alcohol use 5 years later, r = .14) no significant correlation was found. The results show that the concept age of first use should be utilized with caution for two reasons: (1) the reliability of assessment is insufficient, and (2) correlations of different estimates with actual frequency and intensity of consumption at the third wave are inconsistent. Explanations for errors in measurement, and recommendations for improvement, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Older and younger male alcoholics in outpatient treatment.

In the coming decades, the proportion of the older age groups in the total population, and, therefore, in the alcoholic population, will be increasing. The aim of the study is to assess to what extent older alcoholics form a distinct group within the problem-drinking population. Alcoholics in outpatient treatment of over 50 years of age (n = 52) are compared with those from the modal age group (ages 35-44, n = 55). Results indicate that problems with alcohol are less severe among older alcoholics. Contrary to expectation, older alcoholics did not report more health problems. No differences were observed in the duration of the treatment career. It is concluded that older alcoholics show the same types of problems, but less so than younger alcoholics. Further research is indicated regarding late onset, older alcoholics with multiple diagnosis, and drinking problems in the age group over 70.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Modernization and geographical diffusion as explanations for regional differences in the consumption of wine and beer in the European Community.

Mediterranean and Northern countries in Europe differ strongly in drinking cultures and drinking patterns. However, since about 1960 the Mediterranean and Northern countries in Europe have converged with respect to per capital consumption and beverage choice. This paper explores whether modernization and/or geographical diffusion explain the convergence in beverage choice for countries belonging to the EC. The results show that for wine and two of the indicators of modernization, the expected results are found. The diffusion of beer is not related with the indicators of modernization used in this study. There is no or only very limited support for the relevance of geographical proximity for the diffusion of beer and wine.

Adolescent↗