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Biomedical subjects

M T Temple

Publications and source records attributed to M T Temple.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Alcohol use and contraception in first sexual experiences.

Recent research has suggested that the use of alcohol or drugs in conjunction with sexual intercourse is associated with nonuse of contraception, particularly in first intercourse experiences. This paper reports findings from a nationally representative sample of adolescents and young adults aged 18-30 who were asked a number of questions about the circumstances and characteristics of the first time they had intercourse. Results showed that drinking at the time of first intercourse was more prevalent among those who first had sex prior to 1985; moreover, members of this cohort were less likely to use condoms or other forms of birth control at the time of first intercourse. Drinking was associated with nonuse of contraception only among those who had their first sexual experience prior to 1985. The results are discussed in terms of historical changes in the sexual climate of the AIDS era.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

The relationship of alcohol use to sexual activity in a U.S. national sample.

Recent reports have indicated that the use of alcohol is related to sexual behavior (such as unprotected intercourse) that is high-risk for HIV infection. However, most of these studies have collected data from convenience samples, using measures of varying specificity. This paper describes a study designed to investigate the relationship of alcohol use to unsafe sexual activity in a representative sample of adults. Data were collected from 2058 respondents as part of a survey of a multi-stage area probability sample of the adult household population of the 48 contiguous United States. The interview instrument included measures of alcohol use, sexual activity and condom use. Logistic regression analyses showed that heavier drinkers were more likely to be sexually active, and if sexually active, were more likely to have had more than one sexual partner in the previous year. However, drinking variables were in general not significantly related to condom use. These results suggest that alcohol use may be more strongly related to lifestyle variables (general sexual activity and number of sexual partners) than to more concrete behavioral variables such as condom use. Because these data are correlational, the findings are also consistent with the notion of a general constellation of risk-taking or sensation-seeking activities that includes alcohol use and sexual activity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Sexual behavior of American adolescents: results from a U.S. national survey.

PURPOSE: This paper reports on data from a 1990 U.S. national survey of the sexual behavior of male and female adolescents aged 12-17. METHODS: A household survey using a multi-stage area probability sample of the United States was undertaken in 1990. Adolescents were interviewed about sexual history, contraceptive use, and motivations, attitudes, and expectations with regard to sexual behavior and risk. RESULTS: The majority of 17-year-olds and about half of 16-year-olds, both male and female, had initiated sexual activity, with males initiating at younger ages than females. Sexual activity was episodic; only half of sexually experienced adolescents reported having sex in the month prior to the interview. Many sexually active respondents expressed less desire to have sex than confidence that they would have sex. Over half of respondents reported using a condom at most recent intercourse, with boys being more likely than girls to report condom use. Condom use at last intercourse was unrelated to perceptions of risk and concern about AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of some of the undesirable consequences of sexual activity in adolescents, such as AIDS and unwanted pregnancy, accurate and up-to-date information on sexual behavior of this age group is crucially important. The results of this study underscore the need for in-depth, population-based research on adolescent sexual behavior.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Patterns of sexuality in a high-risk sample: results from a survey of new intakes at a county jail.

Described the sexual habits and behaviors in a sample of individuals thought to be at high risk for infection with the AIDS virus. The sample is drawn from new arrestees at a county jail in the San Francisco Bay Area. Results indicate that the individuals in this sample are very sexually active: The majority began their sexual activities at a young age; most are currently in a primary relationship; and a large proportion report having had two or more sexual partners in the last 12 months. Furthermore, for the most part, the patterns of sexual behavior reported by respondents did not differ on the basis of gender. Although it was true that men tended to initiate intercourse at an earlier age than women, men and women did not differ with respect to the numbers of sexual partners reported in the last year, frequency of vaginal intercourse, frequency of anal intercourse, or in the distribution of sexual risk-taking. Overall, women in this sample are very much like men in terms of their sexual behavior.

Adolescent

The sexual behavior of US adults: results from a national survey.

OBJECTIVES: One consequence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has been to highlight the need for population-based estimates of the number of individuals engaging in sexual behaviors that place them at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This paper describes the prevalence of various sexual behaviors in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. METHODS: Data were collected as part of a household probability survey of adults (n = 2058) in the United States. Data collected on sexual behavior included sexual orientation, frequency of intercourse, condom use, and number of sexual partners. RESULTS: Nearly all respondents were sexually experienced. Of those who were currently sexually active, 13% (1% of married respondents) had had sex with more than one partner in the previous year. Of those reporting having intercourse with more than one partner in the previous year, 7% used condoms consistently and 23% used condoms consistently with their casual partners. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of individuals were found to have intercourse with multiple partners without using condoms. A minority of these respondents acknowledged that their behavior may place them at risk for HIV transmission.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Unsafe sexual behavior and alcohol use at the event level: results of a national survey.

In recent years, several researchers have suggested that the use of alcohol in conjunction with sexual activity significantly increases the probability that unsafe or risky sexual behavior will occur. However, the majority of studies examining this relationship have utilized general measures of drinking frequency and sexual behavior, and are therefore unable to establish whether the drinking and risky sex occur on the same occasion. In this study, adult respondents in a national survey were asked about the circumstances of two sexual encounters: their most recent sexual experience and their most recent encounter involving a new sexual partner. The characteristics of encounters that involved and did not involve drinking are described. The results showed that although encounters with new partners were more likely to involve alcohol, the presence of alcohol in the event was not significantly associated with risky sexual activity. The occurrence of risky sexual behavior was predicted by a number of individual and situational variables, including sexual attitudes, drinking habits, and personality characteristics. These findings suggest that the relationship between drinking and risky sex is the result of a complex interaction among personality, situational, and behavioral factors.

Adolescent

Preliminary results from a meta-analysis of drinking behavior in multiple longitudinal studies.

This paper introduces the scope and rationale of The Collaborative Alcohol-Related Longitudinal Project and describes the individual longitudinal studies which contribute to this large collaborative project, representing studies from 15 countries. It also serves as an introduction to four reports of the preliminary findings from the project. The project is distinguished by (1) its interdisciplinary research approach which has assembled a multidisciplinary group of scholars to direct and interpret analyses, (2) its use of primary data from multiple longitudinal studies, (3) the parallel analyses of primary data from multiple studies, using comparable measures across studies recorded to a standard format and common analytic model, and (4) its use of meta-analysis to combine results across studies. Its research objectives include determining the cross-study consistency of findings of (1) the incidence and chronicity of drinking patterns and problems, (2) exogeneous factors which initiate and alter drinking careers, (3) socio-behavioral factors measured in childhood and adolescence which predict adult drinking problems, (4) inter-generational biological and social factors which predict adult drinking problems, and (5) aggregate-level factors which account for study differences. The method of sampling of studies from the world's alcohol-related general population longitudinal research is described.

Alcohol Drinking

An integrated approach to meta-analysis in alcohol studies.

The research design and methods utilized by the Collaborative Alcohol-Related Longitudinal Project are described. The project design addresses the critical need to develop procedures to assess the replicability of research results in alcohol studies. Key features of the research plan include: re-analysis of original data from multiple longitudinal studies of drinking behavior in the general population; centralization of all data analyses, developed and implemented by an interdisciplinary core staff; development of the research plan and interpretation of results in co-operation with original investigators of studies included in the project; and use of modeling procedures from meta-analysis to quantify the relative contribution of factors influencing the distribution of effect estimates across studies, including both methodological differences and aggregate level variables. The final section describes statistical methods for meta-analysis used by the project, including procedures for the calculation and combination of estimates of effect magnitude, categorical and continuous modeling procedures for use with effect sizes, and random effects models.

Alcohol Drinking

A meta-analysis of life course variation in drinking.

Meta-analysis combines results from multiple longitudinal studies to describe life course variation by age and sex for quantity of drinking per typical occasion (20 studies) and frequency of drinking during one month (27 studies). There is cross-study heterogeneity for the Time 1 means of the drinking variables blocking for age and sex. Age distributions for the Time 1 means are similar by gender within nations; in the aggregate, males exceed females in the magnitude of drinking. Dramatic shifts in the standardized mean difference (M2-M1) occur among the young; greater homogeneity and moderate change (declines) occur later in life. Implicated in improving cross-study homogeneity for M2-M1 among the young are interval between measurements, nation, Time 1 per capita consumption (PCC), difference in PCC and the Time 1 mean. Lower unstandardized regression coefficients are found for quantity among youth, but are not consistently homogeneous within nations; the association for frequency becomes increasingly stable with increasing age. Nation and interval are implicated in improving homogeneity. Decline in quantity occurs among the old. M2-M1 produces homogeneously higher regressions for groups of the young who increase quantity v. those who do not. Linkage of the group-level and individual-level findings is discussed.

Adolescent

A meta-analysis of change in marital and employment status as predictors of alcohol consumption on a typical occasion.

Meta-analysis is used to combine results of primary data from 12 longitudinal studies to examine the consistency of results with respect to the role of changes on the individual level in marital status and employment status on changes in consumption of alcohol per typical occasion. The analyses control for the effects of Time 1 consumption per occasion and education. Not getting married and becoming unmarried are associated with increased consumption at follow-up and both variables are positively related to increased consumption among older men, but only becoming unmarried was related to increased consumption among older women. Becoming married is homogeneously and negatively associated with consumption at follow-up for younger and older persons of both sexes. Chronic unemployment is negatively related to consumption at follow-up among older males and younger females. Becoming unemployed between measurements is homogeneously and negatively related to consumption among older males and females, but positively related among younger males. Becoming employed is homogeneously and positively related to later consumption among all groups except young females.

Adolescent

A meta-analysis of depressive symptomatology and alcohol consumption over time.

Meta-analysis (eight general population longitudinal studies) describes the relationships (regressions) between quantity per occasion and depressive symptomatology over time. Quantity and depression are the strongest and most consistent predictors of final levels of themselves in all data sets. Age significantly and consistently predicts quantity for both sexes combined (the general pattern is replicated among males only). Depression significantly predicts quantity and quantity significantly predicts depression for females. Controlling for interval between measurements produces stronger prediction (more consistent over shorter intervals) for males. Depression only predicts quantity over longer intervals and quantity only predicts depression over shorter intervals for females. Explicit control for age found stronger relationships between initial and final measurement quantity, and depression for males. Quantity and depression significantly predict quantity and depression among young females. The relationship between quantity and depression among females illustrates the importance of controlling for age and sex. Methodological considerations are discussed.

Adult

Long-term outcomes of drinking: a 20-year longitudinal study of men.

This paper examines long-term changes in drinking, with regard to: (a) the degree to which overall patterns of drinking have shifted or remained across a 20-year period; (b) whether these patterns vary on the basis of age; and (c) the degree to which distinct patterns of drinking may be differentially subject to mortality and/or nonresponse. Data for this investigation are from a 20-year prospective follow-up study of two general population surveys. The first of these was originally interviewed in 1964 and consists of interviews with 405 males aged 23 and older; the second, originally interviewed in 1967, consists of interviews with 786 males aged 21-59. The results indicate that while consumption was modestly associated with mortality from all causes, no significant relationship was observed between consumption and non-response. The results also indicate that as respondents aged 20 years, mean levels of alcohol consumption remained stable. This was true despite the fact that when individual respondents did change their drinking, they were more likely to decrease their consumption than increase it. These results do not support conclusion drawn from cross-sectional studies that aging modifies consumption patterns.

Adult

Reasons students give for limiting drinking: a factor analysis with implications for research and practice.

Dimensions of cognitions associated with self-regulation of alcohol consumption were studied using a 22-item Reasons for Limiting Drinking (RLD) scale in a student survey of nine universities. Data on 2,482 drinkers were factor analyzed using several methods in split halves and the total sample. Four interpretable factors accounting for 39% of the common variance were consistently found. Based on core content, these subjective motivational factors were labeled self-control, upbringing, self-reform and performance. Reliability analysis was used to construct subscales to assess these factors. Subscales had adequate internal reliability (alphas = .66-.73) for brief research scales. Relationships between the RLD subscales and between these subscales and selected demographic, alcohol-consumption and problem indicators are summarized. Based on these results and an application in a prevention experiment with heavily drinking students, the niche for such "reasons" measures in participant screening and program evaluation is discussed.

Adult

The variability of drinking patterns and problems among young men, age 16-31: a longitudinal study.

This paper utilizes a longitudinal design to explore the relationship between problem drinking in adolescence and problem drinking in later life. Specifically, the issues investigated include the degree to which there is a continuity or lack of continuity of involvement in a particular pattern of drinking between adolescence and young adulthood, and an assessment of the usefulness of adolescent correlates of drinking for understanding adult patterns of drinking. The results indicate that there is little continuity in drinking behavior across time, and that while an explanatory model using as independent variables the impact of negative peers, family social class, family support, and high school success is successful in predicting alcohol involvement at age 18, this model is of little utility in predicting alcohol involvement at age 31.

Adolescent