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Dive into the research topics where Erika Westling is active.

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Featured researches published by Erika Westling.


Journal of Adolescent Health | 2012

Gender Differences in Pubertal Timing, Social Competence, and Cigarette Use: A Test of the Early Maturation Hypothesis

Erika Westling; Judy A. Andrews; Missy Peterson

PURPOSE The timing of pubertal maturation has been associated with cigarette use, but the exact mechanisms by which maturation influences cigarette use are unclear. One hypothesis posited to explain this association is the early maturation hypothesis, that boys and girls who mature earlier than their peers have developed physically before their social resources have fully developed, leaving them ill-equipped to deal with challenges that may arise when entering physical maturity. This prospective study examines the relations between pubertal timing, social competence, and cigarette use in a sample of 1,013 boys and girls, followed from 5th through 12th grade. METHODS Latent growth modeling was used to predict cigarette use across high school years (grades 9-12) from pubertal timing assessed in 5th grade (for girls) and 6th grade (for boys) as mediated by social competence across grades 6-8. RESULTS Earlier pubertal maturation predicted cigarette use in 9th grade and increased cigarette use across high school. Earlier maturation also predicted lower social competence in 6th grade. For girls, social competence partially mediated the relation between pubertal timing and cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS The data supported the early maturation hypothesis for both boys and girls, as earlier maturers were more likely to smoke in 9th grade and had lower social competence in 6th grade. However, social competence partially mediated cigarette use for girls only. The mechanisms by which negative outcomes are associated with pubertal maturation appear to differ by gender.


Drug and Alcohol Dependence | 2016

Does substance use moderate the association of neighborhood disadvantage with perceived stress and safety in the activity spaces of urban youth

Jeremy Mennis; Michael J. Mason; John M. Light; Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; Thomas Way; Nikola Zahakaris; Brian R. Flay

BACKGROUND This study investigates the association of activity space-based exposure to neighborhood disadvantage with momentary perceived stress and safety, and the moderation of substance use on those associations, among a sample of 139 urban, primarily African American, adolescents. METHOD Geospatial technologies are integrated with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to capture exposure to neighborhood disadvantage and perceived stress and safety in the activity space. A relative neighborhood disadvantage measure for each subject is calculated by conditioning the neighborhood disadvantage observed at the EMA location on that of the home neighborhood. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) are used to model the effect of relative neighborhood disadvantage on momentary perceived stress and safety, and the extent to which substance use moderates those associations. RESULTS Relative neighborhood disadvantage is significantly associated with higher perceived stress, lower perceived safety, and greater substance use involvement. The association of relative neighborhood disadvantage with stress is significantly stronger among those with greater substance use involvement. CONCLUSION This research highlights the value of integrating geospatial technologies with EMA and developing personalized measures of environmental exposure for investigating neighborhood effects on substance use, and suggests substance use intervention strategies aimed at neighborhood conditions. Future research should seek to disentangle the causal pathways of influence and selection that relate neighborhood environment, stress, and substance use, while also accounting for the role of gender and family and peer social contexts.


Health Education & Behavior | 2014

Psychosocial Correlates of Physical and Sedentary Activities of Early Adolescent Youth

Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; Ryann Crowley; John M. Light

This study examines physical and sedentary activities of early adolescent boys and girls using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a method that can link mood and behaviors in specific social situations. Twenty-seven assessments were collected across 7 days from 82 participating adolescents, three times in seventh grade and one time in eighth grade. Assessments were completed during nonschool hours when youth had “free time.” Gender differences, longitudinal trends, and associations of physical activities (PA) and small screen recreation (SSR) with moods and peer presence are examined. Boys were engaged in PA more than girls. Patterns of PA differed by gender; boys significantly decreased PA from seventh to eighth grade, whereas girls had increased PA only during the spring. PA was associated with happier mood and was more likely to occur in the presence of peers. SSR significantly increased from seventh grade to eighth grade for both boys and girls. SSR occurred more when youth were alone and was not associated with mood. Neither PA nor SSR was more likely to occur during weekdays or weekends. Implications for intervention efforts to increase PA in youth are discussed.


Journal of Family Psychology | 2018

Influence of parent–youth relationship, parental monitoring, and parent substance use on adolescent substance use onset.

Julie C. Rusby; John M. Light; Ryann Crowley; Erika Westling

The quality of parent–child relationships likely influences many decisions and behaviors made by early adolescents, including their alcohol and marijuana use. We examined how parent–youth relationship quality, parental monitoring, and parent substance use were associated with initiation of alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use by 400 adolescents by the spring of 8th grade (ages 13–14), and changes in initiation through 9th grade (assessed 3 times; fall, winter, and spring). We measured both parent and adolescent report of parent–youth relationship quality and parental monitoring, expecting that both perspectives would uniquely contribute. Discrete Time Survival models showed that youth report of both a poorer parent–youth relationship and lower parental monitoring were associated with alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use onset. Parent binge drinking also predicted youth alcohol onset and parent report of poor quality relationship predicted marijuana onset. Youth report of a poor relationship with parents was a stronger predictor for girls than boys on their alcohol use onset, and youth report of parental monitoring was more protective for girls than boys for both alcohol and marijuana use onset. Implications for preventing use of these substances during early and mid-adolescence are discussed.


Psychology of Addictive Behaviors | 2017

Legalization of Recreational Marijuana and Community Sales Policy in Oregon: Impact on Adolescent Willingness and Intent to Use, Parent Use, and Adolescent Use.

Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; Ryann Crowley; John M. Light

Studies investigating the impact of medical marijuana legalization have found no significant changes in adolescent use. In one of the few studies focused on recreational marijuana, we investigated how recreational marijuana legalization and community sales policy influenced factors that likely impact youth use (youth willingness and intent to use, parent use) as well as youth use. Legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon coincided with our study on adolescent substance use. Cohort 1 transitioned from 8th to 9th grade prior to legalization and Cohort 2 made this transition during legalization (N = 444; 53% female). Communities were allowed to opt out of sales. Multivariate linear regression models estimated the impact of legalization and community sales policy on changes in attitudes and parent use (2 time points 1 year apart). Zero-inflated Poisson growth curve models estimated the effects on initial levels and rate of change from 8th through 9th grade (4 time points). In communities opting out of sales, the prior-to-legalization cohort was less likely to increase their willingness and intent to use marijuana, and the legalization cohort was more likely to increase intent to use. For youth who used marijuana, legalization was associated with increased use, and those in communities opting out of sales had greater growth in marijuana use. Community policy appears to impact youth attitudes toward, and use of, marijuana. Results suggest that legalization of recreational marijuana did not increase marijuana use for youth who did not use marijuana but did increase use in youth who were already using.


Psychology of Addictive Behaviors | 2017

A longitudinal study predicting adolescent tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use by behavioral characteristics of close friends.

Michael J. Mason; Nikola Zaharakis; Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; John M. Light; Jeremy Mennis; Brian R. Flay

Few studies have examined in detail how specific behaviors of close friends put adolescents at risk for specific types of substance use. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we examined how well the substance use of 248 young urban adolescents was predicted by perceptions of their 3 closest friends’ problematic behaviors: (1) using substances, (2) offering substances, and (3) engaging with friends in risky behavior (substance use, illegal behavior, violent behavior, or high-risk sexual behavior). Longitudinal multivariate repeated measures models were tested to predict tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use and perceived closeness was tested as a moderator of the effects of perceptions of problematic peer behavior. Perceptions of peer substance use were significantly associated with tobacco use, and closeness moderated the influence of peer substance use and offers to use substances on tobacco use. Perceptions of problematic peer behaviors were not significantly associated with alcohol use and closeness was not significant as a moderator. Perceptions of peer substance use was significantly associated with cannabis use, and closeness moderated the influence of perceptions of peer risk behaviors, peer substance use, and offers to use substances on cannabis use. Results implicate the importance of understanding problematic peer behavior within the context of close, adolescent friendships. Adolescents with close friends who were substance users, who made offers to use substances, and who engaged in risky behaviors were more likely to use tobacco and cannabis. Perceptions of young adolescents’ close friends’ behaviors influenced their substance use up to 2 years later.


Drug and Alcohol Dependence | 2017

Neighborhood disorder, peer network health, and substance use among young urban adolescents

Michael J. Mason; John M. Light; Jeremy Mennis; Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; Stephanie Crewe; Nikola Zaharakis; Thomas Way; Brian R. Flay

BACKGROUND The current study investigated the moderating effect of peer networks on neighborhood disorders association with substance use in a sample of primarily African American urban adolescents. METHODS A convenience sample of 248 adolescents was recruited from urban health care settings and followed for two years, assessing psychological, social, and geographic risk and protective characteristics. A subset of 106 substance using participants were used for the analyses. A moderation model was tested to determine if the influence of neighborhood disorder (percent vacant housing, assault index, percent single parent headed households, percent home owner occupied, percent below poverty line) on substance use was moderated by peer network health (sum of peer risk and protective behaviors). RESULTS Evidence for hypothesized peer network moderation was supported. A latent growth model found that peer network health is most strongly associated with lower baseline substance use for young adolescents residing in more disordered neighborhoods. Over the course of two years (ages approximately 14-16) this protective effect declines, and the decline is stronger for more disordered neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the longitudinal moderating effects of peer networks within high-risk urban settings is important to the development and testing of contextually sensitive peer-based interventions. RESULTS suggest that targeting the potential protective qualities of peer networks may be a promising approach for interventions seeking to reduce substance use, particularly among younger urban adolescents living in high-risk neighborhoods.


Journal of Family Psychology | 2012

Perceived partner support in pregnancy predicts lower maternal and infant distress.

Lynlee R. Tanner Stapleton; Christine Dunkel Schetter; Erika Westling; Christine Rini; Laura M. Glynn; Calvin J. Hobel; Curt A. Sandman


Health & Place | 2015

Young adolescents' perceived activity space risk, peer networks, and substance use

Michael J. Mason; Jeremy Mennis; Thomas Way; John M. Light; Julie C. Rusby; Erika Westling; Stephanie Crewe; Brian R. Flay; Leah Campbell; Nikola Zaharakis; Chantal McHenry


Journal of Adolescent Health | 2017

Electronic Cigarette Use by Youth: Prevalence, Correlates, and Use Trajectories From Middle to High School

Erika Westling; Julie C. Rusby; Ryann Crowley; John M. Light

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John M. Light

Oregon Research Institute

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Julie C. Rusby

Oregon Research Institute

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Nikola Zaharakis

Virginia Commonwealth University

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Ryann Crowley

Oregon Research Institute

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Stephanie Crewe

Virginia Commonwealth University

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Judy A. Andrews

Oregon Research Institute

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