Fearghal O'Brien

The contribution of inhibitory deficits to dangerous driving among young people

A recent theory of adolescent risk taking that may be applicable to young drivers proposed that young people engage in more risks because they are more impulsive. While past research has found that problematic drivers do tend to score higher on measures of impulsivity, most of this research has relied on self-reported behaviours and attitudes. The present study investigates the role of impulsivity using computer-based measures of inhibitory functioning. Young drivers who had been caught speeding by the police were compared with non-offenders on two inhibitory measures: the Stop-signal task and the Go/no-go task. While the two groups did not differ in their performance on the Stop-signal task, there were significant differences between the groups on the Go/no-go task with the offender group displaying lower inhibitory skills. The results of the Go/no-go task were not entirely unambiguous as offenders were also found to have responded to go trials with a faster reaction-time. The implications of these results both for the impulsivity theory of adolescent risk taking and for the more general issue of adolescent risk taking are discussed.

Variability in measures of health and health behavior among emerging adults 1 year after high school according to college status

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine changes in health behaviors among US emerging adults 1 year after high school. Participants: The national sample of participants (N = 1,927), including those attending 4-year college/university (n = 884), 2-year colleges/technical schools (n = 588), and no college (n = 455), participated in annual spring surveys 2013–2014. Methods: Health behaviors were assessed the last year of high school and first year of college; differences by college status controlling for previous-year values were estimated using regression analyses. Results: Relative to 4-year college attendees, those attending technical school/community college were less likely to binge drink (odds ratio [OR] = 0.57, confidence interval [CI] = 0.38–0.86) but more likely to speed (OR = 1.26, CI = 1.0–2.84), consume sodas (OR = 1.57, CI = 1.0–2.47), and report lower family satisfaction (p < .01), with marginally more physical and depressive symptoms. College nonattendees reported more DWI (driving while intoxicated; OR = 1.60, CI = 1.05–2.47), soda drinking (OR = 2.51, CI = 1.76–3.59), oversleeping (OR = 4.78, CI = 3.65–8.63), and less family satisfaction (p < .04). Conclusions: Health risk behaviors among emerging adults varied by college status.

Post-High School Changes in Tobacco and Cannabis Use in the United States

ABSTRACT Background: The transition from high school into young adulthood is a critical developmental period with many young people going to college, moving residence, and entering the work force for the first time. The NEXT Generation Health Study (NEXT) is a nationally representative longitudinal study of adolescent health behaviors. Previous NEXT research has found that the post-high school environment is associated with changes in alcohol use. Objectives: The current study investigated the impact of school status, residential status, and work status on cannabis and cigarette use among post-high school participants. Results: Living in a dorm/fraternity/sorority was associated with an increased prevalence in cannabis use while attending a 4-year college was associated with a decreased prevalence in cigarette use. Conclusions: Some aspects of the post-high school environment are related to cannabis and cigarette use. Differences in the social circumstances of cigarette and cannabis use and recent campaigns in colleges to reduce smoking may explain some of these trends.

Risk-perception and dangerous driving among adolescents: Outcome- and behavior-focused questions yield opposite results

While some studies have found that those who perceive a behavior to be more risky are less likely to engage in it, others have found that those who engage in more risky behaviors see themselves as being more at-risk. Using an online questionnaire we investigated whether such conflicting findings may be due to the types of risk-questions employed in past studies. We assessed risk-perception using outcome-focused questions (e.g. the likelihood of being in an accident) and a behavior-focused question (the riskiness of speeding). Participants who reported engaging in more risky driving gave higher estimates of their chances of experiencing a negative outcome. However, those same participants gave lower estimates of the general riskiness of risky driving. Drivers may think about the risks of risky driving in different ways depending on the focus of the questions.

Adolescent sleep insufficiency one year after high school

INTRODUCTION Sleep difficulties affect approximately 45% of adolescents and are associated with health consequences such as depression and obesity. Sleep duration immediately following high school is not well understood, especially for those not pursuing post-secondary education. We examined adolescent sleep insufficiency and its association with school and work status. METHODS Data were collected in 2012 and 2013 as part of the NEXT Generation Health Study (NEXT), a nationally representative, longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents. Self-reported sleep was compared with guidelines for healthy sleep. RESULTS On weekdays, 31% reported less than 7 h of sleep; which reduced to 6% on weekends. Average weekday sleep was 7.4 h and weekend sleep was 9.2 h. Few results emerged from interaction analyses comparing different work and school statuses. CONCLUSIONS This study captures sleep habits of adolescents one year after high school regardless of school and/or working status. Implications and future directions are discussed.