Juan Carlos Godoy

Patterns of substance use among Argentinean adolescents and analysis of the effect of age at first alcohol use on substance use behaviors

OBJECTIVE The present study used an empirically based method to characterize substance use in a sample of Argentinean adolescents and analyzed the association between age at drinking onset and substance use behaviors. Differences in alcohol expectancies and personality traits as a function of different patterns of substance use were also explored. METHOD Data were obtained from 583 adolescents aged 13-18years (M=15.01years; SD=1.5years; 59.5% female) from the city of Cordoba, Argentina. Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and age at first alcohol use were measured. Personality traits, including extroversion, conscientiousness, impulsivity, and aggression, and positive and negative alcohol expectancies were assessed. Latent Class Analysis was applied to examine the structure of five co-occurring substance use behaviors: frequency of alcohol use, quantity of alcohol use, prevalence of drunkenness episodes, tobacco use, and drug use. RESULTS Latent Class Analysis revealed five distinct patterns of substance use. The classes differed in substance use behaviors, personality traits, and alcohol expectancies. Adolescents with early drinking onset were more likely to show heavier alcohol use, more drunkenness episodes, and more drug use than adolescents with late drinking onset. CONCLUSIONS Latent Class Analysis allowed the detection of groups of adolescents with distinct patterns of substance use. These groups exhibited significantly different personality and alcohol expectancy profiles, likely representing subgroups who are at greater risk for developing alcohol-related problems.

Underage drinking: Prevalence and risk factors associated with drinking experiences among Argentinean children

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and predictors of alcohol drinking behavior in children. Data were obtained from 367 children, aged 8-12 years (M = 10.44 years, SD = 1.21 years; 61.9% female) from the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Several scales were used to assess risk factors, including personality traits, alcohol expectancy (i.e., beliefs about the consequences of using alcohol), and perceived peer alcohol use, for alcohol drinking and alcohol drinking experiences. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the contribution of multiple risk factors to the quantity of alcohol consumed. The results showed that 58% of the children had tasted alcohol, and approximately one-third drank alcohol again after the first drinking experience. Twelve-year-old children had a significantly higher prevalence of tasting and drinking alcohol and a significantly greater frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed than younger children. Eighty percent of the children who liked alcohol during their first drinking experience reported that they drank alcohol again. Among the children who did not like alcohol during their first drinking experience, only 31% drank alcohol again. Underage drinking usually occurred under adult supervision in family settings when parents or other relatives allowed them to drink or were aware of their childrens drinking. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that being older and male, having more peers that drink alcohol, having higher levels of extroversion, and having alcohol expectancy for social facilitation increased the risk for greater alcohol use. The final model explained 33% of the total variance.

Adolescent rats are resistant to the development of ethanol-induced chronic tolerance and ethanol-induced conditioned aversion.

The analysis of chronic tolerance to ethanol in adult and adolescent rats has yielded mixed results. Tolerance to some effects of ethanol has been reported in adolescents, yet other studies found adults to exhibit greater tolerance than adolescents or comparable expression of the phenomena at both ages. Another unanswered question is how chronic ethanol exposure affects subsequent ethanol-mediated motivational learning at these ages. The present study examined the development of chronic tolerance to ethanols hypothermic and motor stimulating effects, and subsequent acquisition of ethanol-mediated odor conditioning, in adolescent and adult male Wistar rats given every-other-day intragastric administrations of ethanol. Adolescent and adult rats exhibited lack of tolerance to the hypothermic effects of ethanol during an induction phase; whereas adults, but not adolescents, exhibited a trend towards a reduction in hypothermia at a challenge phase (Experiment 1). Adolescents, unlike adults, exhibited ethanol-induced motor activation after the first ethanol administration. Adults, but not adolescents, exhibited conditioned odor aversion by ethanol. Subsequent experiments conducted only in adolescents (Experiment 2, Experiment 3 and Experiment 4) manipulated the context, length and predictability of ethanol administration. These manipulations did not promote the expression of ethanol-induced tolerance. This study indicated that, when moderate ethanol doses are given every-other day for a relatively short period, adolescents are less likely than adults to develop chronic tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia. This resistance to tolerance development could limit long-term maintenance of ethanol intake. Adolescents, however, exhibited greater sensitivity than adults to the acute motor stimulating effects of ethanol and a blunted response to the aversive effects of ethanol. This pattern of response may put adolescents at risk for early initiation of ethanol intake.

Adaptación de instrumentos entre culturas: ejemplos de procedimientos seguidos para medir las expectativas hacia el alcohol en el ámbito argentino

Resumen Un instrumento de medicion desarrollado para un grupo cultural determinado no puede ser simplemente empleado en un grupo diferente, y es necesario realizar una serie de tareas que garanticen adecuadas propiedades psicometricas para la nueva aplicacion del instrumento. En la literatura se proponen tres diferentes niveles de adaptacion de un test: aplicacion, adaptacion y ensamble. La Comision internacional de los tests establecio una serie de recomendaciones con el objetivo de minimizar las vias de error en los procesos de adaptacion de instrumentos. En este marco, este estudio tiene como objetivo ofrecer una descripcion de los diferentes procesos de adaptacion seguidos para llegar a instrumentos que midan las expectativas hacia el alcohol, ofreciendo cada una de las experiencias como estudios independientes. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se puede observar como un mayor nivel de complejidad en el tipo de adaptacion realizada, y por lo tanto en el control de sesgos, se refleja en mejoras en cuanto a la adecuacion psicometrica de los instrumentos. Todos los ejemplos presentados permiten destacar la importancia de considerar los aspectos sociales y culturales particulares del grupo donde se pretende aplicar un instrumento de medicion.

Efecto del entrenamiento con un juego de estrategia en tiempo real sobre la toma de decisiones en adolescentes

Se evaluo si el entrenamiento con un videojuego de estrategia en tiempo real podia mejorar la toma de decisiones (TD) en adolescentes de ambos sexos de 15 a 18 anos de la ciudad de Cordoba (Argentina). Se utilizo un diseno experimental con pre y postest con grupo control. El grupo experimental paso por 7 sesiones de entrenamiento de 40 minutos con el videojuego Dark Reign (variable independiente). Debido a que los datos no presentaron una distribucion normal, se usaron pruebas estadisticas no parametricas. Para la medicion de la TD se utilizaron diversas pruebas. En primer lugar, el analisis del rendimiento global en la Iowa Gambling Task solo revelo un efecto principal del tratamiento. Por otro lado, al analizar el rendimiento por bloques, los varones del grupo experimental mejoraron su puntuacion en los bloques 3 y 4. No se encontraron diferencias en el rendimiento en las pruebas Cognitive Bias Task y Game of Dice Task. La mejora del grupo experimental para el puntaje global de la IGT, acompanado con la mejora encontrada en varones del grupo experimental para el puntaje por bloques de la IGT, sugiere que el tratamiento tuvo un efecto sobre la capacidad para tomar decisiones ventajosas, destacando el beneficio a largo plazo antes que las recompensas inmediatas en este grupo.

Psychometric Properties of the Alcohol Expectancy Scale in Argentinean Adolescents Applying the Rating Scale Analysis

The goal of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Expectancy Scale (AES-AA) applying item response theory. Data were obtained from 592 adolescents enrolled in private and public schools of the city of Córdoba (Argentina). This psychometric study was carried out with the Rating Scale Model (RSM), a polytomous Rasch model. Out of the 45 items that make up the scale, 42 items had adequate fit indexes, explaining 91.3% of the adolescents’ response patterns. The estimation error of the parameters was low, indicating adequate precision of the items. In general, the participants’ scores fell within the range of the continuum where the test is most precise. Adolescents’ least frequent expectancies about alcohol consumption were related to sexual behavior (positive expectancies), whereas their most frequent expectancies corresponded both with the Sociability Scale (positive expectancies) and to the Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment Scale (negative expectancies). Implications for preventive programs are discussed.