Kathleen A. Bolland

Trajectories of adolescent alcohol use by gender and early initiation status

Within the adolescent risk behavior literature, questions remain about relationships among behaviors in early adolescence, gender, context, and negative social and health outcomes. Additionally, little attention has focused on trajectories of adolescent risk behavior among impoverished African American youth. Using data from the Mobile Youth Survey, a multiple cohort longitudinal study of adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods, we have reduced gaps in the literature by identifying trajectories of alcohol use for males and females separately as a function of early initiation of alcohol use. Our findings indicate that early initiation of alcohol use predicts escalating use at least through age 17. Results are especially notable for females who begin drinking before age 12: They drink significantly more than any other group at age 12 and their trajectory remains the highest through age 17. Our findings about the escalation of drinking have implications for efforts to improve the lives of impoverished adolescents.

Chaos Theory: An Alternative Approach to Social Work Practice and Research

Complexity theory, better known as chaos theory, has much to offer social work as a frame of reference for dealing with the uncertainty that characterizes many social work practice issues. To encourage social workers to think in terms of chaos theory, we discuss the origins of the theory and a variety of ways in which it has been used in other fields. We suggest how chaos theory can provide a useful alternative way of thinking about social work practice and research.

Practitioner Perspectives of Evidence-Based Practice

Social work practitioners decide when and how to use evidence in their practice. There remains, however, little evidence to date about social workers’ perspectives about and implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP). This survey of a national sample of social workers adds to our knowledge about how social workers locate information, how they determine the usefulness of the information, what barriers exist for the use of an EBP process, and whether their workplaces are oriented toward EBP. Findings suggest that barriers may be more complex than previously reported, but that social workers find evidence, read the professional literature, and consult with peers and mentors, often despite poor workplace support. Suggestions for dissemination of information are made, and a model of evidence use in practice is proposed.

The Multiculturalism Debate and Social Work Education: A Response to Dorothy Van Soest.

In an article in the Winter 1995 issue of the journal of Social Work Education, Dorothy Van Soest challenged social work professionals to debate competing perspectives on multiculturalism. Van Soest asserted that social work educators have failed to resolve hidden value conflicts about multiculturalism and, consequently, failed to carry out the theme in the social work curriculum. The authors contend that multiculturalism is the wrong construct to debate- that social work educators should be concerned instead with cultural diversity, and that Van Soest’s attack on social work education is unwarranted.

Pill popping problems: The non-medical use of stimulant medications in an undergraduate sample

Aims: The non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) is an emergent health behaviour among undergraduate college students. This study examined the prevalence, primary motivations and risk factors associated with lifetime and current NMUPS among undergraduates. Methods: An anonymous survey examining the NMUPS behaviour was administered in-class to a sample of 1020 of traditional undergraduate university students. Findings: Findings indicated that 35% of students used a prescription stimulant at least once non-medically during their lifetime and 12% had done so in the previous 30 days. Results also indicated that the majority of current and lifetime non-medical users were motivated to engage in the behaviour to improve or enhance academic performance. Further, multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that students who engaged in current or lifetime NMUPS were more likely to be non-freshmen, affiliated with a Greek organization and diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Conclusions: Efforts to reduce college students from engaging in NMUPS would benefit by targeting specific portions of the student body. These initiatives should include information about how to address academic problems without abusing stimulant medications.

Predictors of Gang Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data From the Mobile Youth Survey

Using linear growth modeling and data from the Mobile Youth Survey—a 14-year multiple cohort study of adolescents living in low-income neighborhoods in Mobile, Alabama—we investigate the roles of peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth on gang involvement. The study finds that peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth have an effect on initial gang involvement, but only family cohesion and gender have any influence on gang involvement across time. Males are more likely to be gang involved than females. Greater family cohesion reduced gang activity across time. This research suggests that family-based interventions and efforts to promote positive peer relationships might decrease the likelihood of gang involvement.

Heuristics Versus Logical Positivism: Solving the Wrong Problem

In recent years, an argument has developed in social work research between supporters of the “heuristic paradigm” and the defenders of the traditional positivistic model. The authors believe that this is the wrong argument, and that supporters of the heuristic paradigm are really opposed to a kind of naive inductionism rather than science in general. The authors argue that the whole notion of paradigm shift obscures more than it clarifies and that the argument can be resolved by using an approach to science based on ideas advanced by Popper and Ravetz that avoids naive inductionism.

Relations among suicidality, recent/frequent alcohol use, and gender in a Black American adolescent sample: a longitudinal investigation

OBJECTIVE Examine longitudinally select factors that may contribute to suicide ideations and attempts in adolescents. METHOD Using a multiple cohort research design, surveys were administered to a longitudinal sample of Black American adolescents aged 11-18 years. RESULTS Two logistic growth models were tested with the probability of a suicide ideation (n = 977) and identified suicide attempt (n = 457) as the outcome variables and the recency and frequency of alcohol use and gender as the predictor variables. The recency and frequency of alcohol use was significantly related to suicide ideations and identified attempts in both females and males. These findings were differentiated based on the age effects for recency and frequency of alcohol use. More recent and frequent alcohol use among younger adolescents exacerbated probabilities of suicide ideations and identified suicide attempts compared to older adolescents. CONCLUSION Results indicate that early systematic assessment of suicidal behavior and alcohol use in Black American adolescents can inform developmentally and culturally responsive prevention and intervention efforts.

Does Biology Matter in Parent–Child Relationships? Examining Parental Warmth Among Adolescents From Low-Income Families

Family structure has long been a consideration in research focused on adolescent outcomes. The current study uses data derived from the Mobile Youth Survey to examine how parental warmth differs over time for male and female adolescents reporting biological parents and other parental figures (e.g., grandparents, aunts, and siblings). Using estimation of random and fixed growth effects, significant differences were noted for parental type and for adolescent gender. Paternal warmth trajectories decreased across time for biological fathers, while maternal warmth remained stable for biological mothers. Conversely, maternal and paternal warmth trajectories increased from ages 11 to 18 for other parental figures. Implications for adolescent–parent relations are discussed, with an emphasis on family structure and the contributions of other parental figures on adolescent outcomes in Black American families.

The Impact of Previous Suicide Ideations, Traumatic Stress, and Gender on Future Suicide Ideation Trajectories Among Black American Adolescents: A Longitudinal Investigation

It has long been asserted that previous suicide behaviors (gestures and attempts) are a significant predictor of future suicide behaviors. Less is known about the extent to which this axiom applies to suicide ideations. The current investigation explored suicide ideations in a longitudinal sample of Black American adolescents (N = 977) aged 11 to 18. Logistic growth models were conducted with future suicide ideations as the dependent variable and the number of previous suicide ideations, traumatic stress, and gender as independent variables. Results show, first, that previous suicide ideations and traumatic stress are potent predictors of future suicide ideations. Second, the probability of future suicide ideations is higher when both the number of previous suicide ideations and traumatic stress levels increase, and this probability remains higher as the adolescent ages. These results demonstrate that the long-held proposition that previous suicide behaviors are predictive of future suicide behavior trajectories can be applied as well to suicide ideations.