Mary Ann Forney

The Validity of Injection Drug Users Self-Reported Use of Opiates and Cocaine

In a study examining the correspondence between self-reported drug use and drug urinalysis, 128 injection drug users (IDUs), who were subjects in an AIDS prevention research project, were asked to provide urine samples, which would be tested for the presence of the metabolites of opiates and cocaine. Ninety-five IDUs provided samples for testing. Of these, twenty IDUs (21.1%) who reported abstinence from opiates and cocaine for the six months prior to the completion of a follow-up questionnaire had their claims contradicted by urinalysis results. Logit regression analyses revealed that IDUs whose primary drug of choice was both crack and injected cocaine and those who were black were significantly more likely to have misrepresented their current drug use status than other groups. The implications of these findings are discussed.

HIV infection and risk behaviors among intravenous drug users in low seroprevalence areas in the Midwest.

We studied behavioral factors that place intravenous drug users at risk for the acquisition and transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a sample of 855 individuals not in drug treatment, living in central and southwestern Ohio. The HIV seropositivity rate for the sample was 1.5%. Three factors were significantly related to HIV infection: homeless shelter residence (odds ratio [OR] = 7.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.0-20.0), travel to northeastern HIV hyperendemic areas (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 1.8-15.4), and recent male homosexual or bisexual behavior (OR = 11.2, 95% CI = 2.9-43.9).

Alcohol and adolescents: Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior

Students (n = 3017) from the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades in six school districts throughout Georgia and South Carolina completed a questionnaire to determine their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding alcohol use. Results suggest that knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are significantly correlated. Two distinct attitudes were discovered: acceptable use of alcohol and unacceptable uses of alcohol, and these interacted with knowledge and behavior in different ways. Students who reported school as their major source of information about alcohol were more knowledgeable and had the most conservative attitudes toward unacceptable use of alcohol (p less than 0.001). White students scored higher on the knowledge test and had more liberal attitudes than minority students (p less than 0.001). Females were more conservative than males (p 0.001), and older students had more liberal attitudes (p less than 0.001). Our results suggest that efforts to educate youth about alcohol should incorporate acceptable uses as well as the negative aspects of drinking.

A Profile and Prediction Study of Problem Drinking among First-Year Medical Students

A study was conducted to determine to what extent first-year medical students are engaged in alcohol use and if specific sociocultural and self-reported behavior characteristics can be used to develop a profile and to predict potential problem drinkers. Four geographically distinct medical schools participated in the study, with a total of 341 students completing a questionnaire regarding current alcohol use and other risk-taking behaviors. Chi-square analyses, analyses of variance, and a discriminant analysis indicated that there is a high occurrence of frequent and heavy drinking among first-year medical students. Potential problem drinkers appear to be White males whose fathers are heavy drinkers. They seem prone to a nonpassive life-style and attend church infrequently. Prevention/intervention programs in medical school can utilize these results to identify high-risk individuals early in their medical career and target them for counseling.

Personal and Behavioral Variables Related to Perceived Stress of Second-Year Medical Students.

A study of second‐year medical students was conducted to determine if selected personal and behavioral variables are related to the perceived amount of stress. Medical students from seven medical schools (N = 555) responded to a mailed questionnaire that assessed their degree of academic, personal, and professional stress. Factors that significantly related to amount of academic stress were general satisfaction with life, sex of student, physical activity, alcohol use, hours of sleep per night, and total number of recent losses and misfortunes. Factors that significantly related to amount of personal stress were general satisfaction with life, sex of student, drug use, number of sensation‐seeking sports and total number of recent losses and misfortunes. Although measured, professional stress was not considered an important component of a second‐year medical students educational experience.

Presenting Problems of Substance Abusers in Treatment: Implications for Service Delivery and Attrition

This study used the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to identify the various problems substance abuse clients present when seeking treatment at a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The sample was 98% male and 73% African-American, with a mean age of 37 years. Cluster analysis was used to identify commonalities and divergences in self-reported employment, legal, family, substance abuse, psychological, and medical problems. Four distinct clusters emerged, each of which could be characterized by a dysfunctional pattern. The utility of this approach in designing treatment regimens, addressing client problems in addition to their substance abuse, increasing client satisfaction with service provided, and decreasing treatment attrition is discussed.

Sociocultural Correlates of Substance Use among Medical Students.

Medical students at four regional medical schools were administered a questionnaire regarding drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and involvement in sensation-seeking sports and activities. Results of the study indicated that tobacco use was minimal, drug use was moderately low, and alcohol use was extensive. Increased alcohol use was strongly correlated with heavy drinking patterns in parents and male students while decreased drinking was strongly correlated with frequent religious attendance patterns. Students actively using drugs were more likely to have heavy drinking parents and to attend church infrequently. Protestant students and black students were least likely to be involved in drug use. Drug, alcohol, and tobacco use were significantly correlated. Those who use drugs tend to be heavy drinkers and smokers. Preventive education programs can utilize the results in medical school to inform students of potential problem areas based on sociodemographic influences.

Incarceration and HIV Risk Behaviors Among Injection Drug Users: A Midwestern Case Study

ABSTRACT Recent statistics indicate that injection drug users (IDUs) and crack cocaine users are increasingly coming into contact with the criminal justice system. A number of these individuals engage in high risk behaviors associated with the transmission of the AIDS virus. This study examines the relationship between level of HIV risk behavior and history of exposure to jail or prison using a sample of 879 midwestem, not-in-treatment IDUs. A number of HIV high-risk variables were found to be significantly related to the IDUs’ time in jail, including: (1) initiation to drug injection at an early age, (2) having multiple sex partners, (3) having a history of an STD, (4) being a daily drug user, (5) daily injection of cocaine, heroin, or speedball, (6) inconsistent use of condoms, and (7) using rented needles. Our data indicate that active IDUs with the highest HIV risk behaviors were those most likely to spend time in jail. Because it reaches a large number of at-risk IDUs, the criminal justice system app...

The Causes of Alcohol Abuse by Young Adolescents

AbstractThis study was undertaken to determine the causes of alcohol abuse by young adolescents. A comprehensive set of survey instruments were developed to assess knowledge level, attitudes and be...