Molly T. Laflin

Use of the theory of reasoned action to predict drug and alcohol use

The present study examines the role of self-esteem (SE) in the prediction of drug and alcohol use. Consistent with research on the theory of reasoned action, we suggest that alcohol and drug attitudes and subjective norms are more useful in the prediction of self-reported drug and alcohol consumption than SE. In the present study, measures of SE, drug attitudes, subjective norms, and drug use behaviors were collected from 2,074 high school and college students. Results indicate that drug attitudes and subjective norms do predict drug and alcohol use, but that SE does not add significantly to the prediction of the drug and alcohol behaviors.

Is There a Relationship between Self Esteem and Drug Use? Methodological and Statistical Limitations of the Research

Although a causal connection between self-esteem and drug use might make intuitive sense, a critical evaluation of the research calls this relationship into question. The most fatal flaw in the “low self-esteem causes drug use” argument is the fact that only a very small proportion of the variance in drug use is associated with self-esteem across a variety of definitions of self-esteem. In addition, the literature is fraught with methodological and statistical problems that severely limit the conclusions that can be drawn. Methodological problems examined in the article include: measurement of self-esteem, measurement of drug use and abuse, inclusion of confounding variables, and tendency to infer causality from correlational data. Statistical problems explored are: differences between the results of studies employing multivariate and bivariate statistics, failure to report strength of association indices, inflated experimentwise error rate when conducting numerous statistical analyses, failure to collapse several highly correlated variables into fewer factors, tendency to misinterpret statistical data, and reporting insufficient statistical information to allow readers to draw their own conclusions. We conclude that the scientific evidence relating self-esteem and drug use is insufficient to justify making self-esteem enhancement the cornerstone of drug prevention efforts.

A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Transition from Virgin to Nonvirgin Status

PURPOSE To identify demographic and psychosocial predictors for early sexual initiation (ESI) among middle school midwestern suburban and rural youth. METHODS A total of 884 middle school students completed a pretest and a 1-year follow-up questionnaire. At Time 1, 52 students reported already having initiated sexual behavior; the remaining 832 students were included in our analyses. The sample was 58.5% female and 92.8% white, with a mean age of 12.84 years. At Time 2, 105 students (12.6%) had changed their coital status from virgin to nonvirgin. A stepwise logistic regression was conducted to explore the relationship between the demographic and psychosocial variables measured at Time 1 (including grade, academic performance, mothers education, family structure, religiosity, self-esteem [school, home, and peer], perceived sexual norms, abstinence self-efficacy, peer pressure, etc.) and reported sexual behavior at Time 2. The analyses were conducted separately by gender. RESULTS For both genders, academic achievement was positively related and peer self-esteem was negatively related to ESI. In addition, self-efficacy and frequency of prayer were negatively related to ESI for boys, and peer pressure, age, and traditional family structure were negatively related to ESI for girls. CONCLUSIONS Risk and protective factors for ESI should be examined separately by gender. Use of a facet-specific measure of self-esteem revealed very different relationships among the peer, home, and school aspects of self-esteem and transition to nonvirgin status; therefore, researchers are encouraged to use area-specific rather than global measures of self-esteem.

Smokeless Tobacco Use among American College Students

This study sought to delineate patterns of smokeless tobacco use among college students in the United States. A national sample (N = 5,894) of approximately equal numbers of men and women from 72 colleges and universities participated in the study. Eight percent of the college students in the Northeast used smokeless tobacco, whereas 15% in the South Central United States were using it. Seventeen percent of the American Indian, 14% of Mexican-American, 12% of white, and 4% of black students reported they had dipped or chewed. Smokeless tobacco users were more likely to have family and friends who also used smokeless tobacco. Almost two thirds (63%) of current users plan to continue to dip or chew. More than half (57%) the users consumed less than two cans or pouches per week. Smokeless tobacco is a serious problem in American colleges and universities. Unless prevention and cessation efforts target this group, the problem will continue to increase and ultimately could result in an oral cancer epidemic.

Differences between sexual orientation behavior groups and social background, quality of life, and health behaviors

Within the literature, there is some question as to whether bisexual or homosexual persons practice more unhealthy lifestyles and experience a lower quality of life than heterosexual individuals. This study examined possible differences between sexual orientation behavior groups (homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, and no sex partners) on demographic and social background variables, quality of life variables, lifestyle and health variables, and mental health or health background variables in a series of seven national probability samples between the years 1988 and 1996. Respondents were asked to report the sex of their sexual partners since they were age 18 and in the last 12 months. Data from a total of 11,543 interviews were collected by the National Opinion Research Center. Although there were some demographic and social background differences among the sexual orientation behavior (SORB) groups, there was little evidence that the behavioral dimension of sexual orientation is either strongly or directly related to quality of life, lifestyle, or health indicators. The report closes with a consideration of future research questions for this issue.

Implications for the Alcohol/Drug Education Specialist Working with Children of Alcoholics: A Review of the Literature from 1988 to 1992

This article reviews the scientific literature on children of alcoholics (COAs) from 1988 to 1992. First the publications were divided into two classifications: practitioner-oriented and research-oriented literature. Each practitioner-oriented article was evaluated on the following criteria: program description, theoretical model, recommendations substantiated by research, behavioral indicators of COAs, suggestions for intervening, and resource lists. For each of the research-oriented articles, the variables measured, sample source, sample size, and number of COAs in the sample are listed. Additionally, those articles are evaluated for research design, instruments, and analytical techniques. Reviews of early research in this area identified severe methodological limitations across the majority of articles. However, results of this more recent review indicate that research on COAs no longer suffers from previously common methodological weaknesses and sampling biases. The research-based literature also indicated that a large number of COAs are resilient, which calls into question common assumptions about the inevitable negative effects of familial alcoholism. Alcohol/drug education specialists need to be cognizant of the more recent results on non-clinical samples of COAs in designing and implementing sensitive programs.

Initial Findings in a Longitudinal Study of the Effectiveness of the Sex Can Wait Sexual Abstinence Curriculum for Grades 5–8

Abstract Initial findings of a 5-year project examining the effectiveness of a sexual abstinence education program in grades 5–8 are reported. Following implementation of the Sex Can Wait (SCW) program, differences between the SCW group and a comparison group favored SCW on knowledge, positive attitudes towards abstinence, intentions to be sexually abstinent, and comfort in talking with parents about sex. Notable features of the overall study include the use of a quasi-experimental design with a comparison group as well as 12–24 month follow-up and behavioral analyses to be reported subsequently.

Enhancing Adoption of an Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program: An Application of Diffusion Theory

The purpose of this study was to apply diffusion theory (Rogers, 1983) to an alcohol abuse prevention program in order to enhance program adoption. Three of the four stages of diffusion theory (dissemination, adoption, and implementation) are discussed relative to the development and implementation of a program designed to increase awareness of the destructive effects upon children who live with an addicted parent of living with that parent. The program also focused upon resiliency building strategies to use with children in order to mitigate the harmful effects of addiction in the home. Empirical data are presented concerning the dissemination, adoption and implementation phases of the program.

Sensitivity and specificity of a reagent-impregnated test strip in identifying smokeless tobacco users.

This study was designed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a reagent-impregnated test strip in identifying habitual snuff users and tobacco chewers. Urine specimens were obtained from smokeless tobacco users and controls and blind tested on-site using a reagent-impregnated test strip. Samples also were sent to our university hospital lab for cotinine and nicotine analysis by gas chromatography (GC). The test strip results were compared with GC results and self-reported use of snuff and chewing tobacco. A total of 61 subjects enrolled in the study: 26 snuff users, 25 tobacco chewers, and 10 nonconsumers of nicotine. Using GC assessment of nicotine and cotinine (>or=200 ng/ml) as the standard, we found the sensitivity of the test strip to be 96% (25/26) for snuff users and 96% (24/25) for tobacco chewers. When compared with self-report, the sensitivity of the test strip was 92.3% (24/26) for snuff users and 84% (21/25) for tobacco chewers. The specificity for nonusers of nicotine was 100% (10/10) for both the self-report and GC conditions. These results suggest that a reagent-impregnated test strip is a rapid, valid, and user-friendly means of differentiating smokeless tobacco users from nonconsumers of tobacco. The intensity of the pink color on the test strip is proportional to the amount of nicotine or its metabolites present in urine and therefore offers a semiquantitative measure of nicotine consumption.

Results of a Pilot Health Promotion Program on Non-Facility Based Sales Personnel

Abstract The one-year pilot study examined the effectiveness of a wellness program in a dispersed group of non-facility based sales personnel. The program was designed using the PRECEDE model. Ninety-four sales personnel of a Fortune 200 manufacturing company (Mean Age = 43.9±8.6) participated in two Biometric screenings and Health Evaluation Questionnaires completed one year apart. Knowledge and skills of participants were addressed by using an expanded health risk appraisal (HEQ) with feedback, clinical screens, health education literature, conference seminars, and workshops at sales meetings. The health promotion program was shown to produce small, but significant changes in specific health behaviors. Repeated measures MANOVAs found significant improvements at follow up for Driving and Drinking and High Fat Servings/week. Concurrent organizational downsizing and reorganization may have offset some of the potential program benefits. Although not all factors can be influenced or anticipated, clearly iden...