College alcohol use: a full or empty glass?

Data from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (1993) were used to describe weekly alcohol consumption and its associated problems among a representative national sample of college students. The median number of drinks consumed/week by all students, regardless of drinking status, was 1.5. When students were divided by drinking pattern, the median number of drinks/week was 0.7 for those who did not binge drink and 3.7 for those who did so infrequently. For frequent binge drinkers, the median was considerably higher: 14.5 drinks/week. Nationally, 1 in 5 five college students is a frequent binge drinker. Binge drinkers consumed 68% of all the alcohol that students reported drinking, and they accounted for the majority of alcohol-related problems. The data indicate that behavioral norms for alcohol consumption vary widely among students and across colleges. Therefore, it may not be possible to design an effective "one size fits all" approach to address college alcohol use.     

If you feed them, will they come? The use of social marketing to increase interest in attending a college alcohol program

The authors used social marketing to design and test advertisement components aimed at increasing students' interest in attending an alcohol program focused on reaching students who drink heavily, although the authors offered no such program. Participants were undergraduate students in introductory psychology courses (N = 551). Questionnaires included measures assessing demographic information, alcohol use and negative consequences, and interest in attending an alcohol program in response to exposure to 1 of 12 systematically varied advertisements. The authors found that approximately 20% of participants across all ad types indicated some level of interest in attending the alcohol program. Students who use alcohol reported more interest in attending when an informational message was used. Of the participants offered food, 41.9% indicated the food offered in the advertisement impacted their interest in attending. Results suggest market segmentation plays a role in developing effective advertisements to recruit different groups of students based on their reported drinking behavior.     

Chain reactions in adolescents’ cigarette,alcohol and drug use: similarity through peer influence or the patterning of ties in peer networks?

Similarity in substance use among adolescents and their peers is usually attributed to peer influence or, occasionally, to either peer influence or selection. This paper suggests that similarity is due to both peer influence and selection. For some adolescents, peer influence outside the chain occurs first and selection follows; for others, selection occurs first and peer influence within the chain follows. Whichever occurs first, all adolescents are selected and nearly all are influenced. Peer networks contribute to similarity by providing a pattern of peer ties in which peer influence can flourish. Chain reactions result from the pattern and peer influence.     

Where do underage college students get alcohol?

Alcohol consumption and related problems are common among underage college students, yet qualitative, in-depth information on how/where these students obtain alcohol is limited. We conducted focus groups pertaining to access to alcohol and related issues with 19 underage college students. They reported that alcohol is easy to obtain from a variety of sources, with friends/acquaintances who are of legal age or those with a false ID being the most common. Parties were also common sources, but "shoulder tapping" (i.e., asking a stranger to purchase alcohol) was not common. Disagreement arose over whether underage fraternity/sorority members have greater access to alcohol than non-Greeks. Our results provide updated information on the various sources of alcohol and associated issues among underage college students.     

Can we predict device use? An investigation into mobile device use in surveys

In this study, we investigate whether mobile device use in surveys can be predicted. We aim to identify possible motives for device use and build a model by drawing on theory from technology acceptance research and survey research. We then test this model with a Structural Equation Modeling approach using data of seven waves of the GESIS panel. We test whether our theoretical model fits the data by focusing on measures of fit, and by studying the standardized effects of the model. Results reveal that intention to use a particular device can predict actual use quite well. Ease of smartphone use is the most meaningful variable: if people use a smartphone for specific tasks, their intention to use a smartphone for survey completion is also more likely. In conclusion, investing in ease of use of mobile survey completion could encourage respondents to use mobile devices. This can foremost be established by building well-designed surveys for mobile devices.     

Illegal use—a pilot study

Abstract

MOTHERS AND FATHERS SPEAK Norma Tracey (1993), Apollo Books, Sydney. 235pp. $25.00 (paper)

STRUCTURAL SOCIAL WORK Robert Mullaly (1993), McLelland and Stewart Inc., Toronto, Canada. 240pp. $40.00 approx. (paper)

HUMAN SERVICES PRACTICE, EVALUATION AND COMPUTERS Paula Nurius and Walter Hudson (1993), Brooks/Cole Publishing, Pacific Grove, California. $82.95 (paper)

UNDERSTANDING AGEING: IMAGES, ATTITUDES AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Simon Biggs (1993), Open University Press, Buckingham. 195pp, $45.00 (paper)

A GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE IN GERIATRIC LONG-TERM CARE Peter A. Lichtenberg (1994), The Haworth Press, NY. 209pp, $US34.95 (paper)

OPTIONS FOR THE ELDERLY AND THOSE WHO CARE FOR THEM Glenda Banks (1994), Hale &; Iremonger, Sydney. 175pp, $16.95 (naner)     

Do designated drivers and workplace policies effect alcohol consumption?

Is there a link between designated driver usage and alcohol consumption? We hypothesize that the use of a designated driver lowers the cost of drinking which, in turn, increases alcohol consumption. We examine the effect on drinking intensity (which incorporates low levels of alcohol use) and binge drinking (which measures greater alcohol use), using a proxy for designated driver usage. If workplace rules forbid alcohol use for safety or other reasons, a large potential cost of drinking is the possible job loss (or other penalty) incurred if an employed person tests positive for alcohol. We add variables to our model related to workplace policies on alcohol use by workers to ascertain if designated drivers still influence drinking. We test these hypotheses utilizing a large dataset from the 2006 and 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) which includes several measures of alcohol use, in addition to a host of other correlates. Findings reveal that our proxy for designated driver use increases the incidence of drinking and the results hold even after controlling for workplace alcohol testing.     

Is there evidence to show that fetal alcohol syndrome can be prevented?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is currently the major cause of mental retardation in the Western world. Since FAS is not a natural phenomenon and is created by mixing alcohol and pregnancy, the solution to decreasing the incidence of all alcohol-related birth defects is therefore entirely preventable. To date, little is known about the effectiveness of prevention programs in reducing the incidence of FAS. Therefore, it is the intention of this article to review the effectiveness of prevention programs in lowering the incidence of FAS. The present review revealed that prevention programs, to date, have been successful in raising awareness of FAS levels across the groups examined. However, this awareness has not been translated into behavioral changes in "high risk" drinkers as consumption levels in this group have decreased only marginally, indicating prevention programs have had minimal or no impact in lowering the incidence of FAS. Urgent steps must now be taken to fully test prevention programs, and find new strategies involving both sexes, to reduce and ultimately eliminate the incidence of FAS.     

Contraceptive self-efficacy: does it influence adolescents' contraceptive use?

This research investigates the relationship between contraceptive self-efficacy and contraceptive use, measured one year later, among adolescent boys and girls. Data are obtained from the two waves of the restricted use sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 3,577). Employing multiple regression and logistic regression strategies, we examine whether demographic and background characteristics influence contraceptive self-efficacy, and whether contraceptive self-efficacy increases the likelihood of contraceptive use. We find that adolescents who are female, older, live with step-parents, and whose mothers approve of contraceptive use report higher contraceptive self-efficacy, while adolescents whose mothers did not complete high school report lower contraceptive self-efficacy. Results partially support the expectation that adolescents with higher contraceptive self-efficacy act accordingly by using contraceptives.     

Coitus‐dependent contraceptives: Factors associated with effective use

The factors associated with adequate contraceptive use among university women relying on coitus‐dependent contraceptives were examined. Sixty‐nine sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 34 completed daily logs of their sexual activity, contraceptive behavior and basal body temperature over three menstrual cycles. Contraceptive use was analyzed by menstrual cycle phase and results indicated that frequency of use was significantly higher during the ovulatory phase as compared to the menstrual period. Additional findings using discriminant function analysis indicated that compared to risk takers, non‐risk takers were more likely to initiate sexual intercourse, have more orgasms, have a non‐Catholic background, be living with their partners and have been in their relationships longer. These data suggest that women in less stable relationships and with more sexual inhibitions may be more at risk of an unwanted pregnancy.     

Does marijuana use lead to aggression and violent behavior?

Marijuana use and violent behavior are causing widespread public concern. This article reviews theory and research on the relation between marijuana use and aggressive/violent behavior. It is evident from the inconsistent findings in the literature that the exact nature of the relation remains unclear. This article identifies several possible reasons for these contradictory findings and provides suggestions for future research. In particular, more research is needed on the different subtypes of aggressive behavior. Further research is also needed to elucidate the associations between gender, marijuana use, and violent behavior. Likewise, an important task for future research is to continue to tease apart the complex relations between gang involvement, marijuana use, and violent behavior. Longitudinal studies also warrant further investigation. Moreover, future research should control for several potentially confounding variables.     

Digital skills and social media use: how Internet skills are related to different types of Facebook use among ‘digital natives’

Based on the idea that Internet use can be conceptualized in terms of depth (frequency) and width (differentiated) uses of the Web, this study explored how socio-demographic factors and digital skills are related to frequency and types of Facebook use among young adults. It used a face-to-face representative survey conducted in the three main urban areas of Chile among a sample of 18-to 29-year olds. The results found that men and more educated young people had higher levels of skills, confirming that the so-called ‘digital natives’ are not a monolithic group. They also revealed that digital skills did not predict frequency of Facebook use. Furthermore, lower educated young people tended to use Facebook more frequently. Although these results go against the long-established digital divide research, traditional digital gaps emerged when types of use were analyzed. While more educated and skillful individuals tended to use Facebook for informational and mobilizing purposes, socio-demographic factors and skills did not make a difference in Facebook use for social purposes.