Do the Drinking Motives of Adolescents Mediate the Link Between Their Parents' Drinking Habits and Their Own Alcohol Use?

The association between the alcohol use of parents and their offspring is well established. However, little is known about the factors underlying, or mediating, this link. This study investigated whether drinking motives mediate the link between the drinking habits of parents and the frequency of their adolescent children's alcohol consumption and drunkenness.

 

A nationally representative sample of 1,854 13- to 15-year-old students in Switzerland who drink alcohol was analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation

 

As soon as drinking motives were included in the model, the previously significant link between the drinking habits of parents and the frequency of their adolescent children's alcohol consumption was reduced and was no longer significant for drunkenness. Thus, parents' drinking habits indirectly affected adolescent alcohol use via drinking motives, in terms of both the frequency of alcohol consumption and drunkenness. In particular, social, enhancement, and coping motives were prominent mediators in the link between parental drinking and adolescent alcohol consumption, whereas coping and enhancement motives played a key role in the link between parental drinking and adolescent drunkenness.  

The results of this study suggest that drinking habits of parents are not responsible for the widely reported link between the alcohol use of parents and their offspring, per se. Rather, results suggest that parental drinking shapes the drinking motives of adolescent children, which, in turn, influences adolescent alcohol use.   

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Request Reprint E-Mail:   mueller@ift.de 

Influence of Family Factors and Supervised Alcohol Use on Adolescent Alcohol Use and Harms: Similarities Between Youth in Different Alcohol Policy Contexts

Harm-minimization policies suggest that alcohol use is a part of normal adolescent development and that parents should supervise their children's use to encourage responsible drinking. Zero-tolerance policies suggest that all underage alcohol use should be discouraged. This article compared hypotheses derived from harm-minimization and zero-tolerance policies regarding the influence of family context and supervised drinking on adolescent alcohol use and related harms among adolescents in Washington State, USA, and Victoria, Australia, two states that have respectively adopted zero-tolerance and harm-minimization policies. 

Representative samples of seventh-grade students (N = 1,945; 989 females) were recruited from schools in each state. Students completed comprehensive questionnaires on alcohol use, related problem behaviors, and risk and protective factors annually from 2002 to 2004 when they were in ninth grade. 

Relationships between family context and alcohol use and harmful use were very similar in both states. Adult-supervised settings for alcohol use were associated with higher levels of harmful alcohol consequences. Adult-supervised alcohol use mediated the links between favorable parental attitudes to alcohol use and ninth-grade alcohol use for students in both states. 

Despite policy differences in the two states, relationships between family context variables and alcohol use and harmful use are remarkably similar. Adult-supervised settings for alcohol use resulted in higher levels of harmful alcohol consequences, contrary to predictions derived from harm-minimization policy. Findings challenge the harm-minimization position that supervised alcohol use or early-age alcohol use will reduce the development of adolescent alcohol problems.

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Alcohol-Specific Parenting and Adolescents' Alcohol-Related Problems: The Interacting Role of Alcohol Availability at Home and Parental Rules

The first aim of this study was to gain more insight into the bi-directionality between alcohol-specific parental factors (i.e., parents' alcohol use, alcohol availability at home, parental rule setting, and frequency and quality of communication about alcohol) and adolescents' alcohol intake and alcohol-related problems. The second aim was to examine the relative impact of alcohol-specific parental factors on adolescents' alcohol intake and related problems by studying them in a comprehensive model.

 

A two-wave longitudinal study, with a 2-year interval, was conducted among a sample of 537 adolescents (56% girls) ages 12–15 years in The Netherlands. Under supervision of well-instructed teachers, students filled out questionnaires in a classroom setting.

 

The findings show that perceived alcohol availability at home was the only parenting factor predicting an increase in alcohol intake and alcohol-related problems among adolescents 2 years later. Cross-sectional findings, furthermore, suggest that the effect of alcohol availability on adolescents' alcohol-related problems disappears when adolescents perceive strict alcohol rules. In addition, results indicate that parents respond to their youngsters' experienced alcohol-related problems by engaging in more rigorous alcohol-specific parenting (e.g., by increasing alcohol-specific rules and decreasing alcohol availability at home).

 

The findings emphasize that parent interventions aiming at the prevention of adolescents' alcohol use should include the advice to restrict the perceived presence of alcohol beverages at home. Moreover, to prevent alcohol problems, parents should be advised to enforce strict rules about drinking, particularly when a total absence of alcohol at home is not feasible.

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Family Relationship Quality and Early Alcohol Use: Evidence for Gender-Specific Risk Processes

Family characteristics (relationship quality, parental behaviors, and attitudes relating to alcohol use) are known to influence alcohol use in the mid-teen years, and there is evidence that family characteristics have different influences on mid-teen girls versus boys. This study examined child gender differences in the association of family relationship quality, parental disapproval of children's alcohol use, and parental alcohol use with early adolescent alcohol use. 

Grade 6 and 8 students (modal age 11 and 13, respectively; N = 6,837; 52.6% female) were recruited from 231 schools across three Australian states. Hypotheses were tested using two-level ordinal logistic regression (individuals nested within schools). The main dependent measure was lifetime frequency of early adolescent alcohol consumption. Independent variables included mother's/father's alcohol use, closeness, conflict, and disapproval of adolescent alcohol use. Control variables included sensation seeking, peer alcohol use, and socioeconomic disadvantage.  

The key findings were that for the young age group (Grade 6), emotional closeness to the parent of the opposite sex was protective. Family conflict was associated with females' drinking in both age groups but not males' drinking. 

There was evidence of gender differences in the epidemiology of family relationship quality and early alcohol use. Social developmental models may need revision to account for these child gender differences. Gender-specific family dynamics may be an important consideration for family-oriented prevention strategy. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  a.kelly@uq.edu.au  

Effects of Premature Birth on the Risk for Alcoholism Appear to Be Greater in Males Than Females

A large Danish birth cohort was used to test the independent and joint effects of perinatal measures associated with premature birth as predictors of the development of alcoholism in male and female subjects.  

Subjects were born at the Copenhagen University Hospital between 1959 and 1961 (N = 9,125). A comprehensive series of measures was obtained for each of the 8,109 surviving and eligible infants before birth, during birth, shortly after birth, and at 1 year. The adult alcoholism outcome was defined as any ICD-10 F10 diagnosis (Mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use) or an equivalent ICD-8 diagnosis found in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register or the Municipal Alcohol Clinics of Copenhagen by 2007. 

Multiple perinatal markers of premature birth independently predicted the development of an alcoholism diagnosis in male (n = 310) but not female (n = 138) subjects. Logistic regression modeling with a global prematurity score, adjusted for social status, maternal smoking, and gender, indicated a significant association of prematurity score for males (p < .02), but not females (p = .51), on the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.

The results suggest that neurodevelopmental sequelae of premature birth are associated with gender-specific effects on the development of alcoholism in the male baby: small, premature, or growth-delayed male babies appear to be selectively vulnerable to alcoholic drinking years later. The findings implicate neurodevelopmental influences in alcoholism pathophysiology in males and suggest the possibility of distinct, gender-specific pathways in the etiology of severe problem drinking.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:   amanzardo@kumc.edu. 

Racial Prejudice and Unfair Treatment: Interactive Effects With Poverty and Foreign Nativity on Problem Drinking

Although racial and ethnic minorities are often disadvantaged in multiple ways, little research has examined the interactive effects of multiple forms of disadvantage in these populations. The current study describes the independent and interactive effects of perceived prejudice, perceived unfair treatment, poverty, and foreign nativity on problem drinking outcomes among Black and Latino adults.

 

The data source was Black (n = 504) and Latino (n = 766) drinkers from the nationally representative, weighted 2005 National Alcohol Survey. Perceived prejudice was assessed using a composite measure of racial stigma consciousness; perceived unfair treatment was assessed using a single item. Respondents whose per capita household income was below the 2004 poverty guidelines were coded as "poor"; nativity status was assessed among Latinos. Outcomes included past-year drinking to drunkenness, any drinking-related consequences, and two or more dependence symptoms.

 

In bivariate tests, higher levels of unfair treatment were significantly associated with all three outcomes among Blacks (marginally so for drunkenness) and dependence symptoms among Latinos. Further, higher racial stigma was significantly associated with higher rates of any drinking consequences among Latinos. In multivariate logistic regressions, six significant or marginally significant interactions emerged. For each, the pattern of results suggested stronger associations between perceived prejudice/unfair treatment and problem drinking given either poverty or foreign nativity. 

Although findings were somewhat mixed, the pattern of results tentatively supports the hypothesis that associations between problem drinking and both prejudice and unfair treatment can be exacerbated given the presence of other stressors, particularly among Latinos. Results extend the literature on the health consequences of prejudice and discrimination, highlighting important effects of cumulative adversity and suggesting a need to focus particularly on drinkers exposed to the combined effects of multiple stressors in prevention and treatment efforts.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  szemore@arg.org  

The "Gray Area" of Consumption Between Moderate and Risk Drinking

The objective of this study was to see whether levels of alcohol consumption newly included as "moderate" in proposed changes to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are associated with significant levels of alcohol-related harm.

 

Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 26,438; 51.8% female), we compared relative risks and population attributable fractions for nine measures of concurrent and eight measures of prospective alcohol-related harm among three groups of drinkers: those whose consumption lay within the old 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans guidelines for moderate drinking, those in the "gray area" of consumption between the 2005 and proposed 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and those who exceeded the proposed 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

The gray area of consumption was associated with small but significantly increased risks of prevalent and incident alcohol dependence, incident alcohol-related interpersonal problems, and prevalent job loss. There were no associations with medical conditions or mental disorders. Although the harms associated with this level of consumption reflected low absolute and/or relative risks of harm, their impact was not negligible because of the large proportion of drinkers in the gray area of consumption (29.1%). 

The overwhelming majority of incident harm among baseline gray area drinkers was associated with consumption that had increased over the follow-up interval to exceed the proposed 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

We recommend two alternative approaches to rewording the proposed changes to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that would avoid suggesting that there are benefits associated with the gray area of alcohol consumption.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  bgrant@mail.nih.gov 

In Memoriam G. Alan Marlatt 1941–2011

THE FIELD OF ALCOHOL STUDIES mourns the loss of G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., who passed away on March 14, 2011, from kidney failure due to melanoma. A truly creative, courageous, and groundbreaking scientist, he leaves
behind an enormous legacy of contributions to the field of addiction research.    > > > >   Read More

Global Alcohol Policy Conference in Bangkok in November

The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011 is jointly organized by government, intergovernmental and the NGO sector. Co-hosts are The Thai Ministry of Public Health, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and with the World Health Organization.

See detailed information on the conference web site here. 

 

The conference will mark an important milestone for global alcohol control efforts following on from the endorsement of the WHO Global Strategy on Alcohol in 2010. The conference will bring together leaders from all over the world who are committed to working towards the development and implementation of effective alcohol policy free from commercial influence. It will provide an opportunity for policy makers, advocates, academics, and campaigners to share and exchange their knowledge and experience.  > > > >  Read More

FASD News - 17/2011

ATTENTION: TOMORROW (27.04.2011) - CC Grand Rounds Lecture: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Etiology, Epidemiology, and Advances in Diagnosis

Live videocast

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MadeforMums - Even small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy can harm baby – new study

Drinking even small amounts of alcohol while you’re pregnant could harm your unborn baby, suggests a new study from Ireland. Researchers have found that just two glasses of wine a week could affect unborn babies’ development.

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Private Healthcare UK - Mums-to-be advised to avoid alcohol

Private maternity services might be able to offer women some advice when it comes to drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

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The Australian (Australia) - Mick Gooda backs grog ban in pregnancy

ABORIGINAL and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has thrown his weight behind a controversial proposal that would mean banning pregnant women from buying alcohol in Alice Springs to protect their babies, provided the indigenous community supports it.

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HealthCanal.com (Australia) - Research reveals lack of prenatal alcohol information

Pregnant women are not receiving enough information from midwives and health professionals on the effects of alcohol consumption on their babies, a new research study from the University of Wollongong has discovered.

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Daily Mail (Ireland) - Health warnings on alcoholic drinks can and bottles to be implemented in Ireland

Alcoholic drinks cans and bottles sold in Ireland will soon carry stark health warnings similar to those on cigarette packets, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal. The blunt messages, displayed prominently on labels, are part of a new drive to curb the spiralling social and health problems associated with the country’s alarming alcohol consumption.

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REASEARCH

Alcohol and Alcoholism - What do We Know about the Economic Impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Literature Review

Limitations and gaps in the existing methodologies of calculating the economic costs of FASD are discussed. It is evident that there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive and sound methodology for calculating the economic impact of FASD to the society.

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International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics - Premature birth risk 'linked to drinking during pregnancy'

Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely to give birth prematurely or have a miscarriage, a new study has revealed. The research, published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, looked at the amounts of alcohol women consumed during the early stages of their gestation and the effect this had on their unborn child.

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Neuropsychology Review - Functional Neuroimaging in the Examination of Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Functional neuroimaging offers the opportunity to understand the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on the activities of the brain as well as providing a window into the relationship between neural activation and the behavioral outcomes that have been described in affected individuals.

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Neuropsychology Review - Magnetic Resonance-Based Imaging in Animal Models of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, such as magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), have recently been applied to the study of both normal and abnormal structure and neurochemistry in small animals.

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Neuropsychology Review - What Does Diffusion Tensor Imaging Reveal About the Brain and Cognition in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?

Over the past 5 years, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) has begun to provide new evidence about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on white matter development. DTI, which examines microstructural tissue integrity, is sensitive to more subtle white matter abnormalities than traditional volumetric MRI methods.

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Neuropsychology Review - Imaging the Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on the Structure of the Developing Human Brain

Prenatal alcohol exposure has numerous effects on the developing brain, including damage to selective brain structure. We review structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of brain abnormalities in subjects prenatally exposed to alcohol.

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Seventh Space - Prevalence, predictors and perinatal outcomes of peri-conceptional alcohol exposure - retrospective cohort study in an urban obstetric population in Ireland

Evidence-based advice on alcohol consumption is required for pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence, predictors and perinatal outcomes associated with peri-conceptional alcohol consumption.

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EVENTS AND MATERIALS

ADVANCE NOTICE Fifth National Biennial Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Social Justice - Moving Forward

April 18 - 21, 2012. This conference will provide a forum to share research, experience and practice in order to discuss how we can effectively sustain and enhance the lives of adolescents and adults with FASD, their families, service providers, and communities.

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The 4th International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder The Power of Knowledge: Integrating Research, Policy, and Promising Practice Around the World

Click to the link to view videos of plenary speakers and their powerpoints.

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CONTROVERSIAL. Huffington Post - Alcohol During Pregnancy: How Dangerous Is It Really?

The should-you-drink-during-pregnancy debate rages on, fueled by recent photos of pregnant actress Kate Hudson drinking what appears to be a glass of red wine while on vacation in Argentina.

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REACTION. “It should be between her and her doctor — not anybody else.”

The Huffington Post published an article last week called Alcohol During Pregnancy: How Dangerous Is It Really? (Catherine Pearson, April 11, 2011). The journalist interviews two physicians, Dr. Ricki Pollycove, an OBGYN and HuffPost Health contributor, and Dr. Amos Grunebaum, director of Obstetrics at Cornell University’s Medical Center.

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Genetics of alcohol dependence

Twin, family, and adoption studies have consistently shown that genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. 

Numerous studies have aimed to identify genes that contribute to susceptibility to alcohol dependence. Whole-genome linkage studies have identified several chromosomal regions that are linked with alcohol dependence. Association studies have also identified genes associated with alcohol dependence. 

Alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, such as alcohol dehydrogenase-1B and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2, are the most well-established genes that have polymorphisms associated with the risk for alcohol dependence. Polymorphisms in gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor genes are also reported to be associated with alcohol dependence. The polymorphism of opioid receptor mu 1 gene is of interest because it alters the treatment effects of naltrexone. 

Several genes related to neural transmission have been reported to be associated with alcohol dependence, but results are inconsistent among studies. 

One reason for these inconsistent results is the great heterogeneity of alcohol dependence. Classifying alcohol dependence into homogeneous phenotypes is a good strategy to solve this problem.

Recently, several genome-wide association studies have been reported. Genome-wide association studies enable hypothesis-free genome mapping of vulnerability-contributing genes and are expected to add data to identify genes associated with the susceptibility to alcohol dependence.

Knowledge of the genetic basis of alcohol dependence is growing and leads to a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of addiction, which can help with strategies to prevent and treat this disease.

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Alcohol News - 17/2011

Focus-Fen (Sweden) - Sweden launches new strategy to combat narcotic, alcohol problems

The Swedish government Tuesday launched a new comprehensive strategy to deal with alcohol, drugs, doping and tobacco problems together.

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Monsters and Critics (Germany) - Germany reportedly considering alcohol locks for cars

The German government is considering introducing vehicle locks that prevent car engines from starting if the driver is inebriated, media reported Wednesday.

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Reuters - Hung-over surgeons more error-prone

Surgeons might want to steer clear of alcohol the night before operating, according to a new report that shows a hangover fuels errors during simulated surgery.

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HealthNews - Energy Drinks Mixed with Alcohol Can Cause Increased Impairment

Energy drinks, also called functional beverages, have been racking up space in the grocery beverage aisle for some time.

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BBC News (France) - France riot police face beer and wine meal ban

French riot police are outraged over plans to end a long-cherished tradition of drinking alcohol with their meals.

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Billings Gazette (USA) - Alcohol involved in most Wyoming arrests, study says

The majority of crimes committed throughout the state of Wyoming have a direct link to alcohol abuse. That was the crux of a presentation given by Ernie Johnson, a management consultant for the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, at the 12-24 Club in Casper on Tuesday.

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TVNZ (New Zealand) - Adults need to 'let go of their love for alcohol' – expert

There is growing pressure for the government to tighten up New Zealand's alcohol laws following a report into the death of a teenager from binge drinking.

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Yorkshire Post (UK) - UK girls top binge drinking league

British girls are the biggest teenage binge drinkers in the Western world – and they are getting drunk more often than boys.

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Times of India (Germany) - Programme to keep teens away from alcohol

A team of scientists have developed a program to help children and young adults stay away from alcohol and substance abuse.

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Daily Mail (UK) - Scandal of 80,000 on sickness benefits for minor ailments... including diarrhoea

Thousands of people have been on incapacity benefit for more than a decade for minor ailments, alcohol addiction and obesity.

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Independent Online (South Africa) - War declared on drunken driving

War has been declared on anyone driving drunk in Gauteng. In the last 48 hours, 86 drivers were arrested for being over the alcohol limit in Joburg, as against the 108 arrested over the entire Christmas and New Year. On Fridaynight, Ekurhuleni metro police added another 16 drivers in their region.

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China Post (Taiwan) - One in nine Taiwan kids has bought alcohol: study

A total of 36 percent of Taiwan's elementary schoolchildren aged 10-12 have imbibed alcohol, 11 percent have skipped tutorial classes to buy it, and children living with single parents and those living with neither of their parents are more likely to buy it, according to a study published in the “Drug and Alcohol Dependence,” a journal headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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The Edinburgh Journal (Scotland) - SNP still adamant on minimum prices for alcohol

Scotland’s party leaders clashed in a heated debate about the minimum pricing for alcohol on BBC Scotland’s Politics Show leader’s debate.

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DentalPlans.com - Oral health problems are prevalent among people who use drugs, alcohol

Most people who struggle with drug or alcohol abuse also suffer from oral health conditions, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

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Vancouver Sun (Canada) - Wine gaining on beer as Canadians' favourite intoxicant

Canadians drink enough beer annually to fill nearly 1,000 Olympic swimming pools, while total alcohol sales approach the $20-billion mark thanks in part to the continued rise in wine popularity and price increases for many products.

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Times of India (India) - Alcohol abuse leading to rise in liver diseases: PGI report

PGI, Chandigarh, the only hospital equipped in the region to deal with cases of liver disease, has, in its report submitted to the department of medical education and research, Punjab, expressed concern over the increasing number of liver diseases in the state.

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Food Consumer - Another Reason not to binge drink alcohol

A Loyola University Health System study has found another reason to not binge drink alcohol. Binge drinking, researchers found, could change the body's immune system response to bone injuries.

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City Journalist Directory (UK) - Drinking at Home Problems in the North of England

Drinking at home has become a problem in and around Yorkshire in the North of England, but alcohol knows no barriers it has entered the homes of lawyers, doctors, bankers and many more professionals. In other words if you embrace alcohol you will soon find a receptive booze supplier, alcohol will never fail to deliver that ‘just one more drink’ and now many rural areas of Yorkshire are beset with people with ‘drink problems’ and alcoholism.

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New York Times (China) - Beer Drinking and What It Says About China’s Economy

than the average resident of Iran. By 1991, consumption topped 27 bottles a year, but still lagged behind 117 other nations, according to the World Health Organization.

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The Guardian (Russia) - Russia's heartland in crisis as desperation and vodka take toll

Drink-related deaths among men in hard-pressed rural areas exacerbate the decline in the nation's population.

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BIZcommunity.com (South Africa) - Alcohol advertising ban: media between a rock and a hard place

South African media's indecision to support alcohol advertising ban could be linked to the fact that media companies stand to lose huge revenues if the legislation were to come into effect, one media analyst charged this week.

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The Northern Echo (UK) - Government "missing opportunity" to halt heavy drinking

A NORTH-EAST academic with a worldwide reputation in her field has criticised the Government for failing to back a cheap and effective method of curbing heavy drinking.

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The nuclear receptor CAR modulates alcohol-induced liver injury

The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and a sensor and detoxifier of both xenobiotics and endobiotics. 

Recent studies also show that CAR participates in metabolism of glucose and lipid, and has an important role in fatty liver disease and diabetes.
 

In this study, we investigate the roles of CAR in chronic and acute alcohol-induced liver injuries. 

The results showed that absence of CAR in rodents led to significantly increased susceptibility to chronic alcohol-induced liver injury, which was accompanied with elevated hepatocyte apoptosis and fat accumulation. 

However, pre-activation of CAR by a CAR agonist, TCPOBOP, strongly enhanced the hepatic toxicity by both chronic and acute alcohol infusion in wild-type, but not in CAR^−/− mice. Gene expression analyses indicated that CAR pre-activation and alcohol infusion synergistically decreased the expression of enzymes that metabolize the alcohol in liver. 

These results support a role of CAR in modulating alcoholic liver injury and imply a risk of synergistic liver toxicity induced by alcohol and CAR activation.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:    whuang@coh.org

A Systematic Review of Factors Utilized in Preconception Health Behavior Research

This systematic review critically synthesizes the literature focusing on factors related to preconception health behaviors (PCHBs) among childbearing age women in the United States, developed countries, and developing countries. 

Ovid Medline and CINAHL databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2008 relating to PCHB. 

Six major categories of factors were identified: frequency of alcohol intake prior and during pregnancy, glycemic control/diabetes management, physical activity before and during pregnancy, pregnancy planning behavior, cystic fibrosis carrier screening, and other risk factors. 

A critical finding of this review is that knowledge, awareness, and beliefs of preconception care do not lead to preconception health practice. Younger preconceptional women and women with children were less likely to engage in PCHB. However, women with advanced postgraduate education were more likely to practice preconception care. 

There is an urgent need to educate young preconceptional women regarding the importance and benefits of practicing preconception care. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  Dieula.Delissaint@gmail.com   

Alcohol dose effects on stress response to cued threat vary by threat intensity

Clarification of alcohol’s effect on stress response during threat is critical to understand motivation for alcohol use and related alcohol-use disorders. Evaluation of stress response dampening (SRD) effects of alcohol has been limited by nonsystematic use of varied experimental methods and measures.

 

This experiment parametrically varied alcohol dose and shock threat intensity among social drinkers to examine their effects on startle potentiation, a physiological measure of the affective component of the stress response.

 

Ninety-six participants were assigned to one of four beverage groups: placebo and target blood alcohol concentration (BAC) groups of 0.04%, 0.075%, and 0.11%. Participants viewed colored cues presented in shock and no-shock blocks. Distinct colored cues predicted imminent low, moderate, or high intensity electric shock administration. Startle potentiation during shock threat relative to no-shock cues indexed affective response.

 

High threat increased startle potentiation relative to moderate/low intensity threat. Startle potentiation decreased as BAC increased. Threat intensity moderated this BAC effect with the strongest BAC effect observed during high threat. Analysis of individual difference moderators revealed reduced effect of BAC among heavier, more problematic drinkers.

 

Clear alcohol SRD effects were observed. These SRD effects were greatest at higher BACs and during more potent threat. Failure to account for these factors may partially explain inconsistent findings in past laboratory SRD research. Furthermore, they suggest greater reinforcement from alcohol at higher doses and among individuals with greater stress. Moderation of SRD effects by alcohol consumption and problems point to possible important risk factors. 

 

 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:   camoberg@wisc.edu
 

Brief interventions in routine health care: a population-based study of conversations about alcohol in Sweden

To investigate how brief alcohol interventions are delivered in routine practice in the Swedish health care system.

A cross-sectional sample of 6000 individuals representative of the adult population aged 18–64 years registered in the Swedish total population register was randomly drawn. Data were collected in 2010 by means of a mail questionnaire. The response rate was 54%.

The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions of which 15 variables were extracted for use in this study. Whether alcohol had been discussed and the duration, contents, experiences, and effects of any conversations about alcohol, as reported by patients themselves, were assessed.

Sixty-six percent of the respondents had visited health care services in the past 12 months and 20% of these had had one or more conversations about alcohol during these visits (13% of the population aged 18–64 years). The duration of the conversations was generally brief, with 94% taking less than 5 minutes, and were not experienced as problematic. The duration, contents, experiences, and effects of these conversations generally varied between abstainers, moderate, hazardous and excessive drinkers. Twelve percent of those having a conversation about alcohol reported that it led to reduced alcohol consumption. Reduced alcohol consumption was more likely when conversations were 1-10 minutes rather than less than 1 minute and included advice on how to reduce consumption.

Population survey data in Sweden suggest that when healthcare professionals give brief advice to reduce alcohol consumption, greater effects are observed when the advice is longer and includes advice on how to achieve it.


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Request Report E-Mail:    per.nilsen@liu.se