Journal of Studies on
Alcohol
Volume 64
Number 6
November 2003
Issues Available Online
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Supplement 15 July 2005
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Selected Abstracts
ABSTRACT. Objective: The Danish Longitudinal Study of Alcoholism utilized a prospective, high-risk research paradigm to identify -putative markers of adult male alcoholism from a comprehensive data-base that began with the birth of the subject and extended over three decades. This article focuses on measures antedating abusive drinking that predicted lifetime alcohol abuse/dependence at age 30 years. Method: The original 330 subjects of this study were drawn from a large Danish birth cohort (N = 9,125) born between 1959 and 1961. The sample included 223 sons of treated alcoholic fathers (high-risk group) and 107 matched sons whose biological fathers had no record of treatment for alcoholism (low-risk group). This sample has been thoroughly investigated with a variety of methods representing multiple domains that included perinatal records, pediatric records, school records, teacher ratings, school physician records and a series of structured interviews and psychometric tests at ages 19-20 and 30 years. The present analysis focuses on the degree to which premorbid differences between the high- and low-risk groups later predicted lifetime drinking problems at age 30 (n = 241). Results: As expected, lifetime alcohol abuse/dependence by age 30 was reported significantly more often in the high-risk group. Of the 394 premorbid variables tested, 68 were found to distinguish the high- from the low-risk group before any subjects had developed a drinking problem. Of these 68 variables, 28 (41%) were also associated with DSM-III-R alcohol abuse/dependence at age 30. These 28 putative markers were reduced to 12 that were entered into a multiple regression analysis to search for the most powerful unique predictors of alcoholism. Four of the 28 putative markers were independently associated with problem drinking at age 30: low birth weight, number of life crises in childhood, ratings of childhood unhappiness and antisocial personality disorder. The regression model accounted for 46% of the drinking outcome variance. A father's alcoholism by itself no longer independently contributed to the prediction of his son's drinking and, with one exception, did not systematically interact with the putative markers to facilitate the prediction of alcohol dependence at age 30. Conclusions: Risk itself, which significantly predicted problem drinking at age 30, was not uniquely associated with the development of alcoholism in adulthood. These findings, rather, provide broad support for the biopsychosocial model of alcoholism, especially for those models that emphasize the cumulative influence over time of internal and external variables in biologically vulnerable individuals. (J. Stud. Alcohol 64: 745-755, 2003)
ABSTRACT. Objective: Although women's substance use is believed to contribute to rape vulnerability, few studies have examined, separately from forcible rape, rape that occurs due to incapacitation. The current study examines the prevalence of completed forcible and incapacitated rape in a representative community sample of young women, identifies the predictors of these two forms of rape and compares characteristics of forcible and incapacitated rape incidents. Method: Women, ages 18-30 (N = 1,014), were recruited from households in the Buffalo, NY, area, by means of random-digit-dialing. They completed computer-assisted measures, including the Sexual Experiences Survey and a face-to-face interview regarding sexual assault experiences occurring since age 14. Results: Lifetime prevalence of incapacitated rape was nearly identical to prevalence of forcible rape, with about 1 in 10 women reporting each type of rape since age 14. In multivariate analysis, age and childhood sexual abuse predicted forcible but not incapacitated rape, whereas adolescent alcohol and drug use predicted incapacitated but not forcible rape. Incapacitated rape incidents differed from forcible rape incidents on several contextual variables, including relationship to perpetrator, activities preceding the assault and victim injury. Conclusions: Findings suggest that forcible rape and incapacitated rape may be different forms of sexual assault, with different distal and proximal correlates. Distinguishing these two forms may facilitate understanding of the role of women's alcohol and drug use in sexual assault. (J. Stud. Alcohol 64: 756-764, 2003)
ABSTRACT. Objective: The present analysis is an attempt to examine the characteristics of bars in which violence occurs while accounting for the personalities of the clientele that frequent the bar. It is proposed that an explanation of why violence occurs at certain bars requires examining the characteristics of the bars, the personalities of the clientele, and how these two types of variables act together in order to give rise to aggressive behavior. Method: We conducted interviews with frequent bar patrons (n = 327), assessing participants on a number of individual differences related to aggression and drinking behavior as well as on characteristics of the usual bar that they attend. Bars were categorized into violent bars (n = 256) or nonviolent bars (n = 71) based on participant responses. Results: Participants' age, alcohol dependence and anger expression differentiated those who frequented violent bars from those who frequented nonviolent bars. The relationship of these individual differences to bar type was mediated by a number of characteristics of the bar itself, including noise, temperature, the presence of bouncers, the gender of the workers, the presence of billiards and illegal activities in the bar. Conclusions: The results indicate that individuals having certain personality characteristics are attracted to bar environments that promote antinormative behaviors such as violence. However, it seems to be the characteristics of the bars that are the strongest predictors of violence. (J. Stud. Alcohol 64: 765-772, 2003)
ABSTRACT. Objective: The present study had two aims: (1) to examine the prevalence rates of prenatal alcohol consumption in a group of women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Southern California, with special emphasis on Hispanic women, and (2) to identify variables associated with postconception drinking in low-income minority women. Method: The study employed a cross-sectional survey that assessed alcohol use rates, demographic variables, and alcohol risk status. Participants were 826 pregnant women enrolled in the Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE) WIC Program in Los Angeles and Orange counties, California. Pregnant women who enrolled self-administered a specially designed alcohol screener. Results: Findings were that 24% of sample women were consuming alcohol post conception. Of that percentage, approximately two thirds drank prior to pregnancy recognition, and one third continued to drink after pregnancy was confirmed. Approximately 30% of white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic and English-speaking Hispanic women were found to drink post conception compared with 15.8% of Spanish-speaking Hispanic women. This finding supported recent research that suggests more acculturated Hispanic women tend to incorporate the drinking patterns of the larger U.S. population to a greater extent than less acculturated Hispanic women. Although a number of demographic variables differentiated women who were abstinent from those who were postconception drinkers, the best predictor of postconception alcohol consumption was the woman's high-risk drinking score as measured by the TWEAK (sensitivity = 70.1%, specificity = 88.5%). Conclusions: Results suggest the importance of screening low-income minority pregnant women in a community setting so that interventions can be initiated to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome and related conditions. (J. Stud. Alcohol 64: 773-783, 2003)
ABSTRACT. Objective: The purpose of this research was to describe women's consumption of alcoholic beverages as it related to their marital status over a 5-year period (1992 through 1996) and to study alcohol consumption around the time of marriage or divorce. Method: The study sample comprised 4,782 women who worked for Electricité de France-Gaz de France and belonged to the GAZEL cohort. The relevant variables collected by five successive annual questionnaires included marital status and alcohol consumption characteristics. Marginal models were used, reflecting the fact that the data were not independent. Results: Divorcees and widows drank less than married women as measured in fewer glasses per day and fewer days per week drinking wine. Women in the oldest generation drank more than the younger women. Getting married was accompanied by an increased level of drinking, especially of wine, beginning a year before the wedding and lasting until 4 years after it. Consumption declined briefly during the year after a divorce. Conclusions: These results may be useful for designing prevention programs aimed at groups of women in the general population in France. (J. Stud. Alcohol 64: 784-789, 2003)