Biomedical subjects

C W Dent

Publications and source records attributed to C W Dent.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

One-year prospective prediction of marijuana use cessation among youth at continuation high schools.

This article reports a large-scale study of the prediction of marijuana use cessation among adolescents who were regular users at baseline. Social, attitude, intrapersonal, violence-related, drug-use-related, and demographic baseline measures served as predictors of whether or not 566 current marijuana users reported having quit use 1 year later. Quitting was defined as having not used marijuana in the last 30 days and having no intention to use marijuana in the future (31% of the baseline users). Those who were slightly older, who reported receiving relatively less approval for using drugs, who held relatively unfavorable attitudes about the acceptability of drug use, and who reported relatively less victimization in the last year were relatively likely to quit. Implications of these results include the need to increase unacceptability of marijuana use to help increase efforts at self-initiated quitting.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The association of current stimulant use with demographic, substance use, violence-related, social and intrapersonal variables among high risk youth.

This paper reports the association of current stimulant use with demographic, other substance use, violence-related, social and intrapersonal variables among a large sample of high risk adolescents. A total of 21.4% of the sample reported using stimulants in the last 30 days. In a final, multivariable model, nonredundant concurrent predictors of current stimulant use were reports that friends use stimulants, reports that stimulants were likely to be used again in the next 12 months, use of alcohol, hallucinogens, or cocaine in the last 30 days, use of alcohol or other drugs to feel more safe, and reports of depression in the last week. Being above the median on 0 to all 7 of these correlates predicted from 0% to 85% of those who were above the median on current stimulant use. One may speculate that programming for these stimulant-using youth should include treatment of multiple substances, depression, and correction of social-cognitive misperceptions.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Perceived invulnerability and cigarette smoking among adolescents.

Adolescent perceptions of invulnerability toward smoking and nonsmoking-related health risks were examined among 442 continuation high school students. Smokers were less likely than nonsmokers to report feeling invulnerable to both smoking and nonsmoking-related health risks. Among the smokers, those who reported feeling invulnerable to smoking-related health risks, compared to those who reported feeling vulnerable, smoked fewer cigarettes, were less addicted, were less likely to intend to smoke more in the future, attempted to quit fewer times in the past, valued their health more, and reported higher public body awareness. In a multiple logistic regression model, only high public body awareness, fewer previous attempts to quit, and being in the action stage of change (compared to being in the precontemplation stage of change) remained significant independent concurrent predictors of being in the invulnerable group. These results suggest, contrary to some previous work, that perceived invulnerability may be predictive of quitting tobacco use and may reflect relative invulnerability; that is, lighter use of tobacco.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predicting regular cigarette use among continuation high school students.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a 1-year prospective examination of social, behavioral, intrapersonal and demographic factors that predict transition from experimental to regular cigarette use among continuation high school students. METHODS: A cohort of 252 students completed baseline and 1-year follow-up questionnaires on health behaviors. RESULTS: Relatively low smoking prevalence estimates, intention to smoke in the next year, violence perpetration, perceived stress, sensation seeking, and male gender predicted the transition to regular use 1 year later. CONCLUSION: Intrapersonal variables may be relatively important in predicting the progression from experimental to regular smoking.

Adolescent↗