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Biomedical subjects

H R White

Publications and source records attributed to H R White.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Becoming married, depression, and alcohol problems among young adults.

This paper examines three questions regarding the relationship between marriage and mental health, specifically depression and alcohol problems. First, does marriage lead to improved mental health compared to never marrying? Second, do any mental health benefits of marriage primarily accrue to men? Third, what qualitative aspects of marriage are related to psychological disorder? We explore these questions in a longitudinal sample of young adults sampled at age 21 and again at age 24. We find no indication that marriage reduces depression. Married people do report fewer alcohol problems than the never-married but this could be due to the selection of less problematic drinkers into marriage. We also fail to find that men receive disproportionate mental health benefits from marriage. Finally, we find that marital conflict is associated with problem drinking for men and depression for women. The results indicate the importance of considering stage in the life cycle and gender-sensitive indicators of psychological disorder in studies of marriage and mental health.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Adolescent drug use, psychological distress, and physical symptoms.

The longitudinal interrelationships among general drug use, psychological distress, and physical symptoms were investigated in a three wave panel study of a community sample of adolescents interviewed when they were 12, 15, and 18 years of age. Results did not provide any support for the hypothesis that adolescents use drugs in general to cope with pre-existing psychological distress and physical symptoms. In contrast, the results supported the hypothesis that general drug use contributes to physical and psychological impairments over time. However, such drug-induced psychological distress and physical symptoms only occurred in later adolescence (from ages 15 to 18), and no evidence of impairments due to general drug use or specific alcohol use was found in early adolescence (from ages 12 to 15). Psychological distress and physical symptoms influenced each other over time, and physical symptoms partially mediated longitudinal changes in psychological distress. However, general drug use did not mediate any longitudinal changes in psychological distress and physical symptoms.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Marijuana use, introspectiveness, and mental health.

Conflicting evidence suggests that marijuana use may be associated with either positive or negative mental health. This study explores the possibility that the association of marijuana use with mental health differs among various subgroups of users. Specifically, we investigate the hypothesis that marijuana use and the personality disposition of introspectiveness interact in their effects on psychological well-being. Results support this hypothesis and show that marijuana use is associated significantly with psychological distress for highly introspective individuals. In contrast, marijuana use has no such association for those low on introspectiveness. Additional evidence shows that marijuana use involves primarily self-oriented cognitive and emotional experiences for highly introspective individuals, whereas for those low on introspectiveness it is characterized more often by perceptual distortions and sensorimotor sensations.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Risk factors of adolescent drug use: an affect-based interpretation.

We examined the continuity and stability of relational patterns among putative risk factors and measures of total drug use over the age period of 12 to 18. Using Marlatt's (1987) affect-based model of moderation versus dependence, risk factors were classified on the basis of their assumed relationships to (a) positive and negative affect and (b) low versus high constraint. It was hypothesized that two distinct developmental pathways characterize the emergence of drug use in a normal population sample of adolescents: one indicative of low constraint and a predominance of positive affect, the other indicative of low constraint and a predominance of negative affect. Results of principal components analyses generally support the hypothesis. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Towards the assessment of adolescent problem drinking.

Longitudinal data were obtained from a nonclinical sample of 1,308 male and female adolescents covering the age range from 12 to 21. Factor analyses of 52 symptoms and/or consequences of alcohol use yielded three problem dimensions. In addition, a unidimensional, 23-item scale (the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, RAPI) was constructed with an internal consistency of .92. Correlations between RAPI and alcohol-use intensity were moderately strong for all age groups at each test occasion (ranging from .20 to .57), yet low enough to suggest that identification of problem drinkers requires both types of measures. The results suggest that the RAPI may be a useful tool for the standardized and efficient assessment of problem drinking during adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

An investigation of factors related to intoxicated driving behaviors among youth.

This study assessed the prevalence of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana among a sample of 18 and 21 year olds and examined the across-time relationships between intoxicated driving and consumption, risk-taking/impulsive orientation, negative intrapersonal state, stress and use of alcohol and other drugs to cope with problems. Self-report data were collected from 556 men and women, ages 18 and 21, at two points in time. The data indicated that at least a minimum level of drinking and driving, as well as smoking marijuana and driving, is engaged in at least once for the majority of youth. Correlations between eight driving behaviors and consumption variables indicated that frequency of substance use was strongly related to frequency of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Regression analyses revealed that coping use of substances was the strongest predictor of driving under the influence. A path model examining the effect of stress, negative states and risk-taking orientations (T1) on driving under the influence as mediated through coping use (T2) was tested. Results showed that risk-taking orientation was the strongest predictor of DWI, both directly and indirectly (as mediated through coping use). Findings suggest that impaired driving may be part of a global syndrome of risk-taking behavior and is an activity engaged in most often by those who frequently use alcohol and other drugs to cope with problems.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1988

Longitudinal patterns of cocaine use among adolescents.

Developmental patterns of cocaine use were examined in a longitudinal sample of 1,308 male and female adolescents. The data indicate that substantial increases in use occurred between 15 and 18 and between 18 and 21 years old. Although there were developmental changes, there were no significant increases over time for same aged individuals. Gender differences within age groups were not statistically significant, although some differences were apparent. Examinations of intraindividual changes in cocaine use among continuous users indicate significant individual increases in all measures of cocaine use over a 3-year period. While continuous users increased their use of cocaine, they experienced decreases in their frequency of use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Analyses also suggest that those individuals who initiated cocaine use between T1 and T2 were already different from their age peers in terms of their cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use at T1. Overall, the findings suggest that patterns of cocaine use may be more dependent upon the number of years of use rather than on the age of the user.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Longitudinal stability and dimensional structure of problem drinking in adolescence.

A multivariate analysis of dimensions of problem drinking and their stability across time is conducted through a series of confirmatory factor analyses (as opposed to exploratory factor analyses used in previous studies), using self-report data from a longitudinal sample of adolescents and youth. Analyses are performed separately by age and gender. Results indicate that traditional measures of problem drinking represent at least two distinct dimensions--intensity of use and use-related problems--rather than a unitary construct for adolescent males and females. The results also suggest that dimensions of problem drinking remain relatively stable from 15 to 21 years of age, except that alcohol-related problems are unstable for males from 15 to 18 years of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

An application of three deviance theories to adolescent substance use.

This study tests the applicability of aspects of three theories of deviance--differential association, control, and strain--to the use of alcohol and drugs among a representative cross-section of 12-, 15-, and 18-year-olds. Regression analyses are conducted separately on each theory as well as on an overall model combining aspects of all three perspectives. Results show that differential association theory is a far more powerful predictor of adolescent alcohol and drug use than either the control or strain theories. The predictive power of the overall model is dependent upon the type of substance used as well as the age of the subject; however, the model is invariant between males and females.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of smoking cessation from adolescence into young adulthood.

Although smoking cigarettes is hazardous to health and cessation has positive health benefits, few smokers are able to successfully quit. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of smoking cessation in a nonclinical sample of 134 male and 190 female, young adult, regular (daily) smokers within a social learning and maturing-out framework. Four waves of prospective, longitudinal data from a community sample followed from adolescence into young adulthood were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the effects of differential associations, definitions, differential reinforcement, and changes in adult role status on smoking cessation in young adulthood. Becoming married to a nonsmoker and decreases in the proportion of friends who smoked were significant predictors of cessation. Current smokers and stoppers did not differ significantly in terms of prior intensity of cigarette use or alcohol abuse/dependence. They also did not differ in terms of psychological characteristics, including depression and prior coping use of cigarettes. Social networks were more important than social roles for predicting cessation in young adulthood. Thus, smoking cessation programs should focus on social learning processes.

Adolescent↗