Biomedical subjects

Kenneth J Sher

Publications and source records attributed to Kenneth J Sher.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Dimensionality of alcohol dependence in young adulthood: current versus lifetime symptomatology.

OBJECTIVE: The factor structure of alcohol dependence was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, specifically contrasting models of alcohol dependence based on lifetime symptom endorsement to models based on current (i.e., past-year) symptom endorsement. METHOD: Data from the 1989 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed. DSM-IV alcohol dependence was assessed in this large community sample of current drinkers and lifetime drinkers, representative of both men and women, and ranging in age from 24 to 32. Sixteen items assessing the seven criteria of DSM-IV alcohol dependence were employed. RESULTS: A single-factor model accounted for most of the observed relationships. However, evidence of additional dimensions, characterized by tolerance and impaired control symptoms, was also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support the historical tendency of distinguishing physiological (as indicated by tolerance or withdrawal symptoms) from nonphysiological dependence. Most importantly, factor solutions derived from items based on past-year symptom endorsement were consistent with those derived from items based on lifetime symptom endorsement in samples of both current drinkers and lifetime drinkers.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Substance use disorder and personality disorder.

Personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently co-occur in both the general population and in clinical settings. Literature is reviewed documenting high comorbidity between these two classes of disorders, possible mechanisms of comorbidity, and the clinical implications of this comorbidity. Special emphasis is given to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) as these disorders not only co-occur frequently with SUDs in the clinical populations and present clinical challenges, but also because recent research points to etiologic processes that are common to these specific PDs and SUDs. Although most attention on comorbidity between PDs and SUDs has focused on ASPD and BPD, it is also clear that other PDs (in particular, avoidant PD and paranoid PD) are prevalent among those suffering from SUDs.

Comorbidity↗

PubMed2002

Alcohol use disorders and cognitive abilities in young adulthood: a prospective study.

The effect of alcohol use disorder (AUD) on cognitive and neuropsychological abilities was investigated in a prospective study of 68 freshmen who met past-year criteria for AUD on 2 or more occasions during their college years and 66 matched controls. At baseline, participants were administered a total of 14 subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery. At 7-year follow-up, most measures were readministered, along with the Reflective Judgment Interview, Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, and Plant Test. Analyses revealed few differences between AUD and control groups. However, visuospatial deficits may be present among AUD participants with poor baseline visuospatial performance. Alcohol exposure measures yielded similar patterns to those shown with AUD.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Adolescent alcohol and tobacco use: onset, persistence and trajectories of use across two samples.

AIMS: We examined the alcohol-tobacco relationship using two prospective, ethnically diverse samples. Trajectories of alcohol and tobacco use are portrayed overall and by sex and ethnicity. Using prospective analyses, we examine directional influences between alcohol and tobacco use, and we characterize initiation versus persistence of drinking and smoking as a function of use of the other substance. DESIGN, SETTING: Data were from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) and the Adolescent Health Risk Study (AHRS). Follow-up intervals for AddHealth and AHRS were 1 and 5 years, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: AddHealth respondents (n = 4831) were on average 14.8 years old (48% male, 23% black, 61% white) and AHRS respondents (n = 1814) were on average 16.7 years old (47% male, 44% black, 49% white). MEASUREMENTS: Two alcohol consumption variables and two smoking variables were used: drinking frequency and heavy drinking frequency, and regular (current) smoking and daily number of cigarettes. FINDINGS: Alcohol and tobacco use exhibited monotonic increases over adolescence and young adulthood. Men and white respondents reported more use than women and black respondents. Alcohol and tobacco were moderately associated at both times. Analyses revealed that prior alcohol use predicted tobacco use more strongly than the converse. Initiation of smoking was a function of prior drinking; to a lesser extent, initiation of drinking was a function of prior smoking. Persistence of smoking was a function of prior drinking and persistence of drinking was a function of prior smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Provisional support exists for the claim that alcohol use predicts tobacco use more strongly than the converse. For both drinking and smoking, onset and persistence are predicted by prior use of the other substance, and these associations were robust across sex and ethnicity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Publication of Rind et al. (1998). The editors' perspective.

The authors address several issues surrounding the B. Rind, P. Tromovitch, and R. Bauserman (1998) meta-analysis on the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse from their perspective as the editors who accepted the manuscript for publication. In particular, they discuss the appropriateness of their editorial decision, the appropriateness of a policy of considering authors' prior publications in editorial decisions (as suggested by some critics), and the editors' role in the specific recommendations made by B. Rind et al. They go on to consider actions they could have taken to minimize the mischaracterizations of the study's findings and conclusions and their views of the American Psychological Association's actions with respect to the authors personally and to society more generally.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Genes, environment, and individual differences in alcohol expectancies among female adolescents and young adults.

Alcohol expectancies are an important proximal causal risk factor in several models of the familial transmission of alcohol use, abuse, and dependence, yet the familial transmission of alcohol expectancies is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the familial transmission of positive alcohol expectancies. Participants were 2,627 14- to 22-year-old female twins. Experiences shared by twins, rather than genetic factors, explained most of the familial similarity for positive alcohol expectancies, but an even larger proportion of the variation in positive alcohol expectancies was explained by nonfamilial factors. The extent to which the familial similarity for positive alcohol expectancies was moderated by age, race, drinking status, and the sharing of peer groups was also examined.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Alcohol outcome expectancies and alcohol use: a latent variable cross-lagged panel study.

The relation between alcohol outcome expectancies (EXP) and alcohol use was prospectively examined over 3 years in a mixed-gender sample of college students (N = 465) at low and high risk for the development of alcoholism. Alcohol use remained fairly stable over 4 years, but EXP decreased significantly over the course of the study. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to examine reciprocal relations between EXP and alcohol use over 1- and 3-year intervals. Reciprocal prospective effects were demonstrated, but the nature of these effects appears dependent on the interval between measurement periods. Conceptually, these findings indicate both an etiologic role for EXP in predicting future alcohol use, and the influence of alcohol consumption on the development and maintenance of EXP. Methodologically, they point to the importance of the consideration of measurement interval in longitudinal research.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Pain behavior predictors among fibromyalgia patients.

This study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of a Pain Behavior Observation method with fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) subjects and to determine the factors which predict pain behavior among FS subjects. Fifty-eight female FS subjects participated in the videotaped Pain Behavior Observation method. Subjects also completed the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS), and the Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Pain behavior totals were derived using the Pain Behavior Observation method of McDaniel et al. (1986). Results indicated that the scoring method of Keefe and Block (1982) developed for use with back pain patients was more generalizable to this FS sample. Total pain behavior score using the Keefe and Block scoring method was correlated with self-report pain. Interrater reliability ranged from 0.9 to 0.99. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that age and physical disability predicted the total pain behaviors. The Pain Behavior Observation method appears a valid pain measurement technique independent of depression among FS patients. Directions for future research are discussed.

Adult↗