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At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources

The adolescent behavioral repertoire as a context for drug exposure: behavioral autarcesis at play.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to investigate suspected behavioral autarcesis. Autarcesis refers to a mechanism of non-specific shielding from or immunity to infection or disease. Here, suspecting that some facets of the adolescent behavioral repertoire (ABR) might shield youths from early drug involvement, we studied recent-onset occurrence of first chances to try a drug and first actual drug use, expressed as a function of five observed ABR dimensions: religious, socializing, sports-related, gender socialization, and home-based activities. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative samples of school-attending youths were drawn in Panama, the five Spanish heritage countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic (n = 12797). MEASUREMENTS: Drug involvement and ABR were assessed via anonymous self-administered questionnaires. FINDINGS: A religious activity dimension and a separate sports dimension were associated inversely with recent onset of adolescent drug experiences, and a socializing activity dimension was related to an increased occurrence of these experiences. For example, for each unit increase of the religious activity dimension of the ABR, there was an associated reduced occurrence of the first chance to try tobacco (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.63-0.90, P = 0.002). Adolescents at higher levels of sports activities and home-based activities were less likely to experience recent-onset actual use of marijuana (OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.30-0.67, P < 0.001; OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.99, P = 0.048, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The study evidence lends some support for behavioral autarcesis. Manipulation of selected ABR dimensions might help prevent or reduce adolescent drug involvement, enhancing autarcesis as a protective mechanism.

Adolescent↗

Problem behavior in early and middle childhood: an initial behavior genetic analysis.

Twin samples were used to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on problem behavior in children, assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). For the younger cohort, mothers completed the CBCL/2-3, while for the older cohort the CBCL/4-18 was used. Nearly half of the older sample had also been assessed with the questionnaire for younger children at a prior date, providing tentative answers regarding continuity and change in the etiology of problem behavior. Results suggested that shared environmental influences may be more important in early childhood than in middle childhood, while the reverse holds for genetic influences.

Child↗

Effects of ethanol: II. Behavioral sensitivity and acute behavioral tolerance.

Two doses of ethyl alcohol were administered to 48 young male subjects (24 brother-pairs), and placebo doses were administered to five brother-pairs (controls). Dose 1 amount was calculated to result in a peak blood alcohol content (BAC) of 100 mg/100 ml; dose 2 was given when BAC had fallen to one-half the peak BAC resulting from dose 1, in an attempt to raise BAC back to 100 mg/100 ml. Prior to alcohol dosage, baseline measurements were made on a number of behavioral tests. Behavioral performances during metabolism of doses 1 and 2 were compared to baseline performance. Sensitivity to ethanol was indicated by performance decrements on nearly all tests after ethanol dosing. Acute behavioral tolerance to ethanol (ABTE) was indicated for some tests by improved performance after dose 2 compared to performance at a time after dose 1 when BACs were about equivalent. A preliminary search for possible genetic components of sensitivity and ABTE was undertaken by comparing the scores of the brothers.

Adolescent↗

Parental treatment, children's temperament, and the risk of childhood behavioral problems: 2. Initial temperament, parental attitudes, and the incidence and form of behavioral problems.

Childhood behavioral problems are found to be related to both early temperament and parental behavior, in that first-year temperament scores predicted mild (but not more severe) problems. A parental pathology scale discriminated more severe cases among girls only; more severe cases among boys were accompanied by negative temperament changes. For both sexes, the form of subsequent behavioral problems was associated with first-year temperament patterns.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Behavioral neurochemistry: neuroregulators and behavioral states.

There is compelling evidence that behavioral events after neurochemical function and that altered neurochemical function can change behavior. Such processes have been related both to neurotransmitters and to neuromodulators, together termed neuroregulators. Available research tools and theoretical constructs have begun to permit studies of certain types of behavior, primarily those related to emotional states and drives. This work is changing long-held concepts about severe mental disorders and the treatment of them.

Animals↗

Classroom behavior and family climate in students with learning disabilities and hyperactive behavior.

The present study aimed to identify subtypes of the learning disabilities (LD) syndrome by examining classroom behavior and family climate among four groups of Israeli students ranging in age from 7 to 10 years: 22 students with LD and hyperactive behavior (HB), 22 nonhyperactive students with LD, 20 nondisabled students with HB, and 20 nondisabled nonhyperactive students. Schaefer's Classroom Behavior Inventory and Moos's Family Environmental Scale were administered to teachers and mothers, respectively. The results revealed that higher distractibility and hostility among both groups with HB differentiated between the two groups with LD. Families of children with HB were reported as less supportive and as emphasizing control less. The academic competence and temperament of the nondisabled students with HB were rated as similar to those of the two groups of students with LD. Both groups with LD were characterized by dependent interpersonal relations and by more conflictual families who fostered more achievement but less personal growth.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

The acceptability of behavioral treatments for marital problems. A comparison of behavioral exchange and communication skills training procedures.

Married female undergraduates were asked to provide ratings of the acceptability of two treatment components commonly used within the framework of behavioral marital therapy. The study compared subjects' evaluations of detailed taped descriptions of behavioral exchange/contracting procedures and communication/problem-solving skills training as they were applied to two hypothetical clinical marital cases. The study also evaluated the extent to which the severity of the marital problems influenced treatment acceptability evaluation. Communication/problem-solving skills training was judged as more acceptable than behavioral exchange/contracting procedures and received a higher score on the Evaluative and Potency dimensions of the Semantic Differential. Judgments of treatment Potency were also found to be influenced by idiosyncratic features of the cases described in association with problem severity. Implications and directions for future research are briefly discussed.

Adult↗

Evidence that NMDA-dependent limbic neural plasticity in the right hemisphere mediates pharmacological stressor (FG-7142)-induced lasting increases in anxiety-like behavior. Study 2--The effects on behavior of block of NMDA receptors prior to injection of FG-7142.

The hypothesis that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors mediate initiation of lasting behavioral changes induced by the anxiogenic beta-carboline, FG-7142, was supported in this study. Behavioral changes normally induced by FG-7142 were blocked when the competitive NMDA receptor blocker, 7-amino-phosphono-heptanoic acid, was given prior to administration of FG-7142. When cats were subsequently given FG-7142 alone, the drug produced lasting behavioral changes like those reported previously. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, reversed an increase in defensiveness produced by FG-7142 alone, replicating previous findings. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that NMDA-dependent long-term potentiation in limbic pathways subserving defensive response to threat mediates lasting increases in defensiveness produced by FG-7142.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗

Effects of cognitive behavior therapy in severely fatigued disease-free cancer patients compared with patients waiting for cognitive behavior therapy: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Persistent fatigue is a long-term adverse effect experienced by 30% to 40% of patients cured of cancer. The main objective of this randomized controlled trial was to show the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) especially designed for fatigue in cancer survivors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 112 cancer survivors with somatically unexplained fatigue were allocated randomly to immediate cognitive behavior therapy or to a waiting list condition for therapy. Both conditions were assessed two times, at baseline and 6 months later. The primary outcome variables were fatigue severity (Checklist Individual Strength) and functional impairment (Sickness Impact Profile). Data were analyzed by intention to treat. RESULTS: Analyses were based on 50 patients in the intervention condition and 48 patients in the waiting list condition. Patients in the intervention condition reported a significantly greater decrease than patients in the waiting list condition in fatigue severity (difference, 13.3; 95% CI, 8.6 to 18.1) and in functional impairment (difference, 383.2; 95% CI, 197.1 to 569.2). Clinically significant improvement for the CBT group compared with the waiting list group was seen in fatigue severity (54% v 4% of the patients, respectively) and in functional impairment (50% v 18% of the patients, respectively). CONCLUSION: Cognitive behavior therapy has a clinically relevant effect in reducing fatigue and functional impairments in cancer survivors.

Aged↗

Strategies for retaining study participants in behavioral intervention trials: retention experiences of the NIH Behavior Change Consortium.

Failing to retain an adequate number of study participants in behavioral intervention trials poses a threat to interpretation of study results and its external validity. This qualitative investigation describes the retention strategies promoted by the recruitment and retention committee of the Behavior Change Consortium, a group of 15 university-based sites funded by the National Institutes of Health to implement studies targeted toward disease prevention through behavior change. During biannual meetings, focus groups were conducted with all sites to determine barriers encountered in retaining study participants and strategies employed to address these barriers. All of the retention strategies reported were combined into 8 thematic retention categories. Those categories perceived to be most effective for retaining study participants were summarized and consistencies noted among site populations across the life course (e.g., older adults, adults, children, and adolescents). Further, possible discrepancies between site populations of varying health statuses are discussed, and an ecological framework is proposed for use in future investigations on retention.

Health Behavior↗

The Guide to the Assessment of Test Session Behavior: validity in relation to cognitive testing and parent-reported behavior problems in a clinical sample.

Examined the validity of the Guide to the Assessment of Test Session behavior (GATSB) in a clinical sample. The GATSB is a structured and standardized measure that was normed on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) standardization sample. The purpose of this study was to extend validity research on the GATSB to cognitive measures other than the WISC-III and to parent-reported child behavior problems. Test observations were taken for 122 children ages 6 to 16 years who were referred to an outpatient psychology clinic for psychoeducational evaluations. GATSB scores demonstrated a moderate relation with general indexes from the WISC-III, the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised (WJ-R), and the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), but displayed low magnitude correlations with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). These results expand existing data supporting the validity of the GATSB and suggest that it may be fruitfully adopted into a clinic setting.

Adolescent↗

Behavioral aspects of development of eating behavior and nutrition status.

Studies on the development of eating behavior in rural India indicated that mothers of young children made food choices that fit into their budgets, and were also influenced by new information. Their choices were still immersed in traditional beliefs, some of which had positive effects on nutrition. Specific childrearing behaviors influenced positive deviance in the growth and psychosocial development of infants and preschoolers. A life-cycle approach to the development of eating behavior that deciphers needs at each stage and linkages between stages is necessary. Cost-benefit needs to be considered when devising strategies for future intervention programs.

Child Rearing↗

A path analysis of an adolescent drinking behavior model derived from problem behavior theory.

The interrelationships between composite variables comprised of demographics, socialization, personality, perceived environment, conventional and problem behaviors, and their combined mediational influences on adolescent drinking behavior are examined. Students randomly sampled from four suburban, metropolitan-area high schools (N = 499) were administered the 250-question Survey of Underage Drinking Styles. All 12 composite variables, derived from the survey, were arranged in a causal model and submitted to a confirmatory path analysis. Data were analyzed by multiple regression procedures. According to the present model, a powerful pathway through to drinking may begin with family interaction problems, which may lead to a reduction in the adolescent's social coping skills. A reduction in the adolescent's coping skills may lead to a compensatory belief that alcohol improves mental and physical functions and an increased affiliation with and acceptance of the peer group's attitude and behavior toward consuming alcohol as a replacement coping skill. The adolescent's drinking may then increase as a result of the affiliative need to conform to peer group pressure.

Adolescent↗

Self-monitoring of attentional behavior versus self-monitoring of productivity: effects on on-task behavior and academic response rate among learning disabled children.

I investigated the differential effects of self-monitoring of attentional behavior and self-monitoring of productivity on on-task behavior and academic response rate. Subjects were four learning disabled children with significant attentional problems. Results indicated relatively equivalent increases in on-task behavior over baseline during all treatment phases. Academic response rate also improved under both interventions, with self-monitoring of productivity showing a superior effect for one subject, an equivalent effect for one subject, and less clear results for two subjects.

Attention↗

The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey and the Stanford Five-City Project Survey: a comparison of cardiovascular risk behavior estimates.

BACKGROUND: Nearly all state health departments collect Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) data, and many report using these data in public health planning. Although the BRFS is widely used, little is known about its measurement properties. This study compares the cardiovascular risk behavior estimates of the BRFS with estimates derived from the physiological and interview data of the Stanford Five-City Project Survey (FCPS). METHOD: The BRFS is a random telephone sample of 1588 adults aged 25 to 64; the FCPS is a random household sample of 1512 adults aged 25 to 64. Both samples were drawn from the same four California communities. RESULTS: The surveys produced comparable estimates for measures of current smoking, number of cigarettes smoked per day, rate of ever being told one has high blood pressure, rate of prescription of blood pressure medications, compliance in taking medications, and mean total cholesterol. Significant differences were found for mean body mass index, rates of obesity, and, in particular, rate of controlled hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: These differences indicate that, for some risk variables, the BRFS has limited utility in assessing public health needs and setting public health objectives. A formal validation study is needed to test all the risk behavior estimates measured by this widely used instrument.

Adult↗

Sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior of bisexual men in France: implications for HIV prevention. The French National Survey on Sexual Behavior Group.

The French National Survey on Sexual Behavior was used to identify sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior of bisexually active men, as distinct from both homosexually and heterosexually active men. In regard to number of partners and frequency of unprotected vaginal sex, bisexuals were similar to multipartnered heterosexuals. On sociodemographic criteria, they differed from both homosexuals and heterosexuals. Bisexual men reported fewer partners than homosexuals but seemed more likely to engage in risk behavior related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and they were less likely to have ever had a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test. These results justify prevention efforts specially adapted for bisexuals.

Adult↗

Sex differences in public restroom handwashing behavior associated with visual behavior prompts.

Handwashing after using the restroom is generally poor across the population, and one common method used to increase the frequency of handwashing is to place signs reminding individuals to wash their hands. The current study examined the association between the absence and presence of signs reminding one to wash their hands and handwashing in public restrooms. Signs prompting handwashing behavior remind restroom patrons of acceptable behavior, and the presence of these signs is hypothesized to be associated with an increase in handwashing. Observation of 175 individuals (95 women and 80 men) using public restrooms on a university campus indicated that 61% of the women and 37% of the men observed washed their hands, e.g., washing hands with soap, in the absence of the sign, and 97% of the women and 35% of the men observed washed their hands in the presence of the sign. Further, 53% of the men and 38% of the women observed rinsed their hands, e.g., washing hands without soap, in the absence of the sign, and 55% of the men and 2% of the women observed rinsed their hands in the presence of the sign. Results are discussed in terms of possible factors associated with sex differences in handwashing and the absence and presence of visual prompts for handwashing behavior.

Adult↗

Impact of dietary tryptophan and behavioral type on behavior, plasma cortisol, and brain metabolites of young pigs.

The behavioral reactivity in an "open-field" test and plasma cortisol levels were studied in 72 pigs from 12 litters fed for 3 wk one of three diets with different levels of tryptophan: deficient (.14%), adequate (.23%), or excess (.32%). "Open-field" tests were performed three times: 5 d (day W + 5), 23 d (day W + 23) and 45 d (day W + 45) after weaning. The exploration time and the number of grunts provided an adequate measure of the individual emotional reactivity at day W + 5. Significant correlations were obtained between exploration time and the number of grunts at each time (r = -.83 at day W + 5; r = -.46 at day W + 23; r = -.71 at day W + 45). The distinction between animals remained (P less than .05) in terms of exploration time at both 23 and 45 d after weaning. At day W + 23, exploration time was lower in the group fed the adequate diet than in the two other groups. This effect was maintained subsequently after feeding all pigs the same adequate diet (day W + 45). In 36 pigs slaughtered at day W + 23, brain TRP concentration was higher with the excess dietary TRP than with deficient or adequate levels. Conversely, other plasma amino acids (particularly threonine) accumulated only in the brains of pigs fed the deficient diet. Plasma cortisol level assayed at weaning (W) and 2 wk later increased with age and was higher in 16-h fasted (day W + 15) than in 3-h fasted (day W + 17) pigs. Correlations were observed within litters in the fasting state, between the cortisol level and behavioral traits measured at day W + 23 (r = .70 for number of grunts, r = -.60 for exploration time). Dietary TRP did not affect the plasma cortisol level irrespective of the nutritional state after weaning. However, an interaction was noted between plasma cortisol and TRP status (P less than .05). Although dietary TRP induced large variations in brain amino acids and 5-hydroxyindole concentrations, changes in behavioral and cortisol responses were relatively minor.

Amino Acids↗