Abstract: Illness is rarely considered a “risk factor” in adolescence. This study tests illness, suicidality and substance use as outcome measures in a path analysis of 1028 Swiss adolescents in secondary prevention programs. The model showed that negative mood (depression and anxiety) predicted two paths. One path led from negative mood to suicidality and from there to substance use. The other path led directly from negative mood to illness. Traditional protective factors (good relationships, secure identity) protected against the negative mood-suicide-substance path, but not against the negative mood-illness path.

Abstract: Problematic gambling is more common among people with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) (i.e., either alcohol abuse or dependence) compared with those without AUDs. This association holds true for people in the general population and is even more pronounced among people receiving treatment. No broadly accepted explanation for the link between problematic gambling and AUD currently exists. The available literature suggests that common factors may increase the risk for both conditions. For example, a defect of functioning in a particular brain system may underlie both conditions. This hypothesis should be further developed using brain imaging and psychopharmacological studies. Effective treatment and prevention will require additional research into relevant associations on both the event level (e.g., the effects of drinking on gambling behavior and vice versa) and the syndrome level (e.g., the relative onset and course of each condition among those who have either one or both disorders). A prudent interpretation of the available data suggests careful screening and treatment when necessary for problematic gambling among people with alcohol abuse and for alcohol abuse among people with gambling problems.

Abstract: We examined the contribution of culturally relevant protective factors (i.e., adolescent religiosity, family connectedness, and perceived close friends’ substance use) to the probability of young adult binge drinking among African American males. Participants (n = 1,599) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were high school age adolescents (14-18 years, M = 16) at Wave 1 and young adults (18-26, M = 22) at Wave 3. Adolescent binge drinking was associated with all three protective factors. Perceived close friends’ substance use in adolescence was a protective factor in later binge drinking during young adulthood, and was moderated by age such that the effect was stronger for younger adolescents. Implications for culturally relevant research and prevention are discussed.

Abstract: Traditionally, the addiction literature has focused on male drug users and less attention has been given to female users. More recently, research investigating gender differences in drug use and associated problem behaviors has emerged. This article contributes to the growing research base by drawing on data collected from structured interviews with 2,682 male and 453 female arrestees conducted as part of the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (1999-2002) program. Clear gender differences in drug use and associated behaviors are identified. Women were found to be more serious drug users and to experience more associated problems than men. The research and policy implications of the research are discussed and the study’s limitations are noted.

Abstract: This paper documents patterns and sequence of initiation of club drug use in a sample of 450 gay and bisexual men in New York City. Quantitative and qualitative baseline data from a yearlong longitudinal investigation conducted between 2001 and 2005 were analyzed. The study focused on the use of five club drugs – cocaine, GHB, ketamine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine – using self-reported indications of use for a period of 4 months prior to assessment. Patterns of club drug use among gay and bisexual demonstrated that poly-club-drug use is common, and that patterns of use can be differentiated along the lines of age, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, with those who are older, Black, and bisexual, reporting less club drug use. The majority of the men initiated use of the five club drugs as follows: (a) cocaine, (b) ecstasy, (c) ketamine, (d) methamphetamine, and (e) GHB. Variations in patterns were related to both age and level of poly-club-drug use. The sequencing and/or patterns of club drug use may be better explained by socialization processes in the gay community than by Gateway Theory, which has been traditionally used to explain patterns of drug use in the population. Future research should more closely examine the synergy of drug use combinations with an emphasis on measuring the extent to which the drugs are taken in synchronicity.