The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 7(5) – Pathways from childhood maltreatment to adolescent cannabis abuse

Both childhood maltreatment and personality functioning are linked to adolescent cannabis abuse and dependence (CAD; Oshri, Rogosch, Burnette, & Cicchetti, 2011). However, little is known about the developmental sequence of childhood maltreatment, personality changes, and adolescent CAD. This week’s STASH reviews a longitudinal study that explored (a) the association between childhood maltreatment and its severity as well as individual personality differences, and (b) the extent to which these personality individual differences help explain the connection between childhood maltreatment and adolescent CAD (Oshri, et al., 2011). Methods The research sample consisted of 415 children, 259 of whom experienced maltreatment as indicated... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 7(4) - Encouraging underage Facebook users to become Alcohol users: Are alcohol advertisements on Facebook promoting more than the product?

Alcohol exposure, especially through social media marketing, is a risk factor for early underage drinking initiation (Gordon, MacKintosh, & Moodie, 2010). Using social media to market alcohol also is associated with increased alcohol consumption among underage drinkers (Anderson, de Bruijn, Angus, Gordon, & Hastings, 2009). Despite Facebook’s solicitation of paid product advertising, as well as its efforts to expand users from individual college students to high schoolers (Mart, Mergendoller, & Simon, 2009), the literature examining alcohol content and underage drinking on Facebook, the most popular of social networking sites, is surprisingly scarce. This week’s issue of Addiction & the Humanities... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 7(4) – When the parents stop smoking what does the child think?

Children whose parents quit smoking are less likely to become daily smokers than children whose parents keep smoking (Bricker et al., 2003). Perhaps watching a parent quit smoking changes children’s smoking-related beliefs in beneficial ways. For example, children who see their parents quit smoking might have stronger beliefs that they can avoid smoking. This week’s ASHES describes a longitudinal study that examines the extent to which children’s smoking-related beliefs mediate the effect of parental smoking cessation on children’s decision to start smoking (Wyszynski, Bricker, & Comstock, 2011). Methods Participants Wyszynski et al. surveyed 2,656 third graders from 40 Washington State... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 7(4) – The follies of youth? The relationship between age at alcohol initiation and future alcohol problems.

Adolescent drinking is an important problem in the US. The CDC (2010) estimates that 65% of children under 18 drank alcohol in 2009, with 52% consuming more than 12 drinks per year. But, how dangerous is alcohol to adolescents? Current research suggests that 11-14 year olds are especially vulnerable to physiological and environmental ‘shocks’, including stress and alcohol consumption (Grant & Dawson, 1998). Today’s DRAM reviews a study examining the link between age at alcohol initiation and future drinking problems (Guttmannova et al., 2011). Methods This study utilizes data collected as part of the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP). The... Read more →