Background: The research involved 170 adolescents from Brazil and Ecuador, ages 12 to 19, comprising 87 Brazilians and 83 Ecuadorians, with a gender distribution of 95 females and 75 males. Purpose: Examine the correlation between impulsivity, emotional symptoms, and the use of alcohol and drugs among teenagers in these countries. Methods:…

This study explored college student's perceptions and attitudes towards stimulant misuse. Participants were presented with vignettes describing stimulant misuse and were asked to rate their perceptions of dangerous behavior, academic dishonesty and other similar areas. They then completed scales assessing their past alcohol and drug use, attitudes…

Literature on stereotypes and implications of stereotype threat has grown considerably over the past decade. While numerous studies examine college major biases, they predominantly focus on STEM and business students. For Music Majors (MMs), some of the conventional musician stereotypes include susceptibility to heavy drinking, drug use, and their…

Objective: The impact of cannabis use disorder (CUD) on education functioning and GPA was examined within the context of co-occurring alcohol use disorder (AUD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants: Undergraduates (N = 210) who reported using cannabis within the past six months were recruited.…

Background: Studies show that food insecurity is associated with adverse health behaviors for children and adults. However, published data among adolescents are limited. The objective of this study was to examine the association between food insecurity and substance use behaviors among US high school students. Methods: Data from the 2017 Youth…

Objective: To compare the prevalence and trajectories of risky health behaviors in sexual minority (SM; lesbian/gay/bisexual/questioning/asexual) versus heterosexual undergraduates across their first year of post-secondary. Participants: First-year undergraduates (N = 704, M[subscript age] = 17.97 years, 24% SM) from a midsized Canadian…

Background: School-based substance use prevention is important, yet many educators are not trained in the curriculums. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in educators' knowledge about substances and confidence in delivering drug education before and after participating in educator trainings, as well as overall perceptions of the…

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Wisconsin ranked third in the nation in 2019 in the percentage of adults who said they had engaged in binge drinking in the past month (21.9%). The situation is equally alarming when it comes to other forms of substance use disorders. According to DHS, between 2014 and 2020, Wisconsin…

Despite the common perception of a decline over recent decades of adolescents' use of illicit drugs and alcohol, the recent exponential rise in teenage vaping has spotlighted how local and school communities must address this endemic public problem. Since use of illicit substance adversely affects adolescent development, it is imperative that…

This study examined how schools prioritize ten key health concerns among their student populations over time and whether schools' prioritization of alcohol and other drug use (AODU) corresponds to students' substance use behaviours and cannabis legalization as a major policy change. Data were collected from a sample of secondary schools in…

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is designed to give such attention to substance use among the nation's youth and adults. It is an investigator-initiated study that originated with, and is conducted by, a team of research professors at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Since its onset in 1975, MTF has been funded continuously…

Objective: Little is known about the extent of student awareness about collegiate recovery communities (CRCs) and of peers in recovery. Participants: A convenience sample of 237 undergraduate students from a diverse major at a private university participated in an anonymous online survey in Fall 2019. Methods: Participants reported whether they…

This study examined the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument--Second Version (MAYSI-2) among African American (AA) incarcerated youth and used White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Data were analyzed for 314 incarcerated youth (193 AA offenders and 121 White offenders) of ages 13-17 years who were adjudicated…

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems among college students continue to represent a public health epidemic. In 2019, historically high rates of binge-drinking and marijuana use were reported among college-age adults, and the detrimental effects of excessive AOD use in college, such as poorer academic performance, sexual assault, injury or…

Prior research suggests that brief interventions (BIs) for alcohol and other drug use may vary in effectiveness across patient sociodemographic factors. The objective of this individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis was to explore for whom BIs delivered in general healthcare settings are more or less effective. We examined variability in BI…