Early COVID-19 safety protocols urged physical and social distancing, resulting in minimal contact with others. As social contexts are central to vaping among youth, we used semi-structured ...interviews to describe how youth who vape are making sense of their use practices and adaptations. The qualitative analyses revealed changes in vaping frequency and access, social isolation shaping substance- and product-specific use, and motivations and outcomes of dual use of nicotine and cannabis which were closely linked to the pandemic. The findings indicate variation of youth vaping experiences within the early stages of the pandemic that should be attended to in future studies.
Adolescent initiation of drinking and intoxication is associated with concurrent and later problems among adolescents. This study explores the mechanisms by which the context of close friendships is ...important to adolescents’ decisions to initiate drinking and heavy alcohol use.
In-depth face-to-face qualitative interviews were conducted online with 50 adolescents (12–16 years) who reported lifetime drinking. These semi-structured interviews allowed adolescents to describe their first experiences with drinking, reflecting on their social and environmental contexts, decision-making process, and expectations. We conducted a thematic analysis of the narratives, which revealed the nuances of social relationships and trusting peers and their impacts on alcohol use initiation patterns.
In contrast to common perceptions of peer pressure, youth described decision-making about alcohol that was influenced by feelings of safety and security produced by close relationships. Specifically, social relationships, especially the presence of close friends, influenced decisions to initiate alcohol use.
Results of this study suggest that close peer relationships enhanced feelings of safety even while engaging in risky behaviors. These results suggest the importance of understanding the complex relationships between social contexts, close friendships, and perceived trust and can inform future research and interventions on alcohol prevention or delayed initiation among adolescents.
•Interviews with adolescents explored the context of friendship in alcohol initiation.•The role of trust was perceived as important to mitigating risks in alcohol initiation.•Preventive alcohol interventions should consider the context of close friendship.
Adolescents who dual use ENDS with tobacco cigarettes are more likely to have an increased risk of developing dependence. Yet, little is understood about the factors driving dual use among ...adolescents. The current study sought to reveal the day-to-day socio-temporal contextual and community factors associated with adolescents' use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and how these factors predict dual use with tobacco cigarettes.
We collected ecological momentary assessments (EMA) from a sample of 50 adolescent past two-week vapers (ages 14-17 years old) over 14 days. Daily EMA data were collected on ENDS and tobacco cigarette use, as well as a range of contextual (i.e., motivations to vape, location of vaping, who with when vaping) and community factors (i.e., exposure to peers vaping, to adults vaping, to ENDS advertising, to ENDS warning messages). Our primary analyses were multilevel regressions, accounting for daily observations nested within individuals (N = 700 observations).
Participants used ENDS exclusively on 44% of days and dual used ENDS and tobacco cigarettes on 8% of the days. Dual use days (versus exclusive ENDS use days) were associated with "vaping because tobacco use was prohibited" (OR = 34.65, p < .05). Also, dual use days (versus no use days) were associated with greater exposure to adults vaping (OR = 5.59, p < .05), peers vaping (OR = 7.48, p < .05), and (c) ENDS advertisements or promotions (OR = 2.12, p < .01), whereas exclusive use days (versus no use days) were only associated with greater exposure to peers vaping (OR = 2.58, p < .01).
Results showed that exposure to peers and adults vaping and exposure to ENDS marketing were associated with same day dual use behaviors. And, that adolescents who dual used were motivated to use ENDS because they were easy to conceal. Findings support stricter regulation of ENDS marketing and for smoke-free air laws that include ENDS. In addition, these findings support prioritizing family- and school-based prevention programming that effectively communicates risk associated with ENDS use, including heightened risk of dual use and dependence. Such efforts can reduce the number of adolescents who use ENDS as well as the number who transition to tobacco cigarette use.
Photovoice is used widely for engaging community members in action research aimed at reducing health inequities. Photovoice methodology can help to raise participants’ critical awareness regarding ...the root causes of community health problems, thereby encouraging them to take action to address these root causes. We report on our experiences using photovoice as part of a tobacco prevention project with multiethnic youths in an underresourced Northern California community. Through an iterative cycle of action and reflection, facilitated by staff from academic and community partner agencies, photovoice activities enabled the youths to connect smoking behaviors they observed at their school with low student morale and student officials’ lack of engagement regarding students’ tobacco use. The photovoice process helped youth participants to develop an action plan, which involved raising critical awareness among their peers and school staff through workshops and strategic meetings. Despite challenges, photovoice was an effective way to engage youths in community-based research and to foster their sense of collective efficacy in addressing structural determinants of inequities.
Time perspective is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that assesses individuals' feelings and thoughts about the past, present, and future. The current study examined relationships ...between feelings (time attitudes) and thoughts (time orientation) about time and substance use behaviors across three adolescent samples. Participants included a high-risk sample of adjudicated youth (N = 124; M
age
= 15.54, SD = 1.69; 51.61% female) and two general population school samples (N = 777; M
age
= 15.82, SD = 1.23; 53.41% female; N = 1873; M
age
= 15.87, SD = 1.28; 52.22% female). Cross-sectional survey data were collected from samples in schools during 2010, 2016, and 2011, respectively. Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses indicated that overall, more positive feelings about time were associated with fewer substances used and, conversely, more negative feelings about time were associated with more substances used. These findings were particularly salient for participants with stronger positive and negative feelings toward the past and present time periods. Further, across the three samples, adolescents with a balanced time orientation (i.e. equal emphasis on all three time periods) generally reported less substance use than individuals who emphasized only one or two time periods. Findings highlight relationships between time perspective dimensions and substance use across diverse samples and illustrate opportunities for adapting time perspective-based substance use interventions for adolescents.
Background: Research has shown that specific contexts are associated with alcohol related problems in adults, but less is known about adolescents. Objectives: We examined how frequencies of drinking ...in different contexts and the amount of alcohol consumed in these contexts may be related to different alcohol-related problems among adolescent drinkers. Methods: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey with 377 adolescents (13 to 18 years old) who reported past-6-month alcohol use, sampled from California households. Outcome measures included the breadth of alcohol-related problems participants experienced in the past 6-months overall and in 4 domains (physical, personal, social, and driving under the influence of alcohol or riding with a drunk driver DUI/RDD). We also assessed socio-demographics, the number of days adolescents drank alcohol in five contexts (restaurants, own homes, others' homes, outdoors, and fraternities/sororities) and the typical number of drinks they had in each context. Context-specific dose-response models were used to analyze data. Results: In adjusted models, drinking more frequently in outdoor venues was associated with greater number of alcohol-related problems. Drinking frequency in others' homes and in fraternities/sororities was positively associated with a greater number of physical problems. Drinking frequencies in outdoor venues and in others' homes were associated with greater number of personal problems. Finally, drinking more frequently in outdoor venues was associated with greater number of social problems and DUI/RDD. Conclusions/Importance: Results suggest the importance of considering drinking contexts independent of heavier drinking in the context, and they can be used to inform prevention interventions targeting specific risks in relation to alcohol use in specific contexts.
KEY POINT SUMMARY
The associations between contexts and drinking problems among adolescents cannot be fully explained by heavier drinking in these contexts.
Adolescents' drinking frequencies in specific contexts are uniquely associated with different types of alcohol-related problems.
Results inform prevention interventions targeting specific risks in relation to alcohol use in specific contexts among adolescents.
•Situational and social context characteristics increase risks for simultaneous use.•Larger numbers of underage drinkers increase risks for simultaneous use.•Lack of adult supervision increases risks ...for simultaneous use.•Simultaneous use is associated with increased subsequent risks.•Alcohol may be the primary contributor to risks associated with simultaneous use.
We investigated contexts of simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana and the impact of simultaneous use on problems among adolescents. Ecological momentary assessment data were obtained over two weekends from 150 adolescents in California (47% female, M age=16.36years), using smartphone surveys administered early and late in the evening and again the following morning. We assessed whether, in what context, and with whom adolescents drank alcohol and used other substances over 3 evening hours. We assessed problems they experienced each evening on the following morning. Results showed that greater adult supervision in every context was associated with a 55% lower risk of simultaneous use (RRR=0.45, p≤.05). Contexts with no other underage drinkers were associated with 99% lower risk of simultaneous use (RRR=0.01, p≤.005). Each occasion of simultaneous use was related to 110% increase in the number of problems (IRR=2.10, p≤.005), with 83%, 221% and 311% greater odds of violence (OR=1.83, p≤.05), driving under the influence or riding with a drunk driver (OR=3.21, p≤.05), or being drunk (OR=4.11, p≤.005). Additional analyses showed that these problems may be attributed largely to the alcohol consumed in each context. Results demonstrate that it is essential to consider situational and social characteristics of substance use contexts to better understand adolescent simultaneous use of alcohol and drugs and problems.
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