Developmental Trajectories of Substance Use in Adolescence: Differences and Predictors

We applied a combination of variable-centred and person-centred approaches to the analysis of data from a longitudinal study of substance use in adolescence (ages 12-18). Regression models were specified to permit a distinction between chronic differences and changes in selected risk factors. Both chronic differences and changes in risk factors were found to predict differences in use at ages 15 and 18. However, the obtained regression models were found to be least applicable to adolescents deviating most from the normative longitudinal pattern, that is, adolescents exhibiting chronically low levels of use, adolescents exhibiting chronically high levels of use, and adolescents exhibiting a sharp increase in use between the ages of 15 and 18. Furthermore, risk factors linked to small or moderate deviations and those linked to more extreme deviations from the normative pattern were only partly the same.

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Risk factors for depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study in middle-aged and older adults

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.997 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Jamie Rutland-Lawes ◽

Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo ◽

Simon L. Evans

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Regression Models ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Living Alone ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Increased Risk

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant social restrictions have had widespread psychological ramifications, including a rise in depression prevalence. However, longitudinal studies on sociodemographic risk factors are lacking. Aims To quantify longitudinal changes in depression symptoms during the pandemic compared with a pre-pandemic baseline, in middle-aged and older adults, and identify the risk factors contributing to this. Method A total of 5331 participants aged ≥50 years were drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Self-reported depression symptoms in June/July 2020 were compared with baseline data from 2–3 years prior. Regression models investigated sociodemographic and lifestyle variables that could explain variance in change in depression. Results Within-participant depression scores increased significantly from pre-pandemic levels: 14% met the criteria for clinical depression at baseline, compared with 26% during the pandemic. Younger age, female gender, higher depression scores at baseline, living alone and having a long-standing illness were significant risk factors. Gender-stratified regression models indicated that older age was protective for women only, whereas urban living increased risk among women only. Being an alcohol consumer was a protective factor among men only. Conclusions Depression in UK adults aged ≥50 years increased significantly during the pandemic. Being female, living alone and having a long-standing illness were prominent risk factors. Younger women living in urban areas were at particularly high risk, suggesting such individuals should be prioritised for support. Findings are also informative for future risk stratification and intervention strategies, particularly if social restrictions are reimposed as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold.

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Marginal Effects—Quantifying the Effect of Changes in Risk Factors in Logistic Regression Models

JAMA ◽

10.1001/jama.2019.1954 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 321 (13) ◽

pp. 1304 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Edward C. Norton ◽

Bryan E. Dowd ◽

Matthew L. Maciejewski

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Regression Models ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Marginal Effects ◽

Changes In Risk

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Alternative transport means in city centers: exploring the levels of use, typical behaviours and risk factors

European Transport/Trasporti Europei ◽

10.48295/et.2020.77.3 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Victoria Gitelman

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Urban Space ◽

Regression Models ◽

Energy Savings ◽

The Elderly ◽

Study Data ◽

Road Users ◽

Levels Of Use ◽

Pedestrian Traffic ◽

The City

Alternative transport means (ATMs) such as e-bicycles, electric scooters, mobility scooters (for the elderly) and segways, suggest improved mobility for individual road users, with associated benefits of reduced congestion and energy savings. However, the urban space is not adapted to incorporate these means, while ATMs use the infrastructure built for vehicles or pedestrians and are not always in accordance with traffic rules. The growing use of ATMs is accompanied by an increase in related injury. This study aimed to characterize the scope of ATM use in Israeli cities, their behaviours at typical urban locations and risk factors, and to consider solutions for safer ATMs integration into the urban space. The study data were collected by means of an observational survey at 50 representative urban intersections, in 9 city centers. Regression models were adjusted to explore the relationships between the presence of various road users. Profiles of ATM users and their behaviours were examined. The models showed a direct relation between the presence of traditional transport means and ATMs, meaning that they are used for the same destinations in the city. The e-bicycle presence was generally similar to that of regular bicycles; it was low on roadways related to vehicle traffic, but more tangible on sidewalks, related to pedestrian traffic. At sites with higher vehicle volumes, more ATMs rode on sidewalks. Among most ATM users, except for mobility scooters, children below 18 presented about a third and the majority were young adults aged 19-34. Most ATM riders did not wear helmets. The study findings indicated that the ATM volumes in the cities are not negligible and should be accounted for in planning urban facilities. For safer ATMs integration in the cities, more bicycle facilities and wider sidewalks are needed, accompanied by enforcement and publicity efforts.

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Housing Trajectories, Risk Factors, and Resources among Individuals Who Are Homeless or Precariously Housed

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ◽

10.1177/0002716220987203 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 693 (1) ◽

pp. 102-122

Author(s):

Tim Aubry ◽

Ayda Agha ◽

Cilia Mejia-Lancheros ◽

James Lachaud ◽

Ri Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Affordable Housing ◽

Housing Affordability ◽

Subsidized Housing ◽

Income Support ◽

Housing Stability ◽

Support Strategies ◽

Low Levels ◽

Over Time

This study identifies time-patterned trajectories of housing stability among homeless and vulnerably housed individuals who participated in a multisite four-year longitudinal study in Canada. Findings show four distinct trajectories for the homeless and vulnerably housed: high levels of sustained housing stability, improving levels over time leading to high levels of housing stability, decreasing levels of housing stability over time, and low levels of housing stability over time. The presence of resources rather than risk factors differentiated the trajectories of participants who achieved housing stability from those who had low levels of housing stability. Participants who had better housing stability were more likely to live in subsidized housing. Findings highlight the need for programs and policies directed at addressing the housing affordability problem through income support strategies and the creation of affordable housing.

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A multisite, longitudinal study of risk factors for incarceration and impact on mental health and substance use among young transgender women in the USA

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdy031 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 100-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jaclyn M White Hughto ◽

Sari L Reisner ◽

Trace S Kershaw ◽

Fredrick L Altice ◽

Katie B Biello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Substance Use ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Transgender Women ◽

The Usa

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The development of the student pharmacist chemical health scale (SPCHS)

Mental Health Clinician ◽

10.9740/mhc.n183965 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (6) ◽

pp. 321-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Merrill Norton ◽

Heath Ford ◽

Samah Fawzi Al-Shatnawi

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

Substance Use ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Face Validity ◽

University Of Georgia ◽

The University ◽

High Degree

Background: The Student Pharmacist Chemical Health Scale (SPCHS) is a tool designed to evaluate substance use behaviors and risk factors for substance abuse among student pharmacists. Methods: It was administered to a sample of student pharmacists at the University of Georgia (UGA) as a preliminary component of a longitudinal study evaluating student pharmacists nationwide. Results: This final scale was found to have a high degree of internal consistency and showed appropriate content and face validity for the domains tested. Conclusions: Future analyses will center on further validating the SPCHS in known groups of pharmacists with substance use disorders.

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Understanding Terminal Decline in Cognition and Risk of Death

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.11.3.164 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 164-171 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Patrick Rabbitt ◽

Mary Lunn ◽

Danny Wong

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Test Scores ◽

Intelligence Test ◽

Practice Effects ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Impending Death ◽

Intelligence Test Scores ◽

Reduced Risk

There is new empirical evidence that the effects of impending death on cognition have been miscalculated because of neglect of the incidence of dropout and of practice gains during longitudinal studies. When these are taken into consideration, amounts and rates of cognitive declines preceding death and dropout are seen to be almost identical, and participants aged 49 to 93 years who neither dropout nor die show little or no decline during a 20-year longitudinal study. Practice effects are theoretically informative. Positive gains are greater for young and more intelligent participants and at all levels of intelligence and durations of practice; declines in scores of 10% or more between successive quadrennial test sessions are risk factors for mortality. Higher baseline intelligence test scores are also associated with reduced risk of mortality, even when demographics and socioeconomic advantage have been taken into consideration.

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