Suchergebnisse

<i>Background:</i> Behavioral problems in adolescence have been shown to be associated with the presence of a positive family history of alcoholism (FH+), obstetric complications (OCs), and negative parenting practices. <i>Method:</i> This study tested the relation of these factors to aggression/delinquency and attention problems in an untreated population sample of 154 adolescents in Pomerania. Furthermore, we evaluated the predictive strength of a FH+, OCs and negative parenting styles in a prospective subsample of 127 adolescents using a hierarchical regression analysis. <i>Results:</i> Group comparisons between offspring with higher vs. lower values on aggression/delinquency revealed that only rejection by the parents was significantly more often reported by teenagers with higher measures on these behavioral problems. Offspring with higher values on attention problems had more OCs reported by the mother and also had more feelings of parental rejection compared to controls. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that parental rejection was the only significant predictor for both aggression/delinquency, and attention problems measured 1 year after the initial assessment. <i>Conclusion:</i> We conclude that parental rejection is a major risk factor for both aggression/delinquency and attention problems. Reflecting the fact that these behavioral problems have been reported to be strongly associated with later substance misuse, the improvement of parenting practices should be considered in prevention and intervention programs.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> A pre-post pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a fully automatized computer-based intervention targeting hazardous drinking and depressiveness in proactively recruited health care patients (HCPs). To address the importance of the sample selection when testing interventions, HCPs were compared to media recruited volunteers (MVs). <b><i>Method:</i></b> In a multicenter screening program 2,773 HCPs were screened for hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms. MVs were recruited via media solicitation. Over a period of 6 months, study participants received 6 individualized counseling letters and weekly short messages. Pre-post data were analyzed for 30 participants (15 HCPs, 15 MVs). Intervention acceptability was assessed in post-intervention interviews conducted with 32 study participants. <b><i>Results:</i></b> MVs showed higher problem severity and motivation to change than HCPs. Over the course of the intervention both subsamples reduced regular binge drinking (HCPs: <i>p</i> = 0.016; MVs: <i>p</i> = 0.031) and depressiveness (HCPs: <i>p</i> = 0.020; MVs: <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). MVs further reduced average daily alcohol consumption (<i>p</i> = 0.034). The intervention received positive ratings from both subsamples, the alcohol module was rated more favorably by MVs than by HCPs (<i>p</i> = 0.012). Subsamples further differed in terms of intervention usage (<i>p</i> = 0.013). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The intervention was technically and logistically feasible, well accepted, and may have the potential to reduce hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms in different populations. Subsamples differed in terms of problem severity, motivation to change, intervention usage, pre-post changes, and attitudes toward the intervention, showing that intervention development should involve the intended target populations to avoid biased conclusions on intervention effectiveness and acceptability.