Problem Drinking Research Articles

Race-based Traumatic Stress Predicts Risky Drinking, Over and Above Negative Affect, and Non-race-related Trauma Symptoms in Racial/Ethnic Minority Female College Students.

Alcohol misuse remains a major concern in college student populations and rates of risky and problematic drinking are specifically on the rise for women. One important factor that has been shown to be positively associated with substance use/misuse for women from historically marginalized or minoritized racial/ethnic backgrounds is exposure to racial discrimination and possible resulting traumatic stress reactions. Questions remain about the relationship between race-based traumatic stress and risky drinking particularly among diverse female college students who are at greater risk due to their marginalized status in their racial/ethnic and gender groups. The current study examined race-based traumatic stress as a unique predictor of risky drinking when controlling for negative affectivity and general trauma symptoms, additional risk factors for risky drinking in women. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that race-based traumatic stress made a significant and unique contribution to the amount of variance in risky drinking, above negative affectivity, and general trauma symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering experiences of racism as risk factors in substance use prevention and intervention, specifically for female college students from marginalized or minoritized racial/ethnic backgrounds.

The Reporter

The Reporter Steve Slavin (bio) 1 I met Gail Olson at a very crowded New York City loft party in 1972. It was probably being held to honor some poor painter whose show had just opened, but most of us regarded it as a great singles party. Soon after I squeezed my way into the loft, I saw Gail, a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, trying to have a conversation with two very interested guys, each of them cupping their ears. I decided to have some fun, so I passed her a note that read, "The two gentlemen you're conversing with escaped from an institution for the criminally insane, and I'm waiting for backup. Please keep them occupied." She looked at me, and I shrugged. Five minutes later, we were making out in a corner of the loft. Then we shared a joint—the first one I had ever rolled without expert supervision. I had packed the paper with uncleaned pot—stems and all—and twisted both ends. When I lit it, a three-foot flame shot up. Thankfully, she didn't say anything, happy to just share the joint. A few weeks later, when Gail and I had dinner with one of her friends, I told him the story about the joint. As the three of us laughed, he said, "Gail was too kind to say anything." Indeed, Gail was perhaps the nicest person I would ever know. As our relationship grew more serious, I became more and more aware of just how nice she was. A reporter for a banking newspaper, she once told me that sometimes the most important element of writing was what you didn't say—what was purposefully left out. She introduced me to one of her colleagues, Stanley—a big guy, almost as round as he was tall. When she had started working at the American Banker, her first journalism job in New York, Stanley more or less took her under his wing. While he was a crack reporter, it was obvious that he had a drinking problem. But how could that be? He held down a good job, showing up on time every day. Maybe Stanley was a little odd, but he always made his deadlines and there were no complaints about his work. [End Page 136] Then Gail found out he was homeless. She insisted that he move in with her until he could get it together to find his own apartment. A few weeks later, she introduced him to her friend Caroline, and he soon moved in with her. A year later they got married, and Gail was their maid-of-honor. 2 I had a long-time friend who I often invited to parties. Jerry had almost no success meeting women. But one night he got lucky. Marcy was very bright and had a good sense of humor. She was an editor at a large publishing house and always had funny stories about the writers she met. She once took a rather successful author to lunch. While they waited for coffee and dessert, the author picked up her handbag, excused herself, and went to the ladies' room. When she did not return for some time, Marcy went to see if she was OK. As she approached the door of the ladies' room, Marcy heard a banging noise and rushed inside. The writer was hitting the door with her fist, and then trying to force it open. But because it was a pay toilet, it would remain locked no matter how hard you hit it. Marcy was puzzled. Was someone in there? Why didn't the author just use a different toilet? The author's face was beet red. It took her a while to catch her breath. Then she held out her hand, palm up. Finally, Marcy understood. She opened her handbag and gave the author a quarter. Without a word, the author took it, put it in the slot, opened the door, went inside the stall, and left Marcy standing there. Marcy and Jerry had been together for a month or so when she broke up with him. Two years later...

Coping-motivated escalations in adolescent alcohol problems following early adversity.

The present study examined whether early stressful events precipitate drinking risks across adolescence and whether coping-motivated drinking mediates such relations. Families comprised 387 adolescents (55% female, 83% White) recruited for a longitudinal study. Caregivers reported on adolescents' experience of potentially stressful events, including conflict (i.e., disruption of harmonious family relations) and separation (i.e., decreased contact with important persons) events, over the past year when adolescents were approximately 14 years of age. Adolescents reported on their drinking motives, alcohol use, and alcohol problems annually from 18 to 20 years of age. Growth curve models tested associations of stressful events with latent coping and enhancement/social drinking motives growth factors and subsequent alcohol outcomes. Most adolescents experienced at least one potentially stressful event. Growth modeling suggested no change in coping motives, but increases in enhancement/social motives over time. Greater conflict events predicted higher frequency of drinking for coping reasons (i.e., coping intercept), which in turn predicted increases in alcohol problems as adolescents began transitioning into young adulthood. Conflict, separation, or total stressful events were not significantly associated with initial level or change in enhancement/social motives, suggesting specificity of mediation by coping-motivated drinking. Findings support enduring elevations in drinking risk over 6 years following disruptive family relations in early adolescence. Such risks appear to be driven by negative affect regulation mechanisms through coping-motivated drinking. Future work should assess generalizability of these findings across diverse samples and could test similar negative reinforcement mechanisms of drinking following exposure to clinically impairing traumatic experiences. Public Health Significance Statement: This study demonstrated that disruptive family relations in early adolescence are linked to greater motivation to drink to cope with negative affect up to 6 years later. Greater coping motives, in turn, were related to increases in alcohol problems over time, even when controlling for alcohol consumption. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

노년기 혼인상태가 문제음주에 미치는 영향

The present study examined the relationship between marital status and problematic drinking and the moderating effect of self-esteem among Korean older adults. The samples were drawn from the 2019 Korean Welfare Panel Study, and we analyzed a total of 5,892 adults aged 60 or older based on marital status, living with their partner, widowed, divorced people, and separated. The hierarchical regression was used to analyze whether the relationship between marital status and alcohol consumption among older adults varied by the level of self-esteem. The results were shown that demographic and health-related factors were associated with unmarried status and problematic drinking, but more interaction effect of self-esteem on the married status. An additional analysis was conducted by comparing living with partners and each unit of unmarried status, widowed, divorced people, and separated to determine which group would have more problematic drinking. Older people who were widowed had problematic drinking, but there was an interaction effect of the self-esteem on people who are in married status. Divorced people were significantly consumed more alcohol than the participants who live with their partners, and it varied by their self-esteem. The divorced people also consumed more alcohol than the widowed, and it also changed depending on their self-esteem. Finding from this study highlight the significant role of transition in marital status as people get older and each one's level of self-esteem to reduce alcohol consumption, which could be related to alcohol abuse. Future implications were discussed to improve older adults' quality of life by reducing alcohol consumption and giving support.

여성 임금근로자의 근로 요인이 혼술 및 문제음주에 미치는 영향

여성 임금근로자의 근로 요인이 혼술 및 문제음주에 미치는 영향

Adolescent predictors of psychiatric disorders in adulthood: The role of emotional distress and problem drinking in emerging adulthood.

The current study evaluated risk factors in adolescence on problem drinking and emotional distress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and meeting criteria for diagnosed disorders in adulthood. The study included 501 parents and their adolescent who participated from middle adolescence to adulthood. Risk factors in middle adolescence (age 18) included parent alcohol use, adolescent alcohol use, and parent and adolescent emotional distress. In late adolescence (age 18), binge drinking and emotional distress were assessed, and in emerging adulthood (age 25), alcohol problems and emotional distress were examined. Meeting criteria for substance use, behavioral, affective, or anxiety disorders were examined between the ages of 26 and 31. Results showed parent alcohol use predicted substance use disorder through late adolescent binge drinking and emerging adulthood alcohol problems. Behavioral disorders were indirectly predicted by adolescent and emerging adult emotional distress. Affective disorders were indirectly predicted by parent emotional distress through adolescent emotional distress. Finally, anxiety disorders were predicted by parent alcohol use via adolescent drinking; parent emotional distress via adolescent emotional distress, and through adolescent alcohol use and emotional distress. Results provided support for the intergenerational transmission of problem drinking and emotional distress on meeting criteria for diagnosed psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

Personality profiles and health behaviors among sexual minority middle-aged and older adults: Identifying resilience through latent profile analysis

Resilience has been defined as a personality characteristic that promotes adaptation when facing hardships. Research has found evidence of resilience in sexual minority (SM; i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual) adults, despite facing additional stressors such as discrimination and victimization. Yet, very limited research has been conducted on resilience in this marginalized community. Utilizing data from the Midlife in the United States study, this study conducted latent profile analysis using the Big Five personality traits (i.e., openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) to identify distinct personality profiles in a sample of SM (n = 159) and propensity-score matched heterosexual (n = 318) middle-aged and older adults. Additionally, the associations between the personality profiles and health-risk/promoting behaviors were assessed. Four profiles were identified: Average (35.2 %), Resilient (47 %), Overcontrolled (7.3 %), and Undercontrolled (10.5 %). The results found that Resilient SM participants were significantly more likely to engage in problematic drinking but were also more likely to have a routine physical exam than Resilient heterosexual participants. Participants with a Resilient profile were more likely to engage in moderate physical activity than other personality profiles for both SM and heterosexual participants. These results suggest that SM adults have the potential for resilience which is often overlooked in research.

Chemsex Drug Use among a National Sample of Sexually Active Men who have Sex with Men, – American Men’s Internet Survey, 2017–2020

Background: Chemsex is the intentional use of drugs to enhance sexual activity. Chemsex drug use among men who have sex with men (MSM) is associated with sexual behaviors that increase sexually transmitted infection (STI) risks and adverse mental health outcomes. However, published data are largely based on MSM recruited from STI clinics. There are limited data about use of chemsex drugs among national samples of MSM in the United States. Using data from the American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS), we assessed the prevalence and correlates of use of chemsex drugs among sexually active MSM in the United States. Methods: We used data from the 2017 to 2020 AMIS cycles to examine the prevalence of chemsex drug use in the past 12 months among MSM. We calculated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to compare chemsex drug use across demographic, behavioral, and mental health factors. Results: Of 30,294 MSM, 3,113 (10.3%) reported chemsex drug use in the past 12 months. Of the 3,113 MSM who reported chemsex drug use, 65.1% reported ecstasy use, 42.5% reported crystal methamphetamine use, and 21.7% reported GHB use. Factors associated with chemsex drug use included condomless anal sex (PR = 1.93, 95%=1.69–2.20), problem drinking (PR = 2.36, 95% = 2.13–2.61), bacterial STI test (1.84, 95% CI = 1.68–2.02) and probable serious mental illness (PR = 1.92, 95% = 1.76–2.09). Conclusion: Chemsex drug use is associated with behaviors that increase STI risk and mental distress among MSM. Health programs that serve MSM can consider screening for chemsex drug use and offering sexual and mental health promotion and risk reduction interventions when necessary.

Alcohol and cannabis co-use in a national sample of U.S. adults ages 30-80

IntroductionGrowing cannabis legalization has coincided with an increased focus on use of both alcohol and cannabis (AC co-use) among younger people; however, little is known about AC co-use among adults over age 30. This study examines the prevalence of different types of AC co-use among adults, as well as compares AC co-users and alcohol-only users on individual, social network, and neighborhood characteristics. MethodsData come from three annual surveys of a nationally representative sample of 1,770 U.S. adults, initially between the ages of 30–80, conducted between 2019 and 2021. The baseline sample is 52.8 years old on average, 51.8 % female, and 60.1 % non-Hispanic White. ResultsPast month co-use at baseline was reported by 8.4% of adults, and mostly consisted of simultaneous use, with less than 5% of the sample initiating co-use over the two-year follow-up period. Multivariable models indicate AC co-use was cross-sectionally associated with respondents being male, younger, Hispanic (vs White), and having more alcohol use and related problems, and with their social network composition (e.g., having more drinking buddies and cannabis users in the network). However, co-use status was not associated with mental health, physical ailments, or neighborhood quality. Longitudinal analyses indicated that AC co-use at baseline predicted more alcohol use one year later and alcohol related problems two years later among men only. ConclusionsAC co-use among adults over age 30 deserves further attention given its prevalence and associations with heavier drinking and related problems. Network-focused interventions may be a promising approach for reducing AC co-use.

High Intensity Drinking (HID) Assessed by Maximum Quantity Consumed Is an Important Pattern Measure Adding Predictive Value in Higher and Lower Income Societies for Modeling Alcohol-Related Problems.

Adjusting for demographics and standard drinking measures, High Intensity Drinking (HID), indexed by the maximum quantity consumed in a single day in the past 12 months, may be valuable in predicting alcohol dependence other harms across high and low income societies. The data consisted of 17 surveys of adult (15,460 current drinkers; 71% of total surveyed) in Europe (3), the Americas (8), Africa (2), and Asia/Australia (4). Gender-disaggregated country analyses used Poison regression to investigate whether HID (8-11, 12-23, 24+ drinks) was incrementally influential, beyond log drinking volume and HED (Heavy Episodic Drinking, or 5+ days), in predicting drinking problems, adjusting for age and marital status. In adjusted models predicting AUDIT-5 for men, adding HID improved the overall model fit for 11 of 15 countries. For women, 12 of 14 countries with available data showed an improved fit with HID included. The results for the five Life-Area Harms were similar for men. Considering the results by gender, each country showing improvements in model fit by adding HID had larger values of the average difference between high intensity and usual consumption, implying variations in amounts consumed on any given day. The amount consumed/day often greatly exceeded HED levels. In many societies of varying income levels, as hypothesized, HID provided important added information on drinking patterns for predicting harms, beyond the standard volume and binging indicators.

Does Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem Play a Role in the Stress to Impaired Control Pathway to Alcohol-Related Problems in a College Student Sample?

The Appraisal-Disruption Model (ADM) suggests that individuals use alcohol as a means of dampening negative self-talk. Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from validating one's self-esteem depending on one's romantic relationship(s) and is known to predict alcohol-related problems. We hypothesized that RCSE indirectly predicts drinking outcomes through the mediating mechanism(s) of stress and impaired control over alcohol (IC; drinking to excess beyond one's own intentions). We fit a multiple-group structural equation model with self-report survey data from 479 college students. We used a 20,000 bootstrap technique to examine possible mediated pathways. Consistent with evolutionary theory, our model was moderated by sex: more variance in alcohol-related problems was explained for women (R2 = 0.479) than for men (R2 = 0.280). RCSE was directly linked to more stress. Furthermore, higher levels of RCSE were indirectly linked to more IC through increased stress, and in turn, more heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems for both men and women. Consistent with the ADM, those with higher levels of RCSE experienced more stress and, in turn, more IC and subsequent adverse alcohol outcomes. Thus, therapists targeting alcohol use disorders (AUDs) may wish to determine if their client's self-esteem changes dramatically based on their moment-to-moment appraisal of their intimate relationships.

Children with problem-drinking parents in a Swedish national sample: is the risk of harm related to the severity of parental problem drinking?

The aim of this paper is to examine the link between severity in exposure to parental problem drinking in a Swedish national population sample of children aged 15-16 years. Specifically, we assessed whether the risk of poor health, poor relationships and a problematic school situation increase with severity in exposure to parental problem drinking. National population survey from 2017 with a representative sample of 5 576 adolescents born in 2001. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). A short version of The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, CAST-6, was used to identify children with problem-drinking parents. Health status, social relations and school situation were assessed by well-established measures. The risk of having poor health, poor school performance and poor social relations increased with severity of parental problem drinking. The risk was lowest among children least severely affected (Crude models ranged from OR: 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4 to OR: 2.2, 95% CI 1.8-2.6) and highest among children most severely affected (Crude models ranges from OR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.1 to OR: 6.6, 95% CI 5.1-8.6). The risk became lower when adjusting for gender and socioeconomic position but were still higher compared to children without problem-drinking parents. Appropriate screening and intervention programs are necessary for children with problem-drinking parents especially when exposure is severe but also at mild forms of exposure.

Problem Drinking is Associated with Intimate Partner Cyber Abuse Perpetration but is Buffered by High Relationship Satisfaction.

Intimate partner cyber abuse (IPCA) is a prevalent form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that has detrimental effects on victims' well-being. Although research has documented associations with other forms of IPV perpetration, additional research is needed to identify IPCA perpetration risk factors. One of the most common risk factors for offline IPV is perpetrators' alcohol use; however, less is known about how this translates to online contexts. There is also a need to identify protective factors that mitigate the effects of alcohol. This study evaluated associations between drinking, relationship satisfaction, and IPCA perpetration via self-report questionnaires within a longitudinal framework. Participants included 544 adults in an intimate relationship (n = 296 at T2). Results indicated that relationship satisfaction buffered the effects of problem drinking on IPCA perpetration at T1, but not at T2. Further, 20.2% of individuals who perpetrated IPCA at T1 drank alcohol during at least one incident, and these individuals reported more problem drinking and more frequent IPCA perpetration compared to those who reported IPCA without alcohol. Results from this study provide insight into both risk and protective factors for IPCA perpetration among adults and have the potential to guide concurrent prevention strategies that target intersections between problem drinking, IPCA, and offline IPV, and promote healthy and satisfying intimate relationships.

Bidirectional prospective associations between behavioral economic indicators and drinking patterns during alcohol use disorder natural recovery attempts.

Behavioral economic (BE) theory posits that harmful alcohol use is a joint product of elevated alcohol demand and preference for immediate over delayed rewards. Despite cross-sectional research support, whether expected bidirectional relations exist between BE indicators and drinking during recovery attempts is unknown. Therefore, this prospective research investigated quarter-by-quarter cross-lagged associations between BE simulation tasks and drinking following a natural recovery attempt. Higher demand and discounting in a given quarter should predict subsequent drinking. Conversely, drinking in a given quarter should predict subsequent higher demand and discounting. Community-dwelling problem drinkers were enrolled shortly after stopping heavy drinking without treatment (N = 191). Drinking practices, problems, delay discounting, and alcohol demand (intensity, Omax, Pmax, elasticity) were assessed at baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups. Longitudinal cross-lagged models related each BE indicator in the previous quarter to drinking status in the next quarter, and vice versa. Higher demand intensity (consumption when drinks are free) at Quarter 1 distinguished participants who drank heavily in Quarter 2 from those who abstained. In turn, heavy drinking participants in Quarter 2 had higher intensity at Quarter 3 than abstainers and moderate drinkers in Quarter 2, and higher intensity at Quarter 3 distinguished heavy drinkers in Quarter 4 from moderate drinkers (ps < .05). Hypothesized associations for other BE indices were inconsistent or partially supported. Alcohol purchase task metrics showed some hypothesized prospective associations with drinking during a natural recovery attempt, which supports their ecological validity as relapse risk indicators. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Disentangling the within- and between-person aspects of implicit alcohol associations on hazardous drinking.

Indirect measures have been used to assess the strength of automatically activated, alcohol-related associations and their relation to hazardous drinking. However, little is known about the longitudinal contributions of between-person and within-person components of implicit alcohol associations (IAAs) to college students' hazardous drinking over time. This study examined how within- and between-person variability in three measures of IAA (drinking identity, alcohol approach, and alcohol excite) are related to hazardous drinking while controlling for their explicit, self-report counterparts. First- and second-year U.S. college students (N = 506; 57% female) completed web-based assessments once every 3 months up to eight assessments, which included IAA measures (Implicit Association Tests), explicit counterparts of the IAAs, and self-reported hazardous drinking (alcohol consumption, problems, and risk of alcohol use disorder). Bayesian generalized multilevel models were used to examine between- and within-person associations among IAA, their explicit counterparts, and hazardous drinking. Results showed that between persons, mean levels of all three IAAs were positively associated with hazardous drinking over time. Once their explicit, self-report counterparts were included, however, only drinking identity IAA remained significant. Within persons, increases in drinking identity IAA were associated with increases in subsequent hazardous drinking risk, even after controlling for its explicit counterpart. These results suggest the importance of disentangling and simultaneously investigating between- and within-person processes in IAAs. Although the between-person component of IAAs may play a larger role in the prediction of hazardous drinking, examining the within-person component of IAA, at least for drinking identity, also appears to be important. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

'Some days I am a lunatic that thinks I can moderate': Amalgamating recovery and neo-liberal discourses within accounts of non-drinking among women active in the 'positive sobriety' community on Instagram in the UK.

In recent years, reductions in drinking in the UK and the rise of online 'positive' sobriety communities have been observed, yet peer led support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and neo-liberal discourses of control and responsibility dominate public understandings of (problematic) alcohol use. This paper presents research exploring how women active in the 'positive sobriety' community on Instagram position and construct their non-drinking identities and relationships with alcohol within these overlapping discourses. Semi-structured interviews (n=15) and online content produced by women active in the positive sobriety community on Instagram were analysed using thematic analysis. Women challenged, reproduced and amalgamated AA discourses of addiction, and the broader discourses of neo-liberalism, in ways that positioned (alcohol) consumption, agency, control and individual responsibility as defining features of feminine identity making. Drawing on these discourses, binary understandings of problematic drinking, the identity of the 'alcoholic', and the need to reach 'rock bottom' in the recovery process were rejected and challenged, but at times reproduced. Whilst a broader framing of problematic drinking that situated drinking problems on a spectrum was constructed, abstinence was engaged with and promoted as the most effective way of gaining control and responsibility over drinking in gendered ways, and in establishing an authentic sense of self. This paper contributes to emerging research on online 'positive' sobriety communities, their gendered nature, and the intertwined presence of traditional recovery and neo-liberal discourses in women's accounts. Online sober communities offered alternative spaces of support and allowed for sobriety and sober femininities to be framed more positively than within traditional AA conceptualisations. However, those involved may experience tensions around (a) the need to 'tell' their personal stories of complete abstinence whilst still appealing to those who seek to 'moderate' and (b) the pressure to create and craft an 'authentic' sober self on an online platform that demands a carefully curated self-image and personal 'brand'. Further research should aim to gain more understanding of the role social media plays in "doing" sobriety and non-drinking, how this is done by people of different genders, the intersectional experiences of those participating, and how these communities can be made more equally available and accessible to those who do not consider full abstinence as necessary, whilst still appealing to those that do.

Dyadic effects of minority stress and problematic alcohol use on sexual intimate partner violence in same sex couples.

Little is known about the factors that facilitate the perpetration of sexual violence within the context of same-sex romantic relationships (sexual intimate partner violence perpetration [S-IPV]). The present study sought to identify the effects of external and internal minority stress and problematic drinking on perpetration of S-IPV within a dyadic framework. A community-based sample of 137 sexual and gender minority (SGM) couples (N = 274; 59 male assigned at birth and 78 female assigned at birth couples) completed self-report surveys about minority stressors, alcohol use, and S-IPV perpetration. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted within an actor-partner interdependence framework. This approach accounted for both actor effects (e.g., how much one's S-IPV perpetration is predicted by their own risk factors) and partner effects (e.g., how much one's S-IPV perpetration is influenced by their partner's risk factors). Both Actor external minority stress and internal minority stress were positively associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration. Actor problematic drinking was not associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration; however, Partner problematic drinking was positively associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration. Observed effects were robust above the addition of other risk factors. This research innovatively extricates S-IPV perpetration from other forms of IPV and indicates that Actor minority stress and Partner problematic drinking increase S-IPV likelihood. Results serve as a starting point for development of etiological models to inform the design of culturally-informed interventions to reduce S-IPV among SGM couples.

Analysis of rainwater storage and use recommendations: From the perspective of DBPs generation and their risks

As a vital freshwater resource, rainwater is usually stored in water cellars in arid regions to solve the daily drinking water problems of the population. However, the status of disinfection by-products (DBPs) generation in cellar water under intermittent disinfection conditions is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the formation and distribution characteristics of DBPs in cellar water under intermittent disinfection conditions for the first time. The results demonstrated that six categories of DBPs were selected for detection after chlorination, including trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloketones (HKs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), halonitromethanes (HNMs), and nitrosamines (NAs), among which HAAs, HKs, and HANs were the major DBPs. Only bromoacetic acid (MBAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) showed an increasing trend of accumulation as the number of disinfections increased. Meanwhile, the precursor composition was gradually transformed from humic substances to amino acids, and both organic substances were the main precursors of HAAs. The health risk assessment showed that the main carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of cellar water were contributed by NAs and HAAs, respectively, and children are more susceptible to the risks than adults. The best time to drink cellar water is after approximately 12 days of storage, when the total carcinogenic risk is the minimum.

Mental health, wellbeing and burnout among medical students in the United Arab Emirates.

Medical students tend to experience high levels of stress during their studies, that can result in mental health disorders and burnout, further affecting academic performance and later ability to practice. To investigate previous and current mental health issues, significant sources of stress, burnout, and substance use among medical students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We conducted an online survey to collect data on demographics, sources of stress, mental health problems, burnout, and substance use in 385 medical students from the UAE University. We used the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), and the CAGE questionnaire. Our results indicated that 5.7% of participants had been diagnosed with a mental health condition prior to joining medical school, and that 21.6% of participants were diagnosed with a mental illness while in medical school. On the OLBI, 77.4% screened positive for burnout (81.3% for disengagement and 95.1% for exhaustion), with 74.5% screening positive for mental health difficulties on the GHQ-12 and <1% screening positive on the CAGE for problem drinking. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between scores on the OLBI and the GHQ-12. Our study indicated that high levels of stress, burnout and mental illness are experienced among medical students in the UAE.

Development and evaluation of a measure of drinking behavior in response to acculturation stressors for Latinx adults entering alcohol treatment

IntroductionThe current study presents the development of a scale to assess drinking behavior in response to acculturation and immigration stress. MethodsThe study administered the 19-item Measure of Immigration and Acculturation Stressors (MIAS) and a parallel assessment, a Measure of Drinking in Response to Immigration and Acculturation Stressors (MDRIAS), at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months in a completed randomized controlled trial testing culturally adapted motivational interviewing to reduce heavy drinking and related problems in Latinx individuals who met criteria for heavy drinking (n = 149). ResultsExploratory factor analysis of the MIAS showed best fit for a four-factor solution (Relational Stress, Perceived Ethnic Discrimination, Attenuated Aspirations, and Sense of Alienation) with 15 items. The MIAS subscales and the four corresponding MDRIAS subscales had good reliability (i.e., internal consistency, intercorrelations, and test-retest) and criterion-related validity (i.e., concurrent, convergent, and predictive). ConclusionsThese findings suggest that clinicians and researchers can use the MIAS to assess different types of immigration and acculturation stressors for Latinx adults and can use the MDRIAS to assess drinking in response to those experiences. The MIAS and MDRIAS could be used in the future to adapt alcohol interventions to relevant stressors that contribute to Latinx adults' alcohol use.