No abstract

Some investigators propose that adolescents engage in risky behaviors mainly because they perceive themselves to be invulnerable to risk. However, studies have typically not included perceived benefits. In the current study, 5th, 7th, and 9th graders were surveyed about their perceptions of and experience with alcohol and tobacco. Results indicated that perceptions of the benefits were significantly related to drinking and smoking 6 months later, over and above perceptions of the risks, age of the respondent, and experience level. Further, the importance of benefits was replicated across 3 separate analyses. Experience with alcohol alone, especially positive experience, was also related to perception and behavior. These findings are discussed in terms of how to improve messages and influence adolescents' decisions regarding risk-taking behaviors.

Objective-To determine the prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among couples seeking fertility care and to identify the predictors of CAM use in this population. Design-Prospective cohort study Setting-Eight community and academic infertility practices Patients-428 couples presenting for an infertility evaluation Interventions-Interviews and questionnaires Main Outcome Measures-Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine therapyResults-After 18 months of observation, 29% of the couples had utilized a CAM modality for treatment of infertility; 22% had tried acupuncture, 17% herbal therapy, 5% a form of body work, and 1% had utilized meditation. An annual household income ≥ $200,000 (OR 2.8, p=.04) relative to couples earning < $100,000, not achieving a pregnancy (OR 2.3, p=.01), and a positive attitude toward CAM use at baseline (p<.001) were independently associated with CAM use.Conclusions-A substantial minority of infertile couples utilize CAM treatments. CAM was chosen most commonly by wealthier couples, those not achieving a pregnancy, and those with a baseline belief in the effectiveness of CAM treatments.

Two hypotheses regarding the effects of pubertal timing on substance use were tested in a prospective study of 221 young adolescents. A maturational-deviance hypothesis predicted that early-maturing girls and late-maturing boys would experience heightened emotional distress, which in turn would influence initiation and use of substances. Alternatively, an early-maturation hypothesis predicted that early-maturing girls would engage in more substance use than all other groups, independent of emotional distress. Early-maturing adolescents reported more substance use within 1 year. Adolescents experiencing elevated levels of negative affect also reported greater substance use within the next year. However, pubertal timing was not related to emotional distress. Results support the early-maturation hypothesis for girls and suggest its extension to boys.

Adolescents are more willing to communicate with and seek health care from physicians who assure confidentiality. Further investigation is needed to identify a confidentiality assurance statement that explains the legal and ethical limitations of confidentiality without decreasing adolescents' likelihood of seeking future health care for routine and nonreportable sensitive health concerns.