Browsing by Author "Ringwalt, Chris L"

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    Alcohol dependence and use of treatment services among women in the community.
    (The American journal of psychiatry, 2004-10) Wu, Li-Tzy; Ringwalt, Chris L
    OBJECTIVE:This study examined the extent and characteristics of alcohol dependence and the perceived need for and use of alcohol treatment services among women compared with men in a nonclinical sample of adults 18-64 years of age. METHOD:Data were drawn from the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. The authors calculated rates and correlates of alcohol dependence and treatment among adult alcohol users in this sample. RESULTS:About 3% of the women in the survey met criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence in the previous year. About 13% of these women received alcohol treatment services in the same period. Only 8% of the women who did not receive treatment perceived a need for treatment. Younger women-those who were 18-25 years of age-were more likely to be dependent on alcohol but less likely to perceive a need for treatment or to use treatment services. Among alcohol-dependent women who received no treatment, those with a family income of 75,000 US dollars or more, those who had two or more children living with them, and those who were not dependent on psychotherapeutic medications were less likely to perceive a need for help. CONCLUSIONS:There were no significant differences between men and women in use of treatment services, location of services received, and perceived need for treatment. However, correlates of treatment service use varied somewhat by gender. These findings suggest that the goal of efforts to reduce barriers to alcohol treatment services should be to change people's attitudes toward alcohol abuse and seeking professional help.
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    Use of alcohol treatment and mental health services among adolescents with alcohol use disorders.
    (Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2006-01) Wu, Li-Tzy; Ringwalt, Chris L
    OBJECTIVE:This study examined the use of and perceived need for alcohol treatment services among adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years) who received mental health services in the previous year compared with same-aged adolescents who did not receive such services. METHODS:Study data were drawn from the 2000 and 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. The authors conducted logistic regression analyses to identify the characteristics associated with the receipt of and perceived need for alcohol services among adolescents with alcohol use disorders. RESULTS:Adolescents who received mental health services were much more likely than those who did not to meet criteria for alcohol use disorders in the previous year (10 percent compared with 4 percent). Among adolescents with alcohol use disorders, 15 percent of those who received mental health services used any alcohol services, compared with only 6 percent of those who did not receive mental health services. Of adolescents with alcohol use disorders who did not receive any alcohol services, only 3 percent reported a need for alcohol treatment. Among adolescents with alcohol use disorders who received mental health services, Hispanics were significantly less likely than whites to receive any alcohol services. CONCLUSIONS:These findings from a nationally representative sample of adolescents reveal a largely unrecognized and underserved population at risk. Factors related to the underutilization of alcohol services by adolescents with alcohol use disorders deserve greater research attention.
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    Use of nitrite inhalants ("poppers") among American youth.
    (The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2005-07) Wu, Li-Tzy; Schlenger, William E; Ringwalt, Chris L
    PURPOSE: We examined the patterns and correlates of nitrite inhalant use among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. METHODS: Study data were drawn from the 2000 and 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. Logistic regression was used to identify the characteristics associated with nitrite inhalant use. RESULTS: Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 1.5% reported any lifetime use of nitrite inhalants. The prevalence of lifetime nitrite inhalant use increased to 12% and 14% among adolescents who were dependent on alcohol and any drug in the past year, respectively. Many nitrite inhalant users used at least three other types of inhalants (68%) and also met the criteria for alcohol (33%) and drug (35%) abuse or dependence. Increased odds of nitrite inhalant use were associated with residing in nonmetropolitan areas, recent utilization of mental health services, delinquent behaviors, past year alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, and multi-drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who had used nitrite inhalants at least once in their lifetime tend to engage in delinquent activities and report co-occurring multiple drug abuse and mental health problems in the past year.