scholarly journals Facilitating Versus Inhibiting the Transmission of Drug Abuse from High-Risk Parents to Their Children: A Swedish National Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Kenneth S. Kendler ◽  
Henrik Ohlsson ◽  
Jan Sundquist ◽  
Kristina Sundquist
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
National Sample ◽  
National Study ◽  
Cox Models ◽  
Rearing Environment ◽  
Externalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Peer Deviance

AbstractWe seek to identify factors that facilitate or inhibit transmission of drug abuse (DA) from high-risk parents to their children. In 44,250 offspring of these parents, ascertained from a Swedish national sample for having a mother and/or father with DA, we explored, using Cox models, how the prevalence of DA was predicted by potentially malleable risk factors in these high-risk parents, their spouses and the rearing environment they provided. Analyses of offspring of discordant high-risk siblings and offspring of discordant sibling-in-laws and step-parents aided causal inference. Risk for DA in the children was associated with high-risk and married-in parental externalizing psychopathology, a range of other features of these parents (e.g., low education and receipt of welfare), and aspects of the rearing environment (e.g., neighborhood deprivation and number of nearby drug dealers). Offspring of discordant high-risk siblings, siblings-in-laws and step-parents suggested that nearly all these associations were partly causal. A multivariate analysis utilizing offspring of discordant high-risk siblings identified the six most significant potentially malleable risk factors for offspring DA: (1) criminal behavior (CB) in married-in parent, (2) community peer deviance, (3) broken family, (4) DA in high-risk parent, (5) CB in high-risk parent and (6) number of family moves. Children in the lowest decile of risk had a 50% reduction in their DA prevalence, similar to that seen in the general population. We conclude that transmission of DA from high-risk parents to children partly results from a range of potentially malleable risk factors that could serve as foci for intervention.

scholarly journals The rearing environment and risk for drug abuse: a Swedish national high-risk adopted and not adopted co-sibling control study

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1359-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Kendler ◽  
H. Ohlsson ◽  
K. Sundquist ◽  
J. Sundquist
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Rearing Environment ◽  
Adoptive Family ◽  
Sibling Pairs ◽  
Sibling Control ◽  
Half Sibling

BackgroundAlthough drug abuse (DA) is strongly familial, with important genetic influences, we need to know more about the role of rearing environment in the risk for DA. To address this question, we utilized a high-risk adopted and non-adopted co-sibling control design.MethodHigh-risk offspring had one or more biological parents registered for DA, alcohol use disorders or criminal behavior. Using Swedish registries, we identified 1161 high-risk full-sibships and 3085 high-risk half-sibships containing at least one member who was adopted-away and one member who was not. Registration for DA was via national criminal, medical and pharmacy registers. In Sweden, adoptive families are screened to provide high-quality rearing environment for adoptees.ResultsControlling for parental age at birth and gender (and, in half-siblings, high-risk status of the other parent), risk for DA was substantially lower in the full- and half-siblings who were adopted v. not adopted [hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals: 0.55 (0.45–0·69) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.48–0.63), respectively]. The protective effect of adoption on risk for DA was significantly stronger in the full- and half-sibling pairs with very high familial liability (two high-risk parents) and significantly weaker when the adoptive family was broken by death or divorce, or contained a high-risk parent.ConclusionsIn both full- and half-sibling pairs, we found replicated evidence that rearing environment strongly impacts on risk for DA. High-quality rearing environments can substantively reduce risk for DA in those at high genetic risk.

scholarly journals Prediction of drug abuse recurrence: a Swedish National Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 1367-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Kendler ◽  
H. Ohlsson ◽  
K. Sundquist ◽  
J. Sundquist
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
General Population ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
National Study ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractBackgroundRelapse from drug abuse (DA) is common, but has rarely been studied in general population samples using a wide range of objective predictors.MethodUsing nationwide registries, we ascertained 44 523 subjects first registered for DA between the ages of 15 and 40 in 1998 to 2004 and followed for 8 years. We predicted relapse in subjects defined as a second DA registration. We also predicted DA relapse in relative pairs concordant for DA but discordant for relapse.ResultsIn multivariate regression analyses, the strongest predictors for relapse were prior criminal behavior, male sex, being on social welfare, low school achievement, prior alcoholism, and a high-risk father. A risk index trained from these analyses on random split-halves demonstrated a risk ratio of 1.11 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.10–1.11] per decile and an ROC value of 0.70 (0.69–0.71). Co-relative analyses indicated that a modest proportion of this association was causal, with the remainder arising from familial confounders. A developmental structural equation model revealed a complex interviewing of risk pathways to DA with three key mediational hubs: low educational attainment, early age at first registration, and being on social welfare.ConclusionsIn a general population sample, using objective registry information, DA relapse is substantially predictable. However, the identified risk factors may not be valid targets for interventions because many index familial risk and may not impact causally on probability of relapse. Risk for DA relapse may reflect an inter-weaving, over developmental time, of genetic–temperamental vulnerability, indices of externalizing behaviors and social factors reflecting deprivation.

Tracking Risk for Crime Throughout the Day: An Examination of Jersey City Robberies

2020 ◽  
pp. 073401682098162
Author(s):  
Joel M. Caplan ◽  
Christine H. Neudecker ◽  
Leslie W. Kennedy ◽  
Jeremy D. Barnum ◽  
Grant Drawve
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Jersey City ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
Spatial Influence ◽  
Street Robbery

This study examines temporal variations in the spatial influence of environmental features, such as bars and vacant buildings, on criminal behavior across microlevel places. Specifically, 17 environmental risk factors and their spatial influences are identified for calendar year 2014 street robberies in Jersey City, NJ. To explore temporal variation, risk factors and their spatial influences on crime are identified across 12 discrete 2-hr time intervals. The results demonstrate that the risk factors for street robbery varied across the course of a day. In fact, mapping the most vulnerable places for street robbery revealed that while many of the same environmental features remain high risk throughout the day, their influence varied. These results suggested that there was a temporality to robbery and that it is likely due to the interaction between physical vulnerabilities from the built environment and social behaviors of people at these places. This demonstrates the importance of considering the temporal dimension of criminal behavior as results show that people use and interact with their environment differently throughout the course of the day.

Prevention of Preterm Birth

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
Ivan D. Ivanov ◽  
Stefan A. Buzalov ◽  
Nadezhda H. Hinkova
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Preterm Birth ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Secondary Prophylaxis ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Perinatal Complications ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Neonatal Deaths

Summary Preterm birth (PTB) is a worldwide problem with great social significance because it is a leading cause of perinatal complications and perinatal mortality. PTB is responsible for more than a half of neonatal deaths. The rate of preterm delivery varies between 5-18% worldwide and has not decreased in recent years, regardless of the development of medical science. One of the leading causes for that is the failure to identify the high-risk group in prenatal care. PTB is a heterogeneous syndrome in which many different factors interfere at different levels of the pathogenesis of the initiation of delivery, finally resulting in delivery before 37 weeks of gestation (wg). The various specificities of risk factors and the unclear mechanism of initiation of labour make it difficult to elaborate standard, unified and effective screening to diagnose pregnant women at high-risk for PTB correctly. Furthermore, they make primary and secondary prophylaxis less effective and render diagnostic and therapeutic measures ineffective and inappropriate. Reliable and accessible screening methods are necessary for antenatal care, and risk factors for PTB should be studied and clarified in search of useful tools to solve issues of risk pregnancies to decrease PTB rates and associated complications.

Race and Sex Differences and Fear of Dying: A Test of Two Hypotheses — High Risk or Social Loss?

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Marks
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Zero Order ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Social Loss ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
The Social

A national sample of noninstitutionalized adult Americans is used to test two hypotheses and their relation to fear of death, The first hypothesis, referred to as the high risk hypothesis (i.e., groups with higher mortality rates will express more fear of death than groups with lower rates of mortality), is rejected. The second hypothesis, referred to as the social loss hypothesis, is developed and tested across six status categories—race, sex, age, religion, level of education, and health status. Zero order differences did appear for sex and race, however, these differences were eliminated with the introduction of controls. Both hypotheses are rejected.

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