The relationship between social skills and adolescent drinking

Studies of the drinking patterns of Australian youth have revealed the widespread use of alcohol, with substantial numbers of high school students drinking on a daily basis and regularly becoming intoxicated. The present research investigated the relationship between social skills and drinking behaviour in teenagers. The Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale was administered to 82 males and females aged between 13 and 16 to distinguish among drinkers, problem drinkers and non-drinkers. To measure social skills, the Adolescent Problem Inventory was administered to boys and the Problem Inventory for Adolescent Girls to girls. There were significant group differences on the social skills measures with non-drinkers receiving the highest scores, indicating the most social skills, followed by drinkers and problem drinkers. An analysis of results showed that 11% of drinkers and 50% of problem drinkers were in the incompetent range of social skills performance while no non-drinkers scored in this range. None of the problem drinkers scored in the highly competent range of performance whereas 22% of drinkers and 40% of non-drinkers did Results are discussed in terms of linking a number of problem behaviours in adolescence, such as drinking, smoking and delinquent behaviour, to deficits in social skills

Factors associated with smoking behavior in adolescent girls

This study investigated the relationship between smoking in adolescent girls and levels of social skills, parental smoking, peer smoking and academic achievement. A Smoking Data Survey was administered to 143 girls aged between 12 and 16 to distinguish smokers and nonsmokers and to gain information about parents' smoking behavior, peers' smoking behavior, and the subjects' academic achievement. A second questionnaire, the Problem Inventory for Adolescent Girls, was also administered to determine subjects' levels of social skills. A multiple discriminate analysis was performed on the variables of social skills score, socioeconomic status, mothers' smoking behavior, fathers' smoking behavior, number of peers who smoke and average school grade achieved. Results demonstrated significant differences between the two groups, smokers and nonsmokers, p < .0001. A series of univariate F tests showed significant group differences between smokers and nonsmokers on the variables of social skills score, mothers' smoking behavior, number of peers who smoke, and average school grade achieved. Smokers, compared to nonsmokers, had lower social skills scores, a higher percentage of them had mothers and friends who smoke, and they achieved lower grades overall than nonsmokers

An evaluation of group therapy for adolescents using social skills training

The present study investigated the hypothesis that social skills training is more effective in increasing socially acceptable behaviour in adolescents than is a generalized or non-specific form of group therapy. Forty-two subjects were selected to participate in the study from among adolescents referred for group therapy at two youth guidance clinics in Brisbane, Australia. The 23 males and 19 females were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: a social skills training group, a non-specific therapy group and a waiting-list-for-therapy (control) condition. All subjects were assessed before and after treatment on five measures of social skills. Subjects in the social skills training group showed significant improvements on three of these measures while the non-specific therapy and waiting-list control groups showed no specific changes on any of the measures

Social skills, expectancies, and drinking in adolescents

Research in the field of teenage drinking behavior has shown relationships between both social skills and drinking and alcohol expectancies and drinking. The present research investigated the comparative power of both of these sets of variables in predicting teenage drinking behavior, as well as looking at the contribution of more global cognitive structures. It was hypothesised that adolescents with high alcohol involvement would be discriminated from those with low involvement on the basis of social skills, cognitive structures, and alcohol expectancies. Seven hundred thirty-two adolescents participated in the study. Results indicated that adolescent alcohol involvement was associated with social skills deficits, positive alcohol expectancies, and negative cognitive structures concerning parents and teachers. The results revealed that, although the bulk of the variance in drinking behavior was explained by the independent effects of social skills and expectancies, the interaction of the two constructs explained an additional and significant proportion of the variance. Implications for preventive and treatment programs are discussed

Pelvic Normal Tissue Contouring Guidelines for Radiation Therapy: A Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Consensus Panel Atlas

PURPOSE: To define a male and female pelvic normal tissue contouring atlas for Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One male pelvis computed tomography (CT) data set and one female pelvis CT data set were shared via the Image-Guided Therapy QA Center. A total of 16 radiation oncologists participated. The following organs at risk were contoured in both CT sets: anus, anorectum, rectum (gastrointestinal and genitourinary definitions), bowel NOS (not otherwise specified), small bowel, large bowel, and proximal femurs. The following were contoured in the male set only: bladder, prostate, seminal vesicles, and penile bulb. The following were contoured in the female set only: uterus, cervix, and ovaries. A computer program used the binomial distribution to generate 95% group consensus contours. These contours and definitions were then reviewed by the group and modified. RESULTS: The panel achieved consensus definitions for pelvic normal tissue contouring in RTOG trials with these standardized names: Rectum, AnoRectum, SmallBowel, Colon, BowelBag, Bladder, UteroCervix, Adnexa_R, Adnexa_L, Prostate, SeminalVesc, PenileBulb, Femur_R, and Femur_L. Two additional normal structures whose purpose is to serve as targets in anal and rectal cancer were defined: AnoRectumSig and Mesorectum. Detailed target volume contouring guidelines and images are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Consensus guidelines for pelvic normal tissue contouring were reached and are available as a CT image atlas on the RTOG Web site. This will allow uniformity in defining normal tissues for clinical trials delivering pelvic radiation and will facilitate future normal tissue complication research