Substance use by adolescents in special education and residential youth care institutions

This study examined substance use rates and related background factors among adolescents in special education (SE) and in residential youth care institutions (RYC). Information on substance use from 531 adolescents in RYC, 603 adolescents in SE for students with behavioral problems (SEB) and 1,905 adolescents in SE for students with learning disabilities (SEL) was compared with information from 7,041 adolescents who attended mainstream education. Results show that substance use rates are particularly high among adolescents in RYC and in SEB. For example, 22% of the 12–13 years old in RYC and 16% in SEB was a daily smoker compared with 1% of their counterparts in mainstream education. Background factors, including age, ethnic background and family situation, partly explained the differences in substance use between mainstream education on the one hand and SE and RYC on the other hand, but differences between the groups remained substantial and significant. Several interaction effects were found in the relation between SE/RYC and substance use that were all in line with the risk paradox: some subgroups that are normally at lower risk for problem behavior are at higher risk when they are subjected to high-risk indicators. The elevated risk of substance use among adolescents in RYC/SE was in some cases particularly marked for those who would normally be at lower risk for substance use (girls in SEB for heavy alcohol drinking and cannabis use, ethnic minority adolescents and adolescents with a stable family situation in RYC for respectively heavy weekly alcohol drinking and daily use of tobacco). Results of this study have important implications for health education and intervention programs for adolescents in RYC and SE

Титульні сторінки

Dit rapport bevat de nieuwste gegevens uit het Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) onderzoek. Dit is een landelijk representatief onderzoek naar de gezondheid en het welzijn van de schoolgaande jeugd van 11 tot en met 16 jaar. In 2013 werd dit onderzoek voor de vierde keer uitgevoerd in Nederland. Ook de ouders van scholieren zijn betrokken bij het onderzoek

Longitudinal bidirectional associations between internalizing mental disorders and cardiometabolic disorders in the general adult population

Purpose This prospective population-based study investigated whether having any internalizing mental disorder (INT) was associated with the presence and onset of any cardiometabolic disorder (CM) at 3-year follow-up; and vice versa. Furthermore, we examined whether observed associations differed when using longer time intervals of respectively 6 and 9 years. Methods Data were used from the four waves (baseline and 3-, 6- and 9-year follow-up) of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, a prospective study of a representative cohort of adults. At each wave, the presence and first onset of INT (i.e. any mood or anxiety disorder) were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0; the presence and onset of CM (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke) were based on self-report. Multilevel logistic autoregressive models were controlled for previous-wave INT and CM, respectively, and sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle covariates. Results Having any INT predicted both the presence (OR 1.28, p = 0.029) and the onset (OR 1.46, p = 0.003) of any CM at the next wave (3-year intervals). Having any CM was not significantly related to the presence of any INT at 3-year follow-up, while its association with the first onset of any INT reached borderline significance (OR 1.64, p = 0.06), but only when examining 6-year intervals. Conclusions Our findings indicate that INTs increase the risk of both the presence and the onset of CMs in the short term, while CMs may increase the likelihood of the first onset of INTs in the longer term. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the observed associations

Age- and sex-specific associations between risk scores for schizophrenia and self-reported health in the general population

Purpose The health correlates of polygenic risk (PRS-SCZ) and exposome (ES-SCZ) scores for schizophrenia may vary depending on age and sex. We aimed to examine age- and sex-specific associations of PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ with self-reported health in the general population. Methods Participants were from the population-based Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study–2 (NEMESIS-2). Mental and physical health were measured with the 36-item Short Form Survey 4 times between 2007 and 2018. The PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ were respectively calculated from common genetic variants and exposures (cannabis use, winter birth, hearing impairment, and five childhood adversity categories). Moderation by age and sex was examined in linear mixed models. Results For PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ analyses, we included 3099 and 6264 participants, respectively (age range 18–65 years; 55.7–56.1% female). Age and sex did not interact with PRS-SCZ. Age moderated the association between ES-SCZ and mental (interaction: p = 0.02) and physical health (p = 0.0007): at age 18, + 1.00 of ES-SCZ was associated with − 0.10 of mental health and − 0.08 of physical health, whereas at age 65, it was associated with − 0.21 and − 0.23, respectively (all units in standard deviations). Sex moderated the association between ES-SCZ and physical health (p < .0001): + 1.00 of ES-SCZ was associated with − 0.19 of physical health among female and − 0.11 among male individuals. Conclusion There were larger associations between higher ES-SCZ and poorer health among female and older individuals. Accounting for these interactions may increase ES-SCZ precision and help uncover populational determinants of environmental influences on health

Trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands, 1992-2015. Differences across sociodemographic groups and links with strict parental rule-setting.

BACKGROUND: From an international perspective, studying trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands is an important case study. Whereas Dutch adolescents topped the international rankings of alcohol consumption in the beginning of this century, they are nowadays found more toward the bottom of these rankings. This study examines time trends in adolescent alcohol use between 1992 and 2015, and tests whether these trends differ according to gender, age group, and educational track. Moreover, it examines to what extent the strictness of parental rule-setting can explain the identified trends. METHODS: Using data from ten waves of two nationally representative studies with a repeated cross-sectional design, trends were examined for eight different alcohol measures. Interaction analyses were conducted to test for subgroup differences. All analyses were controlled for educational track, family structure, and ethnicity. For the period 2007-2015, trends in parental alcohol-specific rule-setting were included as a predictor of the trends in adolescent alcohol use. RESULTS: Adolescent alcohol use increased substantially between 1992 and 2003, and decreased sharply thereafter. Trends were stronger for 12- to 15-year olds, compared to the 16-year olds, and for adolescents attending higher educational tracks, compared to adolescents attending lower educational tracks. Overall, gender differences remained constant over time. Between 2007 and 2015, strict parental alcohol-specific rule-setting increased substantially, and this (partly) explained the strong decline in adolescent alcohol use during this period. CONCLUSION: This study shows clear time trend changes in alcohol use among Dutch adolescents. The phenomenal decrease in adolescent alcohol use since 2003 appears to be closely related to a radical change in parenting behaviours surrounding the alcohol use of their children. While national prevention programs may have encouraged stricter parenting behaviours, the decline in alcohol use should be interpreted in a broader context of internationally changing sociocultural norms regarding adolescent alcohol use