Complementing this line of inquiry, studies are underway to evaluate the impact of alcohol on parent-child interactions. These types of studies have importance for understanding both the causes and treatment of substance abuse. WPIC's ongoing research programs address a range of issues and problems spanning the etiology, manifestations, and rehabilitation of alcoholism and other drug-related disorders. In tandem with these efforts, the department offers a vigorous training program for new investigators interested in developing the multifaceted skills required to conduct research into the various and complex problems associated with substance abuse. Depressed alcoholics report using alcohol to decrease or escape from depression and anxiety, despite the fact that these attempts at self-medication were generally ineffective or counterproductive.
Adolescents drink a lower average daily amount than adults, but are more likely to binge drink.
Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure adversely affect fetal growth in the offspring of adolescents. Prenatal alcohol and marijuana exposure adversely affect gestational age in the offspring of adolescents. The salience of arousal mechanisms to the liability for drug abuse was confirmed through the demonstration of a differential pattern of secretion of the arousal-stimulated hormone cortisol, between boys at higher and lower risk for later substance abuse. Importantly, the severity of paternal antisociality has also been found to predict the magnitude of attenuated cortisol response in their sons. From the psychological perspective, deviations in the regulation of behaviors such as aggression, impulse control, and attention were found to characterize children at heightened risk for drug abuse.