Intoxicating
Reinout Wiers et al.
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
This study tested the effects of a new cognitive-bias modification (CBM) intervention that targeted an approach bias for alcohol in 214 alcoholic inpatients. Patients were assigned to one of two experimental conditions, in which they were explicitly or implicitly trained to make avoidance movements (pushing a joystick) in response to alcohol pictures, or to one of two control conditions, in which they received no training or sham training. Four brief sessions of experimental CBM preceded regular inpatient treatment. In the experimental conditions only, patients' approach bias changed into an avoidance bias for alcohol. This effect generalized to untrained pictures in the task used in the CBM and to an Implicit Association Test, in which alcohol and soft-drink words were categorized with approach and avoidance words. Patients in the experimental conditions showed better treatment outcomes a year later. These findings indicate that a short intervention can change alcoholics' automatic approach bias for alcohol and may improve treatment outcome.
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How Adolescents' Perceived Media Influence on Peers Affects Smoking Decisions
Hye-Jin Paek et al.
Journal of Consumer Affairs, Spring 2011, Pages 123-146
Abstract:
Guided by the influence of presumed influence model, this study focuses on the direct and mediating roles of adolescent perceived media influence on peers - i.e., perceptions about how much peers are influenced by antismoking messages - in predicting adolescent smoking attitudes and behavior. Analysis of two-wave panel data indicates that adolescents' perceived media influence on peers at Time 2 directly influenced their smoking attitudes and behavior at Time 2 and appeared to serve as a causal bridge for the variable at Time 1. The exposure to antismoking campaigns seems to achieve the desired outcome indirectly through perceived media influence on peers.
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Ulrike Bingel et al.
Science Translational Medicine, 16 February 2011
Abstract:
Evidence from behavioral and self-reported data suggests that the patients' beliefs and expectations can shape both therapeutic and adverse effects of any given drug. We investigated how divergent expectancies alter the analgesic efficacy of a potent opioid in healthy volunteers by using brain imaging. The effect of a fixed concentration of the μ-opioid agonist remifentanil on constant heat pain was assessed under three experimental conditions using a within-subject design: with no expectation of analgesia, with expectancy of a positive analgesic effect, and with negative expectancy of analgesia (that is, expectation of hyperalgesia or exacerbation of pain). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activity to corroborate the effects of expectations on the analgesic efficacy of the opioid and to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms. Positive treatment expectancy substantially enhanced (doubled) the analgesic benefit of remifentanil. In contrast, negative treatment expectancy abolished remifentanil analgesia. These subjective effects were substantiated by significant changes in the neural activity in brain regions involved with the coding of pain intensity. The positive expectancy effects were associated with activity in the endogenous pain modulatory system, and the negative expectancy effects with activity in the hippocampus. On the basis of subjective and objective evidence, we contend that an individual's expectation of a drug's effect critically influences its therapeutic efficacy and that regulatory brain mechanisms differ as a function of expectancy. We propose that it may be necessary to integrate patients' beliefs and expectations into drug treatment regimes alongside traditional considerations in order to optimize treatment outcomes.
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Rajeev Ramchand et al.
Military Psychology, January 2011, Pages 6-21
Abstract:
We examined drinking behaviors (frequency of use, quantity of use, and frequency of binge drinking) and correlates of frequency of use and binge drinking in a representative sample of previously deployed personnel from the U.S. military (n = 1,887). Drinking behaviors were compared with a matched sample of adults in U.S. households (n = 17,533). Comparable patterns of alcohol consumption were reported in both samples: 70% of previously deployed personnel and 69% of U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, though civilians drank on average more drinks on the days that they drank than did previously deployed military personnel. Regression analyses indicated that, among previously deployed military personnel, deployment-related experiences (e.g., combat-related traumas) and psychological distress (e.g., symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder) were associated with frequency of drinking behaviors. We discuss the implication of our findings for developing interventions to modify drinking behaviors for military personnel.
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Fake ID Ownership in a US Sample of Incoming First-Year College Students
Norma Nguyen et al.
Addictive Behaviors, forthcoming
Objective: One way that underage drinkers procure alcohol is by using a fake ID. This study examined demographic characteristics and alcohol-related problems associated with fake ID ownership among incoming first-year college students.
Method: We examined baseline data collected as part of a web-based alcohol education program that had been completed by a large, cross-sectional sample of incoming college freshmen from across the US.
Results: Only 7.7% of incoming freshmen reported owning a fake ID. Multiple logistic regression indicated that the odds of owning a fake ID were significantly increased by intent to join or current membership in a fraternity or sorority (OR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.64,2.44; p < 0.0001), having taken the survey after the start of fall classes (OR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.59; p = 0.04), reporting 1 heavy drinking episode in the past two weeks (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 0.97,1.68; p = 0.01), reporting 2 or more such episodes (OR = 2.78; 95% CI = 2.10,3.66; p < 0.0001), experiencing external harms related to alcohol use (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.01,1.61; p = 0.01), and drinking and driving (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.03,1.75; p = 0.03).
Conclusions: Fake ID ownership was associated with intent to join or current membership in a fraternity/sorority and with reports of heavy drinking episodes, alcohol-related problems, and drinking and driving. Fake ID owners and incoming college students seeking fraternity or sorority membership should be targeted for multiple interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms.
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Stress, habits, and drug addiction: A psychoneuroendocrinological perspective
Lars Schwabe, Anthony Dickinson & Oliver Wolf
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, February 2011, Pages 53-63
Abstract:
It is well known that stress is a significant risk factor for the development of drug addiction and addiction relapse. Remarkably, the cognitive processes involved in the effects of stress on addictive behavior remain poorly understood. Here it is proposed that stress-induced changes in the neural circuits controlling instrumental action provide a potential mechanism by which stress affects the development of addiction and relapse vulnerability. Instrumental action can be controlled by two anatomically distinct systems: a goal-directed system that involves learning of action-outcome associations, and a habit system that learns stimulus-response associations. The transition from initial voluntary drug use to subsequent involuntary, compulsive drug use represents a switch from goal-directed to habitual control of action. Recent evidence indicates that this switch from goal-directed to habit action can be prompted by stress and stress hormones. We argue (i) that acute stressors reinstate habitual responding to drug-related cues and thus trigger relapse to addictive behavior, and (ii) that prolonged or repeated stress may accelerate the transition from voluntary to involuntary drug use and thus promote the development of addiction. The suggested mechanism encompasses cognitive processes that may contribute to the effects of stress on addictive behavior and could have important implications for the treatment of addiction and the prevention of relapse.
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Longitudinal Associations Between Other-Sex Friendships and Substance Use in Adolescence
François Poulin, Anne-Sophie Denault & Sara Pedersen
Journal of Research on Adolescence, forthcoming
Abstract:
The impact of the changes in the gender composition of friendship networks during early adolescence on substance use in late adolescence was examined. The hypothesis was that initial level and increase in the proportion of other-sex friends in the network would be associated with higher levels of substance use among girls, but not among boys. Girls and boys (n=390) were interviewed annually from ages 12 to 18 (79% retention). For both boys and girls, initial level in the proportion of other-sex friends predicted alcohol use in late adolescence, whereas it was predictive of drug use in girls only. Moreover, for girls only, a faster increase in the proportion of other-sex friends in the network predicted later use of alcohol and drugs.
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Accuracy and bias in adolescents' perceptions of friends' substance use
David Henry, Kimberly Kobus & Michael Schoeny
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, forthcoming
Abstract:
This study tested competing hypotheses related to the false consensus effect and pluralistic ignorance by examining the accuracy and bias of adolescents' perceptions of peer substance use and the effects of their own substance use, gender, and age on perceptions of peer behavior. Two samples (ns = 163 and 2,194) that collected data on peer nominations, perceptions of peer substance use, and self-reports of substance use were used in analyses. Results from both samples provided evidence supporting the false consensus effect, that is, adolescents' reports of their friends' substance use were biased in the direction of their own use. Users and nonusers did not differ in accuracy of perceptions; however, across all substances and samples, they differed significantly in bias. Substance users displayed nearly perfect liberal bias, assuming their friends also used substances. Nonusers displayed an opposite, conservative bias, assuming their friends did not use substances. Gender and age differences in bias also were observed, with older adolescents and girls having more liberal biases than younger adolescents and boys. Results suggest the importance of differentiating the effects of actual and perceived peer substance use.
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The Social Contagion Effect of Marijuana Use among Adolescents
Mir Ali, Aliaksandr Amialchuk & Debra Dwyer
PLoS ONE, January 2011, e16183
Background: Research on adolescent substance use has consistently identified a strong relationship between adolescent behavior and the behavior of their peers. However, peer effects are difficult to estimate and causal interpretations must be undertaken with caution since individuals in most cases choose with whom to associate. In this paper we seek to empirically quantify the causal role of peer social networks in explaining marijuana usage among adolescents.
Methods and Findings: Using data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents we utilize a multivariate structural model with school-level fixed effects to account for the problems of contextual effects, correlated effects and peer selections to purge the potential biases from the estimates of peer influence. Our peer group measures are drawn not only from the nomination of close friends (N = 6,377), but also from classmates (N = 19,335). Marijuana usage among the peer groups were constructed using the peers' own report of their marijuana consumption. Controlling for parent level characteristics, and other demographic parameters, we find that a 10% increase in the proportion of close friends and classmates who use marijuana increases the probability that an individual chooses to use marijuana by 5%.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that peer effects are important determinants of marijuana use even after controlling for potential biases We also found evidence to show that the influence of close friends and the more exogenous classmates are quite similar in magnitude under our preferred specification, supporting theory predicting the importance of peer influence. Effective policy aimed at reducing marijuana usage among adolescents would consider these significant peer effects.
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Predicting adolescent substance use: The effects of depressed mood and positive expectancies
Heddy Kovach Clark, Chris Ringwalt & Stephen Shamblen
Addictive Behaviors, May 2011, Pages 488-493
Abstract:
This study examined whether sixth-graders' depressed mood and positive substance use expectancies predicted increases over the next two years in students' lifetime and 30 day cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use, and whether sixth graders' positive substance use expectancies moderated the relationship between baseline depressed mood and changes over the next two years in the use of these substances. Study data came from a randomized controlled trial of Project ALERT, a school-based substance use prevention program, in which students from 34 schools completed self-report surveys as sixth (n = 5,782), seventh (n = 5,065), and eighth graders (n = 4,940). Primary analyses were performed using Hierarchical Nonlinear Modeling. Over time, there were significant effects of baseline positive expectancies on each of the six measures of substance use. Baseline depressed mood predicted increases over time only for lifetime use of cigarettes and alcohol, and for 30-day alcohol use. Positive expectancies significantly moderated the effects of adolescent depressed mood only on lifetime marijuana use. Although depressed mood predicted substance use for half of our variables, our results suggest that positive expectancies are a more consistent predictor of adolescent substance use, and that they may moderate the effects of depressed mood on marijuana, but not cigarette or alcohol, use. Substance use prevention programs may benefit from addressing adolescents' perceptions about the positive consequences of drug use.
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Family Meal Frequency and Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Adolescence: Testing Reciprocal Effects
James White & Emma Halliwell
Journal of Early Adolescence, forthcoming
Abstract:
This longitudinal study tested the direction of associations between family meals and alcohol and tobacco consumption during early adolescence. We examined family meal frequency, family connectedness, alcohol (binge drinking, drunkenness), and tobacco consumption (past year, daily frequency) in 671 adolescents (51% women; mean age, Wave 1 = 14.05 years). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to estimate the associations between meal frequency and increases in alcohol and tobacco consumption, and alcohol and tobacco consumption on increases in meal frequency over a year, while adjusting for family connectedness, social class, and age. Family meals were associated with reductions in alcohol and tobacco consumption in girls but not boys. Alcohol consumption was also associated with reductions in the frequency of meals among girls, but not boys. Results supported the assertion that family meals protect some girls from substance abuse but suggest meals may have little impact on existing users.
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Lion Shahab, Robert West & Ann McNeill
Health Psychology, January 2011, Pages 49-57
Objective: To determine the effect of adding biomarker feedback (expired air carbon monoxide) to standard quit advice on cognitive antecedents of behavior change and smoking cessation and to identify potential effect moderators and mediators.
Design: Smokers (N = 160) were randomized to a control (quit advice plus leaflet) or an intervention condition (as control group plus carbon-monoxide level feedback). Cognitive measures were assessed immediately after the intervention and behavioral measures at 6 months' follow-up.
Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measures were threat and efficacy appraisal, fear arousal, and intention to stop smoking. Secondary outcome measures were quit attempts within the last 6 months and 7-day point prevalence abstinence.
Results: Threat appraisal was significantly enhanced in the intervention compared with the control group, t(158) = 2.29, p = .023, as was intention to stop smoking in the next month, t(151) = 2.9, p = .004. However, this effect on intention to stop smoking was short-lived. Groups did not differ in terms of quit attempts or abstinence at follow-up, but the intervention increased the likelihood of cessation in smokers with higher self-efficacy, χ2(1) = 5.82, p = .016.
Conclusions: Carbon-monoxide level feedback enhances the effect of brief quit advice on cognitive antecedents of behavior change and smoking cessation rates but further research is required to confirm the longevity of this effect and its applicability to smokers with low self-efficacy.
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Effects of acute caffeine administration on adolescents
Jennifer Temple, Amber Dewey & Laura Briatico
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, December 2010, Pages 510-520
Abstract:
Acute caffeine administration has physiological, behavioral, and subjective effects. Despite its widespread use, few studies have described the impact of caffeine consumption in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute caffeine administration in adolescents. We measured cardiovascular responses and snack food intake after acute administration of 0 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, and 200 mg of caffeine. We also compared usual food intake and subjective effects of caffeine between high- and low-caffeine consumers. Finally, we conducted a detailed analysis of caffeine sources and consumption levels. We found main effects of caffeine dose on heart rate (HR) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), with HR decreasing and DBP increasing with increasing caffeine dose. There were significant interactions among gender, caffeine use, and time on DBP. High caffeine consumers (>50 mg/day) reported using caffeine to stay awake and drinking coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks more than low consumers (<50 mg/day). Boys were more likely than girls to report using getting a rush, more energy, or improved athletic performance from caffeine. Finally, when we examined energy and macronutrient intake, we found that caffeine consumption was positively associated with laboratory energy intake, specifically from high-sugar, low-fat foods and also positively associated with protein and fat consumption outside of the laboratory. When taken together, these data suggest that acute caffeine administration has a broad range of effects in adolescents and that the magnitude of these effects is moderated by gender and chronic caffeine consumption.
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Lisa Berger et al.
Addictive Behaviors, May 2011, Pages 516-519
Objective: We examined the sociodemographic correlates of energy drink use and the differences between those who use them with and without alcohol in a representative community sample.
Methods: A random-digit-dial landline telephone survey of adults in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area responded to questions about energy drink and alcohol plus energy drink use.
Results: Almost one-third of respondents consumed at least one energy drink in their lifetime, while slightly over 25% used energy drinks in the past year and 6% were past-year alcohol plus energy drink users. There were important racial/ethnic differences in consumption patterns. Compared to non-users, past-year energy drink users were more likely to be non-Black minorities; and past-year alcohol plus energy drink users when compared to energy drink users only were more likely to be White and younger. Alcohol plus energy drink users also were more likely to be hazardous drinkers.
Conclusions: Our results which are among the first from a community sample suggest a bifurcated pattern of energy drink use highlighting important population consumption differences between users of energy drinks only and those who use alcohol and energy drinks together.
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Andrea Prince van Leeuwen et al.
Journal of Adolescent Health, January 2011, Pages 73-78
Purpose: There is substantial research linking tobacco and alcohol use to subsequent cannabis use, yet the specificity of this relationship is still under debate. The aim of this study was to examine which substance use model-the gateway hypothesis, the common liability (CL) model and/or the route of administration model-best explains the relationship between early onset of tobacco and alcohol use and subsequent cannabis use initiation.
Methods: We used data from 2,113 (51% female) Dutch adolescents who participated in three consecutive assessment waves (mean age: 11.09, 13.56, and 16.27 years, respectively) of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey study. (Pre)adolescent cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use was assessed using the Youth Self-Report and a TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey developed questionnaire.
Results: We found that, during adolescence, early onset of tobacco use does not pose a significantly higher risk of initiating cannabis use than early onset alcohol use. Therefore, we can rule out the route of administration model. Moreover, we found that adolescents who reported early onset comorbid use of both tobacco and alcohol have a higher likelihood to initiate cannabis use than adolescents who have tried either tobacco or alcohol. The gateway hypothesis is not broad enough to explain this finding. Therefore, the CL model best predicts our findings.
Conclusion: Future research on adolescent cannabis initiation should focus on testing the robustness of the CL model. Furthermore, identifying adolescents who use both tobacco and alcohol, before the age of 13, may help to curtail the onset of cannabis use.