Preliminary support for the role of alcohol cues in food cravings and attentional biases

This study examined whether alcohol odors, in isolation or when combined with pictures, would influence food attentional biases and cravings. Participants' cravings and attentional biases to food and alcohol pictures were assessed after exposure to alcohol or water odors ( n = 77; mean age = 30.84 years, 51.9% female, 83.1% Caucasian). Food attentional biases were increased by alcohol odors, but food cravings were increased only by a combination of alcohol odors and food pictures. These effects were related with self-reported problematic food consumption. These findings support a research program for further examining the effect of alcohol cues on problematic food consumption

THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A MEASURE OF POSITIVE URGENCY

The aim of the current series of studies was to begin the process of examining whether a propensity to act rashly in response to positive affective states (positive urgency) increases the likelihood of engaging in risky, maladaptive, and harmful acts. We theorized that this trait may account for some types of risky drinking behavior not explained by other risk factors, particularly for college students. In the current series of studies, an internally consistent (=.94), unidimensional scale was developed. This scale was shown to have convergent validity across methods and discriminant validity from other types of impulsivity. For both alcohol use and risky behavior, positive urgency explained variance not explained by other forms of impulsivity. Cross-sectional tests were consistent with the hypothesis that positive urgency leads to positive alcohol expectancies, which lead to increased drinking, which leads to involvement in risky behavior. This possibility should be examined prospectively

MANIPULATION OF POSITIVE EMOTION AND ITS EFFECTS ON NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF GAMBLING BEHAVIORS AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: THE ROLE OF POSITIVE URGENCY

The current pair of experimental studies sought to further validate the role of positive urgency (acting rashly when in an extreme positive emotional state) as a risk factor for impulsive and maladaptive behavior. Previous research has supported the use of emotion-based dispositions to rash action in predicting a wide range of maladaptive acts. However, that research relied on self-reported behavior, thus lacking (1) tight experimental controls and (2) direct observation of risky behaviors. In the two experimental studies described here, I found that, among college students, (1) previous cross-sectional relationships between risk and positive urgency were supported (n = 104), (2) positive urgency significantly predicted negative outcomes on a gambling task following a positive mood manipulation (n = 94), and (3) positive urgency significantly predicted increases in beer consumption following positive mood induction (n = 33). Positive urgency\u27s role was above and beyond previously identified risk factors; these findings combined with prior cross-sectional and longitudinal field studies provide strong support for the role of positive urgency in rash action

Underlying Neurobiological and Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Impulsivity in Risk-Taking Behaviors

Impulsivity has been widely implicated in many maladaptive risk-taking and clinical disorders associated with such behaviors [1,2], and may be the most frequently noted criteria in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders [3] across a wide variety of disorder classes [4] [...]

The Interactive Effects of Alcohol Cravings, Cue Reactivity, and Urgency on College Student Problematic Drinking.

Introduction: Alcohol cravings have been inconsistently associated with problematic drinking. Two possible moderators are cue reactivity and urgency. Individuals high on urgency might be more likely to develop reactivity to alcohol cues due to their higher rates of drinking. This reactivity might produce greater alcohol cravings and might consequently increase problematic drinking. We hypothesized that alcohol cravings would be more strongly associated with problematic drinking at higher levels of cue reactivity and urgency. Method: In a sample of college students (n = 240), the current study tested three way interactions among cue reactivity, urgency, and alcohol cravings on problematic drinking. The sample was 70.7% female and 75% Caucasian, with a mean age of 19.37 (SD = 1.65). Urgency was measured using two UPPS Impulsive Behavior subscales. Problematic drinking was measured using the AUDIT. Alcohol cravings were measured using the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale. Participants were presented with alcohol pictorial cues during the study, after which their cue reactivity was assessed using the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire. Interactions were tested using multiple regression and simple slope analyses. Results: The effect of alcohol cravings on problematic drinking was significant at low negative urgency and cue reactivity (b = 5.34, p = 0.001), low negative urgency and high cue reactivity (b = 8.69, p<0.001), high negative urgency and low cue reactivity (b = 5.53, p <0.001), and high negative urgency and cue reactivity (b = 4.71, p<0.001). A similar pattern of findings was present with positive urgency, but alcohol cravings were most strongly associated with problematic drinking at low cue reactivity and high positive urgency (b = 6.56, p<0.001). Discussion: These findings clarify the inconsistent alcohol cravings-problematic drinking associations in prior studies. These findings suggest the importance of considering cue reactivity and urgency in understanding how alcohol cravings create risk for problematic drinking

MODERATED-MEDIATION MODEL OF PERSONALITY AND ALCOHOL

poster abstractPrevious work has shown that both positive (PUR) and negative urgency (NUR) (tendency to act rashly in the face of extreme emotions), predict problematic alcohol consumption (Cyders et al., 2009), and that this relationship is mediated through enhancement and coping motives (Settles et al., 2010). Moreover, research shows that there is a negative relationship between risk and involvement, and that there is a positive relationship between benefit and involvement (Siegel et al., 1994). However, there has not been a lot of research done that looks at the moderational role of risk and perception benefit on the relationship between personality and alcohol, as well as motives and alcohol consumption. Thus, we hypothesize that (1) the relationship between PUR and NUR will be mediated by enhancement and coping motives (respectively); (2) the relationship between coping and enhancement motives and alcohol consumption will be moderated by perception of risk and benefit. 447 first year students participated in the study (75.3% female; mean age=21.02, SD=4.96), and the majority of the sample was Caucasian. We conducted a series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses (according to Cohen et al., 2003), as well as the moderated-mediation analyses (Preacher et al., 2007). Both NUR and PUR significantly predicted alcohol consumption (NUR: β=.330, p<.000; PUR: β=.317, p<.000), and this relationships were mediated by coping (β=.415, p<.000) and enhancement motives (β=.507, p<.000) respectively. The indirect relationship between PUR and alcohol, mediated through enhancement motives, was moderated through perception of benefit (t=2.03, p=.044) and risk (t= -2.67, p=.01) (benefit: from z=4.73, p=.000 when PUR is 1 SD below the mean to z=5.64, p=.000 when PUR is 1 SD above the mean; risk: from z= -1.04, p=.30 when PUR is 1 SD below the mean to z= -3.63, p=.000 when PUR is 1 SD above the mean), whereas only perception of benefit significantly moderated the indirect relationship between NUR and alcohol use (t=1.68, p=.09) mediated through coping motives (from z=3.96, p=.000 when PUR is 1 SD below the mean to z=5.62, p=.000 when PUR is 1 SD above the mean). Therefore, the mediational relationship between urgency and alcohol use through motives seem to be moderated by one’s perception of benefit and risk

THE DIFFERENT ALCOHOL USE AMONG ASIAN POPULATION IN U.S.: THE ROLE OF RACE IN THE RELATINOSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY/SOCIAL LEARNING AND ALCOHOL USE

poster abstractAlthough extensive research on alcohol use among Caucasian population has been conducted, there are only a few studies to explore an underlying mechanism of alcohol use on Asian population in U.S. Because of the risks associated with alcohol, it is important to understand the different alcohol use behaviors among Asian group in terms of personality and social learning. Extensive studies have suggested that drinking motives and alcohol expec-tancy are good proxy predictors of social and cultural learning, and impul-sivity is related to personality traits. However, there is only a few data that examine impulsivity, drinking motives, and alcohol expectancy difference by race. No studies have ever examined the mediating and moderating role of race in the relationship between impulsivity and drinking motives/alcohol expectancy on alcohol use. The goal of this poster is to review the different impulsivity, drinking motives, and alcohol expectancy among Asian popula-tion in order to elucidate the unknown mechanism of alcohol use and devel-op a theoretical model of Asian drinking. Our review of the literature indi-cates that Asians particularly endorsed high impulsive coping strategies compared to Caucasians, engaged in problematic drinking due to conformity drinking motives, and alcohol expectancies mediated the relationship be-tween impulsivity and alcohol use only for Asian group. These findings sug-gest that the role of culture and race has crucial influence on Asian drinking pattern in U.S. and needs to be empirically examined in the future studies

Risks, Risk Factors, and Outcomes Associated with Phone and Internet Sexting Among University Students in the United States

Sexting, defined as the exchange of sexually suggestive pictures or messages via mobile phone or social networking sites (SNS), has received media attention for its prevalence and associated negative outcomes; however, research has not yet fully established risk factors for and resulting outcomes from sexting behaviors. The current study was the first empirical test of a causal path model in males and females, in which impulsivity-related traits and expectancies influence sexual behaviors through phone and SNS sexting. We also examined prevalence and perceived likelihood of common negative outcomes associated with sexting. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) statistics were conducted on two independent undergraduate samples (n = 611 and 255). The best fitting SEM model (RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.94, and χ2 = 176.06, df = 75, p < .001) demonstrated a significant indirect effect of sensation seeking on phone sexting behaviors through sex-related sexting expectancies and a significant indirect effect of sensation seeking on sexual hookup behaviors through phone sexting behaviors (b = 0.06, p = .03), but only for females. Reverse mediations and mediation with SNS were not significant. Negative outcomes were rare: sexts being spread to others was the most common negative sexting experience (n = 21, 12 %). This study suggests the viability of personality and expectancies affecting sexual hookup behaviors through engagement in sexting behaviors. It also suggests that although direct negative outcomes associated with sexting are thought to be common, they were rare in the current sample