Cue-Evoked Positive Affect, Depression Vulnerability and Smoking Years

Objectives—To evaluate whether cue-evoked affective response would moderate the relationship between depression-proneness and smoking years. Methods—Depression-proneness profiles were derived using clinician diagnosed personal and family histories of major depression, recurrent depression, trait-anhedonia, and ruminative coping styles (n=70). Affective distress was produced by idiographic, guided negative mood imageries in the presence of an in vivo cigarette exposure. Results—Contrary to expectations, results showed that individuals less vulnerable to depression reported longer smoking histories. Stress-induced decreases in positive affect bolstered the association between depression vulnerability and smoking years. Conclusion—Depression-proneness assumptions are challenged and implications to affective influences on smoking behavior are discussed

Emotional reactivity across individuals with varying trauma and substance dependence histories

Background—Research has reported a high rate of substance dependence in traumatized individuals who do not develop PTSD (TWP). While past studies have failed to consistently demonstrate that TWP individuals experience PTSD symptoms, findings have indicated that TWP and a history of substance dependence aside from nicotine dependence (SDH) are linked to affect disruption. Aims—The present study explored positive and negative affective mechanisms across four groups with varying SDH and TWP including TWP + SDH, TWP only, SDH only, or no history. Researchers hypothesized that adults (n = 78) would be more emotionally reactive to an experimentally-induced negative mood compared to a neutral mood induction as the presence of co-existing TWP and SDH increased. Method—After a brief telephone screening, eligible participants completed baseline self-report questionnaires and experimentally-manipulated negative and neutral mood inductions. Results—Most notably, results showed a significant TWP × SDH × Mood induction interaction (F (1, 63) = 4.154; Mse = 51.999; p = .046) for positive affect responses. Simple effects indicated that all participants except TWP + SDH individuals experienced a significant decrease in positive affect during the negative compared to the neutral mood condition. Conclusion—Findings may identify a protective mechanism for relapse among individuals with a history of both TWP and SDH

Testing the Use of a Social Networking App for American Indians Recovering from Addiction

Objectives: American Indians (AIs) have higher rates of addiction than most other groups. Social networking mobile apps are growing in popularity but their use has not been studied among AIs specifically. Methods: This paper describes a pilot program in which 27 AIs recovering from addiction were given access to a mobile app to support addiction recovery (Sober Grid) for up to six months. They completed a technology acceptability survey, monthly surveys of cravings, social connectedness, and quality of life, and a follow-up survey. Their use of the app was also tracked. Findings: We found that individuals in the sample often lacked initial technology access but were widely accepting and trusting of technology use in their recovery. No significant changes were noted in cravings, social connectedness, or quality of life but this was likely due to low initial cravings ratings and the small sample size. We found that the participants varied widely in the features of the app they used most (i.e. adding friends, making posts, commenting on the posts of others, etc.). Conclusions: This pilot indicates that mobile apps to support addiction recovery may be well-accepted by AI individuals. App usage data indicate that apps will be most successful in recovery support if they provide a variety of ways users can interact with others. Larger studies conducted over a longer period of time would be needed to determine how mobile apps can support addiction recovery and help prevent relapses

Mediators of the relationship between depression and alcohol-related harm: The role of alexithymia, impulsivity and negative reinforcement outcome expectancies

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of alcohol misuse on college campuses is a considerable problem. Depression is commonly found to be related to increases in alcohol related harm; however, not frequently found to be directly related to increases in alcohol use. This pattern suggests that there are factors related to depression that exaggerate alcohol problems other than the association between depression and the amount of alcohol used. This study examined the relationship between depression and alcohol related harm in college binge drinkers, focusing on emotional, behavioral, and cognitive variables believed to mediate the association. The roles of alexithymia, impulsivity, and negative expectancies of alcohol were specifically examined as potential mediators. Methods: This data was a subset of a larger study that examined college students who had broken the universities dry campus policy and were referred to an alcohol skills training program (n = 373). This subset was among those who completed all measures of interest (n = 198). Demographics were age (m = 18.92, sd = 1.029), freshman (63.6%, n = 126), male (61.6%, n = 122), White (92.4%, n = 183). Results: With regards various measures of alcohol related harm, a multiple mediation analysis revealed that a paths from depression to the mediators were significantly related; however, only negative expectancies mediated the relationship between depression and alcohol related harm. Discussion and Conclusion: These results emphasis the important role expectancies play in alcohol related harm, and provides support for the importance of monitoring expectancies of binge drinkers as part of intervention efforts. Scientific Significance: The findings contribute to the existing body of literature on the relationship between depression and alcohol related harm, and alcohol related harm in college students

Reward Value of Cigarette Smoking for Comparably Heavy Smoking Schizophrenic, Depressed, and Nonpatient Smokers

Objective: The study goal was to determine whether schizophrenic and depressed smokers perceive the reinforcement value of cigarette smoking differently from nonpsychiatric smokers who smoke as heavily. Method: The authors assessed the preferences for smoking cigarettes versus engaging in other pleasant activities, the perceived advantages and disadvantages of smoking, and the amount of reinforcement that would be needed to attain smoking abstinence among 26 schizophrenic, 26 depressed, and 26 nonpsychiatric heavy smokers. Results: Both schizophrenic and depressed participants chose smoking as their preferred activity more often than nonpsychiatric smokers, and they did not differ from each other. The patients also exceeded the comparison group in the benefits they ascribed to smoking and felt they would require more incentives to quit, but they attributed comparable drawbacks to smoking. Conclusions: Schizophrenic and depressed smokers recognize many drawbacks associated with smoking, but compared to nonpatients who smoke as heavily, they also perceive more benefits and find cigarettes more appealing than alternative rewards. The heightened reward value of smoking warrants attention in tailoring tobacco control interventions for schizophrenic and depressed smokers

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Mechanism in the Relationship between Early Sexual Victimization and Incapacitated/ Drug-or-Alcohol-Facilitated and Forcible Rape

Sexual assault occurring when the victim is unable to consent or resist due to the use or administra-tion of alcohol or drugs (i.e., incapacitated/drug-or-alcohol-facilitated rape; IR/DAFR) is a particu-larly prevalent form of victimization experienced by college women. By definition, substance use precedes IR/DAFR; however, few studies have examined other potential risk factors for IR/DAFR that may be unique from those associated with forcible rape (FR; i.e., sexual assault occurring due to threats or physical restraint). The present investigation tested a model of risk for IR/DAFR and FR suggesting that child or adolescent sexual abuse (CASA) leads to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which in turn increase the likelihood of IR/DAFR, but not FR. Results revealed full mediation for PTSD hyperarousal symptoms in the pathway between CASA and IR/DAFR, and partial mediation for hyperarousal symptoms in the pathway between CASA and FR. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed

Exploring Alcohol Use, Cannabis Use, and Desire to Dissociate in College Female Victims of Sexual Violence

Almost 20% of undergraduate women experience some type of completed sexual assault before graduating college. Experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, has been shown to increase difficulties with emotion regulation, and both PTSD symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties have been associated with marijuana-use coping motives (Bonn-Miller et al., 2011). Additionally, prior research has found that emotion dysregulation predicts alcohol involved sexual assault (AISA) in the short term, and alcohol problems increases the risk for AISA in the long term (Messman-Moore et al., 2014). This suggests a cyclical relationship in coping drinking motives. This study seeks to further examine the relationship between alcohol use and sexual assault, as well as examine cannabis use and dissociative tendencies as possible contributing factors. Using substances to achieve a desire to dissociate is an understudied aspect of substance use and sexual violence. This study hopes to discover information on dissociation as a means of avoidant coping as well as its relationship to alcohol and cannabis use. In an online survey, college females answered questions about their alcohol use, cannabis use, sexual victimization experiences, and frequency that they wish to experience dissociation. Analyses show that participants who score higher on the sexual victimization measure use substances (both alcohol and cannabis) at higher rates and have more of a desire to dissociate than those scoring lower on the sexual victimization measure. These findings expand the current understanding of possible links between sexual assault, substance use, and the desire to dissociate

Impulsivity and cigarette craving: differences across subtypes

Rationale: Cigarette smoking has been linked to a number of personality characteristics, including impulsivity. Smokers tend to endorse high levels of impulsivity, and more impulsive smokers have greater difficulty quitting, but little is known about potential explanatory mechanisms. Although indirect evidence suggests craving as a candidate mechanism, direct evidence has been mixed. Materials and methods: This study assessed whether specific aspects of impulsivity (sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and urgency) were associated with cue-induced craving. Regular smokers (n= 60; 50% female) were exposed to a smoking cue and a neutral cue in a repeated measure counter-balanced design. Results: Mixed effects regression models indicated that smokers who were high in sensation seeking reported greater increases in appetitive craving after smoking cue exposure, whereas, smokers who were high in urgency and lack of perseverance reported greater increases in negative affect craving. Conclusions: Findings suggest a complex relationship between impulsivity and cue-induced craving that may be masked by single construct conceptualizations of impulsivity

Does Alcohol Mediate the Relationship Between Sexual Victimization and Risk Perception in a Date Rape Vignette

The present study used a date-rape vignette to examine the relationship between prior victimization, drinking habits (AUDIT score), risk perception. This was part of a larger study that analyzed sexual victimization and aggression. The present study looked at the 913 college-aged women that self-identified as heterosexual and bisexual at 2 mid-western colleges. They completed a battery of surveys that identified relevant history and behaviors. Findings suggest that the problematic drinking variable (AUDIT) mediates the relationship between prior victimization and risk perception