Attachment and substance use in adolescence: A review of conceptual and methodological aspects

Attachment is currently considered one of the major risk and/ or protective factors for substance use in adolescence. This paper reviews the most important studies published in the last 30 years in this field, focusing on the conceptual and methodological issues that may be making it more difficult to draw conclusions about the impact of attachment – especially attachment to parents – on substance use among youths. In general, the results indicate that secure attachment or stronger attachment between parents and children acts as a protective factor against drug use, even though there is a great variability in relation to the concept of addiction and its assessment. Secondly, most of the research reviewed also covers other factors that may be conditioning the influence of attachment to parents on children’s drug use and which would explain, at least in part, the disparity of the results from different studies. Notable among such factors would be individual characteristics (such as sex, age or self-esteem) and the influence of other sources of attachment, including peers and their circumstances (such as their drug use). Finally, we discuss the importance of taking into account the mentioned conceptual and methodological considerations aspects in research on attachment as a risk and/or protective factor for drug use in adolescence. El apego se considera actualmente uno de los mayores factores de riesgo y/o protección para el consumo de sustancias en la adolescencia. El presente trabajo revisa los estudios más importantes que se han publicado en los últimos 30 años al respecto, centrándose en aquellas cuestiones conceptuales y metodológicas que pueden estar dificultando concluir qué impacto ejerce el apego, sobre todo el apego a los padres, en el consumo de sustancias de los jóvenes. Los resultados indican, en general, que el apego seguro o un mayor apego entre padres e hijos actúa como factor de protección frente al consumo de drogas, si bien existe una gran variabilidad en torno al concepto de apego y su evaluación. En segundo lugar, la mayor parte de los estudios revisados incluyen además otros factores que pueden estar condicionando la influencia del apego a los padres en el consumo de drogas de los hijos y que explicarían, al menos en parte, la disparidad de los resultados en los distintos estudios. Entre estos factores destacarían las características individuales (como el sexo, la edad o la autoestima de los individuos), y la influencia de otras fuentes de apego, como los iguales y sus circunstancias, como por ejemplo el consumo de drogas por parte de éstos. Finalmente, se discute la importancia de tener en cuenta dichas consideraciones conceptuales y metodológicas en la investigación del apego como factor de riesgo y/o protección frente al consumo de drogas en la adolescencia

Assessing job performance using brief self-report scales: The case of the individual work performance questionnaire

Job performance is considered the “ultimate dependent variable” in human resource management, turning its assessment into a capital issue. The present study analyzes the functioning of a brief 18-item self-report scale, the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ), which measures the main dimensions of job performance (task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive behaviors) in a wide variety of jobs. Participants were 368 employees who voluntarily answered a questionnaire including the IWPQ, other performance scales, and the NEO-FFI. Descriptive statistics, exploratory structural equation modeling, and correlations were performed. Results show that the IWPQ has a tridimensional structure with adequate reliability, exhibits significant associations with other measures of performance, and its association with personality traits is similar in terms of direction and strength of the correlations between other job performance measures and personality. We conclude that the IWPQ is an adequate measure of job performance but with emphasis on behaviors aimed toward organizations. El desempeño laboral es considerado la “variable dependiente definitiva” en recursos humanos, convirtiendo su evaluación en algo crucial. El presente estudio analiza el funcionamiento de una escala autoinformada breve de 18 ítems, el Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ), que mide las principales dimensiones del desempeño laboral (desempeño de tarea, desempeño contextual y comportamientos contraproductivos en el trabajo) en una amplia variedad de trabajos. Los participantes fueron 368 empleados que voluntariamente completaron un cuestionario que incluía el IWPQ, otras escalas de desempeño y el NEO-FFI. Se llevaron a cabo estadísticos descriptivos, modelos exploratorios de ecuaciones estructurales y correlaciones. Los resultados muestran que el IWPQ tiene una estructura tridimensional con una fiabilidad adecuada, mostrando asociaciones significativas con el resto de medidas de desempeño. En cuanto a los factores de personalidad, el IWPQ muestra correlaciones similares a las de los otros instrumentos de desempeño analizados. Se concluye que el IWPQ es un instrumento adecuado para medir de manera breve y autoinformada el desempeño laboral, pero con énfasis en los comportamientos dirigidos hacia la organización

Do young dating app users and non-users differ in mating orientations?

In recent years, dating apps have changed the way people meet and communicate with potential romantic and/or sexual partners. There exists a stereotype considering that these apps are used only for casual sex, so those apps would not be an adequate resource to find a long-term relationship. The objective of this study was to analyze possible individual differences in the mating orientations (short-term vs. long-term) between users and non-users of dating apps. Participants were 902 single students from a mid-size Spanish university, of both sexes (63% female, and 37% male), aged between 18 and 26 years (M = 20.34, SD = 2.05), who completed a battery of online questionnaires. It was found that, whereas dating apps users had a higher short-term mating orientation than non-users (more frequent behavior, higher desire, and more positive attitude), there were no differences in the long-term orientation as a function of use/non-use. Considering this, dating apps are a resource with a strong presence of people interested on hooking-up while, simultaneously, not a bad (nor good) option for finding long-term love

Dimensiones factoriales del cuestionario de Millon (MCMI-II) en adictos a sustancias.

El Inventario Clinico Multiaxial de Millon (MCMI-II) es un cuestionario ampliamente utilizado en la clínica, especialmente en drogodependencias, para la evaluación de la personalidad. El objetivo del presente estudio es conocer la estructura factorial subyacente del MCMI-II en una muestra de 1.106 adictos a sustancias psicoactivas que inician tratamiento. Los participantes cumplimentaron el MCMI-II y el TCI-R. Se realizó análisis factorial exploratorio multivariado. Los resultados muestran que en el MCMI-II hay un factor principal que evalúa sintomatología de aparición reciente relacionada con el Eje I, una escala de ideación autolítica, dos escalas que exploran problemas relacionados con alcohol y otras drogas, dos de rasgos de personalidad normal y siete de rasgos de personalidad disfuncional. Aunque el objetivo del MCMI-II es evaluar la personalidad, los resultados indican que la mayor parte del mismo evalúa condiciones no necesariamente estables que han aparecido recientemente. Las escalas que miden rasgos disfuncionales de personalidad se combinan entre sí para configurar los trastornos, sin ajuste claro a la teoría de referencia. Se concluye que el uso del MCMI-II con fines diagnósticos debe considerar la presencia de condiciones inestables que pueden incrementar artefactualmente las cifras de prevalencia y de coexistencia de trastornos de personalidad y comportamientos adictivos. Factorial dimensions of the Millon’s MCMI-II in substance addicts. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II is a widely used questionnaire for the assessment of personality in clinical settings, especially in addictive behaviors. The aim of this study is to determine the underlying factorial structure of the MCMI-II in a sample of 1,106 drug-dependents who seek treatment. All participants completed the MCMI-II and the TCI-R. Multivariate exploratory factor analysis was performed. The results show that, in the MCMI-II, there is a main part that assesses symptoms of recent onset associated with the Axis I disorders, a scale that explores autolytic ideation, two scales that explore issues related to the use of alcohol and other drugs, two scales that assess normal personality traits, and seven scales that explore dysfunctional personality traits. Although the objective of the MCMI-II is the assessment of personality, the results indicate that the largest part of the questionnaire assesses not necessarily stable conditions and which have appeared recently. The scales measuring dysfunctional personality traits are combined to account for disorders without a clear match to the theory of reference. We conclude that, when using the MCMI-II with diagnostic purposes, one should consider the presence of unstable conditions that could artifactually increase the prevalence rates and the coexistence of personality disorders and addictive behaviors

Motivation to quit as a predictor of smoking cessation and abstinence maintenance among treated Spanish smokers

Introduction: Although quitting motivation predicts smoking cessation, there have been inconsistent findings regarding motivation predicting long-term maintenance of abstinence. Moreover, most such research has been conducted in North America and the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to examine motivation to quit as a predictor of smoking cessation and of abstinence maintenance in a Spanish sample. Method: The sample comprised 286 Spanish smokers undergoing psychological treatment for smoking cessation. Motivation to quit was assessed pre-treatment and post-treatment with the Readiness to Quit Ladder. Abstinence post-treatment and at 6 month follow-up was biochemically verified. Results: Participants with higher levels of pre-treatment and post-treatment motivation were more likely to be abstinent at the end of the treatment (OR. = 1.36) and at 6 month follow-up (OR. = 4.88). Among abstainers at the end of the treatment (61.9%), higher levels of motivation to quit post-treatment predicted maintaining abstinence at 6 months (OR. = 2.83). Furthermore, participants who failed to quit smoking reported higher levels of motivation to quit post-treatment than they had pretreatment (p<. .001). Conclusions: Motivation to quit smoking predicted short and long-term cessation, and also predicted long-term maintenance of abstinence. These results have implications for understanding motivational processes of smoking cessation in general, while extending research to Spanish smokers. They may also help in the design of cessation and relapse-prevention interventions. Specifically, the results suggest that motivational enhancement is important throughout the cessation and maintenance periods

Smoking cessation and depressive symptoms at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up

Background The relationship between tobacco and depressive symptoms has been examined. However, there is little information on the evolution of these symptoms when an individual quits. The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of depressive symptoms over time (pre-, post-treatment, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up) in relation to smoking status 12 months after having received a psychological treatment for smoking cessation. Method The sample was made up of 242 adults who received cognitive-behavioral treatment for smoking cessation (64.4% women; mean age=41.71 years). The BDI-II was used to assess depressive symptomatology. Participants were classified into three groups according to smoking status at 12-months follow-up (abstainers, relapsers, and smokers). Results There were no significant differences in depressive symptoms among the three groups at pretreatment. At the end of treatment, abstainers and relapsers presented less depressive symptomatology than smokers. At follow-up, abstainers continued to present less depressive symptomatology than smokers, whereas in relapsers, symptoms began to increase as the relapses occurred. Regarding the evolution of depressive symptomatology, the abstainer and relapser groups showed a significant reduction at the end of treatment. Only in the group of abstainers did the decrease continue during 12 months follow-up. Limitations The decrease of the initial sample size from 562 to 242 participants. Variables such as self-esteem and self-efficacy were not assessed. Conclusions Smoking cessation is associated with a decrease in depressive symptomatology, that is maintained over time. In contrast, relapse is associated with an increase of such symptoms. These findings signify the potential importance of addressing depressive symptomatology in smoking cessation treatment

Hazardous Alcohol Drinking as Predictor of Smoking Relapse (3-, 6-, and 12-Months Follow-Up) by Gender

Diverse studies have found a relation between alcohol consumption and smoking relapse. Few studies have analyzed the relation of smoking relapse with pretreatment alcohol consumption and gender differences. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of alcohol consumption in smoking relapse over 12 months (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up) and to determine possible gender differences. The sample included 374 smokers who quit smoking by participating in a psychological smoking cessation treatment. We assessed hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking (AUDIT), cigarette consumption (FTND; number of cigarettes) and sociodemographic variables. Higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict smoking relapse at 3-, 6-, and 12-months after smoking cessation. In males, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict relapse at 6 and at 12 months. In females, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict tobacco relapse at 3 months. Hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predicts relapse at all intervals after smoking cessation (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up). However, the influence of hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking on smoking relapse differs as a function of gender, as it is a short-term predictor in women (3 months) and a long-term predictor in men (6 and 12 months)

¿Mejora la entrevista motivacional la eficacia del tratamiento psicológico para dejar de fumar?

Several studies show that when using motivational interviewing (MI) added to standard treatment, in order to increase motivation, treatment outcomes improve. The aim of this study was to examine whether smokers who receive an intervention with MI before a cognitive-behavioral psychological treatment to quit smoking they improve adherence and treatment effectiveness, and they reduce the risk of relapse at follow-up compared with smokers who only receive cognitive-behavioral psychological treatment for smoking cessation. We compared the effectiveness of adding or not MI to a psychological treatment to quit smoking in a sample of 58 smokers (46.6% men and 53.4% women). The experimental group received 2 sessions of MI before the beginning of the 6 sessions of the psychological treatment, while the control group received only 6 sessions of treatment. The results showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in adherence to treatment, and treatment outcomes at the end of treatment and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. We conclude that intervention with MI does not produce better results compared to the application of cognitive-behavioral psychological treatment alone

Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smokers with depressive symptomatology: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Smoking is an important risk factor for mental health-related problems. Numerous studies have supported a bi-directional association between cigarette smoking and depression. Despite the advances in understanding the comorbidity between both problems, the most effective psychological treatment that simultaneously targets smoking and depressive symptomatology remains unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for smoking cessation with components of behavioral activation for managing depressed mood. Method: A single blind, three-arm, superiority randomized controlled trial is proposed. Participants will be smokers over 18years old, who smoke at least 8 cigarettes per day. Participants will be randomized to one of three conditions, using a 2:2:1 allocation ratio: 1) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment; 2) standard cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation treatment plus behavioral activation; or 3) a three-month delayed treatment control group. The primary outcome measures will be biochemically verified point-prevalence abstinence (carbon monoxide in expired air) and significant change from baseline in depressive symptoms to the end of treatment, and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Discussion: This study aims to assess the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention with behavioral activation components for smoking cessation and depressive symptoms, compared to a standard cognitive-behavioral intervention to quit smoking. As the relation between depressive symptoms, even at subclinical levels, and quitting smoking difficulties is well known, we expect that such intervention will allow obtaining higher abstinence rates, lower relapse rates, and mood improvement. Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02844595. Retrospectively registered 19th July, 2016. The study started in January 2016, and the recruitment is ongoing

Smoking habit profile and health-related quality of life

Background: Few studies have investigated the relationship between smoking and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and the results are not consistent. The aim of this study is to explore the association between smoking and HRQOL. Method: Cross-sectional study of 714 Spanish adults (44.7% never smokers and 55.3% smokers) without diagnosis of physical or mental disorder. Each participant provided information about different sociodemographic variables and data on HRQOL. Smokers also reported smoking-related information about smoking-related variables. Results: Nicotine dependence was not associated with the physical dimension of HRQOL, but in the mental component, nicotine dependent smokers showed worse HRQOL than never smokers (p = 0.004) and than non-nicotine dependent smokers (p = 0.014). There were no differences between no-nicotine dependent smokers and never smokers. Smoking status (non smokers vs. smokers), number of cigarettes smoked per day, stage of change, quit attempts in the past year or age of smoking onset were not related to HRQOL. Conclusions: In subjects without physical or mental diseases, only nicotine dependent smokers showed a significant impairment in the mental component of HRQOL. Therefore, it is important to consider nicotine dependence in the relationship between smoking and HRQOL. Perfil de tabaquismo y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Antecedentes: pocos estudios han investigado la relación entre tabaquismo y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) y los resultados han sido discrepantes. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la relación entre consumo de tabaco y CVRS. Método: estudio transversal en el que participaron 714 adultos (44,7% no fumadores y 55,3% fumadores) sin diagnóstico de enfermedad física o mental. De cada participante se recogieron datos sociodemográficos y de CVRS, y de los fumadores también se recogió información sobre distintas variables relacionadas con el consumo de tabaco. Resultados: la dependencia de la nicotina no se asoció a la dimensión física de CVRS, pero en la dimensión mental los fumadores dependientes mostraron peor CVRS que los no fumadores (p= 0.004) y que los fumadores sin dependencia (p= 0.014). No se encontraron diferencias en función del número de cigarrillos fumados diariamente, el estadio de cambio, los intentos de abandono o la edad de inicio en el consumo de tabaco. Conclusiones: en personas sin diagnóstico de enfermedad física o mental solo los fumadores dependientes de la nicotina muestran deterioro en la dimensión mental de la CVRS. Es importante considerar el grado de dependencia de la nicotina en la relación entre consumo de tabaco y CVRS