Self-report assessment of alcohol sensitivity: An examination of the effects of different probes

Objective: Level of response (LOR) to alcohol is associated with several alcohol-related risk factors and outcomes. However, existing self-report measures of LOR have important limitations. For example, the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol Scale assesses a limited range of alcohol-related effects. Although the Alcohol Sensitivity Questionnaire (ASQ) samples a broader range of effects, it uses different probes across effects, confounding type of effect with method variation associated with the use of different probes. Focusing on the ASQ, we systematically evaluate variation in estimated LOR as a function of how number of drinks to achieve an effect is probed. Our approach addresses a major limitation of existing LOR measures which fail to account for sensitivity variability across drinking occasions. Method: This study randomized 732 adult drinkers into one of four versions of the ASQ that assessed sensitivity to 15 alcohol-related effects, systematically varying the follow-up probes. Results: Accounting for (a) the minimum number of drinks consumed before feeling an effect, and (b) the maximum number of drinks consumed without feeling an effect for all effects is superior to the original ASQ approach in predicting relevant outcomes. Conclusions: Assessments of sensitivity should probe for minimum and maximum number of drinks across each of the effects. If impractical to probe for both, consistently probing for maximum number of drinks is desirable

Interpretations and Experiences of Subjective Effects for Alcohol Alone and When Combined with Cannabis: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Subjective effects generally describe the feelings one has when consuming substances. There are several tools available for measuring alcohol-related subjective effects but there are reasons to believe that effects are interpreted differently across participants. The assessment of alcohol-related subjective effects is further complicated by the fact that many people use other substances with alcohol, including cannabis. The current study used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate interpretations of 21 subjective effects used in common assessments among a college student sample (N=99; primarily White [79%], Hispanic [60%] women [74%], 72% of which reported lifetime co-use of alcohol and cannabis). We sought to a) estimate the prevalence of each effect and the amount of alcohol/number of drinks (and, for those with simultaneous use, amount of cannabis/number of hits) required to experience each effect and b) evaluate how participants interpreted each effect that they had ever experienced when drinking (for our sample who had used only alcohol) or when simultaneously using alcohol and cannabis (for our sample who had reported simultaneous use). Across both samples, we found that several effects were far more common than others and participants had varied interpretations of each subjective effect. Further, qualitative results demonstrated that participants interpreted some subjective effects in a way that differed from the original intention of the measure. Results suggest a degree of measurement error when using common subjective effects assessment tools. Findings lay the groundwork for standardized measures of subjective effects for simultaneous use and have implications for future real-world assessment and intervention work

Supporting Students in Health Service Psychology Training: A Theory-Driven Approach to Meeting the Diverse Needs of Trainees

The demographic characteristics of health service psychology (HSP) trainees have shifted considerably in recent decades. In what was previously a field comprised predominantly of White men, HSP trainees today represent a much broader range of backgrounds. Nonetheless, the leadership within HSP training (e.g., faculty) remains relatively homogenous, and the training approaches (e.g., mentorship styles, expectations for students) may have failed to evolve to meet the needs of this more diverse pool of trainees. Therefore, there is reason to believe that the training needs of students who represent an array of diverse backgrounds, identities, and life experiences may not be met by existing conceptualizations of and approaches to training. In this article, we discuss several training issues that are specific to a range of trainees, including women, trainees who are parents, sexual/gender minoritized trainees, trainees with disabilities, and trainees from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We draw from social-ecological and feminist mentoring theories to provide recommendations, consistent with APA’s (2018) Standards of Accreditation for HSP Doctoral Programs in order to offer recommendations for optimizing the training experiences of HSP trainees across multiple levels of analysis

Crisis Line Services: A 12-Month Descriptive Analysis of Callers, Call Content, and Referrals

Crisis lines are a valuable community resource that anonymously and freely serve those in acute crisis. As a result of anonymity, it has been difficult to fully characterize crisis line services. However, appraising and improving crisis line services for the communities they serve is essential, even with the additional difficulty anonymity poses. This study seeks to increase our understanding of current crisis services and utilization via a characterization of various aspects of a United States crisis line service center over 12-months including features of calls (e.g., call length), callers (e.g., victimization history), and information provided to the caller (e.g., referrals). We examine five crisis lines totaling 5,001 calls from October 2018 to September 2019. Descriptive information is provided on call volume, patterns across time, caller characteristics, victimization types, and referrals. Although we were unable to assess prospective outcomes due to anonymity, 99.5% of callers that were asked (61.35% of all calls; n = 3,068) reported the call as helpful. This provides an important overview of crisis line services and suggests they are a valuable community health resource serving a range of callers. Given the findings of the present study, we conclude with a discussion of recommendations and implications for community crisis line centers and future research