Impulsive Personality Traits, Alcohol and Cannabis Co-Use, and Alcohol Problems: A Theoretically Driven Combination of Three Studies

The current dissertation combines the results of three recently published papers focused on impulsive personality traits, alcohol and cannabis co-use, and alcohol misuse. The first study used alcohol administration to test whether different impulsivity facets conferred risk for heightened alcohol craving through subjective alcohol response patterns. The second study built on this study by incorporating alcohol and cannabis co-use into the acquired preparedness model, using longitudinal data. This study tested whether generalized impulsivity and sensation seeking during late adolescence predisposed individuals to co-use alcohol and cannabis, and whether co-use was indirectly associated with alcohol problems ten years later through positive expectancies and heavy drinking. The third study tested whether impulsive traits moderated the day-level effect of alcohol and cannabis co-use (vs. alcohol-only) on within-person deviations in drinking quantity on drinking days. Through the combination of these three studies, this dissertation seeks to further advance the literature on multiplicative ways in which personality enacts risk for heavy drinking, alcohol and cannabis co-use, and alcohol problems.