Impulsive Personality Traits Differentially and Indirectly Predict Negative Alcohol Consequences

Description

Background: Impulsivity is a strong, consistent risk factor for heavier drinking and internalizing symptoms. However, it is unclear whether certain facets of impulsivity (e.g., lack of premeditation and negative urgency) are differentially related to drinking quantity versus internalizing and whether

Background: Impulsivity is a strong, consistent risk factor for heavier drinking and internalizing symptoms. However, it is unclear whether certain facets of impulsivity (e.g., lack of premeditation and negative urgency) are differentially related to drinking quantity versus internalizing and whether drinking quantity and internalizing serve as mechanisms through which impulsive traits confer risk for negative alcohol consequences. Method: Data are from a longitudinal study of contextual influences on alcohol response in emerging adults (N = 448, Mage = 22.27, 43.5% female). Longitudinal path models in Mplus tested whether UPPS-P impulsivity facets at T1 were prospectively associated with drinking quantity and internalizing symptoms (T2), and whether T2 drinking and internalizing symptoms mediated effects of T1 impulsivity on T3 negative alcohol consequences. Separate models were tested for positive and negative urgency and sex and age were included as model covariates. Results: Consistent with study hypotheses, T1 lack of premeditation indirectly predicted T3 negative alcohol consequences through heavier T2 drinking, whereas T1 negative urgency indirectly predicted T3 negative alcohol consequences through higher T2 stress and depressive symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, lack of perseverance was not related to drinking quantity and alcohol use was not prospectively related to alcohol consequences. Conclusions: The current study found that distinct impulsive traits were associated with drinking quantity and internalizing symptoms, both of which conferred risk for negative alcohol consequences. Findings underscore the importance of targeting drinking behavior as well as internalizing symptomology based on the presence of specific impulsive personality traits. Such personality-centered interventions have shown promise in prior research.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Proximal Antecedents and Subjective Effects of Cannabis Use and their Relation to Cannabis Use Disorder: An Ecological Momentary Assessment of Medical Cannabis Users

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Description
With the growing popularity of medical cannabis, and high rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among medical cannabis users, it is more important than ever to accurately identify the proximal antecedents and subjective effects of medical cannabis use. Subjective antecedents

With the growing popularity of medical cannabis, and high rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among medical cannabis users, it is more important than ever to accurately identify the proximal antecedents and subjective effects of medical cannabis use. Subjective antecedents and effects have been proposed as key mechanisms underlying the transition from cannabis use to CUD, but little research has examined medical cannabis users’ experiences in real-time, real-world settings. The current study of 86 young-adult medical cannabis users ages 18-30 (32.6% female) used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to characterize the antecedents and effects of medical cannabis use, and to examine whether these antecedents and effects vary as a function of CUD severity. Higher craving, pain, and withdrawal symptoms predicted greater odds of cannabis use at the next report, and lower subjective ‘high’ predicted greater odds of cannabis use at the next report. Use of medical cannabis was associated with increases in positive affect, stimulation, relaxation, and subjective ‘high’, decreases in negative affect, withdrawal symptoms, craving, and pain, and increases in cognitive problems, psychotic-like experiences, and adverse bodily effects. Further, following cannabis use, medical users with more CUD symptoms reported greater relief from craving, attenuated increases in stimulation and relaxation, and enhanced increases in sluggishness, cognitive problems, psychotic-like symptoms, and bodily symptoms. Results suggest that medical cannabis use, like recreational use, is associated with a wide range of subjective antecedents and effects, and that relief from cannabis craving may play an important role in the maintenance of CUD among medical users.
Date Created
2022
Agent

The Relation of Schizotypy and Aberrant Salience to Social Cognition as Assessed Through Responses to Video-Taped Interpersonal Interactions: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Description
Although social cognitive deficits are considered a hallmark trait of schizophrenia, research on schizotypy and social cognition is inconsistent. The present study examines the associations among schizotypy, aberrant salience, and social cognition. Schizotypy and aberrant salience were assessed continuously using

Although social cognitive deficits are considered a hallmark trait of schizophrenia, research on schizotypy and social cognition is inconsistent. The present study examines the associations among schizotypy, aberrant salience, and social cognition. Schizotypy and aberrant salience were assessed continuously using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief Revised (SPQ-BR) and the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI). Social cognition was examined using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), an audio-visual paradigm that taps into multiple domains of social cognition. Data from 849 undergraduate students was analyzed. Results indicated that schizotypy overall was not associated with social cognitive deficits. However, when schizotypy was analyzed dimensionally, positive schizotypy was associated with social cognitive impairments. Further, aberrant salience was revealed to be consistently associated with social cognitive impairments, except when positive schizotypy was included in the model. This suggests the possibility that positive schizotypy could mediate the association between aberrant salience and social cognition. Overall, this study highlights the importance of focusing on positive schizotypy and aberrant salience in future investigations of social cognitive difficulties in psychosis.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Uncertainty, Anxiety, and the Future Self: A Self-Compassion Manipulation

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Description
The present study examines the role of uncertainty and how it relates to variables pertinent to student success such as anxiety, future self-identification, and academic self-efficacy. The present study consists of two parts. Part 1 of the study aims to

The present study examines the role of uncertainty and how it relates to variables pertinent to student success such as anxiety, future self-identification, and academic self-efficacy. The present study consists of two parts. Part 1 of the study aims to address whether levels of perceived uncertainty predict levels of state-anxiety, future self-identification, academic self-efficacy, and perceived predictability. Part 2 of the study aims to test the efficacy of a web-based manipulation among a sample of first-year students at Arizona State University. The experimental manipulation utilizes elements of self-compassion to attempt to mitigate the effects of uncertainty and anxiety, and their negative effects on cognitive performance. Additionally, the manipulation aims to increase academic self-efficacy and future self-identification. The study was administered online and consisted of 170 participants. For part one of the study, all participants were used in the correlational analyses. For part two of the study, the participants were randomly divided into two groups, the control condition and the self-compassion condition. As hypothesized, findings show that uncertainty of one’s future predicted (a) higher state-anxiety, (b) weaker future self-identification(b) less perceived predictability of the future, and (c) less academic self-efficacy. Analysis also revealed that perceived uncertainty and anxiety predicted a higher level of cognitive interference as evidenced by the number of errors on the Stroop Task. Nevertheless, the proposed manipulation did not demonstrate statistically significant effects to reduce students’ perceived uncertainty and anxiety about their future. In conclusion, the present findings support the theorized relationships between uncertainty, anxiety, future self-identification, self-efficacy, and cognitive performance. Implications, limitations and future directions of this research are discussed.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Full Attention Location Biases in Image Processing in Young Children

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Description
Recent research has demonstrated that adults have a bias to attend to the tops of objects and the bottom of scenes when analyzing visual stimuli. However, no research has examined the presence of this bias in children. Children should be

Recent research has demonstrated that adults have a bias to attend to the tops of objects and the bottom of scenes when analyzing visual stimuli. However, no research has examined the presence of this bias in children. Children should be studied to glean information on the origins and purposes of this bias. The current study tested two general hypotheses: (i) children exhibit visual biases for the tops of objects and bottoms of scenes, and (ii) the magnitudes of children's biases do not differ from adults. To test these, participants were shown triptychs (trios of pictures) of either scenes or objects. The trials included (52) natural scene triptychs, and (48) natural object triptychs. The middle picture was an original and the left and right showcased either the top or bottom half of the original combined with the corresponding bottom or top half of a similar but different picture. Participants (N = 50, Ages 4-7) were asked whether the middle image matched the left or the right more strongly. The outcomes of this project confirmed our first hypothesis that children exhibit visual biases and our second hypothesis that they are the same magnitude as adults’. These findings can be used to bolster educational environments and possibly develop treatment programs.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Effects of Comorbid Anxiety on Working Memory, Behavioral Inhibition, and Sustained Attention Performance among Children Diagnosed with ADHD

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Description

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a high rate of comorbidity with anxiety disorders (25-34%). Children with ADHD experience serious adverse outcomes secondary to impairment in executive function, particularly within the domain of working memory (WM), behavioral inhibition (BI),

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a high rate of comorbidity with anxiety disorders (25-34%). Children with ADHD experience serious adverse outcomes secondary to impairment in executive function, particularly within the domain of working memory (WM), behavioral inhibition (BI), and sustained attention (SA). While executive function deficits in ADHD are well documented, whether and how comorbid anxiety affects cognitive performance are equivocal. One potential explanation is that most studies examine linear relations, yet evidence suggests that anxiety affects performance in a non-linear (quadratic) manner, consistent with the the Yerkes-Dodson Law. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 1) children with ADHD show deficits in WM, BI, and SA relative to typically developing children, 2) comorbid anxiety displays a linear or nonlinear relationship with WM, BI, and SA performance among children with ADHD and 3) between group differences in cognitive performance vary based on levels of anxiety. Linear and non-linear relations between anxiety and cognitive performance were assessed in a sample of 54 boys diagnosed with ADHD and 50 typically developing boys. Anxiety was assessed across dimensions and raters. Results indicate rater and domain-specific effects of comorbid anxiety on cognitive performance. Non-linear relations between children’s self-rated physiological anxiety and Phonological working memory (PHWM), Visuospatial working memory (VSWM), and the Central Executive (CE) were found. Non-linear relations between parent-rated anxiety and PHWM and the CE were also found. However, no significant linear or non-linear effects of anxiety on BI and SA were found. The results indicate that children with moderate self-rated and parent-rated anxiety performed better on WM measures relative to those with low and high levels of self-rated and parent-rated anxiety. The present study was the first to examine and document non-linear effects of anxiety on cognitive performance among children diagnosed with ADHD. Given the results, clinicians should continue to assess anxiety during diagnostic screening in ADHD samples. Treatments should focus on compensating for CE abilities and mitigating high levels of anxiety as it may further impair WM.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Mental Health Status and History of Suicidality as Predictors of Suicide Note Leaving Behavior

Description

Suicide is a significant public health problem, with incidence rates and lethality continuing to increase yearly. Given the large human and financial cost of suicide worldwide alongside the lack of progress in suicide prediction, more research is needed to inform

Suicide is a significant public health problem, with incidence rates and lethality continuing to increase yearly. Given the large human and financial cost of suicide worldwide alongside the lack of progress in suicide prediction, more research is needed to inform suicide prevention and intervention efforts. This study approaches suicide from the lens of suicide note-leaving behavior, which can provide important information on predictors of suicide. Specifically, this study adds to the existing literature on note-leaving by examining history of suicidality, mental health problems, and their interaction in predicting suicide note-leaving, in addition to demographic predictors of note-leaving examined in previous research using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS, n = 98,515). We fit a logistic regression model predicting leaving a suicide note or not, the results of which indicated that those with mental health problems or a history of suicidality were more likely to leave a suicide note than those without such histories, and those with both mental health problems and a history of suicidality were most likely to leave a suicide note. These findings reinforce the need to tailor suicide prevention efforts toward identifying and targeting higher risk populations.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Between- and Within-Family Predictors of Educational Attainment

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Description

Adolescence is an important period of scaffolding for educational attainment, which is among the strongest predictors of outcomes in multiple domains. Parents who encourage academic success and promote self-regulation may enhance their offspring’s educational attainment. However, parents with externalizing disorders

Adolescence is an important period of scaffolding for educational attainment, which is among the strongest predictors of outcomes in multiple domains. Parents who encourage academic success and promote self-regulation may enhance their offspring’s educational attainment. However, parents with externalizing disorders present a complex constellation of risk factors, including low educational attainment and poor parenting, and are more likely to have children with high levels of disinhibition. Previous research has identified low parental education, poor parenting and adolescent impulsivity as threats to educational attainment, but has not examined risk factors for discrepancies in educational attainment among siblings of the same family. Furthermore, studies have not examined the between- and within-family mechanisms that may explain why adolescents with externalizing parents have low educational attainment. The current study addressed these gaps by testing between- and within-family predictors of educational attainment using data from a longitudinal, multigenerational study that oversampled families at risk for alcohol use disorder. The sample consisted of 555 biological siblings within 240 families. We tested whether parental externalizing predicted lower educational attainment through parents’ own lower education, parents’ differential treatment of offspring, and impulsivity. Results suggested that between families, parents with externalizing disorders had lower educational attainment and more impulsive offspring, but did not exhibit increased differential parenting. Within families, siblings with greater impulsivity had lower educational attainment, whereas receiving more preferential maternal treatment than one’s siblings predicted higher educational attainment. Low parental educational attainment mediated the relation between parental externalizing disorders and low offspring educational attainment.

Date Created
2021-12
Agent