The association between problematic alcohol use, risk perceptions, and e-cigarette use.

Background: Use of e-cigarettes among college students has escalated, in part due to the perception that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes and have other benefits such as circumventing smoking bans. College students also drink more heavily than other age groups, and e-cigarettes are associated with alcohol, especially among students who engage in problematic drinking.Objective: The present study sought to determine if an interaction between problematic alcohol use and increased perceptions of benefits and decreased perceptions of risks of e-cigarettes would predict whether participants had ever used an e-cigarette.Method: The present study included 1,133 undergraduate college students surveyed between November 2014 - November 2016. Participants were primarily Caucasian (82.3%) and female (78.1%). Participants completed questionnaires regarding demographics, smoking status/history, and expectancies.Results: Higher levels of problematic drinking and higher perceived benefits of e-cigarette use were both associated with having tried e-cigarettes. This relationship was significant even when controlling for several covariates such as cigarettes smoking status. However, there was not a significant interaction between problematic alcohol use and perceived benefits or risks of e-cigarettes. There was also no relationship between risk perceptions of e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes use.Conclusions: Both problematic alcohol use and perception of benefits of e-cigarettes were associated with having tried an e-cigarette. This finding is problematic as the use of e-cigarettes may influence further engagement in risky behaviors including problematic drinking or transitioning to regular cigarette use. Thus, it is important to develop interventions to help college students develop more accurate risk perceptions about e-cigarettes.

Take One for the Team? Influence of Team and Individual Sport Participation on High School Athlete Substance Use Patterns.

The current web-based survey investigated the association between team or individual sport participation (or both) and self-reported alcohol and tobacco use among high school athletes (N=1, 275) transitioning to college. Peak Blood Alcohol Concentration, weekly drinking, and alcohol-related problems were significantly lower among athletes in individual sports compared to other groups. Athletes competing in both team and individual sports reported greater lifetime tobacco use and combined alcohol/tobacco use compared to individual or team sports alone. Preventive strategies targeting HS athletes in general and those participating in team sports in particular may be useful in minimizing future alcohol use and related problems.

Effects of brief mindfulness instructions on reactions to body image stimuli among female smokers: an experimental study.

INTRODUCTION: Recent research has shown that body image stimuli increase negative affect and smoking urges among female smokers. Mindfulness (paying attention to present-moment experience with an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance) may be a useful technique to minimize the influence of body dissatisfaction on negative affect, smoking urges, and smoking behavior. METHODS: This study investigated whether mindfulness influences how female college smokers respond to a body image challenge. The study used a 2 × 2 factorial design with body image challenge (trying on a bathing suit vs. looking at a purse) crossed with instructions (mindfulness vs. silence). Female smokers (n = 64; M (age) = 20.03 [± 1.77], 87.5% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: Purse + Silence (n = 16), Body Image + Silence (n = 15), Purse + Mindfulness (n = 15), and Body Image + Mindfulness (n = 18).

Risk Factors for Substance Use across the Lifespan.

Substance use is a perennial public health concern with associated health risks and economic impacts on society. In this article, we present a selective review of the epidemiological and clinical literatures on alcohol and substance use from a lifespan developmental perspective. We compare and contrast risk factors for the initiation of use and the development of a substance use disorder in adolescence, young adulthood, middle-age and later life. During adolescence, alcohol use experimentation is at its peak. Specific risk factors have been identified including trauma and parenting style that can increase the risk of substance use for teenagers. Emerging adults and college students are likely to experiment with other substances in addition to alcohol such as nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, and prescription medication such as Adderall. Middle-age and older adults with alcohol and substance use in their developmental histories may have an undiagnosed alcohol use disorder. Others will develop a late-onset substance use disorder in older age, possibly due to a dearth of social support, coping with bereavement, and medical complication. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, the roles of expectancies and self-efficacy are hypothesized to impact substance use and the risk of substance use disorder across the lifespan. Implications of the present review for future research on age-specific risk factors in alcohol use in relation to underlying developmental processes are considered.

The impact of depression on opioid withdrawal symptoms among smokers with opioid use disorder receiving medication-assisted opioid detoxification.

Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) endorse high rates of combustible smoking (Zale et al., 2015) which is associated with poorer outcomes (e.g., opioid craving and lower detoxification completion rates) among individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD; Mannelli et al., 2013) and lower smoking cessation rates (Okoli et al., 2010). The complex pharmacological relationship between opioids and nicotine may help explain these findings (Kohut, 2017); however, little is known about psychosocial variables that influence MOUD processes among combustible smokers with OUD. The present study sought to expand upon prior work (Mannelli et al., 2013) by examining the impact of psychological factors and smoking-related variables on opioid withdrawal symptoms among smokers with OUD receiving Suboxone at an inpatient substance use treatment facility. Current smokers with OUD (N = 64) completed a battery of psychological measures examining depression, anxiety, and smoking constructs. The present study tested the influence of daily smoking rate, nicotine dependence, smoking urges, anxiety, and depression on opioid withdrawal symptoms through a hierarchical multiple regression. Findings revealed that smoking urges (p = .003) predicted severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms while controlling for race, daily smoking rate, and nicotine dependence. Depression (p = .000), however, explained variance in severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms above and beyond all smoking-related variables and anxiety. Results highlight the importance of considering psychological factors, specifically depression, which impact treatment processes among smokers with OUD to help inform the development of effective treatment interventions for both OUD and smoking cessation among individuals with OUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Food cravings and food cue responding across the menstrual cycle in a non-eating disordered sample.

The study aim was to examine changes in food cue-elicited cravings and the macronutrient content of craved foods across menstrual cycle phases in a non-eating disordered sample. Thirty-five college females attended laboratory sessions in the late follicular and late luteal phases. In each session they completed a measure of state food craving before and after exposure to preferred, high fat/high sugar chocolate candy. Candy consumption following cue exposure was measured during an ad libitum "taste test." Additionally, participants rated their desire to eat foods differing systematically and significantly in macronutrient content. Ovulation was confirmed with luteinizing hormone detection kits. Results show that whereas the food cue increased cravings, this effect did not differ between cycle phases examined. The macronutrient content of foods desired also did not differ significantly between cycle phases, however, a non-significant trend suggested that high fat/high complex carbohydrate and low fat/high protein foods were more strongly desired in the late luteal phase. Amount of chocolate candy eaten did not differ between cycle phases. These results suggest that cravings for high fat/high sugar foods do not differ between menstrual cycle phases examined, whereas cravings for other foods may fluctuate across cycle phases in non-eating disordered women.

Development and initial psychometric properties of the Cannabidiol Outcome Expectancies Questionnaire (CBD-OEQ).

Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, is used by many individuals to treat medical and mental health conditions, despite limited support for the efficacy of CBD for these conditions. Identification of CBD-related outcome expectancies (i.e., beliefs concerning the anticipated effects of CBD) could be useful in understanding the etiology and maintenance of CBD use and/or be useful in administration or clinical trial research. Although there are several measures of cannabis outcome expectancies, cannabis comprises several active compounds (e.g., tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], CBD). Thus, cannabis outcome expectancies may not reflect CBD-specific outcome expectancies. Yet, no known CBD-specific outcome expectancy measure exists. The present study used a three-phase, mixed-methods approach to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Cannabidiol Outcome Expectancy Questionnaire (CBD-OEQ). The CBD-OEQ assessed endorsement (i.e., how much an individual agrees/disagrees with an expected outcome) and desirability ratings (i.e., how desirable an expected outcome is). The initial item pool was administered to 600 adults who endorsed having heard of or using CBD products. Factor analyses supported a 60-item, six-factor structure. There was an initial support for internal consistency and convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the CBD-OEQ subscale scores in the present sample. Desirability ratings explained minimal additional variance in CBD variables for most subscales, but moderated the relationship between endorsement ratings and use behaviors for Global Negative Effects and No Effect subscales. The newly developed CBD-OEQ could be used as both a research and a clinical tool. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The association between hormonal contraceptive use and smoking, negative affect, and cessation attempts in college females.

Exogenous and endogenous female hormones influence nicotine use and cessation, potentially through mechanisms such as anxiety and negative affect. In the present study, college females using all types of hormonal contraceptives (HC) were compared to those not using HC to determine the potential influence on current smoking, negative affect, and current and past cessation attempts. Differences between progestin-only and combination HC were also examined. Of the 1,431 participants, 53.2% (n = 761) reported current HC use, and 12.3% (n = 176) of participants endorsed current smoking. Women currently using HC were significantly more likely to smoke (13.5%; n = 103) compared to women not using HC (10.9%; n = 73), p = .04. There was a significant main effect of HC use being associated with lower anxiety levels (p = .005), as well as a significant HC use by smoking status interaction, such that women who smoke using HC reported the lowest levels of anxiety among participants (p = .01). Participants using HC were more likely to be making a current attempt to quit smoking than those not using HC (p = .04) and were more likely to have made past quit attempts (p = .04). No significant differences were observed across women using progestin-only, combined estrogen and progestin, and women not using HC. These findings provide evidence that exogenous hormones may be an advantageous treatment target and that they warrant additional study.

The Smoking-Related Weight and Eating Episodes Test (SWEET): development and preliminary validation.

INTRODUCTION: Many smokers believe that smoking helps them to control their weight, and concerns about weight gain can interfere with smoking cessation. As researchers typically assess general weight concerns, a measure specific to smoking-related weight concerns is needed. METHODS: The Smoking-related Weight and Eating Episodes Test (SWEET) was created by generating items from 4 content domains: Hunger, Craving, Overeating, and Body Image. Female undergraduate smokers (N = 280) rated their postcessation weight gain concern and completed the SWEET, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, Brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26, Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R), and Body Shape Questionnaire. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the initial items suggested a 4-factor solution, suggesting 4 subscales: Smoking to suppress appetite, smoking to prevent overeating, smoking to cope with body dissatisfaction, and withdrawal-related appetite increases. Based on these results, the SWEET subscales were revised and shortened. The resulting 10-item SWEET showed excellent internal consistency (total α = .94; mean α = .86) and evidence of validity by predicting smoking frequency, eating pathology, and body image concerns (ps < .05). Smoking frequency, eating pathology, and body image concerns were significantly predicted by the SWEET while controlling for existing measures of postcessation weight gain concern. CONCLUSIONS: The SWEET appears to be a reliable and valid measure of tendencies to smoke in response to body image concern and nicotine withdrawal and as a way to control appetite and overeating.

Protective behavioral strategies underutilization mediates effect of a brief motivational intervention among socially anxious undergraduate drinkers.

Social anxiety (SA) is implicated in problematic undergraduate drinking. Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) reduce problematic undergraduate drinking. However, not all students benefit. Identification of vulnerable subgroups is an important next step. The current study examined the role of SA and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) on BMI outcomes. We reanalyzed a subset of data (53.3%; N = 120; 62.5% male) from a randomized trial in which heavy drinking undergraduates were randomized to a BMI or control. SA, past-month typical drinks, peak drinks, weekly quantity, alcohol problems, and PBS were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks. Main effects and interaction among the intervention condition (BMI vs. control) and SA group (low vs. high) were tested on alcohol outcomes and PBS. High SA undergraduates reported greater baseline drinking, more alcohol problems, and lower PBS. Post-BMI, high SA drinkers continued to report greater peak drinks, typical drinks, alcohol problems, and lower PBS use, controlling for baseline use. Among the BMI condition, parallel multiple mediation analyses revealed the PBS subscale Manner of Drinking uniquely mediated the relationship between SA and heavier post-BMI drinking. The PBS Manner of Drinking and Serious Harm Reduction subscales jointly mediated the relationship between SA and greater post-BMI alcohol problems. BMIs may need to be refined to improve outcomes for socially anxious drinkers. Increasing PBS utilization post-BMI may help improve BMI efficacy in this vulnerable group. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Smoking and suicidal ideation among college students: Smoking expectancies as potential moderators.

Objective: In the present study, we sought to establish a link between suicidal ideation (SI) and smoking in college students, determine whether psychopathology accounted for the association, and determine whether smoking expectancies were moderators. Participants: Participants (N = 607) were identified as nonsmokers, exsmokers, infrequent smokers, or daily smokers. Methods: Participants were assessed for smoking patterns, smoking expectancies, psychopathology, SI, and past suicide attempts. Results: Daily smokers had the highest level of SI. There was a dose-response relationship between smoking and SI, such that the higher the daily smoking rate, the greater the SI, even when controlling for depression, alcohol use, and drug use. Trend-level results indicated that at lower smoking rates, elevated smoking-related negative affect reduction (NAR) expectancies were associated with lower SI, while elevated NAR expectancies in combination with higher smoking rates were associated with greater SI. Conclusion: Smoking cessation programs for college students should screen for SI.

Cigarette smoking across the schizotypy spectrum.

This study examined relationships between schizotypy symptom dimensions and smoking. Individuals with schizotypy (n=81) were twice as likely to smoke as individuals in a normative reference group (n=303). Among those with schizotypy, smokers reported more severe disorganization and less severe negative schizotypal symptoms. These findings offer insight into mechanisms underlying smoking in schizotypal individuals and suggest areas for further research.

Dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes have greater positive smoking expectancies than regular smokers: a study of smoking expectancies among college students.

Objective: In the present study, we sought to determine the differences among college students using e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or both products (dual users) on smoking outcome expectancies and the role of smoking expectancies and e-cigarette use in cessation attempts. Participants: We surveyed 1,370 undergraduate college students from November 2014 to November 2016. Methods: Participants completed questionnaires regarding demographics, smoking status/history, and expectancies. Results: Dual users reported significantly longer smoking histories and more past quit attempts than other smoking groups. Those reporting dual use reported higher expectancies on positive/negative reinforcement and appetite/weight control subscales of the SCQ. E-cigarette use was a negative predictor of cessation attempts. Conclusions: College students appear to be less motivated to use e-cigarettes for cessation and dual users endorsed higher levels of smoking expectancies previously shown to negatively impact treatment outcomes. Students, especially dual users, need targeted interventions to address the dangers of using tobacco products.

Heavy smokers perform more poorly than nonsmokers on a simulated task of gambling.

The Gambling Task (GT) has demonstrated sensitivity to a type of decision-making that differentiates individuals manifesting substance use disorders from those without such disorders. However, studies have not yet compared the GT performance of "heavy smokers" to the performance of never-smokers. In the present study, the GT performance of "heavy smokers" (n = 39) and never-smokers (n = 32) recruited from the community was compared in an experimental design. Analysis of covariance showed that "heavy smokers" performance on the GT was significantly worse than that of never-smokers (p < .01). Implications, the study's limitations and future directions are discussed.

Financial strain mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death accounting for about 0.48 million deaths in the US every year. Across the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient smoking prevalence differs greatly, with those of lower SES smoking at much higher rates than those of higher SES. Previous studies have shown relationships between socioeconomic status, financial strain, and smoking. However, little research has explored the possibility that financial strain might mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking. Thus, the goal of the current study was to determine whether financial strain was a mediating factor in the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking. METHODS: Participants (N=238) were primarily female (67.6%) and African-American adults (51.7%) from the Dallas metropolitan area. The majority of the sample reported that they did not currently smoke (n=164). Participants who reported currently smoking at baseline (n=74) smoked an average of 9.96 (SD=10.79) cigarettes per day. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that financial strain partially mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking status. Additionally, financial strain was found to significantly partially mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and cigarettes smoked prospectively over the next 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, findings suggest that greater financial strain may be one factor that links SES with current smoking and smoking level among those who smoke.

The relative impact of nicotine dependence, other substance dependence, and gender on Bechara Gambling Task performance.

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) tend to focus more on immediate, rather than cumulative, consequences of their actions on measures of decision-making. This type of decision-making may contribute to continued substance use. The present study compared the performance of four groups of individuals on one measure of decision-making, the Bechara Gambling Task (BGT). The groups were (a) heavy smokers with comorbid substance dependence (n = 40), (b) heavy smokers with no history of substance dependence (n = 19), (c) substance dependent never smokers (n = 26), and (d) never smokers with no history of substance dependence (n = 34). Analysis revealed that there were no significant main effects of gender or SUD status. However, a significant gender by SUD status interaction was found, such that men with an SUD performed more poorly on the BGT than men without an SUD history. Women with and without an SUD both performed poorly on this task. Unexpectedly, no differences in BGT performance were found between smokers and nonsmokers. Overall, findings indicate that having an SUD, other than nicotine dependence, is correlated with poor BGT performance in men only. The BGT did not differentiate between women with and without SUDs, and therefore, may not be an appropriate measure of decision-making in women.

Reliability and validity of the Personal Wellness Profile (PWP) Questionnaire in African American college women.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Personal Wellness Profile (PWP) is a 75-item questionnaire used to assess an individual's level of wellness in clinical and non-clinical settings. Currently, there are no published scientific data regarding the validity and reliability of the PWP. Therefore, this study was designed to assess convergence validity of the PWP using established instruments in which validity has been previously supported and to determine the reliability of the PWP using the test-retest method. METHODS: A correlational design was used with a non-probability convenience sample of 100 African American women, ages 18 to 40 years, enrolled in a university in southern Louisiana. Convergence validity of the PWP was assessed by using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Geiselman Food Preference Questionnaire II (GFPQ II), Weekly Stress Inventory (WSI), Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire (PAR) as criteria. RESULTS: The PWP had statistically significant correlations with two of the six subscales of the GFPQ II, and with the WSI, MAST, and FNTD. Findings also suggest that the PWP has moderate to moderately high internal consistency as a whole (r = .77), and that the subscale scores were also reliable over time (r = .52 to .90). CONCLUSIONS: The PWP will be valuable as a valid, standardized, highly portable tool that can be taken into the community and administered to African-Americans and other populations who do not readily have access to treatment, research and health care centers.

Motivation and readiness for tobacco cessation among nicotine dependent postmenopausal females: A pilot study.

Despite considerable health risks due to lower levels of estrogen production and the compounding antiestrogenic effects of nicotine, postmenopausal females continue to smoke. These females face significant barriers to cessation, including negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptom severity. The current pilot study explored the effect of negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptom severity on motivation and readiness to quit smoking. Eighteen postmenopausal smokers were randomized to receive brief motivational interviewing (B-MI; n = 8) or control treatment (i.e., a 1-hour video, n = 10). Participants completed measures of negative affect, weight concerns, and menopausal symptoms, as well as measures of motivation and readiness to quit. Motivation and readiness to quit were reassessed one week following treatment. At baseline, weight concerns, specifically surrounding smoking to prevent overeating, were identified as related to increased motivation to quit smoking. Menopausal symptom severity, specifically somatic symptoms, assessed at baseline, was associated with increased readiness for cessation. B-MI did not increase motivation or readiness to quit; however, results indicate that cigarettes per day decreased from baseline to follow-up by approximately 20-30%. These results provide valuable insight into enhancing engagement in a cessation treatment among this population. (PsycINFO Database Record

Measurement of smoking outcome expectancies in children: the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Child.

A measure of smoking outcome expectancies was developed for children ages 7-12 years. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine whether a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-factor solution was most appropriate for the data set. CFA revealed that the 3-factor model produced the most adequate fit (Positive Reinforcement, Negative Consequences, and Weight Control). The resulting 15-item measure was named the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Child (SCQ-C). The fit of the 3-dimensional structure was then examined separately for 3 age groups representing young (7- to 8-year-old), middle (9- to 10-year-old), and old (11- to 13-year-old) children. Overall, the 3-factor structure fit the data well for the 3 groups. As such, we examined the relations of the 3 scales with antecedent variables for the entire sample. The Positive Reinforcement scale was associated with children's smoking behavior and having a family member or peers who smoked. The Negative Consequences scale was inversely related to having a family member or peer who smoked.

Weight-related concerns associated with smoking in young children.

Studies have shown that weight concern is associated with smoking in adolescents. However, little is known about the relationship between weight concern and smoking in younger children. Analyses were conducted to determine whether children in elementary school who had tried smoking would possess greater weight concern than those who had not tried smoking. Results indicated that smokers possessed more general weight concern, F(1, 640)=5.619, p=.018, reported more dieting, F(1, 707)=11.757, p=.001, and endorsed greater concern with body size, F(1, 707)=4.113, p=.043, than non-smokers. Similar to adolescents, these results suggest that young children who have tried smoking are more concerned about weight than children who have not tried smoking.