Doing It for the Money: The Relationship Between Gambling and Money Attitudes Among College Students.

Today's college students have grown up with legalized gambling and access to a variety of gambling venues. Compared to the general adult population, rates of disordered gambling among college students are nearly double. Previous research suggests that the desire to win money is a strong motivator to gamble (Neighbors et al. in J Gambl Stud 18:361-370, 2002a); however, there is a dearth of literature on attitudes towards money in relation to gambling behavior. The current study evaluated the association between the four subscales of the Money Attitude Scale (Yamauchi and Templer in J Pers Assess 46:522-528, 1982) and four gambling outcomes (frequency, quantity, consequences and problem severity) in a sample of college students (ages 18-25; N = 2534) using hurdle negative binomial regression model analyses. Results suggest that college students who hold high Power-Prestige or Anxiety attitudes toward money were more likely to gamble and experience greater consequences related to their gambling. Distrust attitudes were negatively associated with gambling behaviors. Retention-Time attitudes were not significantly associated with gambling behaviors and may not be directly relevant to college students, given their often limited fiscal circumstances. These findings suggest that money attitudes may be potential targets for prevention programs in this population.

Exploring the Relationship Between Stimulant Use and Gambling in College Students.

Both gambling and stimulant use are common and can lead to problems on college campuses with consequences that impact the financial, emotional, academic and physical well-being of students. Yet few studies have been conducted to understand the co-occurrence of these conditions and the increased risk factors if any that may exist for gambling and related problems. The present study is among the first to document the co-occurrence of these behaviors in both a random sample of students (N = 4640), and then to explore to what extent stimulant use impacts subsequent gambling and related problems 12 months later in an at-risk sample (N = 199). Results revealed a three-fold higher rate of recent problem gambling for those who used stimulants versus those who had not (11 vs. 4 %). For those already gambling, stimulant use predicted an increased frequency in gambling 12 months later. Implications for prevention and screening are discussed.

Gambling-Related Problems as a Mediator Between Treatment and Mental Health with At-Risk College Student Gamblers.

Disordered gambling has been linked to increased negative affect, and some promising treatments have been shown to be effective at reducing gambling behaviors and related problems (Larimer et al. in Addiction 107:1148-1158, 2012). The current study seeks to expand upon the findings of Larimer et al. (Addiction 107:1148-1158, 2012) by examining the relationship between gambling-related problems and mental health symptoms in college students. Specifically, the three-group design tested the effects of two brief interventions for gambling­an individual, in-person personalized feedback intervention (PFI) delivered using motivational interviewing and group-based cognitive behavioral therapy, versus assessment only on mood outcomes. The mediating effect of gambling-related problems on mood was also explored. Participants (N = 141; 65% men; 60% Caucasian, 28% Asian) were at-risk college student gamblers [South Oaks Gambling Screen (Lesieur and Blume in Am J Psychiatry 144:1184-1188, 1987) ≥3], assessed at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Gambling problems were assessed using the Gambling Problems Index (Neighbors et al. in J Gamb Stud 18:339-360, 2002). Mental health symptoms were assessed using the depression, anxiety, and hostility subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis in Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI): administration, scoring, and procedures manual, National Computer Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, 1993). Results revealed that the PFI condition differentially reduced negative mood, and that reductions in gambling-related problems partially mediated this effect. Implications for intervention for comorbid mood and gambling disorders are discussed.

"Seems I'm not alone at being alone:" contributing factors and interventions for drinking games in the college setting.

Alcohol use among college students is prevalent and sometimes takes the form of drinking games, in which players are required to drink in accordance with a set of pre-defined rules. Drinking games are typically associated with elevated alcohol consumption and risk to the individual. This perspective piece considers the potential role of social anxiety in motivating participation in drinking games, perceived norms surrounding drinking games (including ways they are portrayed and discussed in popular media), and the role of competitiveness. Implications for skills training-based prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.

The use of protective behaviors in relation to gambling among college students.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a measure of gambling protective behaviors and examine the relationship between indices of gambling behavior, including frequency, quantity and problem severity, and the use of gambling protective behaviors. Undergraduates from a large public university (N = 4,014) completed a web-based screening survey comprising measures of gambling and health behaviors, from which those who gambled within the past 6-months (n = 1,922, 48 % of the entire sample) were invited to complete the baseline assessment, including the Gambling Protective Behavior Scale (GPBS). The GPBS was determined to have two subscales, primarily consisting of harm reduction strategies that reduce the money or time spent on gambling, or avoidance strategies that help to minimize engagement in gambling activities. Hierarchical multiple regressions found participants' sex moderated the relationship between use of protective behavioral strategies and gambling outcomes. However, effects were in the opposite direction to those hypothesized. Specifically, because women gambled less, had lower gambling problem severity, and reported more frequent use of gambling avoidance protective behaviors, the relationship between use of gambling protective behaviors and gambling outcomes was stronger for men than women. Men who used more avoidance strategies gambled less frequently compared to men who used fewer avoidance strategies. Similarly, men who used more harm reduction strategies spent fewer dollars on gambling and had lower scores on gambling problem severity compared to men using fewer harm reduction strategies for women these relationships were less pronounced. Implications of incorporating specific gambling protective behavioral strategies into prevention and treatment programs are discussed.

Cultural expectations and perceptions of risk communication among Afro-Caribbean mothers and daughters in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Mothers are key influencers in daughters' decision making about risk behaviors. Much research on parent-child relationships and communication has been conducted among predominantly White, nonimmigrant families. However, parent-child relationships and communications about risk behaviors may significantly differ for Black immigrant families. In particular, transnational behaviors that serve to maintain multiple social identities with attributes from both the receiving and sending nations may shape communication about risky behaviors. The current study evaluated the association between transnational behavior and risk communication mediated by the mother-daughter relationship. METHOD: A total of 285 first- and second-generation Afro-Caribbean women, most of whom (80%) identified as Black, were recruited via purposeful sampling from Caribbean organizations, Caribbean-focused social media, and Caribbean festivals. Participants (daughters) completed a survey assessing their transnational behavior, perceptions of their relationship with their mother (in terms of interdependence, connectedness, and trust in hierarchy), and perceptions of their mother's communication about sex, alcohol use, and other drug use. RESULTS: Only the relationship between transnational behavior and communication about drugs was fully mediated by connectedness. The relationship between transnational behavior and communication about both alcohol use and other drug use was partially mediated by other facets of the mother-daughter relationship. DISCUSSION: Findings confirm previous research on parent-child closeness and communication about difficult topics and suggest that such relationships can promote healthy communication in multiple cultures. Children who stay connected to their country of origin stay connected to parents and, therefore, may have greater opportunity to engage in integrated communication about possible risk behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Injunctive and descriptive normative feedback for college drinking prevention: Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

OBJECTIVE: Single-component personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions and multicomponent personalized feedback interventions (PFI) have been shown to reduce alcohol consumption among college students. The present study compared the efficacy of PNF interventions targeting descriptive norms alone (descriptive PNF), injunctive norms alone (injunctive PNF), or their combination (combined PNF), against a multicomponent PFI and an attention control condition. METHOD: Undergraduates (N = 1,137) across two universities who reported a minimum of one past-month episode of heavy episodic drinking (i.e., 4 +/5 + drinks on a single occasion for females/males) completed assessments at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months postintervention. RESULTS: Relative to the attention control, participants in each of the four intervention conditions showed greater reductions in perceived descriptive/injunctive norms, total drinks per week, and alcohol-related consequences. Peak estimated blood alcohol concentration was also reduced in the injunctive PNF, combined PNF, and multicomponent PFI conditions, with the latter two conditions showing an advantage for duration of effects. The multicomponent PFI condition also evidenced greater reductions than the injunctive PNF in descriptive norms at 3-month and injunctive norms at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. No other group comparisons on any outcome were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Each intervention has merit for use in college student harm reduction efforts. Single-component or combined PNF could be considered a potential starting point, as PNF is less burdensome than a multicomponent PFI when considering ease and length of delivery. Results can inform optimization of norms-based interventions and guide recommendations on efficacious components for reducing alcohol use and harms on college campuses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Reducing the Harms of College Student Drinking: How Alan Marlatt Changed Approaches, Outcomes, and the Field.

In this article, we discuss Alan Marlatt's contributions to the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harms among college students. We consider Alan's early research that later led to the development and evaluation of college student drinking programs, and examine Alan's impact, both directly and indirectly through those he mentored and trained, as a scientist-practitioner. We review the recognition of the efficacy of Alan's programs, including the Alcohol Skills Training Program (ASTP) and Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), in addition to extensions of these interventions in more recent studies. Finally, we discuss how Alan's work influences interventions with college student drinkers today, and how future directions will continue to be informed by his vision and values.

A qualitative analysis of transgender and gender nonconforming college students' experiences of gender-based discrimination and intersections with alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) emerging adults (EAs) are a vulnerable population at risk for negative mental health and alcohol use outcomes often attributed to unique experiences of discrimination and transphobia, including in colleges/universities through institutionalized transphobia. There are no extant psychosocial interventions that focus on the experiences of EA TGNC undergraduate students. METHOD: The current study utilized a Community-Based Participatory Research framework and exploratory qualitative approach to better understand the unique experiences of this population (N = 16). Data are presented from an inductive thematic analysis of focus groups and interview transcripts that highlight TGNC experiences of gender-based stressors and substance use and provide feedback on a brief psychosocial intervention to prevent high-risk alcohol use among TGNC. RESULTS: Main themes were TGNC-specific experiences (e.g., pronoun misuse, invalidating interactions with faculty and staff), coping with gender-based discrimination and stressors (e.g., use of alcohol and other drugs), and resources and programs (e.g., lack of TGNC representation in leadership roles). Notable subthemes included the impact of intersecting gender, race, and class divisions, medical and mental health-care concerns, and qualities of interventions perceived as effective versus ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first studies to gather information related to the desires of EA TGNC undergraduate students on addressing high-risk alcohol use. Data provide considerations for developing psychosocial interventions to address negative mental health outcomes and risks associated with alcohol and other drug use among EA TGNC undergraduate students, such as creating safe interventions and utilizing a strengths-based approach to teaching coping skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A scoping review of brief alcohol interventions across young adult subpopulations.

OBJECTIVE: Brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) have historically centered on young adults attending 4-year predominantly white institutions. The purpose of this scoping review is to determine BAIs evaluated among young adults with one or more marginalized/understudied racial, ethnic, sexual, gender, and military/Veteran identities and/or who are embedded in an understudied context based on houselessness, attending a 2-year institution, or not attending college. A secondary objective is to explore definitions of the constructs young adult and brief to inform subsequent systematic reviews. METHOD: Sources had to be published in English between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2019 and report the evaluation of an intervention ≤ 5 hr long, delivered over ≤ 4 weeks, among participants aged 18-30 years (or 16-30 in college contexts) within a specified marginalized/understudied subpopulation/context wherein alcohol use and/or consequences were a primary outcome. Systematic searches were conducted in APA PsycNet, the EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science. Screening was independently performed by two coders who also extracted data. RESULTS: Of 4,825 identified records, 158 provided data; 86 described interventions fitting our definition of brief; of these, only 21 met criteria based on our definition of young adult, with nine meeting full inclusion criteria based on young adult subpopulation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings signify a need for additional research evaluating BAIs among young adult subpopulations and highlight the importance of carefully defining and reporting participant characteristics. Increased attention to sociocultural considerations and strengths relevant to the diverse contexts and intersecting identities of young adults may strengthen extant BAIs and equitably mitigate alcohol-related harm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Brief alcohol interventions for young adults: Strengthening effects, disentangling mechanisms, and scaling up for impact.

OBJECTIVE: Young adulthood is a developmentally risky period for hazardous or high-intensity alcohol consumption that can progress to an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Brief interventions offer one promising approach for reducing alcohol consumption and related harms among young adults. However, there are numerous methodological and theoretical challenges associated with optimizing intervention design, identifying mechanisms of action, understanding individual and contextual moderators of effects, and scaling up these interventions for widespread implementation and utilization. The current article serves as an editorial introduction to this special issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, titled "Brief Alcohol Interventions for Young Adults," which aims to highlight critical inflection points and opportunities for advancing the scientific study of brief alcohol interventions among young adults. RESULTS: The articles in this special issue address innovative methods and approaches that can be used to personalize and strengthen the magnitude and durability of brief intervention effects; considerations of intervention components and technology enhancements; and implementation science considerations for producing population-level changes in alcohol use to reduce AUD among young adults. CONCLUSIONS: In this editorial introduction, we discuss several common themes from the articles included in the special issue and highlight important directions for future research aimed at strengthening the effects, disentangling mechanisms, and scaling up brief alcohol interventions for broader impact on the young adult population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Thirty years of BASICS: Dissemination and implementation progress and challenges.

The first clinical trial of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) was launched at the University of Washington in 1990. Since that time, multiple trials have demonstrated the efficacy of BASICS and related approaches in a variety of young adult populations and this information has been widely disseminated. However, in practice BASICS implementation varies considerably, including formats and mediums (e.g., group, telehealth, written/electronic feedback alone) not studied in the original research. Even if delivered in an individual in-person format, implementation can stray substantially from the original design. Adaptations may be necessary to address campus resource constraints or other barriers to implementation but can have unknown impacts on intervention effectiveness. Thus, despite wide-scale efforts to disseminate and implement BASICS, challenges remain, and there are several critical research gaps that need to be addressed to support campuses in implementing BASICS successfully. The current manuscript reviews several ways in which BASICS has been adapted to address these challenges, and provides recommendations for best implementation practices as well as future research needed to improve implementation and effectiveness of BASICS going forward. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for Community College Students (BASICCS): Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of web-conferencing BASICCS and supporting automated text messages.

Objective: The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS; Dimeff et al., 1999) is an evidence-based approach to reduce high-risk drinking and associated harms; however, implementation may present challenges for community colleges (CCs) that have limited budgets and mostly non-residential students. We examined feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of BASICS for CC students (BASICCS) delivered remotely via web-conferencing with supporting automated text messages. Method: Participants included 142 CC students who reported exceeding National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA's) weekly low-risk drinking recommendations and/or heavy episodic drinking (HED). Participants were randomized to BASICCS or assessment-only control (AOC) and completed 1- and 3-month follow-up assessments. Results: Most students liked the personalized information in the program and found the web-conferencing platform useful, however intervention completion rate was 56%. Significant differences were found between BASICCS and AOC. At 1-month, individuals in BASICCS had 33% fewer alcohol consequences than those in AOC. At 3-month follow-up, individuals in BASICCS had lower estimated peak blood alcohol concentration, 29% fewer drinks per week, 62% fewer episodes of HED, and 24% fewer consequences than those in AOC. Conclusions: BASICCS showed evidence of being acceptable and the technology proved feasible, although the intervention completion rate in the non-treatment-seeking volunteer sample was modest. Preliminary evidence does suggest BASICCS shows promise in reducing alcohol use and consequences. Technology-based platforms could be a viable prevention solution for CC students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Brief motivational feedback for college students and adolescents: a harm reduction approach.

Alcohol consumption and its attendant problems are prevalent among adolescents and young adult college students. Harm reduction has been found efficacious with heavy drinking adolescents and college students. These harm reduction approaches do not demand abstinence and are designed to meet the individual where he or she is in the change process. The authors present a case illustration of a harm reduction intervention, the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), with a heavy-drinking female college student experiencing significant problems as a result of her drinking. BASICS is conducted in a motivational interviewing style and includes cognitive-behavioral skills training and personalized feedback.

Does it work and does it last? Effects of social and drinking behavior on same- and next-day mood.

Both social and drinking behavior have the potential to modify mood. However, if social drinking enhances positive mood and reduces negative mood, as compared to non-drinking social behavior, then interventions to reinforce non-drinking via sober social activity are undermined. Using multilevel modeling analyses, we compared end-of-day mood on drinking days versus non-drinking days, and on days spent with other people as compared to days spent primarily alone. We evaluated the interaction between drinking/non-drinking and social/solitary behavior and assessed whether the effects of social and drinking behavior extended to mood the next day. Participants were 352 college students (53% female; 55% fraternity/sorority membership; mean age 19.7 years) who completed three automated telephone surveys each day during four 14-day intervals over 1 year. Drinking and being social were associated with higher end-of-day positive mood and significantly lower end-of-day negative mood. However, no positive enhancement or negative attenuation effects of alcohol were observed in interaction analyses. Alcohol provided no improvement in mood over-and-above being social at the end of the day or on the following day. However, drinking the previous day significantly reduced next-day positive mood, whereas being social significantly reduced next-day negative mood. These findings provide support for the reinforcing potential of interventions that increase rewarding social activity in the place of alcohol use.

Developing Text Messages to Reduce Community College Student Alcohol Use.

Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate how community college students with hazardous drinking perceived the usefulness of alcohol protective behavioral strategy text messages (TM-PBS). Methods Community college students with past hazardous single occasion or weekly drinking (N = 48; 60% female) were randomized to receive 2 TM-PBS on 3 typical drinking days per week for 2 weeks selected by: (1) research investigators (ie, based on clinical and theoretical application); (2) participants (ie, messages highly rated at baseline by the participants); or (3) a random process. Prior to 2 typical drinking days per week, immediately after receiving TMs, we asked: "How useful do you think this strategy will be for you when you drink? Text a number from 1 (not useful) to 5 (very useful)." Results Response rates for the 12 messages ranged from 72.9% to 87.5%, with no differences in response rates across selection categories (ie, investigator, participant, random). Investigator-selected messages were rated as less useful than messages that were self-selected by participants or messages that were selected at random. Conclusions TM-PBS chosen a priori by students were perceived as more useful than TM-PBS chosen by investigators, supporting this form of tailoring in alcohol interventions to optimize usefulness.

NIAAA's College Alcohol Intervention Matrix.

The College Alcohol Intervention Matrix (CollegeAIM) is a user-friendly, interactive decision tool based on a synthesis of the substantial and growing literature on campus alcohol use prevention. It includes strategies targeted at both the individual and environmental levels. Commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), CollegeAIM reflects the collective knowledge of 16 separate experts in the field, which makes it unique relative to other summaries of the science. CollegeAIM is designed to help college stakeholders compare and contrast different evidence-based prevention strategies to select a mix of individual and environmental strategies that will work best on and around their campuses. CollegeAIM is a living document, which will be updated to keep pace with the science. Colleges are therefore encouraged to ensure that evaluations of individual- or environmental-focused strategies on their campuses or in their communities make it into the published literature.

Crossover Effects of Protective Behavioural Strategies for Drinking on Gambling Consequences Among College Gamblers with Alcohol or Drug Abuse.

Protective behavioural strategies (PBS) for drinking are behaviours that individuals engage in to reduce the amount they drink and drinking-related consequences. To date, little is known about associations that PBS might have with other risky behaviours that frequently coincide with drinking, such as gambling. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between three subscales of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS) and gambling consequences in a college sample of gamblers who also met criteria for alcohol or drug abuse. We hypothesized that engaging in more drinking PBS would be associated with lower levels of gambling consequences. A sample of 316 students (55% female) completed an online survey and met criteria for problematic gambling behaviour (3 or more on the South Oaks Gambling Screen and 1 or more consequences on the Gambling Problem Index). Those endorsing a higher score on the Serious Harm Reduction subscale (but not the Stopping or Limiting Drinking or Manner of Drinking subscales) showed a lower level of lifetime gambling consequences, suggesting a crossover effect. Strategies to reduce serious harm represent a treatment target that could potentially reduce negative consequences associated with both drinking and gambling.

Learning From Experience? The Influence of Positive and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences on Next-Day Alcohol Expectancies and Use Among College Drinkers.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to examine daily-level associations between alcohol-related consequences and next-day expectancies and alcohol use among frequently drinking college students using a measurement-burst daily diary study. METHOD: College students (N = 327; mean age = 19.7 years, SD = 1.26; 53.4% female) participated in a yearlong study in which they completed computerized interviews daily via mobile phones for 2 weeks in each academic quarter. Multilevel modeling was used to examine whether positive and negative consequences were associated with next-day alcohol expectancies and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Experiencing positive consequences from drinking was significantly associated with higher positive expectancies and a greater number of drinks consumed on the following day. The within-person association between daily consequences and next-day positive expectancies was stronger for those who were in fraternities/sororities compared with those who were not. Negative consequences were significantly associated with higher negative expectancies the next day but were not associated with number of drinks consumed the next day. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study highlight the role of direct drinking experiences in influencing future expectations and drinking behavior using a method that enables analysis of both between- and within-person associations.