Gestational Weight Gain During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Healthy gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with improved pregnancy and delivery outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic changed eating behaviours and physical activity, and thus may have impacted GWG. This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on GWG. METHODS: Participants (N = 371, 86% of the larger study) were part of a study focused on GWG among TRICARE beneficiaries (i.e., active-duty military personnel and other beneficiaries). Participants were randomized to two treatment groups (GWG intervention (n = 149 pre-COVID and n = 98 during COVID), and usual care condition (n = 76 pre-COVID and n = 48 during COVID). GWG was calculated as the difference between screening weight and at 36 weeks gestation. Participants who delivered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, N = 225) were compared to participants whose pregnancies occurred during the pandemic (N = 146). RESULTS: We found no significant difference in GWG between those who delivered prior to the pandemic (11.2 ± 4.3 kg) and those whose pregnancies occurred during COVID-19 (10.6 ± 5.4 kg), with no effect of intervention arm. While excessive GWG was higher pre-COVID (62.8%) than during the pandemic (53.7%), this difference was not significant overall or by intervention arm. In addition, we found lower attrition during the pandemic (8.9%) than in the pre-COVID period (18.7%). DISCUSSION: In contrast to prior research that indicated challenges with engaging in health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that women did not have increased GWG or higher odds of excessive GWG. This research contributes to our understanding of how the pandemic impacted pregnancy weight gain and engagement in research.

The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Gambling: Do the Laboratory Study Findings Generalize to Natural Environments?

A recent meta-analysis of laboratory studies on the effects of acute alcohol consumption on risk-taking did not support that acute alcohol consumption increased risk-taking. Questions about whether this finding generalizes to those gambling in naturalistic settings remain. Therefore, we examined the gambling behavior of frequent gamblers who did and did not consume alcohol while gambling. Participants were 769 weekly gamblers (66% male) who were U.S. residents and at least 18 years old. Participants recruited via MTurk completed measures through the Qualtrics survey platform. Significant predictors of gambling under the influence of alcohol were drinking days per month and PGSI score. A linear regression model predicting percentage of time spent gambling under the influence of alcohol revealed that gambling days per week, gambling hours per day, PGSI score, and drinking days per month were significant predictors. Finally, significant predictors of spending at least 50% of gambling time gambling under the influence of alcohol included: gambling hours per day, PGSI score, and drinking days per month. These findings were consistent with the recent meta-analysis of laboratory studies. However, finding that gambling disorder symptoms and overall rates of alcohol consumption were related to gambling under the influence of alcohol replicated the frequently found relation of alcohol problems among those who also exhibit gambling problems.

Frequent Gamblers' Reasons for and Against Completing a Problem Gambling Screener.

Problem gambling screeners are easily accessible and potentially reduce harm for those individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior. However, a recent study found that when frequent gamblers were offered the chance to complete a screener and receive feedback, most chose not to do so. In this paper, secondary analysis was completed on frequent gamblers' open-ended responses to questions regarding reasons for and against completing a problem gambling screener. Participants (N = 262) were individuals who gambled at least once per week and were not currently being treated for gambling problems. A qualitative open-coding procedure independently completed by multiple researchers revealed that the most common reasons for completing the screener were individuals having a desire to check in on their behavior, because they were curious about the screener, because they were experiencing gambling-related harm, or that they were already considering making changes to their gambling. The most common reasons against completing the screener were that they were either avoidant of the experience because they thought it might cause psychological distress, or because they believed that they did not have a problem. This study provides insight into why many individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior do not seek out helping resources. In addition to creating practically accessible helping resources, researchers should focus on techniques that can make help-seeking a less distressing and more acceptable experience.

Expectations of How Acute Cannabis Use Affects Gambling Experiences and Behaviors.

Emerging research shows that many individuals commonly consume cannabis while gambling. However, individuals' expectations for how cannabis consumption will impact their gambling behavior remain unknown. Participants who gambled weekly (N = 472) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed assessments of gambling behaviors, cannabis consumption, and expectations about the influence of cannabis on gambling. Almost all participants (94%) screened positive for problem gambling. Over half of participants (55%) reported lifetime cannabis consumption, and almost all those participants (99%) reported gambling under the influence of cannabis (GUIC) in the past month. Most participants agreed with positive expectations of gambling; they expected that they would feel calmer when under the influence of cannabis (61.4%), that gambling would be more enjoyable (61.0%), and that their gambling skills would increase when GUIC (60.6%). At the same time, most participants also agreed with negative expectations of GUIC. They expected cannabis use would make them more careless (56.4%), more anxious (54.8%), and less able to concentrate (53.7%) while gambling. Negative cannabis expectancies were significantly associated with the severity of cannabis consumption. Both positive and negative cannabis expectancies were significantly associated with gambling problems and time spent gambling under the influence of cannabis. These findings indicate that expectations may influence the decision to consume cannabis and gamble simultaneously. This study contributes to the need for addressing cannabis expectations during treatment of gambling problems.

Sweetening the pot: Exploring differences between frequent gamblers who do and do not gamble under the influence of cannabis.

The legalization of recreational cannabis for adults is becoming more common across the United States of America, as well as other counties around the world. Previous research has documented shared risk factors between cannabis use and gambling. Experimental studies have shown cognitive effects of cannabis that might influence gambling behavior. The current study explored demographics, gambling behaviors, and mental health differences based on the degree to which individuals use cannabis while they gamble. Individuals (N = 805) who gambled at least weekly completed an online survey. Thirty percent reported gambling under the influence of cannabis. Of these individuals, 41% reported using cannabis 25% of the time that they gambled, 31% reported being under the influence 50% of the time when gambling, 16% were under the influence 75% of the time when gambling, and 13% reported always or almost always gambling under the influence of cannabis. Those who reported gambling while under the influence of cannabis were more likely to be younger, non-white and non-heterosexual. They also reported higher levels of psychological distress, were more likely to have had a diagnosis of ADHD and a history of treatment for gambling, substance use, or other kinds of mental health concerns. Individuals who used cannabis while gambling also reported gambling more frequently than those who did not. This study provides one of the first explorations into who uses cannabis while gambling. Future experimental studies are required to investigate the direct effects of cannabis on gambling behaviors.