A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mindfulness and Acceptance Group Therapy for Residential Substance Use Patients.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders are understood as a chronically relapsing condition that is difficult to treat. However, in recent years there have been promising developments in the treatment of substance use disorders, specifically with interventions based on mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy. Little research has examined whether these types of interventions may positively impact residential substance use treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVES: Thus, in the current study we developed and examined, in a randomized controlled trial, a 4-week, eight-session, adjunctive mindfulness and acceptance group therapy for patients in residential substance use treatment. Our primary outcomes were substance use cravings, psychological flexibility, and dispositional mindfulness at treatment discharge. METHODS: Patients (N = 117) from a private residential substance use facility were randomized to receive the adjunctive mindfulness and acceptance group or treatment-as-usual. Patients were assessed at treatment intake and at discharge from a 28-30-day residential program. RESULTS: Although treatment groups did not statistically differ at discharge on any primary outcome, small effect sizes favored the mindfulness and acceptance group on cravings and psychological flexibility. Conclusions/Importance: Continued research is needed to determine whether the addition of mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions improve outcomes long term following residential substance use treatment.

Dating Violence Perpetration: Associations With Early Maladaptive Schemas.

Violence between dating couples is a serious and prevalent problem among college students (Shorey, Cornelius, & Bell, 2008). Social-cognitive theories of aggression (e.g., Berkowitz, 1990) propose that perpetrators may have more maladaptive cognitive schemas that increase risk for aggression than non-perpetrators. Thus, this study examined differences between perpetrators and non-perpetrators of dating violence on early maladaptive schemas, which are rigidly held cognitive and behavioral patterns that guide how individuals encode and respond to stimuli in their environments (Young, Klosko, & Weishaar, 2003). Within a sample of female (n = 242) and male (n = 193) college students, results demonstrated that many early maladaptive schema domains were associated with psychological and physical dating violence perpetration, although mostly for women. In addition, the schema domain of impaired autonomy showed medium-to-large differences between female perpetrators and non-perpetrators, whereas the domain of impaired limits showed a medium-to-large difference for male perpetrators and non-perpetrators of physical aggression. These findings add to a growing body of literature on risk factors for dating violence, suggesting that early maladaptive schemas may be associated with individual differences in aggression risk. The results also further support social-cognitive models of aggressive behavior.

Examination of the Transient Changes in Affect Resulting From Participation in Research Addressing Intimate Partner Violence.

As a result of the proliferation of data examining intimate partner violence (IPV), there has been an emerging interest in how this research emotionally affects participants, particularly those with a history of personal experience with IPV. While a large body of IPV research suggests that only a small proportion of individuals experience transient emotional distress as the result of participation, this research is limited by examining only the emotional responses at the conclusion of the research, rather than examining changes in affect during the research. Therefore, this research sought to examine negative affect among participants throughout the research to better examine the trajectory of affect during participation in research on IPV. We recruited a sample of 914 college students who completed a measure of negative affect at the beginning, after being exposed to violence questionnaires, and at the conclusion of the research. The findings suggested that among the total sample, negative affect generally declined over the course of the research, although there was a significant interaction for victims of both psychological and physical IPV, such that their negative affect remained stable over participation in the research. Negative affect was significantly correlated with measures of reactions to the research globally, and not significantly related to perceptions of the overall benefits of the research. These data suggest that participation in research on IPV does not increase negative affect, even among those with a history of IPV. Implications of these data for future research on IPV are discussed.

Stalking Victimization and Substance Use in College Dating Relationships: An Exploratory Analysis.

Traditionally, most dating violence research has focused on physical aggression and has left stalking behaviors largely unexamined, despite evidence that stalking of an intimate partner occurs with high frequency. Moreover, the extent to which stalking victimization has the same negative mental health consequences as other forms of dating violence is unclear. Thus, using a sample of male and female undergraduate students in current dating relationships (N = 357), the association between stalking victimization and alcohol and drug use was explored. Results indicated that for both men and women, stalking victimization from a dating partner was related to alcohol and drug use, even after controlling for age, gender, length of dating relationship, and physical aggression victimization. These preliminary findings suggest that stalking victimization is associated with deleterious consequences; thus, additional research is needed to better understand the longitudinal, long-term consequences of stalking victimization. Additional implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Drinking Motives as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Dating Violence Victimization and Alcohol Problems.

The present study sought to examine whether drinking motives (i.e., coping, social, conformity, and enhancement) moderated the relationship between physical, sexual, and psychological dating violence victimization and alcohol-related problems in a sample of drinking college women ( N = 177). Results demonstrated that coping and social drinking motives moderated the relationship between sexual victimization and alcohol problems; conformity, social, and enhancement drinking motives moderated the relationship between alcohol-related problems and physical victimization; no significant findings were evident for psychological aggression victimization. Our results partially support the self-medication model of alcohol use, and this may be particularly relevant to sexual victimization.

Distress Tolerance and Intimate Partner Violence among Men in Substance Use Treatment.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is overrepresented among men in substance use treatment. Individuals who relapse following substance use treatment report greater IPV perpetration relative to individuals who remain remitted. In addition, distress tolerance has been shown to be an important treatment target in substance use treatment, with distress tolerance predicting relapse following treatment. However, we are unaware of any research that has examined the relationship between distress tolerance and IPV among men in substance use treatment, which may hold important treatment implications. The current study therefore examined this relationship in a sample of men in substance use treatment (N = 138). Results demonstrated that distress tolerance was negatively associated with physical and psychological IPV perpetration. After controlling for age and substance use and problems, distress tolerance remained associated with psychological, but not physical, IPV perpetration. These findings suggest that distress tolerance may be an important component of treatments for IPV, particularly for psychological aggression. Substance use treatment programs that target distress tolerance may concurrently reduce the risk for relapse to substance use and IPV perpetration.

Cannabis use and dating violence among college students: A call for research.

Dating violence is a serious and prevalent problem on college campuses. Although there is a robust literature documenting that alcohol use is consistently associated with increased risk for perpetrating dating violence, little research has examined the role of cannabis in dating violence perpetration. With increasing legalisation of cannabis throughout the world, it is imperative to understand what role, if any, cannabis may play in the important public health problem of dating violence. In this commentary, we discuss the current state of the research on cannabis and dating violence and suggest avenues for additional research in this area. It is critical that we conduct methodologically sound research on the association between cannabis and dating violence so that we can understand what role, if any, cannabis exerts on this important problem. [Shorey RC, Haynes E, Strauss C, Temple JR, Stuart GL. Cannabis use and dating violence among college students: A call for research. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:17-19].

Research Reactions Following Participation in Intimate Partner Violence Research: An Examination With Men in Substance Use Treatment.

There has been increased attention in recent years related to the research reactions of individuals who participate in intimate partner violence (IPV) research. Existing studies demonstrate that participating in IPV research is not emotionally upsetting for the vast majority of participants and that many participants perceive benefit from their research participation. However, almost all of the existing research has utilized non-clinical samples or battered women, failing to examine the research reactions of a clinical sample of men. Thus, the present study examined the research reactions of men in substance use treatment ( N = 138) who completed a self-report measure of IPV perpetration and victimization. We also examined whether distress tolerance moderated the relationship between reports of IPV and negative emotional research reactions. Consistent with previous research, after accounting for distress tolerance, substance use, and demographic control variables, IPV was unrelated to negative emotional research reactions. Distress tolerance did not moderate the association between IPV and research reactions. Findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting that IPV research meets Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements for minimal risk research.

Is General or Alcohol-Specific Perceived Social Support Associated with Depression among Adults in Substance Use Treatment?

Alcohol use disorders are among the most common mental health disorders in the world and incur considerable costs for individuals and society. Previous research has demonstrated that perceived social support (PSS) may decrease rates of depression and relapse in individuals seeking treatment for alcohol use. The current study developed and investigated a self-report measure for perceived social support for sobriety from alcohol (PSSA) in a sample of men and women in residential treatment for substance use (N = 231), and examined the relationship between general or alcohol-specific perceived social support and depression. Analyses demonstrated sound factor structure, reliability, and validity for the PSSA. Additionally, the new measure of PSS for alcohol sobriety was negatively and uniquely associated with depression, even after controlling for general PSS, enacted social support, and negative social interactions. Overall, findings demonstrated that the PSSA was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, even after accounting for other known correlates of depression. Future research should replicate and extend these findings and examine whether this new measure predicts abstinence from alcohol following treatment.