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Background: The transnosographic nature of negative symptoms (NS) makes them fruitful for detecting psychiatric symptoms. The main objective of this study was to determine whether NS can be useful in screening for ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) or depressive symptoms in the no-help-seeking student population. The most prevalent NS and their relationship with cannabis use were also researched. Methods: From an online survey sent to students, 2128 filled out the Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS), Prodromal Questionnaire 16 (PQ-16), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST). Results: 367 students (17.2%, 95% CI [15.6-18.9]) were considered to have UHR (PQ-16 distress score ≥ 9) and/or depression (BDI ≥ 16). The receiver operation characteristic curve showed that a threshold of 13 for the SNS score discriminated this subgroup of students with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.8% and 70.6%, respectively. The motivational dimension was overrepresented and linked to cannabis use. Conclusions: The early detection of NS in the no-help-seeking student population is relevant for detecting depressive and prodromal symptoms. This will enable early intervention to limit the progression to chronic mental disorders. The predominance of NS linked to the amotivational dimension was observed and related to cannabis use.
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The induced-hypocrisy is a paradigm in which people promote a normative behavior (normative salience step) and then recall their past transgressions (transgression salience step). It is an effective two-step procedure for encouraging prosocial behaviors. This study aims to explore whether discrimination can be reduced using the hypocrisy paradigm combining two kinds of social norms, namely injunctive and descriptive norms. We assigned 80 participants to descriptive norm-related hypocrisy, injunctive norm-related hypocrisy, combined-norm hypocrisy, and control conditions. Results showed that intention to adopt active normative behaviors was higher in the combined-norms than in the single norm hypocrisy conditions. We observed the same pattern in reducing discriminatory behaviors in the Cyberball game, which measures passive discrimination (exclusion). Our findings have both practical and theoretical implications. First, they provide a new and effective means for producing behavioral changes in the field of discrimination. Second, they contribute to further investigating the explanatory processes underlying the hypocrisy effect.
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INTRODUCTION: Binge drinking (BD) and cannabis use are prevalent in European adolescents and students. BD has been shown to have a negative impact on neuropsychological functioning, but little is known about the additive effect when it is combined with cannabis consumption. We therefore investigated the neuropsychological profiles of students who engage in combined BD and cannabis use, in order to explore the potentially harmful additive effects of cannabis use and BD on cognition. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sample of college students (N = 298) completed questionnaires on alcohol and cannabis use, and were screened for neuropsychological impairments using the Brief Evaluation of Alcohol-Related Neuropsychological Impairments (BEARNI). First, after dividing students into three groups according to their alcohol and cannabis use (i.e., light drinkers, binge drinkers, and binge drinkers consuming cannabis), we ran a linear mixed model based on the BEARNI z scores to test the performances of the three groups. Information yielded by the mixed model was supplemented by individual analyses. Second, to explore the heterogeneity of binge drinkers' profiles, we ran a cluster analysis to characterize the alcohol users at higher risk of more severe neuropsychological impairment. RESULTS: Overall, poorer neuropsychological performances were observed among binge drinkers compared with light drinkers, whether they used cannabis or not. However, flexibility, episodic memory and working memory were particularly affected among binge drinkers who used cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: Results emphasize the importance of asking binge drinkers if they smoke cannabis, in order to adapt care and prevention strategies to their consumption and neuropsychological profile.
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INTRODUCTION: Binge drinking (BD) is a public health concern, especially in young people. Multiple individual factors referring to different level of analyses - positional, inter-individual and intra-individual - are associated to BD. As they have mainly been explored separately, little is known about the psychological variables most associated with BD. This study, based on an integrative model considering a large number of variables, aims to estimate these associations and possible dominance of some variables in BD. METHODS: A sample of university students (N = 2851) participated in an internet survey-based study. They provided information on alcohol related variables (AUDIT, BD score), positional factors (sex, age), inter-individual factors (subjective norm, social identity, external motivations), and intra-individual factors (internal motivations, meta-cognitions, impulsivity and personality traits). The data were processed via a backward regression analysis including all variables and completed with a dominance analysis on variables that are significantly associated with BD intensity. RESULTS: The strongest variables associated with BD intensity were enhancement motives and drinking identity (average ΔR 2 = 21.81%), followed by alcohol subjective norm and social motives (average ΔR 2 = 13.99%). Other associated variables (average ΔR 2 = 2,84%) were negative metacognition on uncontrollability, sex, coping motives, lack of premeditation, positive metacognition on cognitive self-regulation, positive urgency, lack of perseverance, age, conformity motives and loneliness. CONCLUSION: Results offer new avenues at the empirical level, by spotting particularly inter-individual psychological variables that should be more thoroughly explored, but also at the clinical level, to elaborate new prevention strategies focusing on these specific factors.
