Examining Associations Between Baseline Health-Related Quality of Life and Depression and Physical Functioning Improvement Following Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: This study examined whether health-related quality of life (HRQL) and depression assessed prior to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) participation (ie, at baseline) predicted change in 6-min walk distance (6MWD) from baseline to end of PR. METHODS: Patients with pulmonary disease were consecutively referred/enrolled in a PR program from 2009-2022 (N = 503). Baseline 6MWD was assessed along with self-report measures of HRQL (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ]) and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]). The SGRQ total score was used to assess overall HRQL, and SGRQ subscales assessed pulmonary symptoms, activity limitations, and psychosocial impacts of pulmonary disease. Multiple linear regression was used to examine whether baseline SGRQ scores and depression predicted Δ6MWD. RESULTS: Baseline SGRQ total score (F(1,389) = 8.4, P = .004) and activity limitations (F(1,388) = 4.8, P = .03) predicted Δ6MWD. Patients with an SGRQ activity limitation score ≤ 25th percentile showed the most 6MWD improvement (mean = 79.7 m, SE = 6.7), and significantly more improvement than participants scoring between the 50-75th percentiles (mean = 54.4 m, SE = 6.0) or >75th percentile (mean = 48.7 m, SE = 7.5). Patients scoring between the 25-50th percentiles (mean = 70.2 m, SE = 6.1) did not differ significantly from other groups. The SGRQ symptoms and impacts subscales were unrelated to Δ6MWD (F(1,388) = 1.2-1.9, P > .05), as was depression (F(1,311) = 0.0, P > .85). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater HRQL at baseline may experience greater physical functioning improvement following PR. Additional support for patients with lower HRQL (eg, adjunctive self-management interventions) may enhance PR outcomes, particularly for patients who report greater activity limitations. Alternatively, early referral to PR (ie, when less symptomatic) may also benefit physical function outcomes.

Extending contingency management for smoking cessation to patients with or at risk for cardiovascular disease: A preliminary trial of a home-based intervention.

Cigarette smoking puts individuals with or at risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in jeopardy of experiencing a major cardiovascular event. Contingency management (CM) for smoking cessation is an intervention wherein financial incentives are provided contingent on biochemically verified smoking abstinence. Conventional CM programs typically require frequent clinic visits for abstinence monitoring, a potential obstacle for patients with medical comorbidities who may face barriers to access. This preliminary study examined the feasibility and comparative efficacy of (a) usual care (UC; advice to quit smoking, self-help materials, quitline referral) versus (b) UC plus home-based CM for smoking cessation (UC + HBCM). HBCM entailed earning monetary-based vouchers contingent on self-reported 24-hr smoking abstinence biochemically verified by a breath carbon monoxide (CO) sample ≤ 6 ppm. Participants were 20 outpatients with a CVD diagnosis or qualifying CVD risk factor randomly assigned 1:1 to the two conditions. Intervention participants received 14 in-home abstinence visits over 6 weeks. Voucher monetary value started at $10 and escalated by $2.50 for each subsequent negative sample (maximum earnings: $367.50). Positive samples earned no vouchers and reset voucher value to $10, but two negative samples following a positive allowed participants to continue earning vouchers at the prereset value. Primary outcome was point-prevalence smoking abstinence at Week 6 assessment. More participants assigned to UC + HBCM than UC were smoking abstinent at that Week 6 assessment (90% vs. 30%), χ²(1, N = 20) = 7.5, p < .01. These results provide initial evidence that HBCM can effectively promote smoking abstinence in CVD outpatients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Randomized clinical trial examining financial incentives for smoking cessation among mothers of young children and possible impacts on child secondhand smoke exposure.

This randomized clinical trial examined whether financial-incentives increase smoking cessation among mothers of young children and potential impacts on child secondhand-smoke exposure (SHSe). 198 women-child dyads were enrolled and assigned to one of three treatment conditions: best practices (BP, N = 68), best practices plus financial incentives (BP + FI, N = 63), or best practices, financial incentives, and nicotine replacement therapy (BP + FI + NRT, N = 67). The trial was completed in Vermont, USA between June 2015 and October 2020. BP entailed staff referral to the state tobacco quitline; financial incentives entailed mothers earning vouchers exchangeable for retail items for 12 weeks contingent on biochemically-verified smoking abstinence; NRT involved mothers receiving 10 weeks of free transdermal nicotine and nicotine lozenges/gum. Baseline, 6-, 12-, 24-, and 48-week assessments were conducted. Primary outcomes were maternal 7-day point-prevalence abstinence and child SHSe through the 24-week assessment with the 48-week assessment exploratory. Results were analyzed using mixed model repeated measures for categorical data. Odds of maternal abstinence were greater among mothers in BP + FI and BP + FI + NRT compared to BP at the 6- and 12-week assessments (ORs ≥ 7.30; 95% CIs: 2.35-22.71); only abstinence in BP + FI remained greater than BP at the 24-week assessment (OR = 2.95; 95% CIs: 1.06-8.25). Abstinence did not differ significantly between treatment conditions at the 48-week assesssment. There was a significant effect of treatment condition (F[2109] = 3.64, P = .029) on SHSe with levels in BP and BP + FI significantly below BP + FI + NRT (ts[109] ≥ -2.30, Ps ≤ 0.023). Financial incentives for smoking abstinence are efficacious for increasing maternal cessation but that alone was insufficient for reducing child SHSe. ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT05740098.

Contingency management interventions for abstinence from cigarette smoking in pregnancy and postpartum: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Contingency management is one of the most effective treatments for substance use disorders in not-pregnant people. The most recent quantitative review of its efficacy among pregnant and postpartum women who smoke cigarettes concluded with moderate certainty that those receiving contingent financial incentives were twice as likely to be abstinent compared with controls. We aimed to update and extend previous reviews. Five databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before December 2022 that assessed the effectiveness of incentives for abstinence from substance use. Data from trials of smoking abstinence were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis model (restricted maximum likelihood). Results are reported as risk-ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022372291. Twelve RCTs (3136) pregnant women) were included. There was high certainty evidence that women receiving incentives were more likely to be abstinent than controls at the last antepartum assessment (12 RCTs; RR = 2.43, 95% CI 2.04-2.91, n = 2941, I2 = 0.0%) and moderate certainty evidence at the longest postpartum assessment while incentives were still available (five RCTs; RR = 2.72, 1.47-5.02, n = 659, I2 = 44.5%), and at the longest postpartum follow-up after incentives were discontinued (six RCTs; RR = 1.93, 1.08-3.46, n = 1753, I2 = 51.8%). Pregnant women receiving incentives are twice as likely to achieve smoking abstinence during pregnancy suggesting this intervention should be standard care for pregnant women who smoke. The results also demonstrate that abstinence continues into the postpartum period, including after incentives are discontinued, but more trials measuring outcomes in the postpartum period are needed to strengthen this conclusion.

Smoking Cessation Interventions for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A NARRATIVE REVIEW WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR PULMONARY REHABILITATION.

PURPOSE: Reducing disease burden in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) focuses, in part, on helping patients become more functional through programs such as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Smoking cessation may be a prerequisite or component of PR, and determining which smoking interventions (eg, behavioral, pharmacotherapy, combination) are most effective can help guide efforts to extend them to patients with COPD. The purpose of this narrative review was to summarize evidence from studies testing smoking cessation interventions in patients with COPD and discuss how these interventions may be integrated into PR programs. REVIEW METHODS: Searches were conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Search terms included "(smoking cessation) AND (RCT OR clinical trial OR intervention) AND (pulmonary OR chronic bronchitis OR emphysema OR COPD)." Published original studies were included if they used a prospective, experimental design, tested a smoking cessation intervention, reported smoking cessation rate, and included patients with COPD or a subgroup analysis focused on smokers with COPD. SUMMARY: Twenty-seven distinct studies were included in the review. Most studies tested multitreatment smoking cessation interventions involving some form of counseling in combination with pharmacotherapy and/or health education. Overall, smoking cessation interventions may help promote higher rates of smoking abstinence in patients with COPD, particularly multifaceted interventions that include intensive counseling (eg, individual, group, and telephone support), smoking cessation medication or nicotine replacement therapy, and health education.

Dual Use of Combustible Cigarettes and E-cigarettes: a Narrative Review of Current Evidence.

Purpose of Review: E-cigarette use (vaping) among adults has increased, and various patterns of concurrent smoking and vaping (i.e., "dual use") have emerged. Understanding dual use is important for mitigating tobacco-related harm. This narrative review summarizes recent research on dual use, including prevalence and types of dual use, sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics, nicotine dependence, reasons for dual use, harm perceptions, toxicant exposure, trajectories of dual use, and emerging treatments for dual use. Recent Findings: Nearly half of e-cigarette users concurrently use cigarettes, and many smoke more frequently than they use e-cigarettes. This is concerning because dual users are exposed to both cigarette and potential e-cigarette toxicants and the data are mixed regarding the ability of e-cigarettes to promote smoking cessation. Summary: Further work is needed to identify ways to increase complete smoking abstinence and optimize harm reduction among dual users, including strategies to encourage e-cigarette cessation after stopping smoking.

Delay discounting and narcissism: A meta-analysis with implications for narcissistic personality disorder.

Several psychiatric conditions (e.g., substance use, mood, and personality disorders) are characterized, in part, by greater delay discounting (DD)-a decision-making bias in the direction of preferring smaller, more immediate over larger, delayed rewards. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is highly comorbid with substance use, mood, and other personality disorders, suggesting that DD may be a process underpinning risk for NPD as well. This meta-analysis examined associations between DD and theoretically distinct, clinically relevant dimensions of narcissism (i.e., grandiosity, entitlement, and vulnerability). Literature searches were conducted and articles were included if they were written in English, published in a peer-reviewed journal, contained measures of DD and narcissism and reported their association, and used an adult sample. Narcissism measures had to be systematically categorized according to clinically relevant dimensions (Grijalva et al., 2015; Wright & Edershile, 2018). Seven studies met inclusion criteria (N = 2,705). DD was positively associated with narcissism (r = .21; 95% confidence interval [.10, .32]), with this association being largely attributable to measures of trait grandiosity that were used in each study (r = .24; 95% confidence interval [.11, .37]). No studies included diagnostic NPD assessments. These findings provide empirical evidence that DD is related to trait narcissism and perhaps risk for NPD (e.g., grandiosity listed in Criterion B of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, alternative model of personality disorders). Considering the positive evidence from this review, and the dearth of research examining DD in individuals with NPD, investigators studying NPD may consider incorporating DD measures in future studies to potentially inform clinical theory and novel adjunctive treatment options. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Narcissistic grandiosity and risky health behaviors in college students.

Objective This study explored associations between narcissistic grandiosity (including its component traits) and reported risky health behaviors in college students. Participants: College men and women (N = 122) participated between December 2015 and January 2016. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of grandiosity, alcohol consumption, number of sex partners, and condom use. Results: Grandiosity was positively associated with alcohol consumption. Gender interacted with grandiose traits, driving associations with reported sexual behaviors. College men high in entitlement/exploitativeness reported more sex partners. Grandiose exhibitionism was associated with condom use among women but not men, such that college women higher in grandiose exhibitionism were more likely to report not using a condom with their most recent partner. Conclusions: Grandiosity (and grandiose traits) may influence health behavior and/or the reporting of health behavior in college students, but associations may differ for men and women.

Contingency Management for Patients Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is efficacious, but comorbid stimulant use and other behavioral health problems often undermine efficacy. Objective: To examine the association of contingency management, a behavioral intervention wherein patients receive material incentives contingent on objectively verified behavior change, with end-of-treatment outcomes for these comorbid behavioral problems. Data Sources: A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, and reference sections of articles from inception through May 5, 2020. The following search terms were used: vouchers OR contingency management OR financial incentives. Study Selection: Prospective experimental studies of monetary-based contingency management among participants receiving MOUD. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline, 3 independent investigators extracted data from included studies for a random-effects meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was the association of contingency management at end-of-treatment assessments with 6 clinical problems: stimulant use, polysubstance use, illicit opioid use, cigarette smoking, therapy attendance, and medication adherence. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to compute weighted mean effect size estimates (Cohen d) and corresponding 95% CIs separately for each clinical problem and collapsing across the 3 categories assessing abstinence and the 2 assessing treatment adherence outcomes. Results: The search identified 1443 reports of which 74 reports involving 10 444 unique adult participants met inclusion criteria for narrative review and 60 for inclusion in meta-analyses. Contingency management was associated with end-of-treatment outcomes for all 6 problems examined separately, with mean effect sizes for 4 of 6 in the medium-large range (stimulants, Cohen d = 0.70 [95% CI, 0.49-0.92]; cigarette use, Cohen d = 0.78 [95% CI, 0.43-1.14]; illicit opioid use, Cohen d = 0.58 [95% CI, 0.30-0.86]; medication adherence, Cohen d = 0.75 [95% CI, 0.30-1.21]), and 2 in the small-medium range (polysubstance use, Cohen d = 0.46 [95% CI, 0.30-0.62]; therapy attendance, d = 0.43 [95% CI, 0.22-0.65]). Collapsing across abstinence and adherence categories, contingency management was associated with medium effect sizes for abstinence (Cohen d = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.47-0.69) and treatment adherence (Cohen d = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.40-0.84) compared with controls. Conclusions and Relevance: These results provide evidence supporting the use of contingency management in addressing key clinical problems among patients receiving MOUD, including the ongoing epidemic of comorbid psychomotor stimulant misuse. Policies facilitating integration of contingency management into community MOUD services are sorely needed.

Use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among U.S. women of reproductive age: Prevalence, reported reasons for use, and toxin exposure.

Given the rapidly expanding marketplace for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), it is important to monitor patterns of use, particularly among vulnerable populations. This study examined ENDS prevalence, reasons for use (i.e., to help quit smoking and for appealing flavors), and toxin exposure among U.S. women of reproductive age using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study (2013-17). Exclusive ENDS users, dual users of ENDS and cigarettes, and exclusive cigarette smokers were compared within and between pregnant and not-pregnant women. Among pregnant women, prevalence of exclusive ENDS and dual use was similar (0.8%; 95%CI = 0.4-1.2% vs. 1.4%; 95%CI = 0.9-2.0%, respectively), but exclusive ENDS use was less prevalent than dual use among not-pregnant women (1.1%; 95%CI = 0.9-1.4% vs. 3.7%; 95%CI = 3.3-4.0%, respectively). Most women reported ENDs were used to help quit smoking (66.5-90.0%) and for appealing flavors (57.6-87.4%), and endorsement rates did not differ by use pattern or pregnancy status. Except for metals, toxin exposure was substantially lower for exclusive ENDS users relative to dual users and exclusive cigarette smokers regardless of pregnancy status. Pregnant and not-pregnant U.S. women regularly report using ENDS for help with quitting smoking and for appealing flavors. Although no type or pattern of tobacco/nicotine use is safe, especially during pregnancy, using ENDS exclusively is consistent with lower overall toxin exposure for pregnant and not-pregnant women. This study advances understanding of ENDS use and toxin exposure in women of reproductive age, a population highly vulnerable to the effects of nicotine/tobacco consumption.

Looking to the empirical literature on the potential for financial incentives to enhance adherence with COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination efforts are underway offering hope for saving lives and eliminating the pandemic. The most promising vaccines require two injections separated 3-4 weeks apart. To achieve heard immunity, 70-90% of the population or perhaps more must be inoculated. Anticipation of adherence challenges has generated commentaries on strategies to enhance adherence including financial incentives. A notable gap in these commentaries is any discussion of the scientific evidence regarding the efficacy of financial incentives for increasing vaccine adherence. This commentary addresses that gap. There is a body of controlled trials on incentivizing vaccine adherence, mostly to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine among injection drug users (IDUs). Prevalence of HBV infection is increasing as part of the opioid addiction crisis. The HBV vaccine entails a three-dose regimen (typically 0, 1, and 6 months) which has created adherence challenges among IDUs. Systematic literature reviews document significant benefit of financial incentives. For example, a 2019 meta-analysis (Tressler & Bhandari, 2019) examined 11 controlled trials examining HBV-vaccine adherence strategies, including financial incentives, accelerated dosing schedules, and case-management/enhanced services. Financial incentives were most effective resulting in a 7-fold increase in adherence to the vaccination regimen relative to no financial incentives (OR, 7.01; 95% CI, 2.88-17.06). Additional reviews provide further support for the efficacy of financial incentives for promoting adherence with vaccination (HBV & influenza). Overall, this literature suggests that financial incentives could be helpful in promoting the high levels of adherence to COVID-19 vaccines that experts project will be necessary for herd immunity.

Comparing participant estimated demand intensity on the cigarette Purchase Task to consumption when usual-brand cigarettes were provided free.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the hypothetical Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT), especially its demand Intensity index (i.e., estimated cigarettes participants would smoke if free), is associated with individual differences in smoking risk. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the extent to which hypothetical CPT demand Intensity may differ from consumption when participants are provided with free cigarettes. That topic is the overarching focus of the present study. Participants were 745 adult smokers with co-morbid psychiatric conditions or socioeconomic disadvantage. CPT was administered for usual-brand cigarettes prior to providing participants with seven days of their usual-brand cigarettes free of cost and consumption was recorded daily via an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System. Demand Intensity was correlated with IVR smoking rate (rs 0.670-0.696, ps < 0.001) but estimates consistently exceeded IVR smoking rates by an average of 4.4 cigarettes per day (ps < 0.001). Importantly, both measures were comparably sensitive to discerning well-established differences in smoking risk, including greater cigarettes per day among men versus women (F(1,732) = 18.74, p < 0.001), those with versus without opioid-dependence (F(1,732) = 168.37, p < 0.001), younger versus older adults (F(2,730) = 32.93, p < 0.001), and those with lower versus greater educational attainment (F(1,732) = 38.26, p < 0.001). Overall, CPT demand Intensity appears to overestimate consumption rates relative to those observed when participants are provided with free cigarettes, but those deviations are systematic (i.e., consistent in magnitude and direction, Fs all <1.63; ps > 0.19 for all interactions with subgroups). This suggests that demand Intensity was sensitive to established group differences in smoking rate, supporting its utility as an important measure of addiction potential.

A commentary on potential associations between narcissism and trauma-related outcomes during the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been accompanied by a variety of potentially stressful or traumatic experiences that people may face in daily life (e.g., repeated exposure to morbidity or mortality reports across media platforms, social isolation, contracting COVID-19, supply shortages, lost income, death of a loved one). As such, it is important to consider individual differences that may increase one's risk for developing stress-related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) or put the health of other people at risk. Individual differences in narcissism-a multifaceted aspect of personality-may be worth examining in association with social health behaviors, stress, and trauma-related outcomes during the current and future pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Using the Cigarette Purchase Task to examine the relative reinforcing value of cigarettes among mothers with versus without opioid dependence.

The Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT), in which participants estimate the number of cigarettes they would smoke across increasing cigarette prices, measures the relative reinforcing value of cigarettes. Although opioid-dependent individuals are particularly vulnerable to tobacco addiction, more research is needed to elucidate whether and to what extent their motivation to smoke differs from not-opioid-dependent smokers controlling for potential sociodemographic differences. Participants were 173 women (65 opioid-dependent) in an ongoing clinical trial for smoking cessation. Baseline CPT responses were compared between opioid-dependent and not-opioid-dependent women using five demand indices: Demand Intensity; Omax; Pmax; Breakpoint (BP); and α, and two latent factors: Amplitude and Persistence. Final regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics differing between the two groups. Opioid-dependent women had greater demand Intensity (i.e., number of cigarettes they would smoke if they were free) than not-opioid dependent women in the adjusted model, F(1, 156) = 6.93, p = .016. No other demand indices differed significantly. Regarding latent factors, demand Amplitude (i.e., volumetric consumption), but not Persistence (i.e., price insensitivity), was greater for opioid-dependent women in the adjusted model, F(1, 146) = 4.04, p = .046. These results further demonstrate that the CPT is a highly sensitive task that can illuminate potentially important individual and population differences in the relative reinforcing value of smoking. Greater demand Intensity and Amplitude differentiated smokers with comorbid opioid dependence; thus, decreasing smoking prevalence among opioid-dependent populations may require policies and interventions that can decrease cigarette demand Intensity and Amplitude. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Smoking prevalence among U.S. national samples of pregnant women.

Several data sources exist for estimating U.S. smoking prevalence among pregnant women, yet each differs in ways that have the potential to impact the estimates. In the present study we used the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), the National Survey on Drug use and Health (NSDUH), and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), three common data sources, to evaluate the following questions about estimating U.S. smoking prevalence among pregnant women: To what extent are estimates impacted by differences in whether the samples include younger (<18 years) or older (>44 years) women, represent smoking in any trimester or only the 3rd, and use data from nationally representative or more selected national samples. Among the factors examined, inclusion of younger or older women does not appear to meaningfully alter prevalence estimates. Focusing on only the third trimester likely underestimates smoking prevalence, while the influence of basing estimates on selected national subgroups of women (i.e., only women who delivered live born infants) rather than nationally representative surveys has little discernible influence. Going forward, this research area would benefit from greater consistency in explicitly discussing the sampling methods used and how these various methods may have influenced the estimates reported.

Impact of electronic nicotine delivery systems and other respondent characteristics on tobacco use transitions among a U.S. national sample of women of reproductive age.

BACKGROUND: Identifying predictors of tobacco use patterns that differ in harm among reproductive-aged women may inform efforts to protect women and children against adverse health impacts of tobacco use. METHODS: Changes in tobacco use patterns were examined among women (18-49 years) who completed Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2), or W2 and Wave 3 (W3) of the U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH, 2013-2016) study, and were using cigarettes, filtered cigars and/or cigarillos in the first wave over which data were included for that respondent (Time 1; T1). We examined the proportion of respondents whose tobacco use transitions from T1 to Time 2 (T2) were harm-maintaining (continued using combusted tobacco), harm-reducing (transitioned to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or harm-eliminating (quit tobacco). Multinomial logistic regressions (with harm-maintaining as the baseline category) were conducted to examine associations between ENDS use, demographic, and psychosocial characteristics with each transition. RESULTS: A majority of women (83 %) exhibited harm-maintaining transitions, followed by harm-eliminating (14.7 %) and harm-reducing (2.3 %) transitions. Use of ENDS at T1 was associated with increased odds of harm reduction and decreased odds of harm elimination. Younger women were more likely to make both harm-reducing and harm-eliminating transitions. Increased educational attainment, identifying as Black or Hispanic, increased psychiatric symptoms, and pregnancy were associated with harm elimination, whereas living at or above poverty was associated with harm reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Study results contribute new information on the impact of ENDS, sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, and pregnancy on tobacco use transitions among reproductive-aged women.

Current cigarette smoking among U.S. college graduates.

Although U.S. college graduates are at relatively low risk for smoking, 12-15% of U.S. smokers (~8 million people) are college graduates. Few studies have examined smoking risk among college graduates. To address that gap, the present study examined smoking risk among U.S. college graduates and those who did not graduate from college in a nationally representative sample of adults (National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2011-2017, n = 202,137). We examined smoking risk in association with well-established risk factors: alcohol abuse/dependence, drug abuse/dependence, mental illness, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty status, using group contrasts and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) modeling. Smoking prevalence among U.S. college graduates and non-graduates was 10% and 26%, respectively. College graduates initiated any smoking and daily smoking at a later age and were lighter smokers than smokers who did not graduate college. Within college graduate and non-graduate groups, prevalence rates varied by orders of magnitude across different risk-factor profiles (ranges = 3-37% and 14-73% among graduates and non-graduates, respectively). Past year drug abuse/dependence was a robust predictor of smoking prevalence in both populations. For college graduates, past year alcohol abuse/dependence and mental illness were stronger predictors of smoking compared to those who did not graduate college, for whom race/ethnicity and age were stronger predictors. Overall, smoking risk increases to surprisingly high levels, even among college graduates, when select risk factors co-occur, particularly psychiatric conditions. Socio-demographic risk factors appear to be less robust predictors of smoking risk among college graduates relative to those who did not graduate college.

Narcissism and stress-reactivity: a biobehavioural health perspective.

From a perspective broadly informed by Stress and Coping Theory, this review examined whether theoretically distinct and important dimensions of narcissism (grandiosity and vulnerability) associate with health-related stress-reactivity. Literature searches were conducted and articles were included if they contained a validated baseline assessment of narcissism, a stressor, and a within-person assessment of stress-reactivity (i.e., a baseline and post-stress assessment of a health-related psychological, biological, or behavioural process). Additionally, narcissism measures had to be systematically categorised as assessing grandiosity or vulnerability (see Grijalva, E., Newman, D. A., Tay, L., Donnellan, M. B., Harms, P. D., Robins, R. W., & Yan, T. (2015). Gender differences in narcissism: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 141(2), 261-310. doi: 10.1037/a0038231 ), and narcissism dimensions had to be assessed independently of other constructs. Findings were narratively synthesised within three broad dimensions of stress-reactivity (psychological, biological, and behavioural). Overall, there appear to be relatively consistent patterns that grandiosity and vulnerability are related to altered stress-reactivity. Additionally, grandiosity and vulnerability may differentially influence stress-reactivity depending on the type of stressor and/or indicator of stress-reactivity (e.g., under certain conditions, grandiosity may confer some level of resilience). This review highlights important theoretical and empirical gaps in the emerging narcissism and health literature. Furthermore, this review may help inform methodological considerations for future research, and may also point to physical health outcomes that could conceivably be affected by narcissism over time (e.g., overweight/obesity, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS).

Self-focused and other-focused resiliency: Plausible mechanisms linking early family adversity to health problems in college women.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether self-focused and other-focused resiliency help explain how early family adversity relates to perceived stress, subjective health, and health behaviors in college women. PARTICIPANTS: Female students (N = 795) participated between October 2009 and May 2010. METHODS: Participants completed self-report measures of early family adversity, self-focused (self-esteem, personal growth initiative) and other-focused (perceived social support, gratitude) resiliency, stress, subjective health, and health behaviors. RESULTS: Using structural equation modeling, self-focused resiliency associated with less stress, better subjective health, more sleep, less smoking, and less weekend alcohol consumption. Other-focused resiliency associated with more exercise, greater stress, and more weekend alcohol consumption. Early family adversity was indirectly related to all health outcomes, except smoking, via self-focused and other-focused resiliency. CONCLUSIONS: Self-focused and other-focused resiliency represent plausible mechanisms through which early family adversity relates to stress and health in college women. This highlights areas for future research in disease prevention and management.

Early adversity, personal resources, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating.

OBJECTIVE: Early adverse experiences have been associated with disordered eating, but the mechanisms underlying that association are not well understood. The purpose of this study is to test a structural equation model in which early adversity is associated with disordered eating via intrapersonal resources, interpersonal resources, and body dissatisfaction. METHOD: Female university students (n = 748) completed a series of questionnaires online, including measures of early adverse experiences, intrapersonal resources (self-esteem and personal growth initiative), interpersonal resources (gratitude and social support), body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating and exercising to lose weight. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling indicated that early adverse experiences were negatively associated with interpersonal and intrapersonal resources. Intrapersonal resources were negatively associated with body dissatisfaction, whereas interpersonal resources were positively associated with body dissatisfaction (although negative bivariate correlations in this latter case suggest possible suppression effects). Finally, body dissatisfaction was associated with a range of disordered eating behaviors and exercise. DISCUSSION: Early adverse experiences are important to consider in models of disordered eating. The results of this study highlight potential points of early prevention efforts, such as improving personal resources for those who experience early adversity, to help reduce the risk of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in young women.