Longitudinal associations between anxiety sensitivity and substance use in adolescents: Mediation by depressive affect.

Though anxiety sensitivity (AS)-fear of anxiety-related experiences-is primarily tied to anxiety vulnerability, AS has also been prospectively associated with general negative affect and depression. Furthermore, depression has been longitudinally associated with different forms of substance use, and some AS subfactors (e.g., cognitive concerns) have been associated more consistently with depression and substance use than others. However, no previous study has investigated if longitudinal associations of AS with substance use may be mediated by depression or whether aspects of AS may be prospectively associated with substance use among adolescents. Hence, the present study tested depressive affect (the negative affective aspect of depression) as a prospective mediator of AS associations with substance use and examined longitudinal AS subfactor associations with substance use and problems. High school 9th graders (N = 2,877; Mage = 14.1 years; 55.3% female) completed self-report measures at baseline and at 6 months and 1 year later. Depressive affect mediated AS associations with subsequent alcohol, cigarette, electronic cigarette, cannabis, benzodiazepine, and opioid use. Also, AS cognitive and social concerns (vs. physical concerns) were more consistently associated with later depressive affect and substance use and problems. Current findings suggest that adolescents high in anxiety sensitivity tend to prospectively experience greater depressive affect, which in turn is related to a higher likelihood of engaging in several different forms of substance use. Thus, it is possible that interventions which target AS (particularly AS cognitive concerns) may help to treat or prevent depression and substance use among adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of DHEA(S) with negative and positive affect in people who smoke daily with elevated and low depression symptoms: A pilot laboratory study.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with depression symptoms have a harder time quitting smoking. High negative affect and low positive affect are core depression symptoms and arise following cigarette abstinence. Investigating associations of biological markers with negative and positive affect may provide valuable information about factors relevant to smoking cessation in individuals with elevated depression symptoms. METHODS: Depression symptoms were measured at a baseline session. Participants then completed two counterbalanced experimental sessions (non-abstinent, abstinent) and completed measures of positive and negative affect, and provided saliva samples. Saliva samples were assayed at the Salimetrics' SalivaLab (Carlsbad, CA) using the Salimetrics Salivary Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Assay Kit (Cat. No. 1-1202) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) Assay Kit (Cat. No. 1-1252). RESULTS: There were no main or interactive associations of DHEA with negative affect. However, there were significant DHEAS × experimental session and DHEAS × experimental session × depression symptom level interactions with negative affect. In the high depression symptom group, DHEAS positively associated with negative affect during the non-abstinent experimental session, but DHEAS negatively associated with negative affect during the abstinent experimental session. There were no associations of DHEA or DHEAS with positive affect. CONCLUSION: This study found that DHEAS negatively associated with negative affect during cigarette abstinence in individuals with elevated depression symptoms. This is important as high negative affect during cigarette abstinence may result in a return to smoking.

BDNF and stress/mood-related interactions on emotional disorder symptoms, executive functioning, and deliberate self-harm.

Some prior research has suggested that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene may amplify responses related to life stress (e.g., depression and anxiety) or associated with negative moods (e.g., self-harm and diminished cognitive functioning). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether stress/mood-related associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms, deliberate self-harm, and executive functioning (EF) are moderated by genotypic variations in BDNF rs10835210 (a relatively understudied BDNF polymorphism) in a nonclinical sample. As part of a larger study, European American social drinkers (N = 132; 43.9% female; M age = 26.0, SD = 7.6) were genotyped for BDNF rs10835210 and were administered self-report measures of subjective life stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and behavioral measures of EF and deliberate self-harm. Results indicated that BDNF significantly moderated the life stress associations with depressive symptoms and NSSI, the anxious mood association with EF, and the depressed mood association with deliberate self-harm behavior. Each of these BDNF × stress/mood interactions were characterized by stress/mood associations that were stronger in individuals with the AA genotype (homozygous for the minor allele) than in individuals possessing a genotype that included the major allele (AC or CC). The main limitations of the present study were use of a cross-sectional design, modest sample size, and investigating only one BDNF polymorphism. Despite these limitations and though preliminary, current findings suggest that variations in BDNF may confer vulnerability to stress or mood, which may result in more adverse emotional, cognitive, or behavioral outcomes.

Cluster-b personality disorder traits and impulsivity: Indirect associations with alcohol use severity through positive alcohol expectancies.

Prior theory and research suggest that both Cluster-B personality pathology and trait impulsivity are indirectly associated with alcohol use through positive alcohol expectancies. Yet, no prior study has investigated whether features of each of the Cluster-B personality disorders (PDs) (i.e., antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic) and rash impulsiveness are indirectly associated with alcohol use severity through positive alcohol expectancies. In a cross-sectional design, social drinkers (N = 200; 51% female; Mage = 26 years) completed self-report measures of trait (rash) impulsivity, Cluster-B personality disorder (PD) traits, positive alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use severity. Simple and serial mediation analyses were used to test positive alcohol expectancies and the association between trait impulsivity and alcohol expectancies as potential mediators of personality disorder trait relations with alcohol use severity. Simple mediation analyses evidenced that trait impulsivity and traits specific to each of the Cluster-B (PDs) were indirectly associated with alcohol use severity through positive alcohol expectancies. Serial mediation analyses further evidenced that the Cluster-B (PD) traits were indirectly associated with alcohol use severity via positive alcohol expectancies both uniquely from and together with trait impulsivity. Current findings are novel and suggest that positive alcohol expectancies may be important to connecting the rashly impulsive aspects of Cluster-B (PDs) with greater alcohol use severity. However, current findings also suggest that features of the Cluster-B (PDs) probably increase risk for alcohol use disorder due to other reasons (e.g., other aspects of personality or forms of impulsivity). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Drinking among college student athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To investigate demographics, sport type, athletic identity, and COVID-19 sport season cancelation in relation to alcohol consumption among college student athletes shortly after the pandemic emerged. Participants: College student athletes recruited from U.S. athletic departments. Methods: Survey data were collected from 5,915 college student athletes in April/May 2020. Results: Being female, Latinx, and in a relationship were associated with lower alcohol consumption. Among males, team sport participation was related to greater alcohol consumption. Among females, athletic identity was inversely related to drinking, which was moderated by sport type, such that alcohol consumption was lower as athletic identity strengthened in individual (vs. team) sport athletes. However, we did not find a relationship of COVID-19 sport season cancelation with drinking. Conclusions: Our gender-specific findings are novel and generalizable based on a large, national sample of college student athletes, and may inform strategies for alcohol consumption education among college team sport athletes.

Affect and subjective cognitive functioning by depression symptom levels during naturalistic cigarette smoking in premenopausal females who smoke daily.

Objective: High negative affect, low positive affect, and low cognitive functioning are depression-related states that may be particularly relevant to females who smoke cigarettes and may be more prominent following overnight tobacco abstinence. This study aimed to assess relations between depression symptom levels and negative affect, positive affect, and subjective cognitive functioning in premenopausal females who smoke. Methods: Premenopausal females who smoke daily with low (n = 66) or elevated (n = 33) baseline depression symptoms completed subjective ratings of negative affect, positive affect, and cognitive functioning pre-first cigarette (i.e., after overnight tobacco abstinence) and at random prompts throughout the day via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for 35 days. Results: Participants with elevated depression symptoms reported overall higher negative affect (p = .01). Positive affect was significantly lower prior to the first cigarette of the day (p < .001), but did not significantly differ between depression symptom groups. Subjective cognitive functioning was significantly lower pre-first cigarette of the day (p < .001). There was a significant Depression Symptom × Prompt Type interaction for subjective cognitive functioning (p = .01). Subjective cognitive functioning did not significantly differ by depression symptom group pre-first cigarette of the day but was significantly different at random prompts throughout the day. Conclusions: As participants smoked as usual, findings identify naturalistic factors which may influence smoking behavior among premenopausal females who smoke with elevated depression symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Analgesic Effect of Alcohol Mediates the Association between Alcohol Intoxication and Deliberate Self-Harm.

We examined whether the analgesic effect of alcohol mediates the association between alcohol and deliberate self-harm (DSH) using data from a larger study on alcohol effects. Men (n = 106) and women (n = 104) low-risk alcohol drinkers (ages M = 26.00, SD = 6.98) recruited from the community who had no suicide attempt or episode of deliberate self-harm within the past year were randomly assigned to either a placebo drink condition or a drink calibrated to reach approximately .050%, .075%, or .100% blood alcohol concentration. Notable within-condition BAC variability, as well as overlap between conditions, suggested that BAC would be a more accurate indicator of intoxication compared to condition assignment. Pain tolerance was assessed by increasingly intense 1-s shocks delivered via fingertip electrodes. Self-reported pain associated with the pain tolerance index was also examined. A laboratory task of DSH, the Self-Aggression Paradigm, was then completed, with DSH operationalized as the number of self-administered shocks the participant was led to believe were twice the intensity of his or her pain tolerance and could cause "minor tissue damage that would quickly heal." A negative binomial parallel mediational model for count data revealed that pain tolerance, but not self-report pain, mediated the effect of alcohol on DSH. As such, the current study provides preliminary experimental evidence that the analgesic effect of alcohol is partially responsible for link between alcohol intoxication and deliberate self-harm.

Effects of bodily arousal on desire to drink alcohol among trauma-exposed college students.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol consumption on college campuses is a major public health concern. Extant literature has identified trauma exposure as a robust risk factor for problematic alcohol use in this at-risk population. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are less well-studied. Research indicates that bodily arousal is a fundamental feature of trauma exposure, and posits that internal stimuli (e.g., heart pounding) at the time of trauma may manifest into conditioned cues that can trigger posttraumatic responding and related symptomatology, including alcohol use. However, past work supporting these assertions has used paradigms purposefully designed to evoke memories of the trauma, making it difficult to ascertain whether the mechanism driving subsequent alcohol craving is the explicit memory cue or the associated bodily arousal. METHODS: The current study examined whether an implicit, trauma-relevant cue of bodily arousal (via voluntary hyperventilation) - independent of any explicit memory cue - would elicit increased desire to drink among 104 (Mage = 20.30; 61.5% female) trauma-exposed undergraduates. RESULTS: Results found no statistically significant difference in change in alcohol craving between the hyperventilation and control tasks. However, secondary analyses indicated that trauma type (i.e., interpersonal/non-interpersonal) may play an influential role in this relationship. More specifically, individuals reporting interpersonal trauma as their most traumatic event evidenced a significantly greater increase in desire to drink following hyperventilation compared to the non-interpersonal index trauma group. DISCUSSION: Generally, these findings suggest that bodily arousal may only serve as an implicit, trauma-relevant interoceptive cue that increases desire to drink within a specific subset of trauma-exposed college students (i.e., individuals indexing interpersonal trauma). Replication and extension are needed to further understand the influence of bodily arousal on subsequent alcohol use behavior, which will be critical to PTSD-alcohol use modeling and, ultimately, help in informing prevention- and treatment-oriented intervention efforts aimed at reducing problematic alcohol use on college campuses.

Anhedonia in tobacco withdrawal among African-American smokers.

Anhedonia-diminished interest and pleasure in response to rewards-may be a symptom of tobacco withdrawal that is understudied in priority populations. This experiment investigated the magnitude and correlates of various dimensions of anhedonia during tobacco withdrawal among African-American (AA) smokers-a population subject to health disparities. AA smokers (N = 607; ≥ 10 cigarettes/day, 37.8% female, M[SD] age = 50.0[10.6] years) completed self-report measures assessing expected pleasure from (i.e., consummatory anhedonia) and desire to engage in (i.e., anticipatory anhedonia) various types of hypothetically experienced rewards at counterbalanced 16-hr tobacco deprived and nondeprived lab visits. Other tobacco withdrawal symptom measures (e.g., craving, negative affect, hunger) were also assessed. Tobacco deprivation most robustly increased scores on a composite measure of consummatory anhedonia directed toward various reward domains (i.e., hobbies, sensory experiences, social activities; d = .32, p < .001). Deprivation modestly increased consummatory and anticipatory anhedonia directed toward sexual rewards (ds = .09-.12, ps < .02), did not significantly change anhedonia toward food rewards, and decreased anhedonia directed toward psychoactive drug rewards (i.e., increased desire for and pleasure from drugs; ds = -.21 to -.19, ps < .001). Deprivation-induced changes in anhedonia were modestly correlated with other withdrawal symptoms (average |r|s = .04-.23) and were amplified among participants with higher nicotine dependence and lower positive affect-related traits (|ß|s = .10-.12, ps < .01). Some dimensions of anhedonia may be genuine expressions of acute tobacco withdrawal in AA smokers. Applying multi-dimensional anhedonia conceptualizations might advance basic knowledge and treatment of tobacco use disorder, improve smoking cessation outcomes, and address tobacco-related health disparities facing AA smokers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of perceived drinking motives of parents and friends on adolescents' own drinking motives.

Adolescents form perceptions of why their parents and friends drink alcohol that may impact adolescents' own drinking motives. This study tested whether perceived drinking motives of parents and friends are associated with adolescents' own drinking motives. Participants included community-recruited adolescents 14-17 years (N = 105; 63.8% female) who drank alcohol in the past year. Perceived parent and friend motives both related to adolescent drinking motives at the bivariate level; however, only friend motives remained statistically significant in the final hierarchical regression models controlling for relevant covariates (e.g., alcohol frequency). Findings support a social-cognitive modeling pathway in the development of adolescents' own drinking motives and highlight the perception of why others drink as a potential intervention target.

Anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette smoking and other substance use in African American smokers.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS)-fearfulness of anxiety symptoms-has been implicated in the etiology of emotional disorders (e.g., depressive and anxiety disorders) and linked to cigarette smoking and other substance use (SU). However, studies examining AS in relation to SU primarily have been conducted with racially/ethnically heterogeneous or mostly European American samples. Hence, this cross-sectional study involving secondary analysis of baseline data focused on investigating associations of AS with cigarette smoking and other SU in a sample of 630 non-treatment-seeking African American smokers (37.3% female; M age = 49.6 years; M cigarettes smoked per day = 15.4). After screening out individuals with non-nicotine substance dependence, participants reported their demographics, AS, dysphoria symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms), and SU. In regression analyses controlling for dysphoria symptoms, age, education level, income level, and years of regular smoking, AS was positively associated with tobacco withdrawal severity (ß = .12, p = .007), overall smoking motives (ß = .17, p < .001), alcohol use problems (ß = .12, p = .005), and other (non-nicotine, nonalcohol) SU problems (ß = .16, p < .001). Though lacking the passage of time between assessments needed to provide strong evidence of mediation, unplanned analyses further revealed indirect associations of AS with several SU variables through dysphoria symptoms. Current findings are consistent with those found in prior samples and suggest that AS is similarly related to SU in African Americans, who may benefit from interventions that have been helpful in improving AS, dysphoria symptoms, and SU in other groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Subjective effects from the first cigarette of the day vary with precigarette affect in premenopausal female daily smokers.

The 1st cigarette of the day is strongly tied to tobacco dependence. However, prior research has not investigated whether within-subject (WS) day-to-day fluctuations in prefirst-cigarette affect are associated with the subjective effects from the 1st cigarette of the day or whether these associations differ by smokers' average prefirst-cigarette affect. In the current study, 85 premenopausal female daily smokers completed baseline measures and 35 days of ecological momentary assessment. Prefirst-cigarette positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) were assessed prior to the 1st cigarette of the day and were partitioned into between-subjects (BS) and WS variables. Pleasurable and NA relief effects were assessed following the 1st cigarette of the day. On days when women reported higher than their usual prefirst-cigarette PA (WS-PA), they reported more pleasurable effects. On days when women reported higher than their usual prefirst-cigarette WS-NA, they reported greater pleasurable effects and NA relief effects. Women with higher average prefirst-cigarette NA relative to others (BS-NA), reported greater NA relief effects. Women with higher average prefirst-cigarette PA relative to others (BS-PA) reported greater pleasurable and NA relief effects from smoking. The association of within-subject affect (i.e., that day's level of NA or PA) with NA relief effects is attenuated in female smokers with higher average prefirst-cigarette NA (i.e., Prefirst-Cigarette WS Affect × Prefirst-Cigarette BS-NA interaction). Results suggest that prefirst-cigarette affect may impact the subjective effects from the 1st cigarette of the day and that the association between prefirst-cigarette affect and NA relief effects may be dampened in women with greater average precigarette NA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Indirect Associations of Anxiety Sensitivity with Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Use Problems Through Emotional Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents.

Theoretically, anxiety sensitivity-fear of anxiety symptoms-enhances perception of and emotional reactivity to autonomic arousal and mental distress, thereby increasing negative affect and motivation to use substances for negative reinforcement. Because no prior study of adolescents has tested if anxiety sensitivity is indirectly associated with substance use problems through symptoms of emotional disorders (i.e., disorders involving high levels of negative affect), the current cross-sectional study examined this theoretical pathway. Participants included ninth-grade students from 10 different high schools in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (N = 3005; 54.3% female). Self-report measures of anxiety sensitivity, emotional disorder symptoms, tobacco dependence, and alcohol and other drug problems were administered. Controlling for sex, race/ethnicity, parental education, school, and impulsiveness, we tested the associations of anxiety sensitivity with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use problems as well as the indirect effects of anxiety sensitivity on each domain of substance use problems through emotional disorder symptoms. Anxiety sensitivity was associated with more severe tobacco dependence and greater alcohol problems and other drug problems, and anxiety sensitivity further was indirectly associated with all three domains of substance use problems through emotional disorder symptoms. Current findings suggest that adolescents high in anxiety sensitivity tend to experience emotional disorder symptoms, which may increase risk for substance use problems. Interventions that target anxiety sensitivity and enhance negative-affect coping skills may assist in preventing and reducing adolescent substance use problems.

Relations Between Parental Distress Intolerance, Adolescent Motives for Cigarette Use, and Adolescent Cigarette Smoking Levels.

Background: A relatively large body of evidence indicates that coping motives for cigarette smoking are associated with a number of problematic outcomes (e.g., greater smoking frequency) among adolescents. Evidence also indicates that lower distress tolerance (or higher distress intolerance) is related to higher levels of coping motives for cigarette smoking among adults and adolescents. Therefore, it is critical to improve our understanding of factors that may increase the likelihood of smoking to cope among adolescents. In addition, evidence suggests that a number of parenting behaviors may affect adolescent smoking behavior. No work to date, however, has examined the relation between parental distress intolerance and adolescent smoking motives, or adolescent smoking behavior. Objective/methods: The current study involving adolescents (n = 46) and one of their parents aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the association between parent-reported parental distress intolerance, self-reported adolescent motives for cigarette use, and self-reported adolescent cigarette smoking levels. Results: Results indicated that parental distress intolerance was related to greater adolescent coping motives for cigarette smoking, but not to other motives for adolescent cigarette use. Furthermore, results indicated that parental distress intolerance was indirectly associated with higher adolescent cigarette smoking levels through adolescent coping motives for cigarette smoking. Conclusions: Parental distress intolerance is associated with coping motives for adolescent cigarette smoking. This suggests parental emotional factors may be associated with adolescent cigarette use.

Anxiety sensitivity components in relation to alcohol and cannabis use, motives, and problems in treatment-seeking cigarette smokers.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS)- fear of anxiety symptoms and their potential negative consequences-has been implicated in the development of substance use problems and motivation to use substances for coping with distress, though the AS components (physical, cognitive, and social concerns) have not been studied extensively in relation to alcohol- and cannabis-related variables. In a cross-sectional design, self-report measures of AS and alcohol and cannabis use, motives, and problems were administered to 364 treatment-seeking cigarette smokers with a history of alcohol and cannabis use. In both adjusted and unadjusted analyses, linear regression models indicated that AS cognitive concerns are related to cannabis-use conformity motives, alcohol-use coping motives, and alcohol problems; AS physical and cognitive concerns are related to greater cannabis problems specifically in males; and AS social concerns are associated with greater social, coping, enhancement, and conformity drinking motives. AS cognitive and physical concerns were also related to greater alcohol and cannabis problems, respectively, in subsamples limited to 214 current alcohol users and 170 current cannabis users. Together with prior work, current findings suggest that it may be beneficial to focus more on addressing AS cognitive concerns in individuals with tobacco-alcohol problem comorbidity, whereas it may be beneficial to focus on addressing both AS physical and cognitive concerns in males with tobacco-cannabis problem comorbidity. In addition, cigarette smokers high in AS social concerns may benefit from relaxation training to lessen their social anxiety as well as behavioral activation to enhance their positive affect.

Effect of alcohol dose on deliberate self-harm in men and women.

OBJECTIVE: Nonexperimental survey and field research support the notion that alcohol use may be associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH) across the spectrum of lethality, from nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) through suicide. Nonexperimental studies, however, provide limited information about potential causal relationships between alcohol consumption and DSH. Two previous experiments showed that a relatively high-dose of alcohol increases the likelihood of engaging in DSH in men, with DSH defined by the self-administration of a "painful" shock (the self-aggression paradigm [SAP]; Berman & Walley, 2003; McCloskey & Berman, 2003). In this study, we examined whether (a) lower doses of alcohol also elicit DSH, (b) this effect occurs for women as well as men, and (c) individual differences in past nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) moderate alcohol's effects on DSH. METHOD: Nonalcohol dependent men and women (N = 210) were assigned either to .00%, .05%, .075%, or .100% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) drink conditions and completed a self-rating scale of NSSI (the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory [DSHI]; Gratz, 2001). As in previous SAP studies, DSH was operationalized by shock setting behavior during a competitive reaction time (RT) game. RESULTS: Overall, a greater proportion of participants in the .075% and .100% (but not .050%) alcohol conditions self-selected a "painful" shock to administer compared to participants in the placebo condition. NSSI predicted self-administration of painful shocks, but did not moderate the alcohol effect. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide experimental evidence to support the notion that interventions for self-harm should include processes to monitor and limit alcohol intake. (PsycINFO Database Record

Associations of anxiety sensitivity and emotional symptoms with the subjective effects of alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis in adolescents.

Maladaptive emotional traits (anxiety sensitivity [AS], fear of anxiety-related sensations and consequences) and symptoms (major depressive disorder [MDD] and generalized anxiety disorder [GAD] symptoms) could play a role in altering sensitivity to the subjective effects of drugs of abuse in adolescents. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of high school students in Los Angeles, CA, USA who completed surveys and reported past six-month use of alcohol (n=1054), cigarettes (n=297), or cannabis (n=706). At each of the four semi-annual waves during mid-adolescence (14-16years old), students reported positive and negative subjective drug effects experienced in the prior six-months. Controlling for covariates and the simultaneous covariance across the three domains of emotional dysfunction, AS was associated with more positive and negative cannabis effects (ßs=0.09-0.16, ps<0.05), and MDD symptoms were associated with fewer negative cigarette effects (ß=-0.13, p=0.04) and more negative cannabis effects (ß=0.10, p=0.004). The acceleration of positive alcohol and cannabis effects over time was slower among adolescents with higher baseline MDD (MDD×time: ß=-0.04, p=0.044) and GAD (GAD×time: ß=-0.05, p=0.03) symptoms, respectively. These findings suggest that emotional dysfunction factors show differential and overlapping effects on subjective drug effects, which may vary across time. Future research should investigate emotional dysfunctions and subjective drug effects in relation to substance use across adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Anhedonia and Abstinence as Predictors of the Subjective Pleasantness of Positive, Negative, and Smoking-Related Pictures.

INTRODUCTION: Anhedonia-diminished interest or pleasure in response to rewards-is a dimension implicated in several psychiatric disorders linked to smoking. This laboratory study sought to identify motivational mechanisms linking anhedonia and tobacco addiction by testing the hypothesis that anhedonia, abstinence, and their interaction would predict excesses and deficits in the perceived pleasantness of smoking-related and positive pictures, respectively. We assessed the pleasantness of negative pictures as a secondary outcome. METHODS: After a baseline session involving self-report measures of anhedonia and other factors, 125 regular smokers attended two counterbalanced experimental sessions (overnight abstinent and non-abstinent) at which they rated the pleasantness of positive, smoking-related, negative, and neutral (control) pictures presented via computer. The difference in pleasantness ratings of positive, smoking-related, and negative pictures relative to neutral pictures served as the index of participants' appraisal of the motivational salience of nondrug reward, drug reward, and aversive signals, respectively. RESULTS: With and without adjusting for sex and depressive symptoms, greater anhedonia significantly or marginally predicted greater pleasantness of smoking (vs. neutral), lower pleasantness of positive (vs. neutral), less unpleasantness of negative (vs. neutral) pictures (|ßs| = 0.18 to 0.35, ps = .007 to .07). Anhedonia by abstinence interaction effects on pleasantness ratings of each stimulus category (vs. neutral) were not significant (|ßs| ≤ 0.02, ps ≥ .36). CONCLUSIONS: Anhedonia and abstinence additively increase the salience of smoking-related cues in anhedonic smokers. Smoking cessation efforts that attenuate sensitization to smoking stimuli may benefit anhedonic smokers early in quit attempts. IMPLICATIONS: Taken together, these findings provide tentative evidence that anhedonia is associated with a relative imbalance in the motivational salience of drug relative to nondrug rewards and may be associated with a generalized hypo-reactivity to both positive and negative stimuli. Though some prior smoking research has evidenced this relative imbalance in anhedonia with self-report or a smoking-choice task, we additionally show that this pattern may extend to hyper-affective reactivity to smoking-related stimuli being coincident with hypo-affective reactivity to nondrug-related positive stimuli (ie, may extend to greater pleasantness ratings of smoking pictures being accompanied by lower pleasantness ratings of positive pictures).

Negative Urgency Is Associated With Heightened Negative Affect and Urge During Tobacco Abstinence in Regular Smokers.

OBJECTIVE: Negative urgency-the tendency to act rashly during negative affective states-is a risk factor for regular cigarette smoking. This human laboratory study tested a novel theoretical model of the underlying mechanisms linking negative urgency and smoking motivation, which purports that smokers with high negative urgency are at increased susceptibility to abstinence-induced increases in negative affect, which, in turn, provokes the urge to smoke to suppress negative affect. METHOD: Smokers (N = 180, >10 cigarettes/day) attended a baseline session at which they completed self-report measures of negative urgency and other co-factors and subsequently attended two counterbalanced within-subject experimental sessions (i.e., 16 hours of smoking abstinence or smoking as usual). At both experimental sessions, self-reported tobacco withdrawal symptoms, affect, and smoking urge were assessed. RESULTS: Negative urgency was associated with larger abstinence-induced increases in tobacco withdrawal symptoms, negative affect, and urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect, both with and without controlling for anxiety, depression, tobacco dependence, and sensation seeking (ßs > .18, ps < .05). The association between negative urgency and abstinence-induced increases in urge to smoke to alleviate negative affect was mediated by greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect (ßs > .062, ps = .01). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide initial support of this model by providing evidence that smokers with higher (vs. lower) negative urgency may be more prone to greater negative affect during withdrawal, which in turn may promote urge to smoke to suppress negative emotion. Research extending this model to other settings, measures, and methodological approaches may be fruitful.

Transdiagnostic processes linking anxiety symptoms and substance use problems among adolescents.

Numerous anxiety syndromes co-occur with substance use problems in adolescents, though the mechanisms underlying these comorbidities are not well understood. There are 3 transdiagnostic processes-anxiety sensitivity (fear of anxiety-related sensations), distress tolerance (capacity to withstand emotional distress), and negative urgency (propensity to respond impulsively to negative emotion)-that have been implicated in various anxiety and substance use problems. To examine whether anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance, and negative urgency statistically mediated relations between symptoms of 3 different anxiety disorders (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and panic disorders) and alcohol and cannabis use problems, cross-sectional analysis of high school students in Los Angeles (N = 3002) was assessed via paper and pencil questionnaires. When mediators were entered simultaneously, negative urgency accounted for a significant 33 to 85% of the covariance between anxiety symptomatology and substance use problems over and above the other trandiagnostic processes. This pattern was consistent across all 3 anxiety syndromes and both alcohol and cannabis problems. Anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance did not account for positive associations between anxiety symptoms and substance use problems. Negative urgency may be an important mechanism underlying the relationship between various types of anxiety and substance use problems in adolescence, and thus represents a possible target for preventive interventions targeting adolescent anxiety and substance use.