Exploring perceptions of self-stigma of substance use and current alcohol and marijuana use patterns among college students.

BACKGROUND: While research has examined the effect of stigma from others towards individuals with substance use disorders, few studies have examined the relationship between perceived self-stigma and engagement in substance use more broadly, especially among non-clinical samples. AIMS: The present study examined the relationships between perceptions of self-stigma if one were to develop a substance use disorder, consisting of negative self-esteem and negative self-efficacy, and alcohol or marijuana use behaviors and outcomes. METHOD: Participants (n = 2,243; 71.5% female) were college students within the U.S. recruited to participate in an online survey on substance use with a special focus on alcohol and marijuana. RESULTS: Results indicated no significant differences in stigma scores across individuals with different lifetime alcohol and marijuana use. Stigma ratings did differ between individuals with different profiles of last 30-day alcohol and marijuana use where, generally, individuals with lifetime use but no use in the last 30-day reported higher levels of self-stigma. Correlation analyses indicated that perceived impact of substance use disorder on sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem related negatively to nearly all observed factors of alcohol and marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS: Though self-stigma, and stigma more broadly, has been shown to have negative implications for people with substance use disorders, the present study suggests that for non-clinical populations there may be some protective association between perceived self-stigma and alcohol or marijuana use engagement. This is not to say that self-stigma is a positive clinical intervention. Rather, we interpret these findings to indicate that negative perceptions of substance use disorder on the sense of self may be associated with distinct alcohol and marijuana use behaviors among young adults.

Internalizing symptoms, rumination, and problematic social networking site use: A cross national examination among young adults in seven countries.

BACKGROUND: As daily engagement with social networking sites (SNS) increases globally, identifying and understanding the risk factors associated with problematic SNS use is of utmost importance. Researchers are interested in understanding internalizing symptoms as both a risk factor and a negative consequence of problematic SNS use. Prior research has proposed rumination alongside internalizing symptoms as a risk factor, though limited research has examined these associations across different cultures. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the indirect associations between internalizing symptoms (specifically depressive and social anxiety symptoms) and problematic SNS use via rumination among a cross-cultural sample. METHOD: Participants were 8,912 (70.8 % female; Mean age = 20.25, SD = 3.95) college students recruited across seven countries (U.S., Canada, Spain, England, Argentina, Uruguay, and South Africa) who completed measures of internalizing symptoms, rumination, weekly SNS use, and problematic SNS use. RESULTS: We found that higher internalizing symptoms were associated with more problematic SNS use via higher ruminative thinking. Specifically, problem-focused thoughts (a rumination subtype) uniquely accounted for 22.89% and 28.15% of the total effect of depressive and social anxiety symptoms on problematic SNS use, respectively. Other rumination subtypes (i.e., anticipatory thoughts and repetitive thinking) also demonstrated significant indirect effects, though weaker effects than for problem-focused thoughts. Findings were invariant across countries. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for further exploring the role rumination plays in determining and comparing problematic SNS use cross-culturally in longitudinal and experimental work.

Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury: Rationale and development of a live online 7-week group intervention for veterans with moral injury.

Background: Military service puts service members at risk for moral injury. Moral injury is an array of symptoms (e.g., guilt, shame, anger) that develop from events that violate or transgress one's moral code. Objective: We describe adaption of in-person mindfulness training program, Mindfulness to Manage Chronic Pain (MMCP), to address symptoms of moral injury to be delivered live via the web. We discuss how we will assess benchmarks (i.e., recruitment, credibility and acceptability, completion rates, and adherence) of the Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI) program. Methods: Aim 1: To develop and then adapt the MMCP program based on feedback from experts and veterans who took part in Study 1. Aim 2: To develop an equally intensive facilitator-led online Educational Support (ES) program to serve as a comparison intervention and conduct a run-through of each program with 20 veterans (10 MMMI; 10 ES). Aim 3: To conduct a small-scale randomized controlled trial (N = 42 veterans; 21 MMMI; 21 ES) in which we will collect pre-post-test and weekly benchmark data for both refined intervention arms. Results: Study 1 and 2 are completed. Data collection for Study 3 will be completed in 2022. Conclusion: MMMI is designed to provide a live facilitated mindfulness program to address symptoms of moral injury. If Study 3 demonstrates good benchmarks, with additional large-scale testing, MMMI may be a promising treatment that can reach veterans who may not seek traditional VAMC care and/or who prefer a web-based program.