Focusing Narrowly on Model Fit in Factor Analysis Can Mask Construct Heterogeneity and Model Misspecification: Applied Demonstrations across Sample and Assessment Types.

This study builds upon research indicating that focusing narrowly on model fit when evaluating factor analytic models can lead to problematic inferences regarding the nature of item sets, as well as how models should be applied to inform measure development and validation. To advance research in this area, we present concrete examples relevant to researchers in clinical, personality, and related subfields highlighting two specific scenarios when an overreliance on model fit may be problematic. Specifically, we present data analytic examples showing that focusing narrowly on model fit may lead to (a) incorrect conclusions that heterogeneous item sets reflect narrower homogeneous constructs and (b) the retention of potentially problematic items when developing assessment measures. We use both interview data from adult outpatients (N = 2,149) and self-report data from adults recruited online (N = 547) to demonstrate the importance of these issues across sample types and assessment methods. Following demonstrations with these data, we make recommendations focusing on how other model characteristics (e.g., factor loading patterns; carefully considering the content and nature of factor indicators) should be considered in addition to information provided by model fit indices when evaluating factor analytic models.

Naltrexone moderates the association of alcohol use and affect among adolescent drinkers in daily life.

BACKGROUND: Naltrexone is an efficacious medication for the treatment of alcohol use disorder in adults. As an opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone blocks activation of the endogenous opioid system, which is involved in the affectively reinforcing properties of substance use. Few studies, however, have examined the moderating effect of naltrexone on the association between affect and alcohol use. Additionally, most existing research on naltrexone has been with adults in the human laboratory. METHOD: We conducted a secondary analysis of ecological momentary assessment data from a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over study that compared naltrexone (50 mg/daily) and placebo in 26 adolescents (15 to 19 years old) who exhibited problematic drinking patterns. Multilevel models tested whether naltrexone moderated associations of alcohol use with both positive and negative affect (PA, NA). RESULTS: Results indicated that, during naltrexone treatment, greater estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) levels were associated with greater NA further into drinking episodes. In turn, greater NA after the first drink of an episode was associated with reduced subsequent eBAC values during naltrexone treatment. Low PA was also associated with lower subsequent eBAC levels in the naltrexone condition after the first drink. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the idea that naltrexone can disrupt the association between affect and alcohol use, effects that emerge later in drinking episodes. Greater attention to the effects of naltrexone on affect and reinforcement may help to tailor psychotherapy to maximize the benefits of naltrexone. However, in the present study, as most drink reports were in the first 2 h of the drinking episode and participants reported affect only at the first three end-drink reports of a drinking episode (limiting the number of drinks reported), we had reduced power to detect effects in the continuation phase. Thus, replication of the findings is needed using a design that assesses the impact of naltrexone across the entire episode.

Emotion differentiation in early recovery from alcohol use disorder: Associations with in-the-moment affect and 3-month drinking outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Early recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) is commonly associated with high levels of negative affect, stress, and emotional vulnerability, which confer significant relapse risk. Emotion differentiation-the ability to distinguish between discrete emotions-has been shown to predict relapse after treatment for a drug use disorder, but this relationship has not been explored in individuals recovering from AUD. METHODS: The current study used thrice daily random and up to thrice daily self-initiated ecological momentary assessment surveys (N = 42, observations = 915) to examine whether 1) moments of high affective arousal are characterized by momentary differences in emotion differentiation among individuals in the first year of a current AUD recovery attempt, and 2) individuals' average emotion differentiation would predict subsequent alcohol use measured by the timeline follow-back over a 3-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Multilevel models showed that moments (Level 1) of higher-than-average negative affect (p < 0.001) and/or stress (p = 0.033) were characterized by less negative emotion differentiation, while moments of higher-than-average positive affect were characterized by greater positive emotion differentiation (p < 0.001). At the between-person level (Level 2), participants with higher stress overall had lower negative emotion differentiation (p = 0.009). Linear regression showed that average negative, but not positive, emotion differentiation was inversely associated with percent drinking days over the subsequent 3-month follow-up period (p = 0.042). Neither form of average emotion differentiation was associated with drinking quantity. CONCLUSIONS: We found that for individuals in early AUD recovery, affective states are associated with acute shifts in the capacity for emotion differentiation. Further, we found that average negative emotion differentiation prospectively predicts subsequent alcohol use.

Feasibility, Appropriateness, and Willingness to Use Virtual Reality as an Adjunct to Counseling among Addictions Counselors.

INTRODUCTION: Research suggests that virtual reality (VR) experiences can be helpful as adjunctive tools in psychotherapy for some mental health conditions. VR is a computer-generated experience that produces a feeling of being immersed in a different environment. VR experiences could be useful in the treatment of substance use disorders, and several are currently being tested. However, few psychotherapists report using VR experiences in their practices, even when doing so is well-supported. Understanding key barriers and concerns about using VR among drug/alcohol counselors is important to ultimately encouraging adoption. METHODS: Licensed counselors (N = 101) who provide treatment to clients with substance use disorders were recruited via email Listservs, professional organizations, and social media. Participants viewed a 15-minute educational video about VR and then completed a survey of their views about using it with their clients. RESULTS: Most clinicians (82%) believed they would be likely to use a VR experience in drug/alcohol counseling, and 81% believed it would be appropriate for most of their clients. A minority (19%) noted important concerns, including that their clients may be skeptical of it (15%), cost (14%), and space (10%). Those who had cost and space concerns were less likely to report high use intentions (OR = 0.29 and OR = 031, both p < .05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that addictions counselors are eager to use VR, but key barriers should be addressed. VR developers should incorporate features to encourage trust among users, design experiences for small spaces, and explore ways of supporting the purchase of VR systems for counselors.

Risk-Taking Propensity, Affect, and Alcohol Craving in Adolescents' Daily Lives.

Background: Alcohol craving is common among adolescents, stronger among those with more alcohol-related problems, and predicts drinking levels in their daily lives. Yet, the conditions that predict momentary changes in craving in real time among adolescents remain unclear. Objectives: This study examined the interactive effects of momentary risk-taking propensity and affect on adolescents' alcohol craving by leveraging ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods. Methods: Participants were 29 adolescents ages 15-19 years (55% female; 69% White; 10% Black; 17% Hispanic); 45% met criteria for alcohol dependence. Following a laboratory session that captured self-report and behavioral assessments, including the well-established Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), participants completed multiple daily assessments of alcohol craving, positive and negative affect, and risk propensity for approximately one week. Momentary risk propensity was captured in real-world settings via an EMA behavioral task ("Balloon Game"). Results: Mixed-effects models with EMA reports (Level 1) nested within participants (Level 2) revealed the majority (74%) of variability in "Balloon Game" performance was due to within-person, momentary, fluctuations. Greater momentary positive affect predicted increased alcohol craving, but only when participants exhibited heightened risk-taking propensity. Negative affect did not influence the relation between momentary risk-taking and craving. Conclusions/Importance: Momentary fluctuations in positive affect predicted acute increases in craving but only in moments when adolescents demonstrated higher levels of risk-taking propensity, as captured with an EMA-delivered behavioral task. Momentary risk-taking assessments offer new avenues to substantiate dominant theories on the driving mechanisms of craving and alcohol use among adolescents.

Effects of alcohol, rumination, and gender on the time course of negative affect.

This study modelled associations between gender, ruminative cognitive style, alcohol use, and the time course of negative affect over the course of 43,111 random assessments in the natural environment. Participants (N = 263) completed 49 days of experience sampling over 1.3 years. The data indicated that rumination at baseline was positively associated with alcohol dependence symptoms at baseline as well as higher negative affect over the course of the study. Consistent with negative reinforcement models, drinking served to decrease the persistence of negative affect from moment to moment. However, this ameliorative effect of drinking was evident only among women, suggesting an increased risk for negative reinforcement driven drinking behaviour. In addition, rumination appeared to counteract the desired effects of alcohol on mood among women. This suggests that women who ruminate more may be motivated to consume larger amounts of alcohol to achieve the desired effects. Overall, the results indicate that ruminative cognitive style and the persistence of negative affect from moment to moment may reflect an individual vulnerability for the development of alcohol use disorder especially among women.

Acute Effects of Intoxication and Arousal on Approach/Avoidance Biases Toward Sexual Risk Stimuli in Heterosexual Men.

This study tested the effects of alcohol intoxication and physiological arousal on cognitive biases toward erotic stimuli and condoms. Ninety-seven heterosexual men were randomized to 1 of 6 independent conditions in a 2 (high arousal or control) × 3 (alcohol target BAC = 0.08, placebo, or juice control) design and then completed a variant of the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT). The AAT assessed reaction times toward approaching and avoiding erotic stimuli and condoms with a joystick. Consistent with hypotheses, the alcohol condition exhibited an approach bias toward erotic stimuli, whereas the control and placebo groups exhibited an approach bias toward condom stimuli. Similarly, the participants in the high arousal condition exhibited an approach bias toward erotic stimuli and the low arousal control condition exhibited an approach bias toward condoms. The results suggest that acute changes in intoxication and physiological arousal independently foster biased responding toward sexual stimuli and these biases are associated with sexual risk intentions.

Keep calm and carry on: Maintaining self-control when intoxicated, upset, or depleted.

This study tested within-person associations between intoxication, negative affect, and self-control demands and two forms of self-control failure, interpersonal conflict, and neglecting responsibilities. Effortful control was hypothesised to act as a buffer, reducing individual susceptibility to these within-person effects. In contrast, reactivity was hypothesised to potentiate the within-person associations. 274 young adults aged 18-27 (56% women, 93% white) completed experience sampling assessments for up to 49 days over the course of 1.3 years. Results indicated independent within-person effects of intoxication, negative affect, and self-control demands on the outcomes. Hypothesised moderating effects of reactivity were not supported. Effortful control did not moderate the effects of self-control demands as expected. However, effortful control exhibited a protective effect when individuals were intoxicated or upset to reduce the likelihood of maladaptive behavioural outcomes.

Probing the Paradox: Investigating the Impact of Affect, Exercise Type, and Cannabis Use on the Alcohol-Exercise Relationship in College Students.

Alcohol has previously shown a paradoxical positive relationship with exercise behaviors. However, the relationship has not been explored according to type of exercise (aerobic vs. anaerobic), nor has the research considered other contextual variables that commonly co-occur with alcohol use, such as cannabis and mood. This study sought to expand upon previous research to understand how the alcohol-exercise relationship may vary based on exercise type. Additionally, this study included cannabis use and mood as moderators of the alcohol-exercise association. Cross-sectional survey data was collected from college students (N = 335). Negative binomial regression was used to test associations between exercise and alcohol consumption, cannabis use, positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and moderating effects of these factors on the alcohol-exercise relationship. Effect sizes are reported from an Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR). Sex assigned at birth (male = 1, female = 0; IRR = 1.34, p = .017), PA (IRR = 1.57, p = .001), and alcohol consumption (IRR = 1.94, p = .037) exhibited positive relationships with exercise. Significant main effects were not observed for negative affect (IRR = 1.17, p = .230), or cannabis use (IRR = 1.00, p = .988). There was a significant interaction between positive affect and alcohol consumption (IRR = 0.87, p = .044) predicting exercise minutes. Alcohol was positively associated with exercise for those with low positive affect (n = 42, b = 12.61, p = .096) and this effect was attenuated as levels of positive affect increased (mean positive affect: n = 232, b = 0.55, p = .926; high positive affect: n = 61, b = -15.86, p = .146). These findings suggest that low positive affect may contribute to the positive link between alcohol use and exercise (especially aerobic exercise) in young people.

Characterizing the dimensions of positive emotion functioning in young adult alcohol use and alcohol-related problems.

Emotional functioning figures prominently in most contemporary models of alcohol use (Kassel & Veilleux, 2010). These models posit that alcohol use becomes reinforced due to its ability to regulate a person's affect (Sher & Grekin, 2007). A growing body of literature suggests that for youth, positive reinforcement (i.e., using alcohol to enhance positive feelings or to increase their duration) is a leading mechanism facilitating increased use (Emery & Simons 2020; Howard et al., 2015). However, few, if any, studies have examined the unique associations between multiple indicators of positive emotional functioning and alcohol use as well as alcohol-related problems. We aimed to fill this gap by using secondary data from large college student sample (N = 402) to characterize the unique associations between trait indicators of positive emotional functioning (i.e., positive affect, anhedonia, savoring, positive emotion dysregulation) and alcohol use as well as alcohol-related problems. Results indicated trait positive emotion dysregulation (difficulty managing intense positive emotions) was positively related to both alcohol consumption (IRR = 1.03, p =.019) and alcohol-related problems (IRR = 1.03, p =.001). Interestingly, trait savoring (i.e., ability to increase the intensity/duration of positive emotions) was positively related to alcohol consumption (IRR = 1.18, p =.049) and inversely related to problems (IRR = 0.86, p =.019). None of the other positive emotion indicators were significantly associated with either alcohol use or problems.

Temporal associations linking alcohol and cannabis use to cigarette smoking in young adults engaged in a tobacco cessation and relapse monitoring study.

Young adulthood remains a developmental period in which cigarette smoking initiation and progression to dependence and regular use is common. Moreover, co-use of alcohol and/or cannabis with tobacco is common in this age group and may have detrimental effects on tobacco use rates and cessation outcomes. Although young adults are interested in quitting smoking, achieving abstinence remains difficult, even with evidence-based treatment strategies. Understanding proximal associations between other substance use (e.g., alcohol and cannabis) and smoking may have important treatment implications. This exploratory analysis investigated the role of alcohol and/or cannabis use in contributing to smoking events on the same day or next day among young adults engaged in a smoking cessation and relapse monitoring study. We used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data from 43 young adults (ages 18-25; 932 observations) who smoked cigarettes daily and agreed to participate in a 5-week study that included a 2-day smoking quit attempt and provision of tobacco treatment in the form of nicotine replacement therapy, brief cessation counseling, and financial incentives for abstinence (incentives were provided only during the 2-day quit attempt). We tested multilevel time-series models of daily associations between alcohol use, cannabis use, and smoking. Consistent with hypotheses, days on which participants were more likely to drink alcohol predicted increased likelihood of smoking the next day (OR = 2.27, p =.003). This effect was significant after controlling for both the one-day lagged effect of smoking (i.e., autoregression) and the concurrent (i.e., same day) effects of drinking and cannabis use. Although there was a positive concurrent effect of cannabis use on smoking (OR = 12.86, p =.003), the one-day lagged effect of cannabis use and the concurrent effect of drinking was not significant, contrary to hypotheses. Results indicate that alcohol use presents a potential threat to successful smoking cessation that extends to the following day. This suggests a risk-window in which treatment could be supplemented with just-in-time interventions and extending the focus on co-use to include this lagged impact on cessation outcomes.

Effects of social drinking context on subjective effects, affect, and next-day appraisals in the natural environment.

BACKGROUND: Drinking commonly occurs in social settings and may bolster social reinforcement. Laboratory studies suggest that subjective effects and mood are mechanisms through which the social context influences alcohol consumption. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) may be useful for extending these findings to the natural environment. This pre-registered secondary analysis of EMA data investigated the influence of the social environment on: (1) stimulating and sedating subjective effects of alcohol, (2) contentedness and negative affect, and (3) next-day evaluations of the drinking occasion. METHODS: Nontreatment seeking adults reporting past-month heavy drinking (N = 131; Mage = 28.09; 42% female) completed 7 days of EMA (in the morning, at random, and following drinking prompts), which included questions on their social context (drinking in the presence of known others or alone), contemporaneous stimulating and sedating effects, contentedness and negative affect, alcohol consumption, and next-day evaluations of a prior day's drinking event (how satisfying/pleasant was drinking). We used multi-level models in SAS 9.4 M7 software to examine relations among the variables. RESULTS: Contemporaneous subjective effects (stimulating or sedating), negative affect, and contentedness did not significantly depend on the social context. For next-day evaluations of pleasure/satisfaction from drinking, context effects were dependent on consumption totals. As the total number of standard drinks consumed increased, recollections of pleasure/satisfaction were higher when drinking had occurred with others, relative to alone. At lower consumption totals, next-day evaluations did not appear to depend on social context. CONCLUSIONS: When reported contemporaneously, subjective effects and affect do not appear dependent upon the presence of known others. However, heavier drinking events, relative to lighter drinking events, are appraised more favorably the following day when occurring within social contexts.

Emotional Reactions to High-Risk Sex among Sexual Minority Men: Exploring Potential Opportunities for Just-In-Time Intervention.

Rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are high among sexual minority men (SMM). A large body of research has explored determinants of HIV/STI risk behavior, but few studies have explored emotional consequences of these events. Understanding the valence, timing, and strength of emotional reactions to sexual risk could inform use of specific behavior change techniques in interventions (such as anticipated regret) and identify new opportunities for intervention, including just-in-time interventions. We analyzed data from an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study of 100 HIV-negative/unknown-status SMM to understand patterns of positive affect, negative affect, shame, and stress in the 24 hours after sex. Mixed-effects models showed that the probability of negative affect was higher in the hours following condomless anal sex (CAS) with high-risk partners during which SMM reported being under the influence of alcohol or drugs (A/D involved CAS), versus all other types of sex events (OR = 0.92, SE = 0.03, p = .017). The probability of shame was also higher after A/D-involved CAS, versus other sex events (OR = 1.14, SE = 0.07, p = .035). Findings suggest that the hours following A/D-involved CAS events may be an opportune time to intervene to help SMM avoid similarly aversive experiences in the future.

Discrete emotions and global affect: Applying empirically driven approaches to experience sampling data to model state and trait affective structure and affect-alcohol use associations in a heavy drinking young-adult sample.

Affective functioning is central to most contemporary models of alcohol use. However, the affective structure at the within- and between-person levels is rarely investigated nor is the differential predictive value of specific affect dimensions assessed across state and trait formats. We examined a) the structure of state and trait affect using experience sampling methodology (ESM) and b) predictive associations between the empirically derived affect facets and alcohol use. Participants were 92 heavy drinking college students aged 18-25 who completed 8 momentary assessments of their affect and drinking a day for 28-days. We found evidence for a single positive affect factor at both the within- (i.e., state) and between-person (i.e., trait) levels. We found a hierarchical factor structure for negative affect, represented by a general, superordinate dimension as well as facet-level sadness, anxiety, and anger dimensions. Associations between affect and alcohol use differed across trait and state levels and across specific types of negative affect. Lagged state positive affect and sadness as well as trait positive affect and sadness were inversely associated with drinking. Lagged state anxiety and trait general negative affect were positively associated with drinking. Thus, our study demonstrates how associations between drinking and affect can be studied in relation to general (e.g., general negative affect) and more specific aspects of affective experiences (e.g., sadness versus anxiety) concurrently within the same study and across trait and state levels of assessment.

Examining Associations Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Measures of Weekly and Within-Day Cannabis Frequency, Quantity, and Potency in College Students.

Background: College student cannabis use has increased significantly in recent years, and individuals aged 18-25 are at elevated risk for development of cannabis use disorder (CUD). While weekly cannabis use frequency is a commonly used measure of cannabis consumption, there is increasing scientific interest in exploring more nuanced measures of cannabis use. Currently, limited research exists examining the clinical utility of cannabis quantity, within-day frequency, and potency variables. Methods: We used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 617 undergraduate students in the state of Colorado. A two-part model-building approach was leveraged to examine whether within-session cannabis quantity and within-day cannabis use frequency were associated with odds of experiencing any CUD symptoms and total number of CUD symptoms endorsed. We also examined whether cannabis flower potency was associated with odds of experiencing any CUD symptoms and total number of CUD symptoms endorsed among a subset (N=288) of the sample who reported knowledge of the cannabinoid content of their most frequently used products. Results: Weekly flower use frequency (odds ratio [OR]=1.27, p<0.001) and weekly concentrate use frequency (OR=1.10, p=0.044) were positively associated with increased odds of experiencing any CUD symptoms, but cannabis quantity and within-day frequency variables were not. In addition, no association was found between flower potency and odds of endorsing any CUD symptoms. Among individuals endorsing at least one symptom, weekly flower use frequency (incident rate ratio [IRR]=1.06, p<0.001) was positively associated with total symptom count, but weekly concentrate use frequency, cannabis quantity variables, and within-day frequency variables were not. Among individuals endorsing symptoms, a positive association was found between flower potency and total symptom count (IRR=1.01, p=0.008). Conclusion: Current methods of assessing within-session cannabis quantity and within-day cannabis use frequency may lack clinical utility in examining college student CUD symptoms over and above weekly cannabis use frequency. Cannabis flower potency may prove useful in assessment of CUD symptom severity, but further research is warranted.

Intersecting sex and American Indian identity moderates school and individual correlates of binge drinking among reservation-area adolescents.

Reservation-area American Indian (AI) youth demonstrate higher rates of binge drinking (BD) than their non-AI peers. However, individual and school-level differences in BD disparities between reservation-area AI/non-AI female and male adolescents remain unexamined. This study applies an Intersectional framework to examine risk and protective factors of BD among reservation-area youth at the intersection of their sex and AI identities. A nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 14,769; Mage = 14.6, 49% female; 61% AI) attending 103 reservation-serving schools completed a survey between 2015 and 2019. Multilevel modeling was used to examine differences in risk and protective factors of BD between AI and non-AI male and female adolescents. Our findings indicate that the effects of student and school-level risk and protective factors on adolescents' BD are driven primarily by sex within AI and non-AI groups. Implications for future confirmatory research and tailoring school-based prevention programs are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Using machine learning to examine predictors of treatment goal change among individuals seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder.

INTRODUCTION: The goals of individuals seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) are typically quantified as abstinent or nonabstinent (e.g., moderate drinking) goals. However, treatment goals can vary over time and be influenced by life circumstances. This study aims to identify predictors of treatment goal change and direction of change from baseline to six-month follow-up among individuals seeking treatment for AUD. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the Relapse Replication and Extension Project. The study included participants who completed assessments at baseline and six-month follow-up in the analysis (n = 441). We used decision trees to examine 111 potential predictors of treatment goal change. The study cross-validated results using random forests. The team examined changes in goal between baseline and follow-up (Decision Tree 1) and quantified them as being toward or away from a complete abstinence goal (Decision Tree 2). RESULTS: Nearly 50 % of the sample changed their treatment goal from baseline to 6 months, and 68.7 % changed from a nonabstinence goal toward a complete abstinence goal. The study identified seven unique predictors of goal change. The most common predictors of changing a treatment goal were number of recent treatment sessions prior to enrolling in the study, other substance use, negative affect, anxiety, social support, and baseline drinks per drinking day. Participants with a greater number of recent treatment sessions and who sought social support were most likely to change their goal. Additionally, individuals with more substance use tended to change away from complete abstinence goals. Cross-validation supported baseline drinks per drinking day, social support, baseline maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC), lifetime tobacco use, baseline average BAC, lifetime cocaine use, Inventory of Drinking Situations total score, and Situational Confidence Questionnaire average score as important predictors. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified seven unique predictors of treatment goal change while in AUD treatment. Prior treatment, drinking to cope, and social support were most associated with goal changes. This information can inform providers who seek to understand factors associated with treatment goal selection and changes in goals during treatment.

Trial-level bias score versus mean bias score: Comparison of the reliability and external validity using dot-probe task among daily smokers.

INTRODUCTION: Attentional bias (AB) is an individual difference risk factor that represents the extent to which cigarette cues capture one's attention. AB is typically indexed by mean bias score (MBS), theoretically assuming that AB is static. However, poor reliability of MBS has threatened valid interpretation of the results on AB. Based on observed trial-by-trial temporal fluctuation and variability of attentional allocation, trial-level bias score (TLBS) has been introduced as an alternative index with evidence of better psychometric properties in various populations, as compared to MBS. However, such evidence is limited among daily smokers. The current study aimed to replicate and extend extant findings in a sample of daily smokers by hypothesizing that TLBS, as compared to MBS, would demonstrate superior reliability and external validity. METHODS: Forty-eight daily smokers completed self-reports, ad-libitum smoking, and a dot-probe task three times, which was comprised of 36 pairs of pictorial stimuli of cigarette and neutral cues, yielding 144 total trials. RESULTS: The TLBS demonstrated superior internal (range intra class correlation [ICC] = 0.79-0.95) and test-retest reliability (range ICC = 0.64-0.88) compared to MBS (range ICC = 0.31-0.40 and 0.06-0.16, respectively). However, few significant relations between either the MBS or TLBS and measures of biobehavioral and self-report indices of smoking reinforcement were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings demonstrate that TLBS, as compared to MBS, is a more reliable measure of AB among daily smokers, while evidence of its external validity is limited.

Protocol for a mobile laboratory study of co-administration of cannabis concentrates with a standard alcohol dose in humans.

Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, yet evidence on acute effects of co-use is conflicting. Two important variables that may influence the effects of cannabis and alcohol are cannabinoid content (i.e., the ratio of cannabidiol [CBD] and 9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) as well as the order of use (i.e., cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Research is mixed regarding the acute imapct of cannabis on alcohol consumption and intoxication, with some studies suggesting additive effects of alcohol and cannabis, and others demonstrating negligible effects of combining these substances. Further complicating this, high-THC-content cannabis concentrates are increasingly popular on the legal-market, but to our knowledge, no studies have explored concentrate and alcohol co-use. In addition to cannabinoid content, order of use may influence intoxication and other acute effects, but is also understudied. Co-use studies typically administer a fixed dose of alcohol before cannabis, and there is a lack of data on the acute effects of cannabis before alcohol. Thus, there is a need for experimental co-use studies exploring the impact of cannabinoid content (particularly of highly potent cannabis concentrates) and order effects on intoxication. This study uses a federally-compliant mobile laboratory procedure to explore the effects of co-administration of legal-market cannabis concentrates with a moderate alcohol dose (.8g/kg) in a sample of community participants who regularly use alcohol and cannabis. The study will also explore alcohol and cannabis order effects (cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Outcomes are objective intoxication (measured using blood cannabinoid level, heart rate, psychomotor performance and breath alcohol level [BrAC]) and subjective intoxication (assessed via self-report measures). Overall, this study may influence harm-reduction recommendations for individuals who drink alcohol and use cannabis.

Behavioral activation, affect, and self-efficacy in the context of alcohol treatment for women with elevated depressive symptoms.

Women with Alcohol use disorder (AUD) are more likely than men to have co-occurring depression, drink to cope with negative affect (NA), and cite negative affect as a contributor to relapse. Among AUD treatment seekers, low behavioral activation, NA, and reduced self-efficacy in abstaining from alcohol (e.g., in tempting situations) are relapse risk factors. This study investigated the association between behavioral activation, affective states, and self-efficacy among treatment-seeking women. Participants were 70 women (M = 40.50, SD = 11.59 years of age) with elevated depressive symptoms seeking AUD treatment. The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) was used to assess environmental engagement. The Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy (AASE) scale was used to assess temptation to drink in contexts of positive and negative affect, and general positive and negative affect were assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results indicated that behavioral activation was directly correlated with positive affect (PA; r = .62, p < .001) and inversely correlated with depression (r = -.35, p = .004), negative affect (r = -.39, p = .001), and temptation to drink in the context of negative affect (r = -.33, p = .006). After controlling for depressive symptoms, behavioral activation continued to be associated with greater general positive affect (ß = .595, p < .001) and lower temptation to drink in the context of negative affect (ß = -.348 p = .008). Our results suggest a nuanced association between behavioral activation, negative affect, and temptations to drink that is not accounted by depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy to abstain from drinking in a negative affect context should be considered when designing AUD interventions for women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).