Temporal dynamics of emotional processing: Parsing trial-wise variance of the late positive potential using Generalizability Theory.

The reliability of individual trial event-related potential (ERP) components extracted from electroencephalogram has been consistently questioned since ERP research began. This ambivalence is based on misunderstood assumptions stemming from Cronbach and Classical Test Theory. Contemporary methods allow for the reliability of individual ERP trials to be estimated and for analyses of these trial-level ERP components to be meaningfully parsed. We illustrate the use of Generalizability Theory procedures in estimating the reliability of trial-level ERPs using the late positive potential (LPP), a neural measure of motivated attention toward emotionally evocative stimuli. Individuals (N = 88) completed a passive viewing task while continuous EEG was recorded. Variability in trial-level LPP responses was decomposed into facets corresponding to individual differences, chronological trial within block, stimulus type, their two-way interactions, and specific stimuli. We estimated various reliability coefficients and found that both overall and category-specific person-level LPP estimates have good-to-excellent reliability, while the reliability of within-person differences (i.e., change) between arousal categories was fair for the early LPP. These results were generally consistent across time windows, but were highest early in the LPP time course. We argue that investigating reliability using trial-level data allows researchers to pursue hypotheses focused on neurophysiological dynamics that unfold over the course of an experiment and not risk false inferences (i.e., ecological fallacy) when using person-level aggregates to deduce such processes. Moreover, such analyses provide information that allows researchers to optimize their protocols by potentially reducing the number of individual trials, burden on participants, and cost, while retaining sufficient reliability.

Emotion Dysregulation and Substance Use Risk and Protective Factors among Veterans in Residential Treatment.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are frequent concerns among healthcare providers serving military personnel and Veterans, and SUDs are also associated with high healthcare utilization. Problematic substance use is consistently associated with deficits in emotion regulation, and changes in emotional regulatory processes may be important factors during treatment and recovery. Methods: The present study examined emotion regulation and substance use risk and protective factors among Veterans seeking residential treatment for SUD within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Data were collected from 138 Veterans at pre-treatment and post-treatment to examine if changes in emotion regulation were associated with post-treatment outcomes. Results: Results indicated difficulties with emotion dysregulation at discharge predicted substance use risk factors, but not substance use protective factors, after controlling for scores at intake. Emotion regulation significantly improved throughout the course of treatment. Facets of emotion dysregulation at post-treatment, specifically difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, lower emotional clarity, lower emotional awareness, and more impulse control difficulties, predicted future admission to withdrawal management services, but not future mental health engagement, mortality, or resumed use (positive urine drug screen). Conclusions: Emotion regulation skills may be valuable treatment components, as they are related to reduced substance use risk factors; however, the results of improved emotion regulation were mixed for other measures of treatment outcome.

Religious Coping Is Differentially Associated with Physiological and Subjective Distress Indicators: Comparing Cortisol and Self-Report Patterns.

Use of religious coping in response to life stress is associated with improved mental and physical health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of religious coping on conscious self-reported and non-conscious physiological stress responses to an acute, real-world stressor to better understand how this benefit may be conferred. This study examined the trajectory of subjective distress and cortisol patterns leading up to and following a stressful college exam using daily diary and ambulatory saliva samples, respectively (N students = 246). Religious coping was not significantly associated with subjective reports of distress. However, prior to the exam, greater use of religious coping was associated with an ostensibly more adaptive accelerated return to a cortisol baseline. This protective effect was no longer significant when the exam was over, suggesting that religious coping acts as a protective buffer against physiological stress responses rather than aiding in subjective recovery from stress.

Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a U.S. Veterans Affairs PTSD clinic.

Cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a 15-session conjoint treatment for PTSD designed to improve PTSD symptoms and enhance intimate relationship functioning. Numerous studies of CBCT for PTSD document improvements in patient PTSD and comorbid symptoms, partner mental health, and relationship adjustment. However, little is known about its effectiveness in real-world clinical settings. Using an intention-to-treat sample of couples who participated in CBCT for PTSD in an outpatient U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD clinic (N = 113), trajectories of session-by-session reports of veterans' PTSD symptoms and both partners' relationship happiness were examined. Across sessions, there were significant reductions in veteran-rated PTSD symptoms, d = -0.69, and significant increases in veteran- and partner-rated relationship happiness, ds = 0.36 and 0.35, respectively. Partner ratings of veterans' PTSD symptoms increased before significantly decreasing, d = -0.24. Secondary outcomes of veteran and partner relationship satisfaction, ds = 0.30 and 0.42, respectively; veteran and partner depressive symptoms, ds = -0.75 and -0.29, respectively; and partner accommodation of PTSD symptoms, d = -0.44, also significantly improved from pre- to posttreatment. The findings suggest that CBCT for PTSD was effective for decreasing PTSD and comorbid symptoms in veterans, as well as for improving relationship functioning and partners' mental health, among a sample of real-world couples seeking treatment in a VA PTSD specialty clinic.

The Brief Emotion Dysregulation Scale: Development, Preliminary Validation, and Recommendations for Use.

Emotion dysregulation is a multi-faceted, transdiagnostic construct, and its assessment is crucial for characterizing its role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of psychiatric problems. We developed the Brief Emotion Dysregulation Scale (BEDS) to capture four components of emotion dysregulation: sensitivity, lability, reactivity, and consequences. We examined factor structure and construct validity in four independent samples of college students (N = 1,485). We elected to treat consequences as a separate index of problems associated with emotion dysregulation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses did not support the reactivity subscale and instead supported a well-fitting two-factor solution for sensitivity and lability. Multi-group analyses demonstrated strong factorial invariance by gender. The resulting 12-item BEDS includes sensitivity and lability subscales and a separate consequences scale to indicate associated problems. Convergent correlations suggested good construct validity. This provides preliminary support for the BEDS as a brief transdiagnostic screening tool for emotion dysregulation and associated consequences.

Using mobile technology to influence alcohol-impaired driving risk perceptions and decisions.

OBJECTIVE: Despite significant individual and societal risk, alcohol-impaired driving (AID) remains prevalent in the United States. Our aim was to determine whether breathalyzer-cued warning messages administered via mobile devices in the natural drinking environment could influence real-world AID cognitions and behaviors. METHOD: One hundred twenty young adults (53% women; mean age = 24.7) completed 6 weeks of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and provided breathalyzer samples using a BACtrack Mobile Pro linked to their mobile device. On mornings after drinking episodes, participants reported their driving activities from the previous evening (787 episodes). Participants were randomly assigned to receive warning messages if they reached a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) ≥ .05, or no messages. Participants in the warnings condition reported their willingness to drive and perceived danger of driving at EMA prompts (1,541 reports). RESULTS: We observed a significant effect of condition, such that the association between cumulative AID engagement and driving after reaching a BrAC of .05 was dampened among individuals in the warnings condition, compared to those in the no warnings condition. Receiving a warning message was associated with increased momentary perceived danger of driving and decreased willingness to drive. CONCLUSIONS: We found that BrAC-cued warning messages reduced the probability of AID and willingness to drive while impaired, and increased the perceived danger of driving after drinking. These results serve as proof-of-concept for the use of mobile technology to deliver an adaptive just-in-time intervention to reduce the probability of AID. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Measuring affect in daily life: A multilevel psychometric evaluation of the PANAS-X across four ecological momentary assessment samples.

While there is strong evidence for the psychometric reliability of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Expanded Form (PANAS-X) in cross-sectional studies, the between- and within-person psychometric performance of the PANAS-X in an intensive longitudinal framework is less understood. As affect is thought to be dynamic and responsive to context, this study investigated the multilevel reliability of PANAS-X Positive Affect, Negative Affect, Fear, Sadness, and Hostility scales. Generalizability theory and structural equation modeling techniques (coefficient ω) were employed in four ecological momentary assessment samples (N = 309; 41,261 reports). Results demonstrate that the PANAS-X scales, including short versions of the Positive and Negative Affect scales, can reliably detect between-person differences. PANAS-X scales also were able to reliably measure within-person change, though these estimates may be impacted by scale content and study design. These results support the use of the PANAS-X in daily life research to intensively measure affect in the natural environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Agreement between momentary and retrospective reports of cannabis use and alcohol use: Comparison of ecological momentary assessment and timeline followback indices.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares three methods of cannabis and of alcohol use assessment in a sample of regular cannabis users: (a) ecological momentary assessment (EMA) repeated momentary surveys aggregated to the daily level, (b) EMA morning reports (MR) where participants reported on their total use from the previous day, and (c) retrospective timeline followback (TLFB) interviews covering the same period of time as the EMA portion of the study. We assessed the overall correspondence between these methods in terms of cannabis and alcohol use occasions and also investigated predictors of agreement between methods. METHOD: Forty-nine individuals aged 18-50 (Mage = 24.49, 49% female, 84% White) who reported regular cannabis use completed a 14-day EMA study. At the end of the EMA period, participants returned to the laboratory to complete a TLFB (administered via computer) corresponding to the same dates of the EMA period. RESULTS: Daily aggregated EMA and TLFB reports showed a low to modest agreement for both alcohol and cannabis use. Overall, agreement between EMA and MR was better than agreement between EMA and TLFB, likely because less retrospection is required when only reporting on behavior from the previous day. Quantity and frequency of use differentially predicted agreement across reporting methods when assessing alcohol compared to cannabis. When reporting cannabis use, but not alcohol use, individuals who used more demonstrated higher agreement between EMA and TLFB. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that retrospective reporting methods assessing alcohol and cannabis should not be considered a direct "substitute" for momentary or daily assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting quantity of cannabis smoked in daily life: An exploratory study using machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis use is prevalent in the United States and is associated with a host of negative consequences. Importantly, a robust indicator of negative consequences is the amount of cannabis consumed. METHODS: Data were obtained from fifty-two adult, regular cannabis flower users (3+ times per week) recruited from the community; participants completed multiple ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys each day for 14 days. In this exploratory study, we used various machine learning algorithms to build models to predict the amount of cannabis smoked since participants' last report including forty-three EMA measures of mood, impulsivity, pain, alcohol use, cigarette use, craving, cannabis potency, cannabis use motivation, subjective effects of cannabis, social context, and location in daily life. RESULTS: Our best-fitting model (Gradient Boosted Trees; 71.15% accuracy, 72.46% precision) found that affects, subjective effects of cannabis, and cannabis use motives were among the best predictors of cannabis use amount in daily life. The social context of being with others, and particularly with a partner or friend, was moderately weighted in the final prediction model, but contextual items reflecting location were not strongly weighted in the final prediction model, the one exception being not at work. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning approaches can help identify additional environmental and psychological phenomena that may be clinically-relevant to cannabis use.

Four profiles of symptom change in residential Cognitive Processing Therapy.

A significant portion of veterans do not respond to evidence-based treatments for PTSD. Therefore, researchers have sought to predict who will respond well to trauma-focused treatment. The present study examined pre- and posttreatment symptom profiles, session-by-session change, as well as demographic and additional diagnostic information to better understand PTSD treatment response. Participants included 332 veterans undergoing residential Cognitive Processing Therapy. Latent profile analyses were computed, and four meaningful profiles emerged: Fast Responders, Steady Responders, Partial Responders, and Minimal Responders. Each profile demonstrated symptom reduction at approximately the same rate in the first half of treatment. Two specific profiles, Steady Responders and Minimal Responders, showed key clinically important differences. Both profiles demonstrated severe pretreatment PTSD symptom severity; however, in the second half of treatment, Steady Responders saw the steepest decrease in symptoms of any of the profiles while Minimal Responders saw less symptom reduction compared to all other profiles. Via a thorough examination, membership in Steady Responders compared to Minimal Responders was not associated with demographic or health variables. Results suggest that pretreatment symptom severity does not necessarily determine a client's posttreatment symptom severity. Pretreatment symptom severity did not determine outcome, though some veterans (Minimal Responders) did not experience the same symptom change and treatment effectiveness. Further identifying the factors that lead to the separation of these groups will add important information for determining treatment selection and potential obstacles to effectiveness.

Comparing associations between mood and breath alcohol concentration in the laboratory and natural environment.

OBJECTIVE: Associations between mood and drinking are part of many theoretical models of problematic alcohol use. Laboratory and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research on associations between mood and drinking behavior has produced mixed findings, and these constructs are often measured using different methods depending on research context. The present study compares associations between mood and alcohol consumption across research contexts (laboratory vs. daily life) and measurement methods (breathalyzer vs. self-report). METHOD: Forty-five young adults (53% women, Mage = 24.5) who drank moderate-to-heavy amounts completed an alcohol administration session and then 6 weeks of EMA with ambulatory breathalyzer samples. Participants reported their current mood (happy, nervous, upset, and excited) in both the laboratory and during EMA. Momentary, day, and person-level mood variables were examined in multilevel models predicting objective alcohol consumption [breath alcohol concentration (BrAC); lab and EMA] and subjective consumption (self-reported drinking occurrence and number of drinks; EMA). RESULTS: We identified discrepant mood-BrAC associations across laboratory and EMA contexts. Momentary excitement was negatively associated with BrAC in the lab, but positively associated with BrAC during EMA (ps < .01). We also identified discrepancies within EMA depending on the alcohol consumption measure used (BrAC or self-reported number of drinks) and the level of analysis (momentary or day). CONCLUSIONS: Studies testing theoretical models involving directional mood-alcohol associations (e.g., affective reinforcement models) need to carefully consider how research context and methods may influence findings of associations between mood and drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Nonsuicidal self-injury and religiosity: A meta-analytic investigation.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a potentially life-threatening behavior with significant public health implications that may potentiate suicide risk. Religiosity has been identified as a significant protective factor against suicide attempts, and more broadly acts as a buffer against negative mental and physical health outcomes. Whether religiosity may reduce risk for NSSI is unclear. To understand the nature of the association between NSSI and religiosity, correlations from 16 samples (total N = 24,767) were computed to evaluate the magnitude and direction of the association between NSSI and religiosity. Gender, age, location, publication status, and method of religiosity measurement were included as moderators. Results from the meta-analysis show a small but significant negative correlation between NSSI and religiosity (r = -0.101, p < .001). The role of ethnicity, identity, social support, and religious coping as contributors to this association are also discussed. Recommendations for future research are offered based on these findings, along with a discussion of clinical implications for assessment and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Using generalizability theory to evaluate the comparative reliability of developmental measures in neurogenetic syndrome and low-risk populations.

BACKGROUND: The lack of available measures that can reliably characterize early developmental skills in children with neurogenetic syndromes (NGS) poses a significant challenge for research on early development in these populations. Although syndrome-specific measures may sometimes be necessary, a more cost- and time-efficient solution would be to identify existing measures that are appropriate for use in special populations or optimize existing measures to be used in these groups. Reliability is an important metric of psychometric rigor to consider when auditing and optimizing assessment tools for NGS. In this study, we use Generalizability Theory, an extension of classical test theory, as a novel approach for more comprehensively characterizing the reliability of existing measures and making decisions about their use in the field of NGS research. METHODS: We conducted generalizability analyses on a popular early social communication screener, the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales-Infant-Toddler Checklist (CSBS-ITC), collected on 172 children (41 Angelman syndrome, 30 Prader-Willi syndrome, 42 Williams syndrome, 59 low-risk controls). RESULTS: Overall, the CSBS-ITC demonstrated at least adequate reliability in the NGS groups included in this study, particularly for the Prader-Willi and Williams syndrome groups. However, the sources of systematic error variance in the CSBS-ITC varied greatly between the low-risk control and NGS groups. Moreover, as unassessed in previous research, the CSBS-ITC demonstrated substantial differences in variance sources among the NGS groups. Reliability of CSBS-ITC scores was highest when averaging across all measurement points for a given child and was generally similar or better in the NGS groups compared to the low-risk control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the CSBS-ITC communicates different information about the reliability of stability versus change, in low-risk control and NGS samples, respectively, and that psychometric approaches like Generalizability Theory can provide more complete information about the reliability of existing measures and inform decisions about how measures are used in research on early development in NGS.

Kappa opioid regulation of depressive-like behavior during acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence from ethanol.

The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) system appears to be a key mediator of the behavioral effects of chronic exposure to alcohol. Although KOR opioid receptor antagonists have been shown to decrease stress-related behaviors in animal models during acute ethanol withdrawal, the role of the DYN/KOR system in regulating long-term behavioral changes following protracted abstinence from ethanol is not well understood. The objective of the current study was to further explore the role of the DYN/KOR system in regulating stress-related behavioral changes associated with acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence from ethanol. More specifically, the present experiments sought to examine the ability of the KOR antagonist norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI) to reverse depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test in rats exposed to chronic ethanol. In the first experiment, rats were fed an ethanol or control liquid diet for 28-30 days, and then 24 hours after removal of the diet, were exposed to inescapable swim stress. Immediately following this procedure, rats were injected with nor-BNI (20 mg/kg) or saline and then tested 24 hours later in the forced swim test. A second experiment used a similar procedure to examine the effects of nor-BNI on behavioral changes during protracted abstinence in rats tested in the forced swim test 3 weeks after exposure to the ethanol liquid diet procedure. Ethanol-dependent rats showed increased immobility, which is thought to indicate a depressive-like state, when examined during acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence compared to controls, an effect attenuated by nor-BNI. These results suggest that the DYN/KOR system plays role in mediating both short- and long-term behavioral changes associated with depression following chronic alcohol exposure.