Short-term changes in social role statuses across young adulthood and their relation to heavy drinking in a given month.

Young adulthood is a developmental period during which individuals experience shifts in their social roles in various domains, which coincides with a period of time that is also high risk for lifetime peaks in alcohol use. The current study examined age-related changes in heavy episodic drinking (HED) and high-intensity drinking (HID) and associations with short-term (i.e., monthly) variation in young adults' social roles over a 2.5-year period in a community sample of young adults who reported past-year alcohol use (N = 778, baseline age range 18-23). Results showed probabilities of past-month HED and HID changed in a nonlinear fashion across ages 18-26 with greater probabilities of use at younger ages. Most participants did not report being in the same social role status every sampled month, underscoring the presence of short-term role variation. Living with parents and being in a serious romantic relationship in a given month were negatively associated with past-month HED. Living with parents in a given month was also negatively associated with past-month HID. Being a 4-year college student and being employed full-time in a given month were not significantly related to either outcome. Findings provided partial evidence that monthly statuses were associated with heavy drinking. Several avenues for future research are described in light of the findings.

The Protective Role of Perceived Control on Associations Between Job Loss, Financial Difficulties, and Substance Use Among Young Adults Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Adverse life events that threaten normative transitions are associated with increased alcohol and cannabis use among young adults. However, few studies have tested the extent to which specific negative events impact substance use behaviors nor identified relevant risk or protective factors (e.g., perceived control). During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults experienced economic adversities (i.e., job loss and financial strain) at disproportionally high rates. This provided a unique opportunity to test associations between job loss/financial difficulties and substance use outcomes and whether perceived control in work and finance domains moderated these associations. Young adults completed self-report surveys at two time points-prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020) and in the acute phase of the pandemic (April/May 2020). Participants (N = 519; Mage = 25.4 years; 62.8% female) were recruited in and around Seattle, WA, as part of an ongoing longitudinal cohort study. Pandemic-related job loss (18.9%) and financial difficulty (49.7%) were relatively common in this sample. Job loss was associated with increased number of drinks on the heaviest past-month drinking occasion (from January 2020 to April/May 2020). Financial difficulty was associated with increased drinking frequency and number of drinks on the heaviest drinking occasion. The effect of job loss and financial difficulty on alcohol and cannabis use was generally moderated by participants' perceived control of these domains. For those with low perceived control, job loss/financial difficulty was associated with increased alcohol/cannabis use, but for those high in perceived control, job loss/financial difficulty was associated with decreased alcohol use frequency. Findings give advance understanding of how economic adversities relate to young adults' alcohol and cannabis use. Notably, perceived control over these domains may be modifiable through prevention efforts aiming to foster self-efficacy among young people and policy to provide available agency to those in need.

Cannabis-Related Impairment and Social Anxiety: The Role of Use to Manage Negative and Positive Affect in Social Situations.

Background and Objectives: Individuals with elevated social anxiety are thought to be at high risk for developing cannabis-related problems because they use cannabis to cope with anxiety-provoking social situations. Social anxiety is unique among the anxiety conditions in that it is characterized by both elevated negative affect (NA) and lower positive affect (PA). Yet it is unclear whether persons with elevated social anxiety use cannabis to decrease their NA or to increase their PA. Methods: This study examined the role of PA and NA (including cannabis use to increase PA and to decrease NA in social situations) on cannabis use frequency and related problems among current (past three-month) cannabis users (N = 278). Results: Social anxiety was significantly correlated with NA, PA, cannabis use to decrease NA, and use to increase PA. Serial mediation analyses tested the paths between social anxiety, affect, use to manage affect, typical cannabis use frequency, and cannabis use-related problems. Contrary to prediction, social anxiety was not indirectly related to use frequency or related problems via NA or PA generally. Rather, social anxiety was indirectly related to cannabis problems via the serial effect of use to cope with NA and typical use frequency and via the serial effect of use to increase PA and typical use frequency. Conclusions/Importance: Social anxiety may be associated with using cannabis to decrease NA and increase PA specifically in social situations, which increases cannabis use frequency and thus, problem risk.

Drinking Problems and Social Anxiety among Young Adults: The Roles of Drinking to Manage Negative and Positive Affect in Social Situations.

Background: Socially anxious individuals seem to be at a high risk for alcohol-related problems because they drink to cope. Yet social anxiety is unique among the anxiety conditions in that it is characterized by lower positive affect (PA). It is unclear whether drinking to cope is related to drinking to decrease negative affect (NA) or increase PA. Objectives: We tested whether social anxiety was related to more drinking problems via the sequential relations between affect (NA or PA), drinking to change affect (decrease NA or increase PA), and drinking quantity. We also tested whether the indirect effect of drinking to increase PA was significantly less than that of drinking to decrease NA. Methods: Past-month drinkers with clinically elevated social anxiety (n = 174) and those with more normative or lower social anxiety (n = 362) completed an online survey. Results: Social anxiety was indirectly related to drinking problems via the sequential effect of NA, drinking to decrease NA, and drinking quantity. Social anxiety was indirectly related to drinking problems via the sequential relations of PA and drinking quantity and of drinking to increase PA and drinking quantity. The indirect effect of drinking to increase PA did not significantly differ from drinking to decrease NA. Conclusions/Importance: Socially anxious drinkers may drink not only to decrease NA but also to increase PA in social situations. Both of these drinking motives appear to play important roles in socially anxious drinkers' experience of drinking-related problems.

Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis and attenuated age-related declines in alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms across young adulthood.

Most young adults naturally mature out of high-risk substance use patterns, but it is important to identify factors that may impede normative declines. Use of alcohol and cannabis simultaneously (i.e., simultaneous alcohol and marijuana/cannabis [SAM]) is cross-sectionally associated with alcohol and cannabis concerns, and SAM use increases acute risks at the daily level. However, less is known about long-term risks of SAM use and, specifically, how SAM use relates to maturing out of alcohol and cannabis use. Using four consecutive years of survey data from young adults who reported SAM use (N=409; 1636 responses; aged 18-25 at baseline), we first estimated age-related changes in symptoms of alcohol and cannabis use disorder (AUD/CUD) using multilevel growth modeling. Findings supported a maturing out process, as both AUD and CUD symptom severity significantly declined across young adulthood, on average (4 % and 5 % per year respectively, with significant acceleration). Cross-level interactions tested whether participants' mean SAM use frequency across all four timepoints moderated age-related trajectories in AUD/CUD symptom severity. Significant interactions indicated that, relative to less-frequent SAM use, participants with more frequent SAM use showed less steep declines in AUD (1 % decrease per year vs. 6 % per year) and CUD symptoms (0 % decrease per year vs. 7 % per year); thus, SAM frequency was associated with slower/delayed maturing out of hazardous alcohol and cannabis use. Findings highlight that SAM use may be a correlate or risk-factor for prolonged high-risk substance use during young adulthood that relates to deviations from maturing out processes.

Examining whether young adults differ in their endorsement and subjective evaluation of alcohol consequences by age, drinking frequency, and current undergraduate status.

OBJECTIVE: There is considerable variability in how young adults (YAs) perceive drinking-related consequences, and some researcher-identified "negative" consequences are viewed by YAs as neutral or even somewhat positive. Little is known about individual difference factors that may influence subjective evaluations of alcohol consequences. METHOD: We tested whether endorsement and subjective evaluation ('extremely negative' to 'extremely positive') of 24 alcohol-related "negative" consequences differed by age (18-20, 21-27), past 3-month drinking frequency (3x/month or less, weekly or more), and current undergraduate status (4-year undergraduate, non-student). YAs were recruited for a longitudinal ecological momentary assessment study on cognitions and alcohol use. Participants in the analytic sample (N=640; 48.1% White non-Hispanic/Latinx, 50.0% female, mean age=22.2 years, SD=2.3) reported past 3-month drinking. Past 3-month drinking frequency, negative consequences (total and item-level), and subjective evaluations of consequences were assessed cross-sectionally. RESULTS: Compared to YAs 18-20, YAs 21+ experienced fewer total consequences, were significantly less likely to endorse experiencing physical/behavioral consequences, and rated these consequences more negatively if they were endorsed. YAs who drank weekly or more reported experiencing more consequences and were significantly more likely to experience all 24 consequences in comparison to YAs who drank 3x/month or less. Subjective evaluation ratings did not significantly differ by drinking frequency. There were few differences between 4-year undergraduate and non-undergraduates; non-undergraduates rated several health/responsibility-related consequences more negatively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of identifying individual difference factors that contribute to subjective evaluation ratings, and may be useful for tailoring brief, personalized alcohol interventions for YAs.

Predictors of morning cannabis use among young adults: Between- and within-person associations from 24 consecutive months of data.

Morning cannabis use is associated with heavier, frequent cannabis use and more cannabis-related negative consequences, yet little empirical research has examined its predictors. Using 24 months of longitudinal data, the present study tested demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral predictors of morning cannabis use among young adults at the monthly- and person-levels. Young adults (N = 778) were part of a larger study on substance use and social role transitions; participants completed a baseline survey and up to 24 consecutive monthly surveys. Hypotheses were tested using logistic multilevel models to estimate odds ratios for any vs. no morning use in a given month. At the monthly level, social anxiety motives and cannabis use frequency on a given month were positively associated with morning cannabis use. At the person level, typical coping motives, average cannabis use frequency, and male sex were positively associated with morning cannabis use. Findings advance our understanding of individual and psychosocial predictors of morning cannabis use among young adults. Notably, social anxiety motives may represent a malleable target for intervention efforts that could reduce risky use patterns associated with morning use. Such efforts may be especially prudent for young men, as our findings indicated morning cannabis use probabilities were much higher for men than women.

General and Domain-Specific Perceived Risk Demonstrate Unique Associations with Cannabis Use, Negative Outcomes, and Motivation to Change among Undergraduate Students.

College student cannabis use is at an all-time high. Although frequent heavy cannabis use is related to cannabis problems, perceived risk of cannabis use is rapidly decreasing. Yet, it is unknown whether specific domains of risk perceptions (general and domain-specific risk, risk to others and personal risk) are related to more cannabis use or related problems. Thus, among 130 undergraduates who reported past-month cannabis use, the present study conducted secondary analyses to test whether, for both perceived risk to others and perceived personal risk: (1) general perceived risk was associated with cannabis-related outcomes (i.e., use, negative consequences, cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms, motivation to change), (2) seven specific domains of perceived risk were related to cannabis outcomes, and (3) domain-specific perceived risk was related to cannabis use frequency. General perceived risk to others was negatively associated with cannabis use frequency whereas general perceived personal risk was positively associated with cannabis-related negative consequences, CUD symptoms, and importance and readiness to change. Greater legal and withdrawal/dependence risks were uniquely related to several outcomes (e.g., CUD symptoms). Participants who used cannabis frequently perceived more personal risk in most risk domains and less general risk to others than those who used infrequently. Findings suggest personal risk is an important component to consider when assessing perceived risk of cannabis use and focusing on both general and domain-specific risks may provide valuable insight for future prevention and intervention efforts.

Longitudinal examination of alcohol use motives, item-level protective behavioral strategies, and alcohol-related consequences.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol misuse among college students is a public health concern. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) can be used before, during, after, or instead of drinking to reduce alcohol use and negative consequences, but findings on their utility at the aggregate level are mixed. Although recent work has provided important information on the performance of individual PBS items, it is limited by research designs that are cross-sectional, do not examine consequences, or do not examine other important correlates, such as drinking motives. This study examines both the association between item-level PBS and alcohol-related negative consequences and the moderating effect of drinking motives longitudinally. METHODS: College students from two universities (n = 200, 62.5% female, Mage = 20.16) completed the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised, Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and a measure of the quantity of alcohol use at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Generalized linear models were conducted to assess direct effects of item-level PBS on alcohol-related consequences and the moderating effects of drinking motives. RESULTS: Two PBS items were associated with fewer alcohol-related consequences at follow-up, and two items were associated with greater alcohol-related consequences at follow-up. Drinking motives differentially moderated associations between item-level PBS and alcohol-related consequences for a proportion in the sample. Enhancement motives moderated the greatest number of associations, followed by coping, conformity, and social motives. Certain PBS (e.g., drink slowly, rather than gulp or chug) were moderated by several drinking motives, whereas other PBS items were not moderated by any motives. CONCLUSION: Consistent with previous research, some item-level PBS were associated longitudinally with increased negative consequences, and some were associated with decreased negative consequences. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement, moderated several item-level PBS and consequence associations, suggesting that reasons for drinking may be important for understanding the associations between PBS strategies and alcohol-related consequences.

Morning cannabis use in young adults: Associations with overall levels of use, negative consequences, and cannabis use disorder symptoms across 2.5 years.

BACKGROUND: Emerging research suggests morning cannabis use may be associated with using more cannabis and experiencing more cannabis-related consequences. This paper examined whether months when young adults reported morning cannabis use (use between 6:00AM and 12:00PM) were associated with cannabis use frequency, negative cannabis-related consequences, and changes in cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms. METHODS: Participants were 778 young adults (Mage=21.11 years, 58.5% female) enrolled in a longitudinal study on substance use and social role transitions. Eligible participants were 18-23 years old at screening and reported past-year alcohol use. Participants completed a baseline survey, 24 consecutive monthly surveys, and a follow-up survey 30 months after baseline. Aims were tested using multilevel models and multiple regression. RESULTS: Analyses were limited to cannabis use months (N=4719; 28.9% of sampled months) and participants who reported cannabis use at least once (N=542; 69.7% of all participants). Morning use was reported in 12.3% of cannabis use months and at least once by 23.6% of participants who reported using cannabis. Relative to non-morning use months, morning use months were associated with greater cannabis use frequency and more negative consequences. However, the association between morning use and negative consequences was not statistically significant after controlling for cannabis use frequency. The percentage of cannabis use months with morning use was positively associated with increased CUD symptoms at the 30-month follow-up, relative to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Morning cannabis use may be a useful marker of high-risk cannabis use and may contribute to the maintenance and worsening of CUD over time.

Is the 21st birthday a turning point for alcohol and cannabis use? A monthly study of young adults.

BACKGROUND: An important life-course event with respect to alcohol and cannabis use is turning 21 years of age, which may be associated with increases in use of these substances due to celebrations during the month and easier access to them on and following this birthday. We examined the trajectories of alcohol and cannabis use behaviors in the months leading up to, during, and following the 21st birthday month. We also examined whether the use trajectories vary by college status and baseline levels of use. METHODS: We used data from 203 young adults recruited from the Greater Seattle region who turned 21 during the course of the study. Surveys were administered each month for 24 consecutive months. Measures included the typical number of drinks per week for the past month, the frequency of heavy episodic drinking, the number of cannabis use days, and any simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use. Multilevel spline models were run that estimated linear slopes over time at four intervals: (1) up to 1 month before the 21st birthday month; (2) from 1 month before to the month of the 21st birthday; (3) from the 21st birthday month to 1 month following; and (4) from 1 month following the 21st birthday month through all following months. RESULTS: Alcohol use, generally, and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use showed sharp increases from the month before the 21st birthday month to the 21st birthday month and decreases following the 21st birthday month. For cannabis use, there were significant increases in the months leading up to the 21st birthday and no other significant changes during other time intervals. Patterns differed by baseline substance use and college status. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the current study have implications for the timing and personalization of prevention and intervention efforts. Event-specific 21st birthday interventions may benefit from incorporating content targeting specific hazardous drinking behaviors in the month prior to the 21st birthday.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Monthly Changes in Substance Use in Relation to Negative Consequences From Alcohol and Cannabis Use in a Community Sample of Young Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Experiencing negative substance use consequences may deter future use, alter patterns of substance use (e.g., substituting one substance for another, combining substances), or point to a sustained pattern of engaging in heavy or frequent use. We used monthly data to examine relationships between negative alcohol and cannabis use consequences experienced in one month and changes in use the following month. METHOD: Data were from 508 individuals (59% female; ages 18-23 years at enrollment) who were surveyed monthly for 2 years and used both alcohol and cannabis during the study period. Multilevel models assessed within-person associations between monthly fluctuations in substance-related negative consequences and the next month's substance use (i.e., typical drinks per week, cannabis use frequency, and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis/marijuana [SAM] use), controlling for the prior month's substance use. RESULTS: Positive associations were found between alcohol consequences and the following month's alcohol use and between cannabis consequences and subsequent cannabis use, although only the cannabis association was statistically significant. There was little evidence of effects of cannabis consequences on the next month's alcohol use or alcohol consequences on the next month's cannabis use. Cannabis consequences had a positive and statistically significant association with the next month's SAM use. Within-substance positive associations were strongest for physical alcohol consequences and cannabis consequences of low motivation, memory problems, and trouble breathing. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing negative cannabis use consequences predicted more frequent cannabis use and greater chance of SAM use 1 month later. Results point to negative consequences, along with prior use, indicating risk for future use.

Increased coping motives during the COVID-19 pandemic widen cannabis disparities between sexual minoritized and nonminoritized young adults: A bimonthly assessment of data preceding and spanning the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, some U.S. adults have increased alcohol and cannabis use frequency to cope with distress. Among sexual minoritized young adults (SM YAs), coping-related use may be greater due to disproportionate negative social and financial consequences of the pandemic. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether pandemic substance use has increased among SM YAs compared to non-SM YAs relative to prepandemic levels and whether heightened coping motives mediate these potential differences. METHOD: A total of 563 YAs (18-24 years at baseline; 31.0% SM) provided survey data collected across 12 bimonthly assessments. Six assessments were measured in 2015 or 2016 and six across the coronavirus pandemic (2020-2021). Controlling for prepandemic assessments matched by calendar month, latent structural equation models examined group differences in alcohol and cannabis frequency and consequences across the COVID-19 period and tested coping motives as mediators of these differences. RESULTS: Substance use and consequences were similar during the pandemic relative to prepandemic levels across groups. Nonetheless, compared to non-SM individuals, SM participants reported greater cannabis frequency, consequences, and cannabis coping motives during the pandemic independent of prepandemic levels. Cannabis use and consequences were each explained largely by coping motives during the pandemic among SM compared to non-SM YAs. These patterns were not found for alcohol outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has widened cannabis disparities between SM and non-SM YAs, due in part to pandemic-related increases in coping motives. Responsive public policy is needed that may prevent and remit SM cannabis disparities during societal crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Using substances to cope with social anxiety: Associations with use and consequences in daily life.

OBJECTIVE: Using substances to cope with social anxiety is robustly related to negative consequences. The present study uses daily-level methods to test whether days young adults used substances to cope with social anxiety were associated with greater alcohol and cannabis use and consequences compared to use days without this motive. METHOD: Participants were a community sample of young adults enrolled in a study on alcohol and cannabis use, which involved a baseline survey and five 2-week bursts of online daily surveys across 2 years. Aims were tested using multilevel models among a subsample of 257 participants who reported social anxiety coping motives 1 day or more during the study period; Mage = 21.8 (SDage = 2.2), 51% female; 49% non-Hispanic/Latinx White. RESULTS: Compared to use days without social anxiety coping motives, days with social anxiety coping motives were associated with more drinks consumed and more positive and negative alcohol consequences on alcohol-only days, more negative cannabis consequences on cannabis-only days, and heavier use, more negative cannabis consequences, and more positive consequences for both substances on co-use days. Days with social anxiety coping motives were associated with a greater likelihood of positive item-level consequences (e.g., "was more sociable") on drinking days. Baseline social anxiety symptoms did not moderate associations. CONCLUSIONS: Days young adults used substances to cope with social anxiety were high-risk days for elevated substance use and consequences, regardless of baseline social anxiety. Positive consequences attained through drinking to cope with social anxiety may be an important pathway that reinforces coping motivated use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"Wake-and-bake" cannabis use: Predictors and cannabis-related outcomes of use shortly after waking.

BACKGROUND: Given recent historical increases in young adults frequent cannabis use and changes in cannabis policies throughout the United States, there is a need to examine high-risk patterns of use. This paper examined predictors and cannabis-related outcomes of "wake-and-bake" cannabis use, operationalized as use within 30min of waking. METHODS: Participants were 409 young adults (Mage=21.61 years, 50.8% female) enrolled in a longitudinal study on simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (i.e., using alcohol and cannabis at the same time such that their effects overlap). Eligibility criteria included reporting alcohol use 3+ times and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use 1+ times in the past month. Participants completed twice-daily surveys for six 14-day bursts across two calendar years. Aims were tested using multilevel models. RESULTS: Analyses were limited to cannabis use days (9406 days; 33.3% of all sampled days), and thereby to participants who reported using cannabis (384 participants; 93.9% of the sample). Wake-and-bake use was reported on 11.2% of cannabis use days and at least once by 35.4% of participants who used cannabis. On wake-and-bake use days, participants were high for more hours and had greater odds of driving under the influence of cannabis, but did not experience more negative consequences, relative to non-wake-and-bake cannabis use days. Participants who reported more cannabis use disorder symptoms and those reporting higher average social anxiety motives for cannabis use reported more frequent wake-and-bake use. CONCLUSIONS: Wake-and-bake cannabis use may be a useful marker of high-risk cannabis use, including driving under the influence of cannabis.

Daily-level relationships between negative affect, negative emotion differentiation, and cannabis behaviors among a high-risk sample of young adults.

Prior research suggests that higher trait negative emotion differentiation (NED; one's ability to make subtle distinctions between different negative emotional states) is associated with consuming less alcohol when experiencing high negative affect (NA) in daily life. Yet, whether these findings extend to cannabis use behaviors is unclear. The present study used intensive daily data to test whether NED moderated the relationship between NA and cannabis behaviors. A community sample of 409 young adults who used alcohol and cannabis completed a baseline survey and five 2-week bursts of online surveys across two years. Multilevel models tested cross-level interactions between trait NED (person-level) and daily NA (daily-level) predicting cannabis use, hours high, negative consequences, craving, and coping motives. In contrast to expectations, on days with higher reported NA, people with higher NED (compared to those with lower NED) had a greater likelihood of experiencing any cannabis craving, experienced more intense craving, and reported higher cannabis coping motives. NED x NA interaction was not significant for likelihood of cannabis use, hours high, or negative consequences. Post-hoc descriptive analyses suggest notable person-specific heterogeneity in these findings. Individuals with higher ability to differentiate between negative emotions reported higher coping motives and craving when experiencing higher NA. However, these associations were variable for individuals within the sample. It may be that high NED individuals crave and purposefully use cannabis to reduce NA states. Findings are inconsistent with the alcohol literature and have important implications for intervention efforts aimed at reducing coping-motivated cannabis use among young adults.

Development and initial psychometric properties of the Cannabidiol Outcome Expectancies Questionnaire (CBD-OEQ).

Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, is used by many individuals to treat medical and mental health conditions, despite limited support for the efficacy of CBD for these conditions. Identification of CBD-related outcome expectancies (i.e., beliefs concerning the anticipated effects of CBD) could be useful in understanding the etiology and maintenance of CBD use and/or be useful in administration or clinical trial research. Although there are several measures of cannabis outcome expectancies, cannabis comprises several active compounds (e.g., tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], CBD). Thus, cannabis outcome expectancies may not reflect CBD-specific outcome expectancies. Yet, no known CBD-specific outcome expectancy measure exists. The present study used a three-phase, mixed-methods approach to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Cannabidiol Outcome Expectancy Questionnaire (CBD-OEQ). The CBD-OEQ assessed endorsement (i.e., how much an individual agrees/disagrees with an expected outcome) and desirability ratings (i.e., how desirable an expected outcome is). The initial item pool was administered to 600 adults who endorsed having heard of or using CBD products. Factor analyses supported a 60-item, six-factor structure. There was an initial support for internal consistency and convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the CBD-OEQ subscale scores in the present sample. Desirability ratings explained minimal additional variance in CBD variables for most subscales, but moderated the relationship between endorsement ratings and use behaviors for Global Negative Effects and No Effect subscales. The newly developed CBD-OEQ could be used as both a research and a clinical tool. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Social Anxiety and Pre-Party Motives Are Associated With Alcohol-Related Negative Consequences During College Students' Most Recent Pre-Party Occasion.

OBJECTIVE: Engaging in hazardous drinking behaviors, such as playing drinking games or pre-partying, is associated with excessive drinking and negative consequences among college students. Pre-partying or playing drinking games often occurs in anticipation of or during social situations. College students with elevated social anxiety who drink to cope with social anxiety symptoms in social settings may be especially vulnerable to drinking more heavily in these contexts and, in turn, experiencing more negative consequences. However, little is known about specific psychosocial factors that may inform the decision of socially anxious individuals to engage in hazardous drinking behaviors. METHOD: The current study used cross-sectional data to test whether social anxiety symptoms and past-year pre-party motives were associated with (a) a greater likelihood of playing drinking games while pre-partying, (b) total alcohol consumption, and (c) consequences during students' most recent drinking occasion during which they pre-partied. RESULTS: Participants were 981 college students (63.5% women, 67.9% White, mean age = 20.1 years, SD = 1.3) who reported on their most recent pre-party drinking occasion. Greater social anxiety symptoms were related to higher past-year interpersonal enhancement and intimate pursuit motives, which in turn were associated with greater alcohol consumption and more negative consequences during the most recent pre-party event. CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, results highlight the importance of considering pre-party motives associated with social anxiety and negative drinking consequences among college students.

Examining daily associations between mental health symptoms and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and consequences among young adults.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined daily associations between mental health symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use and use-related negative consequences among young adults. METHOD: Participants were a community sample of 409 young adults between the ages of 18-25 who drank alcohol at least three times in the past month and reported SAM use in the past month (Mage = 21.6, 50.9% female). A baseline assessment included a measure of SAM use motives, after which participants completed five 14-day bursts reporting daily mental health symptoms and alcohol/marijuana use. RESULTS: Daily mental health symptoms were not associated with SAM use likelihood. However, baseline SAM coping motives moderated the association between mental health symptoms and use such that young adults with stronger coping motives showed a stronger positive association between mental health symptoms and SAM use. Further, on SAM use days, reporting more mental health symptoms relative to one's average was associated with experiencing more use-related negative consequences, even after controlling for daily levels of alcohol and marijuana use (RR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.05, p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: The association between daily mental health symptoms and SAM use depended on whether the young adults had coping motives for use. Daily fluctuations in mental health were associated with negative use-related consequences experienced on SAM use days regardless of motives. These findings highlight the potential importance of prevention and intervention strategies particularly on days when young adults are experiencing increased mental health symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).