Psychology Commons^™

Measuring Heightened Attention To Alcohol In A Naturalistic Setting: A Validation Study, Ramey G. Monem, Mark T. Fillmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli is believed to be an important contributor to the development and maintenance of drug abuse. There is a considerable body of research examining attentional bias, much of which has typically utilized image-display tasks as a means to assess the phenomenon. Little, however, is known about the nature of this bias in an individual’s natural environment. The current study sought to implement a novel approach to assessing attentional bias in vivo. Participants wore portable eye-tracking glasses that recorded video from their point of view and measured fixation time to objects they observed. They entered a room …

A Pilot Study Of Loss Aversion For Drug And Non-Drug Commodities In Cocaine Users, Justin Charles Strickland, Joshua S. Beckmann, Craig R. Rush, William W. Stoops

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background—Numerous studies in behavioral economics have demonstrated that individuals are more sensitive to the prospect of a loss than a gain (i.e., loss aversion). Although loss aversion has been well described in “healthy” populations, little research exists in individuals with substance use disorders. This gap is notable considering the prominent role that choice and decision-making play in drug use. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate loss aversion in active cocaine users.

Methods—Current cocaine users (N = 38; 42% female) participated in this within-subjects laboratory pilot study. Subjects completed a battery of tasks designed to assess …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Reciprocal Relationship Between Ever Smoking And Urgency In Early Adolescence, Jessica L. Burris, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gabriella E. Puleo, Gregory T. Smith

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background—Among early adolescents in the United States (U.S.), the prevalence of cigarette smoking is at its lowest level in recent decades. Nonetheless, given the risks of smoking in early development, it remains critically important to study both risk factors for smoking and risks from smoking. This longitudinal study with U.S. early adolescents examines smoking initiation and tests a model of reciprocal prediction between ever smoking and the personality trait of urgency (i.e., mood-based impulsivity), a trait that increases risk for multiple forms of dysfunction.

Methods—Participants (n=1906; 90% 10–11 years old, 50% female, 39% racial minorities at …

An Initial Application Of A Biopsychosocial Framework To Predict Posttraumatic Stress Following Pediatric Injury, Meghan L. Marsac, Nancy Kassam-Adams, Douglas L. Delahanty, Jeffrey Ciesla, Danielle Weiss, Keith F. Widaman, Lamia P. Barakat

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Objectives—Each year millions of children suffer from unintentional injuries that result in poor emotional and physical health. This study examined selected biopsychosocial factors (i.e., child heart rate, peritrauma appraisals, early coping, trauma history) to elucidate their roles in promoting emotional recovery following injury. The study evaluated specific hypotheses that threat appraisals (global and trauma-specific) and coping would predict subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), that coping would mediate the association between early and later PTSS, and that heart rate would predict PTSS and appraisals would mediate this association.

Method—Participants were 96 children hospitalized for injury and assessed at 3 …

Examining The Protective Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Drug Attitudes And Use Among A Diverse Youth Population, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Sycarah Fisher, Devin E. Banks, Devon J. Hensel, Jessica Barnes-Najor

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Ethnic identity is an important buffer against drug use among minority youth. However, limited work has examined pathways through which ethnic identity mitigates risk. School-aged youth (N = 34,708; 52 % female) of diverse backgrounds (i.e., African American (n = 5333), Asian (n = 392), Hispanic (n = 662), Multiracial (n = 2129), Native American (n = 474), and White (n = 25718) in grades 4–12 provided data on ethnic identity, drug attitudes, and drug use. After controlling for gender and grade, higher ethnic identity was associated with lower past month drug use …

Social Rejection Magnifies Impulsive Behavior Among Individuals With Greater Negative Urgency: An Experimental Test Of Urgency Theory, David S. Chester, Donald R. Lynam, Richard S. Milich, C. Nathan Dewall

Psychology Faculty Publications

Impulsivity is a multifaceted trait with substantial implications for human well-being. One facet of impulsivity is negative urgency, the tendency to act impulsively in response to negative affect. Correlational evidence suggests that negative affect magnifies impulsive behavior among individuals with greater negative urgency, yet causal evidence for this core pillar of urgency theory is lacking. To fill this gap in the literature, participants (N = 363) were randomly assigned to experience social rejection (a situation shown to induce negative affect) or acceptance. Participants then reported their subjective negative affect, completed a behavioral measure of impulsivity, and reported their negative …

Laboratory Analysis Of Risky Driving At 0.05% And 0.08% Blood Alcohol Concentration, Nicholas A. Van Dyke, Mark T. Fillmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background—The public health costs associated with alcohol-related traffic crashes are a continuing problem for society. One harm reduction strategy has been to employ per se limits for blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at which drivers can legally operate motor vehicles. This limit is currently 0.08% in all 50 US states. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board proposed lowering the legal limit to 0.05 % (NTSB, 2013). While research has well-validated the ability of alcohol to impair driving performance and heighten crash-risk at these BACs, relatively little is known about the degree to which alcohol might increase drivers’ risk-taking.

Methods—Risk-taking …

Neurophysiological Capacity In A Working Memory Task Differentiates Dependent From Nondependent Heavy Drinkers And Controls, Michael J. Wesley, Joshua A. Lile, Mark T. Fillmore, Linda J. Porrino

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background—Determining the brain-behavior profiles that differentiate heavy drinkers who are and are not alcohol dependent will inform treatment efforts. Working memory is linked to substance use disorders and can serve as a representation of the demand placed on the neurophysiology associated with cognitive control.

Methods—Behavior and brain activity (via fMRI) were recorded during an N-Back working memory task in controls (CTRL), nondependent heavy drinkers (A-ND) and dependent heavy drinkers (A-D). Typical and novel step-wise analyses examined profiles of working memory load and increasing task demand, respectively.

Results—Performance was significantly decreased in A-D during high working memory load …

Serious Mental Illness Among Young Adult Women Who Use Drugs In The Club Scene: Co-Occurring Biopsychosocial Factors, Maayan Lawental, Hilary L. Surratt, Mance E. Buttram, Steven P. Kurtz

Center for Health Services Research Faculty Publications

Young women who regularly attend nightclubs are at risk for numerous health and social consequences, including mental distress, sexual and physical victimization and substance dependence. This paper uses a biopsychosocial framework to examine co-occurring mental health problems, victimization, substance dependence, sexual risk and physical pain among a sample of young women who use drugs (N = 222) in Miami’s club scene. The majority of women were under 24 years old, Hispanic, and identified as heterosexual. Almost all the women reported past 90-day use of alcohol, ecstasy/MDMA, marijuana, cocaine and prescription opioids and benzodiazepines; 32% of women reported being in a …

Habituation Of Distress And Craving During Treatment As Predictors Of Change In Ptsd Symptoms And Substance Use Severity, Christal L. Badour, Julianne C. Flanagan, Daniel F. Gros, Therese Killeen, Irene Pericot-Valverde, Kristina J. Korte, Nicholas P. Allan, Sudie E. Back

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective—Increasing evidence supports the efficacy of trauma-focused exposure therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring substance use disorders. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms of change in treatment for patients with PTSD and co-occurring substance use disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine whether within- and between-session habituation of distress and substance craving during imaginal exposure relates to treatment outcomes among U.S. military veterans with PTSD and a co-occurring substance use disorder (N = 54).

Method—Veterans received Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure, a manualized …

Faster Self-Paced Rate Of Drinking For Alcohol Mixed With Energy Drinks Versus Alcohol Alone, Cecile A. Marczinski, Mark T. Fillmore, Sarah F. Maloney, Amy L. Stamates

Psychology Faculty Publications

The consumption of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) has been associated with higher rates of binge drinking and impaired driving when compared with alcohol alone. However, it remains unclear why the risks of use of AmED are heightened compared with alcohol alone even when the doses of alcohol consumed are similar. Therefore, the purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate if the rate of self-paced beverage consumption was faster for a dose of AmED versus alcohol alone using a double-blind, within-subjects, placebo-controlled study design. Participants (n = 16) of equal gender who were social drinkers attended 4 separate …

Curbing The Dui Offender's Self-Efficacy To Drink And Drive: A Laboratory Study, Walter Roberts, Mark T. Fillmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background—People arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are at high risk to reoffend. One reason for this high rate of recidivism among DUI offenders is that these individuals systematically underestimate the degree to which alcohol impairs their ability to drive. This study compared perceived and objective driving ability following alcohol and performance feedback in drivers with and without a history of DUI.

Method—Adult drivers with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) a history of DUI arrest attended two dose challenge sessions where they received 0.64 g/kg alcohol or placebo, completed a simulated driving …

The Art And Skill Of Delivering Culturally Responsive Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy In Tanzania And Kenya., Briana Woods-Jaeger, Christine M. Kava, Christopher F. Akiba, Leah Lucid, Shannon Dorsey

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the facilitators, barriers, and strategies used to deliver a child mental health evidence-based treatment (EBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), in a culturally responsive manner. In low- and middle-income countries most individuals with mental health problems do not receive treatment due to a shortage of mental health professionals. One approach to addressing this problem is task-sharing, in which lay counselors are trained to deliver mental health treatment. Combining this approach with a focus on EBT provides a strategy for bridging the mental health treatment gap. However, little is known about how western-developed EBTs are delivered in …

Self-Reported Pain In Male And Female Iraq/Afghanistan-Era Veterans: Associations With Psychiatric Symptoms And Functioning, Jennifer C. Naylor, H. Ryan Wagner, Mira Brancu, Megan Shepherd-Banigan, Eric Elbogen, Michelle Kelley, Teresa Fecteau, Karen Goldstein, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Christine E. Marx

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective. To examine pain symptoms and co-occurring psychiatric and functional indices in male and female Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.

Design. Self-reported data collection and interviews of Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans who participated in a multisite study of postdeployment mental health.

Setting. Veterans were enrolled at one of four participating VA sites.

Subjects. Two thousand five hundred eighty-seven male and 662 female Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans.

Methods. Nonparametric Wilcoxon rank tests examined differences in pain scores between male and female veterans. Chi-square tests assessed differences between male and female veterans in the proportion of respondents endorsing moderate to high levels of pain vs no pain. Multilevel …

Protective Behavioral Strategies As A Context-Specific Mediator: A Multilevel Examination Of Within- And Between-Person Associations Of Daily Drinking, Abby L. Braitman, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, James M. Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research indicates that a drinker’s environmental and social context can be differentially associated with drinking outcomes. Further, although many researchers have identified that more frequent use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) is associated with lower alcohol consumption and negative consequences, scant research has examined how one’s drinking context may promote or hinder PBS use. The present study examined how the context of drinking each day (i.e., where and with whom) is associated with level of consumption and reported alcohol-related problems among n = 284 college drinkers (69.0% female) directly, as well as indirectly through the use of PBS. Two different …