Richards VL, Turrisi RJ, Russell MA. Subjective intoxication predicts alcohol-related consequences at equivalent alcohol concentrations in young adults using ecological momentary assessment and alcohol sensors.
PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 2024;
38:334-346. [PMID:
38271080 PMCID:
PMC11065600 DOI:
10.1037/adb0000993]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Subjective intoxication (SI) when drinking may serve as an internal barometer of whether to continue drinking or engage in potentially unsafe behavior. Mobile assessments offer the potential to use SI as a prospective risk indicator during drinking episodes; little evidence exists for the validity of real-time SI measures. We test the correspondence of SI with estimated blood alcohol concentration and transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) in young adults' natural settings. We provide a novel test of whether SI features (peak and mean SI) uniquely predict consequences adjusting for alcohol concentration.
METHOD
Two hundred twenty-two heavy-drinking young adults (Mage = 22.3, 64% female, 79% non-Hispanic White, 84% undergraduates) participated in a 6-day study that used ecological momentary assessment of drinking and TAC sensors. SI was assessed every 30 min during drinking episodes. Multilevel modeling was used to test hypotheses.
RESULTS
Momentary SI and estimated blood alcohol concentration had moderate associations at the moment and day levels (standardized βs = 0.5-0.6); SI was moderately associated with TAC at the day level (βs = 0.5). Associations between SI and alcohol concentration varied widely between persons and across days. Day-level SI features predicted consequences when adjusting for alcohol concentration (incidence rate ratios, IRRs = 1.29-1.70).
CONCLUSIONS
Our two-item SI measure shows evidence of validity in real-world settings with heavy-drinking young adults. SI was significantly correlated with alcohol concentration and was a unique predictor of consequences. The strength of these associations varied greatly across persons and days. Real-time SI measurement may be useful in preventive interventions, but continued research is needed into when and for whom momentary SI is most predictive of risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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