Stress-response-dampening effects of alcohol: attention as a mediator and moderator

Subjective stress and any drinking during alcohol treatment: Disentangling within and between person autoregressive effects

Alcohol use has been shown to increase stress, and there is some evidence that stress predicts subsequent alcohol use during treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly among females who are more likely to report coping-motivated drinking. Gaining a better understanding of the processes by which stress and alcohol use are linked during treatment could potentially inform AUD treatment planning. The current study aimed to characterize the association between stress and drinking during the course of AUD treatment and whether there were sex differences in these associations. Secondary data analyses of the COMBINE study (N = 1375; 69% male, 76.3% non-Hispanic and white, average age of 44.4 years) were conducted to examine self-reported perceived stress and alcohol consumption across 16 weeks of treatment for AUD using a Bayesian random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. There was stronger evidence for any alcohol use predicting greater than typical stress in subsequent weeks and less strong evidence for stress increasing the subsequent probability of alcohol use, particularly among males. For females, greater stress predicted subsequent drinking earlier in the treatment period, and a lower probability of subsequent drinking in the last week of treatment. Interventions might specifically focus on targeting reductions in stress following drinking occasions.

Relieving the Gambling Itch Through Alcohol Consumption: The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Australian Casino Patrons

This paper extends our understanding of how casino patrons are affected by COVID-19 restrictions and how they cope by substituting gambling with alcohol consumption. We conducted two studies using a nationwide survey sample collected in Australia during the pandemic lockdown. Study 1 compares the casino patrons with two reference groups (other gambling patrons and non-gambling individuals) and investigates the lockdown restrictions on respondents' relational strength, and their potential impact on mental health and future prospects. Study 2 applies the stress-response dampening model (SRD) and tests how respondents used alcohol consumption to cope with the lack of access to casinos during the lockdown. The results from Study 1 suggest that lockdown restrictions on respondents' relational strength have significant negative impacts on anxiety, life satisfaction and post-pandemic outlook. Study 2 finds that casino patrons substituted gambling with alcohol consumption during the lockdown, with increased alcohol consumption negatively related to life satisfaction. Paradoxically, Australian gambling venue owners may not be adversely affected as many also run liquor retail operations.

Decoding reappraisal and suppression from neural circuits: A combined supervised and unsupervised machine learning approach

Emotion regulation is a core construct of mental health and deficits in emotion regulation abilities lead to psychological disorders. Reappraisal and suppression are two widely studied emotion regulation strategies but, possibly due to methodological limitations in previous studies, a consistent picture of the neural correlates related to the individual differences in their habitual use remains elusive. To address these issues, the present study applied a combination of unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms to the structural MRI scans of 128 individuals. First, unsupervised machine learning was used to separate the brain into naturally grouping grey matter circuits. Then, supervised machine learning was applied to predict individual differences in the use of different strategies of emotion regulation. Two predictive models, including structural brain features and psychological ones, were tested. Results showed that a temporo-parahippocampal-orbitofrontal network successfully predicted the individual differences in the use of reappraisal. Differently, insular and fronto-temporo-cerebellar networks successfully predicted suppression. In both predictive models, anxiety, the opposite strategy, and specific emotional intelligence factors played a role in predicting the use of reappraisal and suppression. This work provides new insights regarding the decoding of individual differences from structural features and other psychologically relevant variables while extending previous observations on the neural bases of emotion regulation strategies.

Subjective stress and alcohol use among young adult and adult drinkers: Systematic review of studies using Intensive Longitudinal Designs

Background: Understanding how stress dynamically associates with alcohol use could provide a finer-grain resolution of drinking behavior, facilitating development of more effective and personalized interventions. The primary aim of this systematic review was to examine research using Intensive Longitudinal Designs (ILDs) to determine if greater naturalistic reports of subjective stress (e.g., those assessed moment-to-moment, day-to-day) in alcohol-drinkers associated with a) greater frequency of subsequent drinking, b) greater quantity of subsequent drinking, and c) whether between-/within-person variables moderate or mediate any relationships between stress and alcohol use. Methods: Using PRISMA guidelines, we searched EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases in December 2020, ultimately identifying 18 eligible articles, representing 14 distinct studies, from a potential pool of 2,065 studies. Results: Results suggested subjective stress equivocally predicted subsequent alcohol use; in contrast, alcohol use consistently demonstrated an inverse relationship with subsequent subjective stress. These findings remained across ILD sampling strategy and most study characteristics, except for sample type (treatment-seeking vs. community/collegiate). Conclusions: Results appear to emphasize the stress-dampening effects of alcohol on subsequent stress levels and reactivity. Classic tension-reduction models may instead be most applicable to heavier-drinking samples and appear nuanced in lighter-drinking populations, and may depend on specific moderators/mediators (e.g., race/ethnicity, sex, relative coping-strategy use). Notably, a preponderance of studies utilized once-daily, concurrent assessments of subjective stress and alcohol use. Future studies may find greater consistency by implementing ILDs that integrate multiple within-day signal-based assessments, theoretically-relevant event-contingent prompts (e.g., stressor-occurrence, consumption initiation/cessation), and ecological context (e.g., weekday, alcohol availability).

The paradoxical association between tension-reduction alcohol outcome expectancies and tension following alcohol consumption

BACKGROUND

Behavioral models suggest that strong tension-reduction alcohol-outcome expectancies (TREs) among drinkers should be associated with greater tension reduction after drinking. Yet, the few studies investigating this have found either no relationship or the opposite relationship.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to explore this relationship by building upon the limitations of past studies and employing a placebo-controlled, within-subject experimental design.

METHODS

Sixty social drinkers (26 M, 34 F) visited the lab on two occasions spaced one week apart. Each participant was randomly assigned to receive alcoholic drinks targeting a BAC of 0.05% on one testing day and placebo drinks on the other, with the order counter-balanced. On both testing days, participants completed measures of state anxiety and fear both before drinking and following a drinking/absorption period. While completing the self-report measures, participants were anticipating an impending, mildly stressful heartbeat perception task.

RESULTS

Multilevel modeling revealed that the more strongly individuals believed that alcohol reduces tension, the less the pharmacologic properties of alcohol did so (p = .02 for the state anxiety outcome measure; p = .001 for the fear outcome measure). This was the case even with anxiety sensitivity - a known predictor of stress-response dampening - controlled for.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide further evidence for the paradoxical association of TREs and the dampening of anxiety. Additionally, the findings are consistent with the basis of expectancy challenges that aim to reframe inaccurate TREs among drinkers.

Changes in substance use and other reinforcing behaviours during the COVID-19 crisis in a general population cohort study of young Swiss men

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

There are concerns about the potential impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on substance use (SU) and other reinforcing behaviours (ORB). This paper investigates changes in SU and ORB among young men during the COVID-19 crisis (i.e. March-June 2020).

METHODS

Before and during the COVID-19 crisis, 2,344 young Swiss men completed questionnaires covering SU (i.e. alcohol, cigarettes, illegal cannabis), ORB (i.e. gaming, watching TV series, internet pornography) and sociodemographic and work-related characteristics (i.e. deterioration in the work situation, change in working hours, change in working hours from home, healthcare workers' and other professionals' contacts with potentially infected people, linguistic region, call up to military or civil protection unit, living situation, age).

RESULTS

Latent-change score models showed significant decreases of 17% for drinking volume and frequency of heavy episodic drinking, and a significant increase of 75% for time spent gaming and watching TV series. Subgroups showed greater relative increases. French-speaking participants, those who experienced a deterioration in their work situation and healthcare workers in contact with potentially infected people reported increased cigarette use. Those without children increased gaming, whereas those who worked fewer hours, experienced a deterioration in their work situation or were French-speaking did more gaming and watched more TV series. Those who lived alone or were German-speaking watched more internet pornography.

CONCLUSION

During the COVID-19 crisis, young Swiss men drank less alcohol and spent more time gaming and watching TV series. Changes in SU and ORB were not homogenous in the young Swiss men population.

Review of Changes in the Reinforcing Effects of Alcohol in Weight Loss Surgery Patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The reinforcing effects of alcohol are well documented, and they have been shown to play a role in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Also well established is the fact that post-weight loss surgery (WLS) patients are at an increased risk for AUDs. In the current manuscript, we review the notion that the reinforcing effects of alcohol may change from before to after WLS and discuss a number of determinants of alcohol reinforcement change in WLS patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

It has been increasingly well understood that WLS patients are at an increased risk for AUD, but empirical support for the mechanisms that may cause this phenomenon have been lacking. Recently, a model was proposed that offered a number of different potentially causal variables as mechanisms that result in increased risk for AUD in these surgical patients. Change in the extent to which alcohol is reinforcing to WLS patients may be key in determining the likelihood of AUDs in this group. We review a host of biological, psychological, and social variables that ultimately impact how reinforcing alcohol is to WLS patients.

Mean Versus Variability: Disentangling Stress Effects on Alcohol Lapses Among Individuals in the First Year of Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery

OBJECTIVE

Although stress is a well-known predictor of alcohol use lapses among individuals seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD), most research has relied on retrospective self-report using conventional questionnaires that explore stress effects at the level of the mean. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) overcomes many of the shortcomings of questionnaire-based, retrospective self-report by using real-time, in-the-environment evaluations for the acquisition of ecologically valid data that can also capture stress variability. The present investigation used EMA to disentangle stress effects on alcohol lapses among individuals in the first year of an AUD recovery attempt by exploring associations between mean-level stress, stress variability, and subsequent alcohol use.

METHOD

Participants (N = 42) completed 6 days of EMA monitoring and were then followed up 90 days later to assess alcohol use. Putative associations were explored using hierarchical regression controlling for demographic factors and pre-baseline alcohol use, with percentage days abstinent from alcohol at follow-up as the outcome variable.

RESULTS

An interaction effect was observed such that the combination of high mean stress level and high stress variability was associated with the lowest percentage of days abstinent. For those with high mean stress levels, this relationship was attenuated as stress variability decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support previous research linking stress to alcohol use lapses; however, these results indicate that the stress/alcohol use relationship is more nuanced than previously described. Our findings suggest that stress variability should also be considered in clinical contexts when assessing risk conferred by mean-level stress.

Mean Versus Variability: Disentangling Stress Effects on Alcohol Lapses Among Individuals in the First Year of Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery

OBJECTIVE

Although stress is a well-known predictor of alcohol use lapses among individuals seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD), most research has relied on retrospective self-report using conventional questionnaires that explore stress effects at the level of the mean. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) overcomes many of the shortcomings of questionnaire-based, retrospective self-report by using real-time, in-the-environment evaluations for the acquisition of ecologically valid data that can also capture stress variability. The present investigation used EMA to disentangle stress effects on alcohol lapses among individuals in the first year of an AUD recovery attempt by exploring associations between mean-level stress, stress variability, and subsequent alcohol use.

METHOD

Participants (N = 42) completed 6 days of EMA monitoring and were then followed up 90 days later to assess alcohol use. Putative associations were explored using hierarchical regression controlling for demographic factors and pre-baseline alcohol use, with percentage days abstinent from alcohol at follow-up as the outcome variable.

RESULTS

An interaction effect was observed such that the combination of high mean stress level and high stress variability was associated with the lowest percentage of days abstinent. For those with high mean stress levels, this relationship was attenuated as stress variability decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support previous research linking stress to alcohol use lapses; however, these results indicate that the stress/alcohol use relationship is more nuanced than previously described. Our findings suggest that stress variability should also be considered in clinical contexts when assessing risk conferred by mean-level stress.

Acute Tolerance to the Analgesic Effects of Alcohol

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to determine whether the acute analgesic effects of alcohol intake are moderated by acute alcohol tolerance, characterized by differing subjective and neurobehavioral effects of a given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) depending on whether BAC is rising or falling.

METHOD

Twenty-nine healthy drinkers (20 women) completed two laboratory sessions in which they consumed a study beverage: active alcohol (target BAC= .08 g/dl) and placebo. Acute alcohol tolerance was assessed by examining the main and interactive effects of beverage condition and assessment limb (ascending vs. descending) on quantitative sensory testing measures collected using slowly ramping heat stimuli and perceived relief ratings at comparable breath alcohol concentrations on the ascending and descending limbs.

RESULTS

BAC limb moderated the effect of condition on pain threshold, such that the threshold was significantly elevated in the alcohol condition on the ascending limb. The alcohol condition produced greater ratings of perceived pain relief than the placebo condition, and pain relief ratings were greater on the ascending versus descending limb of the BAC curve. Alcohol intake did not significantly affect pain tolerance or aftersensation ratings on either BAC limb.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides initial experimental evidence that alcohol's analgesic and pain-relieving effects are subject to acute tolerance following acute alcohol intake. These findings suggest that self-medicating pain via alcohol intake may be associated with high-risk drinking topography, increasing the risk for alcohol-related consequences. Further research is needed to determine if these effects extend to the context of clinical and chronic pain.

Acute Tolerance to the Analgesic Effects of Alcohol

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to determine whether the acute analgesic effects of alcohol intake are moderated by acute alcohol tolerance, characterized by differing subjective and neurobehavioral effects of a given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) depending on whether BAC is rising or falling.

METHOD

Twenty-nine healthy drinkers (20 women) completed two laboratory sessions in which they consumed a study beverage: active alcohol (target BAC= .08 g/dl) and placebo. Acute alcohol tolerance was assessed by examining the main and interactive effects of beverage condition and assessment limb (ascending vs. descending) on quantitative sensory testing measures collected using slowly ramping heat stimuli and perceived relief ratings at comparable breath alcohol concentrations on the ascending and descending limbs.

RESULTS

BAC limb moderated the effect of condition on pain threshold, such that the threshold was significantly elevated in the alcohol condition on the ascending limb. The alcohol condition produced greater ratings of perceived pain relief than the placebo condition, and pain relief ratings were greater on the ascending versus descending limb of the BAC curve. Alcohol intake did not significantly affect pain tolerance or aftersensation ratings on either BAC limb.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides initial experimental evidence that alcohol's analgesic and pain-relieving effects are subject to acute tolerance following acute alcohol intake. These findings suggest that self-medicating pain via alcohol intake may be associated with high-risk drinking topography, increasing the risk for alcohol-related consequences. Further research is needed to determine if these effects extend to the context of clinical and chronic pain.

Associations between physiological and self-reported indices of emotion dysregulation across varying levels of alcohol use among individuals with and without borderline personality disorder

Emotional functioning can be assessed across multiple levels of analysis (e.g., subjective, physiological). The degree of concordance/discordance across such indices may mark psychopathology risk. The current study assessed associations between physiological and subjective indices of emotional responding among drinkers, with (n = 39) and without (n = 42) borderline personality disorder. Subjective changes in affect were assessed by calculating difference scores on the Positive and Negative Affective Schedule, administered before and following a lab-based stress task. Physiological dysregulation was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity. We created Discordance Index scores to examine the direction and magnitude of misalignment. More frequent alcohol use was associated with greater discordance between RSA and positive affect changes (β = -0.07, p-value = 0.009). Findings were confirmed with a response surface modeling analysis. Results highlight that individuals with greater discordance between indices of emotional responding may be at elevated risk for frequent alcohol use.

Prevalence and associated factors of alcohol use patterns among university students in Uganda

Introduction

majority of alcohol use pattern studies among university students are from developed countries. Information about the different alcohol use patterns and their correlates among university students in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and cardinal demographic and psychosocial factors associated with specific alcohol use patterns among Ugandan university students.

Methods

a cross section study conducted over 5-months among university students using a standardized socio-demographic questionnaire screened for alcohol use problems, depression symptoms and academic stress using the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT), self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the higher education stress inventory (HESI) respectively. Multivariate multinomial regression models were used to determine factors independently associated with a specific alcohol use pattern with low-risk drinkers as the reference group.

Results

a thousand out of 1200 students completed all study requirements for which 60% were males; median age was 22.3 (SD=2.36). The prevalence estimates of any alcohol use, low-risk drinking, heavy episodic drinking and alcohol misuse were 31%, 17.3%, 4.5% and 8.9% respectively. In comparison to low-risk drinkers, students reporting heavy episodic drinking were more likely to report high levels of academic stress (P-value <0.10). Those with alcohol misuse were more likely to be males and with significant depression symptoms (P-value ≤0.05). Non-alcohol users were more likely to report high levels of academic stress (P-value ≤0.05).

Conclusion

the prevalence of maladaptive alcohol use patterns is high among Ugandan university students. Integrating peer led psychological interventions into student health services is desperately needed.

Acute effects of alcohol on error-elicited negative affect during a cognitive control task

RATIONALE

Alcohol intoxication can dampen negative affective reactions to stressors. Recently, it has been proposed that these acute anxiolytic effects of alcohol may extend to dampening of negative affective reactions to error commission during cognitive control tasks. Nonetheless, empirical verification of this claim is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

Test the acute effect of alcohol on negative affective reactions to errors during an effort-demanding cognitive control task.

METHODS

Healthy, young adult social drinkers (N = 96 [49 women], 21-36 years old) were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (0.80 g/kg; n = 33 [15 female]), active placebo (0.04 g/kg; n = 33 [18 women]), or a non-alcoholic control beverage (n = 30 [16 women]) before completing the Eriksen flanker task. Corrugator supercilii (Corr) activation, a psychophysiological index of negative affect, was tracked across the task. Two neurophysiological reactions to errors, the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe), were also measured.

RESULTS

Erroneous actions increased Corr activation in the control and (to a lesser extent) placebo groups, but not in the alcohol group. Error-induced Corr activation was coupled to ERN and Pe in the control, but not in the alcohol and placebo groups. Error-induced Corr activation was not coupled to post-error performance adjustments in any group.

CONCLUSIONS

The ability of alcohol to dampen error-related negative affect was verified. It was also shown that placebo alone can disrupt coupling of affective and (neuro)cognitive reactions to errors. Although its behavioral relevance remains to be demonstrated, more attention should be paid to the role of affect in action monitoring and cognitive control processes.

Female drinkers are more sensitive than male drinkers to alcohol-induced heart rate increase

The present study examined the acute effect of alcohol and its cues on autonomic and cardiovascular physiology, as indexed by changes in heart rate (HR), in a relatively large sample of healthy young adult men and women. Participants (27-31 years old, final N = 145) were administered an alcoholic beverage (n = 88; 52 women) or a placebo beverage (n = 57; 35 women) in a simulated bar. Target breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) was .08 g%. HR was recorded while participants were seated alone during an initial baseline assessment in a lab room; seated with others during preparation and administration of 2 beverages in a simulated bar; and seated alone in the lab room at ascending, peak, and descending BrAC. HR increased over time for participants in both beverage groups during beverage preparation. During beverage consumption, HR decreased over time in those who drank placebo whereas HR increased over time in those who drank alcohol, increasing at a faster rate in women compared to men. HR remained elevated at the ascending, peak, and descending limb assessments only in participants who drank alcohol with HR increasing over time at ascending BrAC in the women but not men. Sex differences in HR under alcohol were not explained by sex differences in body mass index, BrAC, recent alcohol use, or subjective stimulation. Our findings suggest that women may be more sensitive to alcohol-induced increases in HR, especially in environments where alcohol cues are abundant. This may have implications for cardiovascular risks associated with alcohol. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

An Investigation of Cyberloafing in Relation to Coping Styles and Psychological Symptoms in an Educational Setting

Cyberloafing, the intentional use of the Internet for personal purposes during class hours, has received the scholars' attention due to the increased access to digital devices in educational settings. Considering the possible negative consequences of misuse of the Internet on health and well-being, the current study aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship by examining in detail the role of coping strategies. The sample consisted of 272 undergraduate students. The participants were asked to fill out items measuring cyberloafing behaviors, coping strategies (emotion-focused and problem-focused), and psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, anger, and somatization). The results revealed that cyberloafing is positively related to psychological symptoms. Furthermore, it is observed that cyberloafing moderates the relationship between emotion-focused coping and psychological symptoms such that at high levels of cyberloafing, emotion-focused coping is associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms. These findings contribute to the existing literature on students' psychological well-being in terms of highlighting its relation with coping strategies and problematic Internet use.

Altered oscillatory brain dynamics of emotional processing in young binge drinkers

Heavy episodic drinking, also termed binge drinking, is commonly practiced by young adults. It is accompanied by a range of cognitive, affective, and social problems, but the neural dynamics underlying changes in emotional functions is poorly understood. To investigate the behavioral and brain indices of affective processing as a function of binge drinking, young, healthy participants (23.3 ± 3.3 years) were assigned to two groups (n = 32 each) based on their drinking habits. Binge drinking (BD) participants reported drinking heavily with at least five binge episodes in the last 6 months, whereas light drinkers (LD) reported no more than one binge episode in the last 6 months. Participants provided subjective ratings of emotionally evocative images with negative, positive, erotic, and neutral themes mostly selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Electroencephalography (EEG) signal was recorded with a 64-channel system and analyzed in theta frequency band (4-7 Hz) with Morlet wavelets. Subjective ratings of the IAPS pictures were equivalent across both groups. However, affective modulation of event-related theta power both during early appraisal and later integrative processing stages was attenuated in BD, particularly those engaging in high-intensity drinking. These findings suggest that binge drinking is associated with altered neurophysiological indices of affective functions that are reflected in lower theta responsivity to emotions. The blunted long-range cortico-cortical and corticolimbic integration is consistent with compromised affective functions in alcohol use disorder. These findings may have implications for diagnostic and intervention strategies in heavy alcohol users.

A multimodal investigation of contextual effects on alcohol's emotional rewards

Regular alcohol consumption in unfamiliar social settings has been linked to problematic drinking. A large body of indirect evidence has accumulated to suggest that alcohol's rewarding emotional effects-both negative-mood relieving and positive-mood enhancing-will be magnified when alcohol is consumed within unfamiliar versus familiar social contexts. But empirical research has never directly examined links between contextual familiarity and alcohol reward. In the current study, we mobilized novel ambulatory technology to examine the effect of social familiarity on alcohol reward in everyday drinking contexts while also examining how alcohol reward observed in these field contexts corresponds to reward observed in the laboratory. Heavy social drinking participants (N = 48, 50% male) engaged in an intensive week of ambulatory assessment. Participants wore transdermal alcohol sensors while they reported on their mood and took photographs of their social contexts in response to random prompts. Participants also attended 2 laboratory beverage-administration sessions, during which their emotional responses were assessed and transdermal sensors were calibrated to estimate breathalyzer readings (eBrACs). Results indicated a significant interaction between social familiarity and alcohol episode in everyday drinking settings, with alcohol enhancing mood to a greater extent in relatively unfamiliar versus familiar social contexts. Findings also indicated that drinking in relatively unfamiliar social settings was associated with higher eBrACs. Finally, results indicated a correspondence between some mood effects of alcohol experienced inside and outside the laboratory. This study presents a novel methodology for examining alcohol reward and indicates social familiarity as a promising direction for research seeking to explain problematic drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record

Tension reduction and affect regulation: An examination of mood indices on drinking and non-drinking days among university student drinkers

Several theories posit problematic alcohol use develops through mechanisms of positive and negative reinforcement. However, the literature on these mechanisms remains inconsistent. This may be due to a number of issues including a failure to disaggregate negative mood or a failure to account for mood functioning (i.e., stability in mood). Alternatively, there may be differences in typical postdrinking/evening mood on drinking and nondrinking days, however, this has yet to be fully explored. We examined multiple indices of distinct mood states prior to and after typical drinking onset times on drinking and nondrinking days using ecological momentary assessment. College student drinkers (n = 102) carried personal data devices for 15 days. They reported on mood and alcohol use several times per day. Tonic positive mood was higher on drinking days than nondrinking days prior to typical drinking initiation. After typical drinking times, positive mood was higher on drinking days than nondrinking days. Similarly, negative moods (anxiety, stress, anger, and stress instability) indicated a pattern of lower levels relative to both predrinking mood on drinking days, and matched mood time-points on nondrinking days; though, not all of these differences were statistically different. Results suggest positive and negative reinforcing mechanisms may be at play-though the negative reinforcement effects may manifest through subjectively "better" mood on drinking versus nondrinking days. (PsycINFO Database Record

Survey about the potential effects of economic downturn on alcohol consumption, smoking and quality of life in a sample of Central Italy population

Background and aim of the work: Negative health effects have been associated with the changes in lifestyles in relation with the low income of population. Consequently, in our study we investigated the frequency changes of alcohol and smoke consumption, physical activity, and quality of life in families of Marche Region in Central Italy. Methods: In the period 2016-2017, an anonymous questionnaire has been distributed to junior highschool students of Camerino, Fabriano, and Civitanova Marche of Marche Region. The Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA), was used to assess subjective quality of life. Results: Data obtained in this research were used to analyze lifestyle changes, specifically those involving alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity, and to assess perceived general quality of life. In all categories of population, an increase of frequency in alcohol consumption was observed. On the contrary, for the tobacco smoke we observed a reduction in particular in the parents category. The MANSA mean value was 4.5 with a Standard Deviation of 1.3. Conclusions: As underlighted, also, by results of the MANSA test we can hypothesize a reduction in the family income produces a change of lifestyles. (www.actabiomedica.it)

The influence of hazardous drinking on psychological functioning, stress and sleep during and after treatment in patients with mental health problems: a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled intervention study

OBJECTIVES

Hazardous drinking could negatively affect health and lead to alcohol use disorders, but it is unclear how hazardous drinking affects treatment outcomes of depression and anxiety and stress-related mental health problems. The aim of this study was to examine whether hazardous drinking, measured by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), influences the outcomes of repeated assessments of psychological functioning (Outcome Questionnaire-45), stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and sleep (Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire), during and after treatment in patients with mental ill health.

METHODS

The study was conducted within REGASSA, a randomised controlled trial aimed at comparing Internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy and physical exercise with treatment as usual on primary care patients with mental ill health. The study involved 871 participants who completed the AUDIT at baseline and who were assessed repeatedly during and after treatment on psychological functioning, stress and sleep by interactive voice response, a computerised, automated telephone technology.

RESULTS

At baseline, hazardous drinkers were more depressed and had lower scores on psychological functioning than non-hazardous drinkers, while there were no differences on stress and sleep. During the follow-ups, hazardous drinking negatively influenced perceived stress, that is, hazardous drinkers seemed to have less treatment effect on stress, and the results remained after controlling for depression. There were no differences during the follow-ups regarding psychological functioning and sleep.

CONCLUSIONS

Hazardous drinking negatively influenced perceived stress. The findings of the study emphasise the importance of screening for alcohol habits in mental ill-health patients, since risky drinking may affect the outcomes of treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

DRKS00008745; Post-results.

Interviewing intoxicated witnesses: Memory performance in theory and practice

Memory encoding and recall involving complex, effortful cognitive processes are impaired by alcohol primarily due to impairment of a select few, but crucial, cortical areas. This review shows how alcohol affects some, but not all, aspects of eyewitnesses' oral free recall performance. The principal results, so far, are that: a) free recall reports by intoxicated witnesses (at the investigated BAC-levels) may contain less, but as accurate, information as reports by sober witnesses; b) immediate reports given by intoxicated witnesses may yield more information compared to reports by sober witnesses given after a one week delay; c) an immediate interview may enhance both intoxicated and sober witnesses' ability to report information in a later interview; and d) reminiscence seems to occur over repeated interviews and the new information seems to be as accurate as the previously reported information. Based on this, recommendations are given for future research to enhance understanding of the multifaceted impact of alcohol on witnesses' oral free recall of violent crimes.

Alcohol Intoxicated Witnesses: Perception of Aggression and Guilt in Intimate Partner Violence

Many witnesses to violent crimes are alcohol intoxicated, but research is lacking regarding how alcohol affects their perception of aggression and guilt. This study investigated to what extent alcohol intoxicated eyewitnesses differed from sober witnesses regarding how aggressive and guilty they perceived the involved parts in an intimate partner violence (IPV) situation. Eighty-seven healthy men ( n = 44) and women ( n = 43) were randomized to an alcohol group (0.7 g/kg) or a non-alcohol group. In a laboratory setting, alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks were consumed before viewing a film depicting IPV between a man and a woman. Ten min after viewing, in an interview, the participants rated how aggressive and guilty they perceived the involved parts to be. Alcohol intoxicated participants perceived both parts' physically aggressive behavior as comparatively less severe, but their neutral behavior as more hostile. Sober witnesses perceived the man to be the most guilty part, whereas intoxicated witnesses distributed guilt more evenly. Alcohol had a strong but complex impact on the perception of aggression in IPV (i.e., heightened during the neutral interaction and lowered during physical aggression). These results may be explained by the cognitive consequences of alcohol's anxiety-dampening effects. Regarding the asymmetric difference in perceived guilt, stereotypical expectations of gender-appropriate behavior in an IPV situation may need to be considered.

Memory Training Program Decreases the Circulating Level of Cortisol and Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Healthy Older Adults

Aging cognitive decline has been associated to impairment of the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenals (HPA) axis activity and a higher level of the systemic inflammation. However, little is known about the molecules driving this process at peripheral level. In addition, the cognitive function is to some extent modifiable with Memory Training (MT) programs, even among older adults and beyond. The study aims to evaluate whether MT could contribute to ameliorate cognitive performance and modulate the HPA axis activity as well the low level inflammation in the aging phenotype. Whether the phosphatase WIP-1, a negative regulator for inflammation, is involved in this process was also investigated. We recruited 31 young adults (19-28, years of age) and 62 older adults aged over 60. Thirty-two older adults were submitted to 6-months of MT program (EG), and 28 older adults were no treated and used as Control Group (CG). Global cognitive functioning (MMSE score), verbal and visual memory, and attention were assessed at baseline (T0) and after 6-months (T1). At the same time, plasmatic level of Cortisol (C), IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and the expression of WIP-1 mRNA and protein in ex vivo Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells were analyzed in young adults at T0, as well in older adults at T0 and T1. Together, the results suggest that MT improves the global cognitive functionality, verbal and visual memory, as well as the level of attention. At the same time we observed a decrease of the plasmatic level of C, of the cytokines, and an increase of the expression of mRNA and protein of WIP-1. The analysis of correlations highlighted that the level of the mRNA of WIP-1 was positively associated to the MMSE score, and negatively to the C and cytokine levels. In conclusion, we purpose the MT as tool that could help support successful aging through the improving of memory, attention and global cognitive function performance. Furthermore, this approach could participate to maintain lower the peripheral levels of the C and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The WIP-1 as a potential new target of the pathophysiology of aging is theorized.

The influence of substance use on depressive symptoms among young adult black men: The sensitizing effect of early adversity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Depressive symptoms have been identified as an important consequence of substance use. Both heavy drinking and marijuana use have acute and short-term effects on systems that regulate emotion, increasing the potential for substance use to induce problems with negative affect and irritability. We investigated the effects of alcohol and marijuana use on depressive symptoms among a sample of young Black men. We also tested the stress sensitization hypothesis that exposure to adverse childhood experiences would amplify the influence of substance use on men's depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Hypotheses were tested with 505 rural Black men who, at ages 19-22 years, provided data on their substance use, adverse childhood experiences, and depressive symptoms; they provided data again 18 months later.

RESULTS

Substance use forecasted increases in depressive symptoms; cross-lagged analyses yielded no evidence for the inverse path, depressive symptoms increasing substance use. The impact of substance use on depressive symptoms was amplified among young Black men who were exposed to adverse childhood experiences. Substance use did not significantly predict depressive symptoms when adversity was low.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that, during young adulthood, substance use increases depressive symptoms among Black men who were exposed to childhood adversity. Because childhood adversity disproportionately affects Black men, these findings inform future cross-group research designed to investigate racial disparities in the consequences of substance use.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

Depressive symptoms may be understood as an effect as well as a cause of substance use, particularly among vulnerable young Black men. (Am J Addict 2017;26:400-406).

The effects of alcohol on emotion in social drinkers

Understanding why people drink alcohol and in some cases develop drinking problems has long puzzled researchers, clinicians, and patients alike. In the mid-1940s and early 1950s, experimental research began to systematically investigate alcohol's hedonic properties. Presumably, alcohol consumption would prove reinforcing as a consequence of its capacity either to relieve stress or to brighten positive emotional experiences. This article reviews experimental research through the years examining the impact of alcohol on both the relief of negative affect and the enhancement of positive affect. It covers initial accounts that emphasized direct pharmacological effects of ethanol on the central nervous system. These early studies offered surprisingly tepid support for the premise that alcohol improved emotional states. Next, studies conducted in the 1970s are considered. Informed by social learning theory and employing advances derived from experimental psychology, this research sought to better understand the complex effects of alcohol on emotion. Coverage of this work is followed by discussion of current formulations, which integrate biological and behavioral approaches with the study of cognitive, affective, and social processes. These current perspectives provide insight into the particular conditions under which alcohol can boost emotional experiences. Finally, future research directions and clinical implications are considered.

Extraversion and the Rewarding Effects of Alcohol in a Social Context

The personality trait of extraversion has been linked to problematic drinking patterns. Researchers have long hypothesized that such associations are attributable to increased alcohol-reward sensitivity among extraverted individuals, and surveys suggest that individuals high in extraversion gain greater mood enhancement from alcohol than those low in extraversion. Surprisingly, however, alcohol administration studies have not found individuals high in extraversion to experience enhanced mood following alcohol consumption. Of note, prior studies have examined extraverted participants-individuals who self-identify as being highly social-consuming alcohol in isolation. In the present research, we used a group drinking paradigm to examine whether individuals high in extraversion gained greater reward from alcohol than did those low in extraversion and, further, whether a particular social mechanism (partners’ Duchenne smiling) might underlie alcohol reward sensitivity among extraverted individuals. Social drinkers (n 720) consumed a moderate dose of alcohol, placebo, or control beverage in groups of 3 over the course of 36 min. This social interaction was video-recorded, and Duchenne smiling was coded using the Facial Action Coding System. Results indicated that participants high in extraversion reported significantly more mood enhancement from alcohol than did those low in extraversion. Further, mediated moderation analyses focusing on Duchenne smiling of group members indicated that social processes fully and uniquely accounted for alcohol reward-sensitivity among individuals high in extraversion. Results provide initial experimental evidence that individuals high in extraversion experience increased mood-enhancement from alcohol and further highlight the importance of considering social processes in the etiology of alcohol use disorder.

Moderate alcohol consumption after a mental stressor attenuates the endocrine stress response

Alcohol is often consumed to reduce tension and improve mood when exposed to stressful situations. Previous studies showed that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce stress when alcohol is consumed prior to a stressor, but data on the effect of alcohol consumption after a mental stressor is limited. Therefore, our objective was to study whether moderate alcohol consumption immediately after a mental stressor attenuates the stress response. Twenty-four healthy men (age 21-40 y, BMI 18-27 kg/m²) participated in a placebo-controlled trial. They randomly consumed 2 cans (660 mL, ∼26 g alcohol) of beer or alcohol-free beer immediately after a mental stressor (Stroop task and Trier Social Stress Test). Physiological and immunological stress response was measured by monitoring heart rate and repeated measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis), white blood cells and a set of cytokines. After a mental stressor, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations were 100% and 176% more reduced at 60 min (P = 0.012 and P = 0.001, respectively) and 92% and 60% more reduced at 90 min (P < 0.001 and P = 0.056, respectively) after beer consumption as compared to alcohol-free beer consumption. Heart rate and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were not influenced by alcohol consumption. Plasma IL-8 concentrations remained lower during the stress recovery period after beer consumption than after alcohol-free beer consumption (P < 0.001). In conclusion, consumption of a moderate dose of alcohol after a mental stressor may facilitate recovery of the endocrine stress response as reflected by decreasing plasma ACTH and cortisol.

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.

Alcohol and cannabis use among college students: Substitutes or complements?

AIMS

Economists debate whether changes in availability of alcohol or cannabis are positively or negatively related to changes in use of the other substance. Implicit in these arguments are two competing, individual-level hypotheses-that people use alcohol and cannabis either as complements or substitutes for one another. This is the first study to test these hypotheses using micro-longitudinal data on individuals' alcohol and cannabis use on a given evening.

METHODS

United States college students who use alcohol and cannabis (n=876) were selected from a larger sample who participated in a 30-day online daily diary study. At baseline, students reported their proclivity to use alcohol/drugs to cope with stress. Each day students reported their level of alcohol use from the prior evening as well as whether they had used cannabis.

RESULTS

Evening levels of alcohol use and mean levels of alcohol use positively predicted the likelihood of evening cannabis use, results indicative of complementary use. This relation, however, was moderated by coping style, such that students who were more likely to use alcohol/drugs to cope were less likely to use cannabis as their evening or mean alcohol use levels increased, results indicative of substitution.

CONCLUSIONS

Substance-using college students showed evidence for complementary alcohol and cannabis use at both the within- and between-person levels. Students with a proclivity toward using alcohol/drugs to cope, however, showed evidence of substitution. These findings suggest that studies based on economic theories of substance use should take into account individual differences in substance use motives.

Daily associations between emotional functioning and alcohol involvement: Moderating effects of response inhibition and gender

BACKGROUND

Research has linked tonic and variable mood to problematic alcohol use, both between- and within-subjects. Indices of behavioral control have moderated these links, at least at the between-subjects level. The current study examines daily associations between indices of emotional functioning and alcohol involvement as a function of response inhibition.

METHODS

College student drinkers (n=74; 58.11% female) were enrolled in a study on emotion and alcohol use. Participants completed a stop-signal task as an index of response inhibition. They then carried a personal data device for 21 days, reporting daily on mood, alcohol use, and acute alcohol use disorder symptoms. Mood instability was the mean square of successive differences from daily mood assessments.

RESULTS

There were 1309 person days (622 drinking days) available for analysis. Pre-drinking mood instability was positively associated the likelihood of drinking and drinks consumed on drinking days. The former association was diminished among women with high response inhibition. Pre-drinking positive mood was positively associated the likelihood of drinking and drinks consumed on drinking days. The latter association was diminished among women with high response inhibition. Pre-drinking negative mood was positively associated with drinks consumed on drinking days among women with low response inhibition. Finally, pre-drinking positive mood was associated with acute alcohol use disorder symptoms among those with low response inhibition.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that interventions targeting positive mood may be particularly important. Further, developing ways to improve response inhibition control may broadly influence negative drinking outcomes by affecting multiple mood-drinking associations.

Selective effects of acute alcohol intake on the prospective and retrospective components of a prospective-memory task with emotional targets

RATIONALE

Prospective memory involves remembering to do something in the future and has a prospective component (remembering that something must be done) and a retrospective component (remembering what must be done and when it must be done). Initial studies reported an impairment in prospective-memory performance due to acute alcohol consumption. Retrospective-memory studies demonstrated that alcohol effects vary depending on the emotionality of the information that needs to be learned.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to investigate possible differential effects of a mild acute alcohol dose (0.4 g/kg) on the prospective and retrospective components of prospective memory depending on cue valence.

METHOD

Seventy-five participants were allocated to an alcohol or placebo group and performed a prospective-memory task in which prospective-memory cue valence was manipulated (negative, neutral, positive). The multinomial model of event-based prospective memory (Smith and Bayen 2004) was used to measure alcohol and valence effects on the two prospective-memory components separately.

RESULTS

Overall, no main effect of alcohol or valence on prospective-memory performance occurred. However, model-based analyses demonstrated a significantly higher retrospective component for positive compared with negative cues in the placebo group. In the alcohol group, the prospective component was weaker for negative than for neutral cues and the retrospective component was stronger for positive than for neutral cues. Group comparisons showed that the alcohol group had a significantly lower prospective component for negative cues and a lower retrospective component for neutral cues.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to demonstrate selective alcohol effects on prospective-memory components depending on prospective-memory cue valence.

A new paradigm for credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers

BACKGROUND

The primary goal of this study was to establish a paradigm for credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers. We also sought to create a new, valid procedure for establishing placebo alcohol believability.

METHOD

Participants were 138 American college students (66.7% female) predominantly (90.0%) under the legal drinking age. Groups of 2-3 participants and one same-sex confederate consumed mixed drinks, purportedly containing alcohol, ad-lib in a naturalistic bar-laboratory for 20 min. All beverages, however, were non-alcoholic but we used visual, olfactory, and taste cues to maximize placebo credibility. Also, the confederate made two scripted statements designed to increase the perception of drinking real alcohol. After the drinking portion, participants responded to survey items related to alcohol consumption and intoxication. Next, they were individually debriefed, with open-ended responses used to make a determination of whether the participant was deceived with respect to placebo alcohol.

RESULTS

All participants estimated consuming some amount of alcohol. However, using a more conservative criteria for estimating alcohol believability based on the debrief, 89.1% of participants were classified as deceived. Deceived participants were much more likely to estimate having a positive blood alcohol content and to say that their current level of intoxication was typical given the amount of alcohol consumed than non-deceived participants.

DISCUSSION

Credibly administering placebo alcohol to underage drinkers is possible. This approach carries great potential for future laboratory work. In addition, the methodology used here to classify participants as deceived or not deceived appears valid based on self-reported BAC estimation and intoxication levels.

Reduced Social Network Drinking is Associated with Improved Response Inhibition in Women During Early Recovery from Alcohol Use Disorders: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Social support for recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is associated with improvements in self-reported impulsive behavior in individuals treated for AUDs. We build on these findings using a behavioral task-based measure of response inhibition, a well-defined component of impulsivity, to examine the association of disinhibition with alcohol-specific social network characteristics during early recovery.

METHODS

Women (n = 28) were recruited from treatment for AUD within 3 to 4 weeks of their last drink and were assessed at baseline and again 3 months later. Outcome measures were level of disinhibition at baseline and change in disinhibition from baseline to follow-up, measured using a computer-based continuous performance test. The primary independent variables were level of drinking in the social network at baseline and change in network drinking from baseline to follow-up.

RESULTS

The sample [50% black, age M (SD) = 42.3 (9.5)] reported high rates of physical and sexual abuse before age 13 (43%), psychiatric disorder (71%), drug use disorder (78%), and previous treatment (71%). More drinking in participants' social networks was associated with greater disinhibition at baseline (β = 12.5, 95% CI = 6.3, 18.7). A reduction in network drinking from baseline to follow-up was associated with reduced disinhibition (β = -6.0, 95% CI = -11.3, -0.78) independent of IQ, recent alcohol consumption, and self-reported negative urgency.

CONCLUSIONS

This study extends previous findings of an association between social networks and self-reported impulsivity to a neurobehavioral phenotype, response inhibition, suggesting that abstinence-supporting social networks may play a role in cognitive change during early recovery from AUDs.

Empirically based comparisons of the reliability and validity of common quantification approaches for eyeblink startle potentiation in humans

Startle potentiation is a well‐validated translational measure of negative affect. Startle potentiation is widely used in clinical and affective science, and there are multiple approaches for its quantification. The three most commonly used approaches quantify startle potentiation as the increase in startle response from a neutral to threat condition based on (1) raw potentiation, (2) standardized potentiation, or (3) percent‐change potentiation. These three quantification approaches may yield qualitatively different conclusions about effects of independent variables (IVs) on affect when within‐ or between‐group differences exist for startle response in the neutral condition. Accordingly, we directly compared these quantification approaches in a shock‐threat task using four IVs known to influence startle response in the no‐threat condition: probe intensity, time (i.e., habituation), alcohol administration, and individual differences in general startle reactivity measured at baseline. We confirmed the expected effects of time, alcohol, and general startle reactivity on affect using self‐reported fear/anxiety as a criterion. The percent‐change approach displayed apparent artifact across all four IVs, which raises substantial concerns about its validity. Both raw and standardized potentiation approaches were stable across probe intensity and time, which supports their validity. However, only raw potentiation displayed effects that were consistent with a priori specifications and/or the self‐report criterion for the effects of alcohol and general startle reactivity. Supplemental analyses of reliability and validity for each approach provided additional evidence in support of raw potentiation.

Pathways to Vulnerability for Alcohol Problem Severity in a Treatment-Seeking Sample

OBJECTIVES

The present investigation examined the role of gender, family history of alcohol and drug use disorders, temperament, childhood behavior problems, and adult psychopathology, on adult alcohol use disorder (AUD) severity.

METHODS

Structural equation modeling was used to examine multiple etiological pathways to adult alcohol use disorder (AUD) severity. Participants included 335 treatment-seeking males and females with current or lifetime DSM-III-R alcohol dependence (96%) or abuse (4%) enrolled in one of five treatment outcome studies. Extensive assessment at treatment entry used a mixture of retrospective and current self-report.

RESULTS

Results identified two significant paths associated with a latent factor of adult alcohol use disorder severity at entry to treatment. In Path 1, male gender and family history of drug use disorder predicted greater childhood behavior problems, which predicted antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and anxiety disorders (ADs), with anxiety disorders leading directly to alcohol use disorder severity. In Path 2, family history of alcohol use disorder predicted difficult temperament in childhood, which predicted borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders; both major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders in turn predicted alcohol use disorder severity at treatment entry.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings build on the literature on heterogeneity in developmental risk processes leading to the expression of adult alcohol use disorder symptomology among patients presenting for alcohol use disorder treatment.

How economic crises affect alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health problems: a realist systematic review

Economic crises are complex events that affect behavioral patterns (including alcohol consumption) via opposing mechanisms. With this realist systematic review, we aimed to investigate evidence from studies of previous or ongoing crises on which mechanisms (How?) play a role among which individuals (Whom?). Such evidence would help understand and predict the potential impact of economic crises on alcohol consumption. Medical, psychological, social, and economic databases were used to search for peer-reviewed qualitative or quantitative empirical evidence (published January 1, 1990-May 1, 2014) linking economic crises or stressors with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health problems. We included 35 papers, based on defined selection criteria. From these papers, we extracted evidence on mechanism(s), determinant, outcome, country-level context, and individual context. We found 16 studies that reported evidence completely covering two behavioral mechanisms by which economic crises can influence alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health problems. The first mechanism suggests that psychological distress triggered by unemployment and income reductions can increase drinking problems. The second mechanism suggests that due to tighter budget constraints, less money is spent on alcoholic beverages. Across many countries, the psychological distress mechanism was observed mainly in men. The tighter budget constraints mechanism seems to play a role in all population subgroups across all countries. For the other three mechanisms (i.e., deterioration in the social situation, fear of losing one's job, and increased non-working time), empirical evidence was scarce or absent, or had small to moderate coverage. This was also the case for important influential contextual factors described in our initial theoretical framework. This realist systematic review suggests that among men (but not among women), the net impact of economic crises will be an increase in harmful drinking. Such a different net impact between men and women could potentially contribute to growing gender-related health inequalities during a crisis.

The effect of alcohol on emotional inertia: a test of alcohol myopia

Alcohol myopia (AM) has emerged as one of the most widely researched theories of alcohol's effects on emotional experience. Given this theory's popularity, it is notable that a central tenet of AM has not been tested-namely, that alcohol creates a myopic focus on the present moment, limiting the extent to which the present is permeated by emotions derived from prior experience. We tested the impact of alcohol on moment-to-moment fluctuations in affect, applying advances in emotion assessment and statistical analysis to test this aspect of AM without drawing the attention of participants to their own emotional experiences. We measured emotional fluctuations using autocorrelation, a statistic borrowed from time-series analysis measuring the correlation between successive observations in time. High emotion autocorrelation is termed emotional inertia and is linked to negative mood outcomes. Social drinkers (N = 720) consumed alcohol, placebo, or control beverages in groups of 3 over a 36-min group formation task. We indexed affect using the Duchenne smile, recorded continuously during the interaction (34.9 million video frames) according to the Facial Action Coding System (P. Ekman, W. V. Friesen, & J. C. Hager, 2002). Autocorrelation of Duchenne smiling emerged as the most consistent predictor of self-reported mood and social bonding when compared with Duchenne smiling mean, standard deviation, and linear trend. Alcohol reduced affective autocorrelation, and autocorrelation mediated the link between alcohol and self-reported mood and social outcomes. Findings suggest that alcohol enhances the ability to freely enjoy the present moment untethered by past experience and highlight the importance of emotion dynamics in research examining affective correlates of psychopathology.

The developmental psychopathology of alcohol use and alcohol disorders: research achievements and future directions

The last 25 years have seen significant advances in our conceptualization of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders within a developmental framework, along with advances in our empirical understanding that have been potentiated by advances in quantitative methods. These include advances in understanding the heterogeneity of trajectories of alcohol outcomes; new insights about early childhood antecedents, and adolescence and emerging adulthood as important developmental periods for alcohol outcomes; a more nuanced understanding of the influences of developmental transitions, and their timing and contexts; a greater appreciation for the importance of considering multiple levels of analysis (including an increasing number of genetically informative studies); a continuing focus on studying multiple pathways underlying alcohol outcomes; and an increasing focus on studying the effects of alcohol exposure on future development. The current paper reviews these advances and suggests directions for future study.

The developmental psychopathology of alcohol use and alcohol disorders: research achievements and future directions

The last 25 years have seen significant advances in our conceptualization of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders within a developmental framework, along with advances in our empirical understanding that have been potentiated by advances in quantitative methods. These include advances in understanding the heterogeneity of trajectories of alcohol outcomes; new insights about early childhood antecedents, and adolescence and emerging adulthood as important developmental periods for alcohol outcomes; a more nuanced understanding of the influences of developmental transitions, and their timing and contexts; a greater appreciation for the importance of considering multiple levels of analysis (including an increasing number of genetically informative studies); a continuing focus on studying multiple pathways underlying alcohol outcomes; and an increasing focus on studying the effects of alcohol exposure on future development. The current paper reviews these advances and suggests directions for future study.

Habitual alcohol consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular stress responses--a novel explanation for the known cardiovascular benefits of alcohol?

In contrast to heavy alcohol consumption, which is harmful, light to moderate drinking has been linked to reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Effects on lipid status or clotting do not fully explain these benefits. Exaggerated cardiovascular responses to mental stress are detrimental to cardiovascular health. We hypothesized that habitual alcohol consumption might reduce these responses, with potential benefits. Advanced magnetic resonance techniques were used to accurately measure cardiovascular responses to an acute mental stressor (Montreal Imaging Stress Task) in 88 healthy adults (∼1:1 male:female). Salivary cortisol and task performance measures were used to assess endocrine and cognitive responses. Habitual alcohol consumption and confounding factors were assessed by questionnaire. Alcohol consumption was inversely related to responses of heart rate (HR) (r = -0.31, p = 0.01), cardiac output (CO) (r = -0.32, p = 0.01), vascular resistance (r = 0.25, p = 0.04) and mean blood pressure (r = -0.31, p = 0.01) provoked by stress, but not to stroke volume (SV), or arterial compliance changes. However, high alcohol consumers had greater cortisol stress responses, compared to moderate consumers (3.5 versus 0.7 nmol/L, p = 0.04). Cognitive measures did not differ. Findings were not explained by variations in age, sex, social class, ethnicity, physical activity, adrenocortical activity, adiposity, smoking, menstrual phase and chronic stress. Habitual alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cardiac responsiveness during mental stress, which has been linked to lower risk of hypertension and vascular disease. Consistent with established evidence, our findings suggest a mechanism by which moderate alcohol consumption might reduce cardiovascular disease, but not high consumption, where effects such as greater cortisol stress responses may negate any benefits.

Drinking to dampen affect variability: findings from a college student sample

OBJECTIVE

We hypothesized that individuals who are unable to effectively regulate emotional reactivity, which we operationalized as variability in self-reported affect throughout the day, would use alcohol more frequently and would report higher levels of drinking to cope. Further, we hypothesized that affect variation would be a stronger predictor of alcohol use or drinking to cope than level of negative affect.

METHOD

A total of 86 college-age students (53% female, 77% White) participated in an intensive longitudinal study for 28 days. Participants reported positive and negative affect thrice daily and reported alcohol use once daily. Participant coping motives were assessed at study initiation.

RESULTS

Affect variability predicted increased drinking frequency and higher levels of self-reported drinking to cope. Mean level of negative affect was not related to an increased probability of drinking, nor was it related to self-reported drinking to cope. Both individual differences in affect variation and intra-individual daily fluctuations in affect were associated with an increased likelihood of drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results imply that individuals with higher-than-average levels of affect variation are at risk for high levels of alcohol involvement and that people are more likely to drink on days characterized by higher-than-normal levels of fluctuation in affect. Future studies on self-medication should consider negative affect variability in addition to-or instead of-level of negative affect.

Acute stress and event-related potential correlates of attention to alcohol images in social drinkers

OBJECTIVE

The use of alcohol to cope with stress is a major health concern, yet the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of stress on alcohol-related cognition are not well understood. This study examined changes in event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by alcohol-related images before and after a stressor compared with a control condition.

METHOD

Social drinkers (N = 75; 38 male) were assigned to one of two target subgroups for completion of an oddball task: (a) to detect alcohol targets while ignoring household object distracters and frequently presented nonsense shapes or (b) to detect object targets while ignoring alcohol distracters and nonsense shapes. ERPs were recorded before and after one of two conditions: a stressor or a nonstressful control task.

RESULTS

N200 latency and amplitude changes were modulated by stress. Similarly, stress reduced P300 latencies beyond practice effects. For P300 amplitude, the target subgroup interacted with the condition such that the standard "oddball" effect was observed in the control condition but was absent in the stress condition, suggesting that stress may have interfered with the participants' cognitive efficiency, or the ability to ignore task-irrelevant stimuli.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that stress influences the early stages of alcohol-related processing, an effect that may be particularly apparent in ERP latencies. These findings have implications for understanding the neural mechanisms involved with stress and alcohol cue reactivity.

Relationships of Alcohol Use and Alcohol Problems to Probable Anxiety and Mood Disorder

We examine the effects of alcohol consumption and problem drinking on probable anxiety and mood disorder (AMD). Data were taken from the 2000–2006 CAMH Monitor (N = 15,653) general population survey of Ontario adults. Scoring 4+ on the 12-item General Health Questionnaire defined probable AMD, as suggested by recent research. Logistic regression showed that respondents with alcohol problems had significantly increased odds of probable AMD, but those reporting moderate daily alcohol consumption (up to 2 drinks) had decreased odds of probable AMD compared to abstainers. These data replicate other recent research in suggesting that the relationship between alcohol and adverse psychological states, such as psychological distress and probable anxiety and mood disorder, may not be monotonic. Several ways in which selection bias could account for these findings are discussed, as well as other possible causative mechanisms.

The stress-response dampening hypothesis: how self-esteem and stress act as mechanisms between negative parental bonds and alcohol-related problems in emerging adulthood

The stress dampening model (Marlatt, 1987; Sayette, 1993; Sher, 1987) suggests certain individuals may use alcohol to escape from their negative life experiences. Pathological reasons for drinking (e.g., using alcohol as a means to cope) reflect the degree to which individuals are motivated to use alcohol in order to dampen or alleviate the stress they are experiencing (Johnson, Schwitters, Wilson, Nagoshi, & McClearn, 1985). Direct and mediational links among parental bonds (rejection, care, overprotection, autonomy, and neglect), self-esteem, stress, pathological reasons for drinking, and alcohol-related problems were explored. A Structural Equation Model with (405 students; 164 women, 241 men) college students was examined. Three path mediational analyses revealed several mediated pathways. Greater feelings of perceived father/mother neglectfulness (i.e., offspring feeling parents do not show up for them) were indirectly linked to more alcohol-related problems (e.g., indicative of alcohol use or dependence in emerging adulthood) through increased stress and pathological reasons for drinking. Furthermore, higher levels of father rejection (i.e., perception of feeling unwanted) were indirectly linked to more pathological reasons for drinking through low self-esteem and increased stress. However, greater feelings of mother care (affectionate and attentive) were indirectly linked to fewer pathological reasons for drinking through higher self-esteem and lower levels of stress. Moreover, high self-esteem was found to be indirectly linked to fewer alcohol-related problems through decreased stress and pathological reasons for drinking. These findings suggest several specific pathways for using alcohol to self-medicate (i.e., consume alcohol for a specific purpose) or dampen feelings of stress.

Human laboratory paradigms in alcohol research

BACKGROUND

Human laboratory studies have a long and rich history in the field of alcoholism. Human laboratory studies have allowed for advances in alcohol research in a variety of ways, including elucidating neurobehavioral mechanisms of risk, identifying phenotypically distinct subtypes of alcohol users, investigating the candidate genes underlying experimental phenotypes for alcoholism, and testing mechanisms of action of alcoholism pharmacotherapies on clinically relevant translational phenotypes, such as persons exhibiting positive-like alcohol effects or alcohol craving. Importantly, the field of human laboratory studies in addiction has progressed rapidly over the past decade and has built upon earlier findings of alcohol's neuropharmacological effects to advancing translational research on alcoholism etiology and treatment.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To that end, the new generation of human laboratory studies has focused on applying new methodologies, further refining alcoholism phenotypes, and translating these findings to studies of alcoholism genetics, medication development, and pharmacogenetics. The combination of experimental laboratory approaches with the recent developments in neuroscience and pharmacology has been particularly fruitful in furthering our understanding of the impact of individual differences in alcoholism risk and in treatment response.

CONCLUSIONS

This review of the literature focuses on human laboratory studies of subjective intoxication, alcohol craving, anxiety, and behavioral economics. Each section discusses opportunities for phenotype refinement under laboratory conditions, as well as its application to translational science of alcoholism. A summary and recommendations for future research are also provided.

Speeches, strangers, and alcohol use: the role of context in social stress response dampening

According to the Stress Response Dampening model, problem drinking develops after learning that alcohol limits the stress response in anxiety-provoking situations. However, laboratory-based studies testing alcohol's effects on social anxiety have yielded mixed results. The current study was the first to examine stress response dampening across two contexts: a performance-based (a speech) and an interaction-based (a conversation) social situation. Undergraduates (N = 62; M(age) = 22.85; 31% women; 81% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to consume an alcoholic (target BAC = .08%; n = 22), placebo (n = 20), or nonalcoholic control (n = 20) beverage followed by the anxiety-inducing social tasks. Results revealed a 3 (alcohol condition) × 2 (social task condition) × 4 (measurement point) interaction, controlling for baseline subjective state anxiety and trait social anxiety. The pattern of scores over the course of the task varied across alcohol conditions for the speech, but not the conversation. Specifically, participants in the alcohol and placebo conditions evidenced increased subjective anxiety following the first measurement point prior to the speech and their anxiety remained elevated at all subsequent measurements. Participants in the nonalcoholic control condition evidenced stable subjective anxiety ratings for all speech measurement points. Results did not support stress response dampening for either type of social situation. Instead, the only between-group difference found was that the placebo group reported greater subjective anxiety than the nonalcoholic control group after the speech. Concerns about alcohol's negative effects on one's performance might have led to increased anxiety. Findings shed light on previous inconsistent findings and highlight the need to consider context and timing in understanding drinking to cope with social anxiety.