Within-person variability in sensation-seeking during daily life: Positive associations with alcohol use and self-defined risky behaviors

Architectural styles of curiosity in global Wikipedia mobile app readership

Intrinsically motivated information seeking is an expression of curiosity believed to be central to human nature. However, most curiosity research relies on small, Western convenience samples. Here, we analyze a naturalistic population of 482,760 readers using Wikipedia's mobile app in 14 languages from 50 countries or territories. By measuring the structure of knowledge networks constructed by readers weaving a thread through articles in Wikipedia, we replicate two styles of curiosity previously identified in laboratory studies: the nomadic "busybody" and the targeted "hunter." Further, we find evidence for another style-the "dancer"-which was previously predicted by a historico-philosophical examination of texts over two millennia and is characterized by creative modes of knowledge production. We identify associations, globally, between the structure of knowledge networks and population-level indicators of spatial navigation, education, mood, well-being, and inequality. These results advance our understanding of Wikipedia's global readership and demonstrate how cultural and geographical properties of the digital environment relate to different styles of curiosity.

The impact of long-term online learning on social anxiety and problematic smartphone use symptoms among secondary school students with different levels of fear of missing out: Evidence from a symptom network and longitudinal panel network analysis

Background

The advancement of communication technology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increased reliance on online education. However, the effects of the long-term use of smart devices for online learning on students' social anxiety and problematic smartphone use (PSU) and the role of fear of missing out (FoMO) in this process have yet to be fully explored.

Methods

This study analysed longitudinal data from 2,356 high school students (female = 1,137 (48.26%), mean age = 13.84, SD age = 1.37) in China, divided into high- and low-FoMO groups based on their scores on the FoMO scale, to examine the impact of four months of online learning on social anxiety and PSU. The Social Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI) were used to assess social anxiety and PSU symptoms.

Results

The undirected symptom networks revealed more bridge symptoms among the students in the high-FoMO group, although their overall symptom scores decreased. The results of the directed cross-lagged panel networks showed that "productivity loss" predicted other symptoms in the low-FoMO group but that "afraid of negative evaluation" was the predictor in the high-FoMO group. Meanwhile, "withdrawal/escape" and "productivity loss" were the symptoms that were most affected by other symptoms in the high-FoMO and low-FoMO groups, respectively.

Conclusions

The current study therefore sheds light on the changes in social anxiety and PSU symptoms among secondary school students during long-term online learning, as well as the moderating role of FoMO.

Bridging the Gap: A Holistic View of Personality Factors in Individuals With and Without Alcohol Use

This comprehensive review examines the intricate interplay between personality factors and alcohol use, shedding light on the dynamic relationship that shapes the initiation, progression, and outcomes of alcohol-related behaviors. The exploration encompasses vital personality traits such as sensation seeking, impulsivity, neuroticism, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. The bidirectional nature of this association is underscored, emphasizing how personality influences and is influenced by alcohol consumption patterns. Protective personality factors, including resilience, emotional regulation, and social support, are identified as crucial elements in mitigating the risk of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The implications for clinical practice advocate for tailored interventions that address individual personality profiles, while policy considerations highlight the need for targeted prevention efforts that acknowledge the diverse ways individuals respond to alcohol use. Furthermore, a call for future research emphasizes emerging perspectives, improved methodologies, and ongoing exploration of intervention strategies to advance our understanding of this complex relationship and refine approaches for prevention and treatment. As we navigate this evolving field, the insights gleaned hold promise for shaping more compelling and nuanced interventions to address the diverse needs of individuals affected by AUDs.

Examining the predictive potential of depressed mood and alcohol misuse on risky driving

AIMS

Male driving while impaired (DWI) offenders are at heightened risk for engaging in risky driving. Males in a depressed mood are also more prone to alcohol misuse, which may further contribute to risky driving. This manuscript investigates the predictive potential of combined depressed mood and alcohol misuse on risky driving outcomes 3 and 9 years after baseline in male DWI offenders.

METHODS

At baseline, participants completed questionnaires assessing depressed mood (Major Depression scale of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III), alcohol misuse (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), and sensation-seeking (Sensation Seeking Scale-V). Risky driving data (Analyse des comportements routiers; ACR3) were collected at follow-up 3 years after baseline. Driving offence data were obtained for 9 years after baseline.

RESULTS

There were 129 participants. As 50.4% of the sample were missing ACR3 scores, multiple imputation was conducted. In the final regression model, R2 = 0.34, F(7,121) = 8.76, P < 0.001, alcohol misuse significantly predicted ACR3, B = 0.56, t = 1.96, P = 0.05. Depressed mood, however, did not significantly predict ACR3 and sensation-seeking was not a significant moderator. Although the regression model predicting risky driving offences at Year 9 was significant R2 = 0.37, F(10,108) = 6.41, P < 0.001, neither depressed mood nor alcohol misuse was a significant predictor.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings identify alcohol misuse as a predictor of risky driving 3 years after baseline among male DWI offenders. This enhances our prediction of risky driving, extending beyond the widely researched acute impacts of alcohol by exploring chronic patterns.

Psychological distance intervention reminders reduce alcohol consumption frequency in daily life

Modifying behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, is difficult. Creating psychological distance between unhealthy triggers and one's present experience can encourage change. Using two multisite, randomized experiments, we examine whether theory-driven strategies to create psychological distance-mindfulness and perspective-taking-can change drinking behaviors among young adults without alcohol dependence via a 28-day smartphone intervention (Study 1, N = 108 participants, 5492 observations; Study 2, N = 218 participants, 9994 observations). Study 2 presents a close replication with a fully remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. During weeks when they received twice-a-day intervention reminders, individuals in the distancing interventions reported drinking less frequently than on control weeks-directionally in Study 1, and significantly in Study 2. Intervention reminders reduced drinking frequency but did not impact amount. We find that smartphone-based mindfulness and perspective-taking interventions, aimed to create psychological distance, can change behavior. This approach requires repeated reminders, which can be delivered via smartphones.

A Mixed-Methods Approach to Refining and Measuring the Construct of Positive Risk-Taking in Adolescence

Adolescence is a peak period for risk-taking, but research has largely overlooked positive manifestations of adolescent risk-taking due to ambiguity regarding operationalization and measurement of positive risk-taking. We address this limitation using a mixed-methods approach. We elicited free responses from contemporary college students (N = 74, Mage  = 20.1 years) describing a time they took a risk. Qualitative analysis informed the construction of a self-report positive risk-taking scale, which was administered to a population-based sample of adolescents (N = 1,249, Mage  = 16 years) for quantitative validation and examination of associations with normative and impulsive personality. Sensation seeking predicted negative and positive risk-taking, whereas extraversion and openness were predominantly related to positive risk-taking. Results provide promising evidence for a valid measure of adolescents' engagement in positive risks.

Relationship between virtual reality balloon analogue risk task and risky decision-making

The balloon analogue risk task (BART) is widely used to assess risk-taking tendencies on behavioral tests. However, biases or unstable results are sometimes reported, and there are concerns about whether the BART can predict risk behavior in the real world. To address this problem, the present study developed a virtual reality (VR) BART to enhance the reality of the task and narrow the gap between performance on the BART and risk behavior in the real world. We evaluated the usability of our VR BART through assessments of the relationships between BART scores and psychological metrics and additionally implemented an emergency decision-making VR driving task to investigate further whether the VR BART can predict risk-related decision-making in emergency situations. Notably, we found that the BART score significantly correlated with both sensation-seeking and risky driving behavior. Additionally, when we split participants into groups with high and low BART scores and compared their psychological metrics, we found that the high-score BART group included more male participants and exhibited higher sensation-seeking and more risky decision-making in an emergency situation. Overall, our study shows the potential of our new VR BART paradigm to predict risky decision-making in the real world.

Purpose in life, neural alcohol cue reactivity and daily alcohol use in social drinkers

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Alcohol craving is an urge to consume alcohol that commonly precedes drinking; however, craving does not lead to drinking for all people under all circumstances. The current study measured the correlation between neural reactivity and alcohol cues as a risk, and purpose in daily life as a protective factor that may influence the link between alcohol craving and the subsequent amount of consumption.

DESIGN

Observational study that correlated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data on neural cue reactivity and ecological momentary assessments (EMA) on purpose in life and alcohol use.

SETTING

Two college campuses in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 54 college students (37 women, 16 men, and 1 other) recruited via campus-based groups from January 2019 to October 2020.

MEASUREMENTS

Participants underwent fMRI while viewing images of alcohol; we examined activity within the ventral striatum, a key region of interest implicated in reward and craving. Participants then completed 28 days of EMA and answered questions about daily levels of purpose in life and alcohol use, including how much they craved and consumed alcohol.

FINDINGS

A significant three-way interaction indicated that greater alcohol cue reactivity within the ventral striatum was associated with heavier alcohol use following craving in daily life only when people were previously feeling a lower than usual sense of purpose. By contrast, individuals with heightened neural alcohol cue reactivity drank less in response to craving if they were feeling a stronger than their usual sense of purpose in the preceding moments (b_interaction  = -0.086, P < 0.001, 95% CI = -0.137, -0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

Neural sensitivity to alcohol cues within the ventral striatum appears to be a potential risk for increased alcohol use in social drinkers, when people feel less purposeful. Enhancing daily levels of purpose in life may promote alcohol moderation among social drinkers who show relatively higher reactivity to alcohol cues.

Daily sensation-seeking and urgency in young adults: Examining associations with alcohol use and self-defined risky behaviors

PURPOSE

To examine the dynamic expression of sensation-seeking and urgency in daily life and the implications for alcohol use and risk-taking during young adulthood.

METHODS

Daily diary surveys were administered to young adults (n = 77) aged 18-25 years every evening for 21 days to assess day's sensation-seeking, urgency, risk-taking, and alcohol use.

RESULTS

Days of higher than usual sensation-seeking are also days of higher than usual risk-taking and are more likely to be alcohol use days than days of lower than usual sensation-seeking. Day's urgency was not associated with day's alcohol use or risk-taking. We extracted 10 themes from self-reports of the day's riskiest behavior: transportation (29.9%), social (22.8%), recreation (17.4%), work (14.8%), school (13.5%), food (9.5%), sleep (9.2%), substance use (5.8%), other (5.2%), and jaywalking (1.5%), and 14.6% of self-reported risky behaviors were considered threatening to safety, health, or wellbeing.

CONCLUSIONS

Risks taken during daily life have mostly positive outcomes and a minority represent threats to safety, health, and wellbeing. Risk-taking and alcohol use in young adult's daily lives is more likely to be driven by the desire to experience novel and exciting experiences than by rash action.

Risk-taking in humans and the medial orbitofrontal cortex reward system

Risk-taking differs between humans, and is associated with the personality measures of impulsivity and sensation-seeking. To analyse the brain systems involved, self-report risk-taking, resting state functional connectivity, and related behavioral measures were analyzed in 18,740 participants of both sexes from the UK Biobank. Functional connectivities of the medial orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), and the parahippocampal areas were significantly higher in the risk-taking group (p < 0.001, FDR corrected). The risk-taking measure was validated in that it was significantly associated with alcohol drinking amount (r = 0.08, p = 5.1×10^-28), cannabis use (r = 0.12, p = 6.0×10^-66), and anxious feelings (r = -0.12, p = 7.6×^-98). The functional connectivity findings were cross-validated in two independent datasets. The higher functional connectivity of the medial orbitofrontal cortex and VMPFC included higher connectivity with the anterior cingulate cortex, which provides a route for these reward-related regions to have a greater influence on action in risk-taking individuals. In conclusion, the medial orbitofrontal cortex, which is involved in reward value and pleasure, was found to be related to risk-taking, which is associated with impulsivity. An implication is that risk-taking is driven by specific orbitofrontal cortex reward systems, and is different for different rewards which are represented differently in the brains of different individuals. This is an advance in understanding the bases and mechanisms of risk-taking in humans, given that the orbitofrontal cortex, VMPFC and anterior cingulate cortex are highly developed in humans, and that risk-taking can be reported in humans.

Examining the alcohol-related consequences of adult drinkers who self-report medicating low mood with alcohol: An analysis of the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions survey data

The aim of this paper is to examine the alcohol-related consequences experienced by adults who reported a 2-week period of low mood and identified as a 'self-medicator' compared to those who do not. Our focus is on assessing whether the conceptualization of alcohol use disorder severity differs across adult drinkers who self-medicate with alcohol during a period of low mood, compared to those who do not. This study used secondary data from the NESARC survey. The analytic sample consisted of 5945 participants who answered questions from the alcohol abuse/dependence (alcohol experiences) section, in the last 12 months. The sample was split into four groups by whether they self-medicated with alcohol or not, drank alcohol in the last year, and their drinking class. The findings indicated that a one-factor model was the best fit, and all items were a strong indicator of alcohol use disorder. The two-parameter model had the best fit, indicating that the diagnostic criteria were placed as a good fit along a continuum of severity. It was revealed that the hazardous drinking group who self-medicated, experienced more consequences even at low levels of severity. As the self-medicating hazardous drinking group also showed the highest estimates for alcohol use disorder severity, this may indicate that this group is composed of high-functioning self-medicators who are trying to regulate their drinking, and may not be as clinically high risk as expected, due to their drinking patterns.

Impulsive States and Impulsive Traits: A Study of the Multilevel Structure and Validity of a Multifaceted Measure of Impulsive States

Emerging evidence suggests impulsive states may be reliably measured in the moment using ecological momentary assessment (EMA); however, research has not investigated whether the multi-factor structure of impulsive traits also characterizes impulsive states. In two independent samples spanning adolescence through young adulthood (n = 211, n = 222), we adapted global self-report measures of impulsive traits to EMA and conducted multilevel confirmatory factor analyses to characterize the within- and between-person factor structure of five impulsive traits (negative urgency, planning, persistence, sensation seeking, and positive urgency). Across both studies, factor models with one factor for each UPPS-P facet fit the data well at both levels, though some latent factors were highly correlated. Aggregated impulsive states, especially negative urgency, predicted oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, emotional problems, alcohol problems, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Our results suggest that EMA measures can capture a range of impulsive states that mirrors the heterogeneity seen in the trait literature.

Escala Búsqueda de Sensaciones (Forma V) de Zuckerman estudio psicométrico en población adolescente Mexicana

El rasgo de Búsqueda de Sensaciones (BS), se concibe como La necesidad de sensaciones y experiencias nuevas, variadas y complejas, y el deseo de arriesgarse con el fin de obtenerlas. Este rasgo se asocia con mayor riesgo de realizar conductas peligrosas y con diferentes trastornos mentales. Sin embargo, en México no disponemos de una adaptación de la escala más utilizada para evaluar la BS. Por ello, el objetivo de la presente investigación es estudiar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala Búsqueda de Sensaciones – Forma V (Sensation Seeking Scale – Form V), analizando su consistencia interna, su validez convergente y fiabilidad considerando la naturaleza dicotómica de los datos. Participaron 334 estudiantes de secundaria, con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 15 años tanto mujeres (n=171) como hombres (n=163). En los resultados se identificaron 20 ítems que se distribuían en tres factores mediante un análisis factorial exploratorio que se calculó con la mitad de la muestra, esta estructura mostró un ajuste adecuado en el análisis confirmatorio que se realizó con la otra parte de la muestra (χ2 = 213.78, gl = 167, p< 0.05, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.04). Se calcularon los índices de fiabilidad (KR = 0.78, omega = 0.94), se encontraron correlaciones con la escala de impulsividad (r = .39), la escala de uso de sustancias (r =.31 ) y con depresión (r = .26 ). Tanto en la escala total como en los factores se observaron mayores puntuaciones en hombres que en mujeres.

Momentary patterns of impulsivity and alcohol use: A cause or consequence?

BACKGROUND

Impulsivity is a robust risk factor for alcohol use, but significant gaps remain in our understanding of the way that impulsivity relates to alcohol harms. Most prior research has been limited to between-level differences; thus, within-person variability in impulsivity at the momentary level and its bidirectional association with alcohol use has not been examined. The present research used a 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) design to determine the bidirectionality of impulsivity and alcohol use and alcohol problems.

METHODS

Participants were 89 (47 women) heavy-drinking college students. The mean age was 19.80 (SD = 1.76) years. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire and 14 consecutive days of momentary reports sent in the morning, afternoon, and evening; participants also completed two user-initiated reports during a drinking occasion at the beginning and the end of their drinking.

RESULTS

Multilevel modeling results indicated that greater levels of impulsivity experienced during the day was not associated with alcohol use or problems experienced that night. However, level of alcohol use and the number of alcohol problems experienced predicted greater variability in impulsivity the next day.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study was the first to examine the bidirectional relationship between impulsivity and alcohol use using EMA. Findings supported impulsivity's conceptualization as a state construct and fluctuations in alcohol use behaviors coinciding with states of impulsivity the next day after drinking. Findings from the present study contributed to conceptual daily process models of drinking by identifying how alcohol behaviors unfold in the real world.

Hunters, busybodies and the knowledge network building associated with deprivation curiosity

The open-ended and internally driven nature of curiosity makes characterizing the information seeking that accompanies it a daunting endeavour. We use a historico-philosophical taxonomy of information seeking coupled with a knowledge network building framework to capture styles of information-seeking in 149 participants as they explore Wikipedia for over 5 hours spanning 21 days. We create knowledge networks in which nodes represent distinct concepts and edges represent the similarity between concepts. We quantify the tightness of knowledge networks using graph theoretical indices and use a generative model of network growth to explore mechanisms underlying information-seeking. Deprivation curiosity (the tendency to seek information that eliminates knowledge gaps) is associated with the creation of relatively tight networks and a relatively greater tendency to return to previously visited concepts. With this framework in hand, future research can readily quantify the information seeking associated with curiosity.

Perceived Severity of COVID-19 and Post-pandemic Consumption Willingness: The Roles of Boredom and Sensation-Seeking

The COVID-19 pandemic restricts people's activities and makes consumer businesses suffered. This study explored the relationship between the perceived severity of COVID-19 and the post-pandemic consumption willingness. Study 1 surveyed 1464 Chinese people in March 2020, found the perceived severity of COVID-19 during the pandemic significantly increased the willingness to consume post-pandemic, and boredom stemming from limited activities and sensation-seeking expressions mediated this effect. Study 2 conducted an experiment with 174 participants in August 2020, found a high level of perceived severity of COVID-19 and the experience of life tedium during the pandemic significantly increased individuals' impulsive buying tendencies after the pandemic. The results suggested the level of perceived severity of COVID-19 may influence people's post-pandemic consumption patterns.

Alcohol use in daily life: Examining the role of trait and state impulsivity facets

OBJECTIVES

Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods we aimed to investigate the influence of trait and state (momentary) impulsivity on alcohol use behaviors in daily life. Facets of the UPPS trait model of impulsivity (Whiteside & Lynam, 2001) have been found to differentially relate to alcohol-related outcomes and behaviors in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The present work expands on this by assessing UPPS facets in daily life and examining the contributions of trait and state impulsivity facets to daily life drinking behavior.

METHOD

Forty-nine participants were prompted at least 6 times per day for 21 days. A total of 4,548 collected EMA reports were included in analyses. Multilevel models were computed predicting daily life alcohol use behaviors from state and trait impulsivity facets and relevant covariates.

RESULTS

Individual facets of momentary impulsivity differentially related to alcohol outcomes, such that (lack of) premeditation and, to a lesser extent, sensation seeking showed unique patterns of association with drinking and drinking quantity. Only trait levels of (lack of) premeditation were related to drinking behavior in daily life; no other trait UPPS scale significantly related to alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight state difficulties with premeditation as particularly relevant to drinking behavior in daily life. Our results also support the incremental validity of state impulsivity facets over trait level measures in relation to drinking behavior in daily life. These findings offer important insight into the phenomenology of daily life alcohol use and highlight possible avenues for intervention and prevention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).