Self-determination and substance use: is effortful control a mediator?

Parental Psychological Control and College Students' Negative Risk-Taking Behaviors: The Chain-Mediating of Autonomy and Self-Control

Purpose

To deeply explore the relationship between parental psychological control and negative risk-taking behaviors among Chinese college students and the mediating role of autonomy and self-control, providing a reference basis for preventing and intervening in college students' negative risk-taking behaviors.

Patients and Methods

Questionnaires was administered to 1173 college students (Mage=20.7 ± 1.32) in Hunan Province using four scales. Subsequently, we processed and analyzed the collected data using SPSS 26.0 software.

Results

Parental psychological control demonstrated a significantly positive correlation with college students' negative risk-taking behaviors. The impact of parental psychological control on college students' negative risk-taking behaviors was mediated by self-control and the combined effect of autonomy and self-control.

Conclusion

Among Chinese college students, autonomy and self-control act as a sequential mediating factor between negative risk-taking behaviors and parental psychological control. This study uncovered the underlying process by which parenting practices affected college students' negative risk-taking behaviors. It offers empirical support for successful treatments aimed at reducing future risk-taking behaviors among college students, as well as some evidence in favor of the crucial part that parenting styles play in the development of positive adolescents.

Protective Behavioural Mechanisms Against Cannabis Use Among Adolescents in Cannabis-Growing Settings of South Africa: Insights Into Adolescent Cannabis Use Prevention

We aimed to explore the behavioural protective mechanisms against cannabis use among adolescents living in South African illicit cannabis-growing communities, based on the Self Determination Theory (SDT). Exploratory qualitative design techniques were followed in conducting the study. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit thirty (30) non-cannabis smoking adolescents from 2 purposively selected communities and grouped into 4 focus groups and interviewed. A semi-structured focus group interview guide was used to moderate the discussions. Data were analysed inductively, using the ATLAS. ti software. Nine behavioural coping mechanisms, grouped under intrinsic and extrinsic protective behavioural mechanisms, protected participants from using cannabis. Intrinsically, participants' determination not to engage in bad behaviours, focus on their academic work during their free periods, their non-financial dependence on cannabis-using peers, self-preservation to ensure good marriages, and religious beliefs on substance abuse motivated them to not use cannabis. On the other hand, the concept of Ukuphoxa (preservation of family dignity), fear of arrest, fear of being tagged a social deviant, and the fear of contracting illnesses such as lung cancer served as protective behavioural mechanisms against cannabis use. Health promotion and education programmes for adolescents on non-cannabis use in communities where illicit cannabis abounds must identify and draw on contextual intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that ensure non-cannabis use.

Reactive and Regulative Temperament in Relation to Clinical Symptomatology and Personality Disorders in Patients with a Substance Use Disorder

Temperament and personality traits are important factors underlying the vulnerability for both the initiation and continuation of addictive behaviors. We investigated the influence of reactive and regulative temperament and their interaction in relation to clinical symptomatology and personality disorders (PDs) in a sample of 841 inpatients (68.1% males) with a substance use disorder (SUD). To assess reactive temperament we used the Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Scales (BISBAS) and to assess regulative temperament we used the Effortful Control Scale. Clinical symptomatology and personality traits were measured by means of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Assessment of ADP-IV Personality Disorders (ADP-IV). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that both, clinical symptomatology and PDs were related to low levels of effortful control (EC). None of the two-way interactions (BIS × EC, BAS × EC) however were significantly related to psychopathology. Current findings highlight the role of effortful control (EC) in the expression of psychopathology in an adult sample of inpatients with SUD. Therapeutic interventions aiming at strengthening EC can possibly result in better treatment outcomes for both the addiction and the comorbid psychopathology.

Common Features in Compulsive Sexual Behavior, Substance Use Disorders, Personality, Temperament, and Attachment-A Narrative Review

Do addictions share common traits of an “addictive personality” or do different addictions have distinct personality profiles? This narrative review examines the differences in the associations between substance use disorder (SUD) and compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), on the one hand, and personality traits, attachment dispositions, and temperament, on the other hand. We found that both people with a SUD and people with CSBD tended to be more spontaneous, careless, and less reliable, to place self-interest above getting along with others, to show emotional instability and experience negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and/or depression, to be less able to control their attention and/or behavior, and to be engulfed with a constant sensation of “wanting”. Only people with CSBD, but not SUD, noted concerns with their social ties, fear of losing close others, and/or trusting others around them. Results also suggested that people with a SUD and people with CSBD share high commonalities in personality traits and temperament, yet there are noted differences in their social tendencies, especially with close others. People with CSBD reported more concerns with possible relationship losses compared to people with SUD issues, who may be more worried about losing their source of escapism.

The Role of Future Orientation and Self-determination on American Indian Adolescents' Intentions to Use Alcohol and Marijuana

Substance use (SU) rates among American Indian (AI) adolescents have been greater than national rates for decades, with little progress made on reducing them. Reasons for this may include lack of evidence on which to base effective interventions, the uniqueness of this population, and the overall lack of attention that this population has received in reducing socioeconomic and health disparities. Moreover, there has been limited focus on understanding how positive individual characteristics may serve as protective factors for AI adolescents. Using data from 379 AI youth living on or near four northern plains reservations, the current study examines the relationship between future orientation (FO) and self-determination (SD) and intentions to use alcohol and marijuana, with negative consequences of SU for future goals and autonomy evaluated as potential mediators. SEM models were estimated for alcohol use and marijuana use intentions, with two separate models for each dependent variable-one assessing the direct and indirect effects of FO via perceived consequences for future goals and the other assessing the effects of SD via perceived consequences for autonomy. All models displayed good fit, but the pattern of significant effects varied by substance, by construct (FO vs. SD), and by gender. Findings suggested that SD, and more proximally, perceived consequences of use for autonomy, may be particularly useful promotive factors to target SU prevention in AI adolescents. Culturally congruent interventions designed to promote SD and autonomous motivations to abstain may be particularly impactful within a young AI adolescent population, as early adolescence represents a critical period of development for personal autonomy and identity.

Effortful Control - A Transdiagnostic Dimension Underlying Internalizing and Externalizing Psychopathology

Effortful control (EC) or self-regulation refers to the ability to regulate behavior, emotion, and cognition. It has been identified as a contributor to both adaptive and adverse outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults and this across many domains. As such, it could be considered as a transdiagnostic dimension underlying internalizing (e.g., mood and anxiety disorders) and externalizing (e.g., substance use disorders, ADHD) psychopathology. We aimed to examine the role of EC throughout the adult psychopathological spectrum by means of a literature search of studies published between 2008 and 2018. Overall, the results point to the role of EC in the development of a broad spectrum of psychiatric diagnosis, reflecting the transdiagnostic characteristic of this construct. This role may be both directly causal or as a mediator factor influencing outcomes of a specific disorder. Early assessment of EC and early interventions to improve EC might help to avoid or decrease the risk of developing psychopathology.

Effortful control moderates relationships between worry and symptoms of depression and anxious arousal

OBJECTIVES

Findings are inconsistent regarding the relationship between worry and anxious arousal (AA). Effortful control (EC) capacity may explain these inconsistent findings, such that only high worriers with higher EC are able to suppress autonomic arousal through worrying. The current study investigated these main and interactive effects of worry and EC on AA as well as depression.

METHODS

Participants (N = 1210, 779 females) were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk website and completed self-report measures assessing worry, EC, AA, depression, and negative affect intensity.

RESULTS

Regression models revealed that EC moderated the relationship between worry and AA, with individuals lower in EC demonstrating a stronger positive relationship between worry and AA. EC also moderated the relationship between worry and depression, with individuals lower in EC demonstrating a stronger positive relationship between worry and depression. Results remained the same when controlling for age, gender, and negative affect intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the idea that low EC may help to explain a range of comorbid psychiatric symptoms.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Individuals low in effortful control demonstrate a stronger association between worry and anxious arousal, as well as between worry and depression Those low in effortful control may be especially vulnerable to comorbid worry and depression High worriers who are high in effortful control may be motivated to continue worrying due to their ability to reduce anxious arousal during worry.

Adolescent Work Values and Drug Use in Adulthood: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Personal values have been considered as a predictor of drug use. Methods: We examined the association between work values in adolescence and drug use in adulthood using 23-year longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study. Results: Partial extrinsic and intrinsic work values predicted cannabis use in the past year after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and alcohol and tobacco use at baseline. A part of intrinsic work values was negatively associated with illicit drug use in the past year. Conclusions: The present study suggested that some personal values might influence future drug use. Investigating the association between personal values and subsequent drug use through personal value theory and self-determination theory could help to understand risk and preventive factors in drug use.

The Interaction Between Punishment Sensitivity and Effortful Control for Emerging Adults' Substance Use Behaviors

BACKGROUND

Within the dual systems perspective, high reward sensitivity and low punishment sensitivity in conjunction with deficits in cognitive control may contribute to high levels of risk taking, such as substance use.

OBJECTIVE

The current study examined whether the individual components of effortful control (inhibitory control, attentional control, and activation control) serve as regulators and moderate the association between reward or punishment sensitivity and substance use behaviors.

METHOD

A total of 1,808 emerging adults from a university setting (Mean age = 19.48; 72% female) completed self-report measures of reward and punishment sensitivity, effortful control, and substance use.

RESULTS

Findings indicated significant two-way interactions for punishment sensitivity and inhibitory control for alcohol and marijuana use. The form of these interactions revealed a significant negative association between punishment sensitivity and alcohol and marijuana use at low levels of inhibitory control. No significant interactions emerged for reward sensitivity or other components of effortful control.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting the dual systems theorized to influence risk taking behavior interact to make joint contributions to health risk behaviors such as substance use in emerging adults.

Food addiction and substance addiction in women: Common clinical characteristics

Food addiction is characterized by poorly controlled intake of highly-palatable, calorically-dense, foods. While previous studies indicate that risk factors for food addiction are similar to substance use disorders (SUD), these studies have looked at food addiction and SUD in independent samples, limiting the ability to directly compare food addiction to SUD. The present study was conducted to assess rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, childhood and adult trauma exposure, as well as presence and severity of emotion dysregulation, in a sample of women (N = 229) who either meet criteria for no addiction, food addiction only or SUD only. The prevalence of food addiction was 18.3% and the prevalence of SUD was 30.6% in this sample. Women with food addiction and women with SUD endorsed more depression and PTSD symptoms when compared with individuals with no addiction. Individuals with food addiction and SUD had higher total emotion dysregulation scores, specifically with difficulties in goal directed behaviors, non-acceptance of emotional responses, impulse control, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and lack of emotional clarity, when compared to individuals with no addiction (all p's < 0.05). There were no differences in PTSD and depression symptoms and emotion dysregulation scores between food addiction and SUD groups (all p > 0.05). However, women with SUD endorsed higher levels of total childhood (p < 0.01) and adulthood trauma (p < 0.01) as compared with women with no addiction or food addiction. These results suggest that women with food addiction and those with SUD share similar psychological characteristics and risk factors, with the exception of trauma histories. These findings have implications for the detection of risk for and treatment of these disorders.

Serotonin functioning and adolescents' alcohol use: A genetically informed study examining mechanisms of risk

The current study used data from two longitudinal samples to test whether self-regulation, depressive symptoms, and aggression/antisociality were mediators in the relation between a polygenic score indexing serotonin (5-HT) functioning and alcohol use in adolescence. The results from an independent genome-wide association study of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid were used to create 5-HT polygenic risk scores. Adolescents and/or parents reported on adolescents' self-regulation (Time 1), depressive symptoms (Time 2), aggression/antisociality (Time 2), and alcohol use (Time 3). The results showed that 5-HT polygenic risk did not predict self-regulation. However, adolescents with higher levels of 5-HT polygenic risk showed greater depression and aggression/antisociality. Adolescents' aggression/antisociality mediated the relation between 5-HT polygenic risk and later alcohol use. Deficits in self-regulation also predicted depression and aggression/antisociality, and indirectly predicted alcohol use through aggression/antisociality. Pathways to alcohol use were especially salient for males from families with low parental education in one of the two samples. The results provide insights into the longitudinal mechanisms underlying the relation between 5-HT functioning and alcohol use (i.e., earlier aggression/antisociality). There was no evidence that genetically based variation in 5-HT functioning predisposed individuals to deficits in self-regulation. Genetically based variation in 5-HT functioning and self-regulation might be separate, transdiagnostic risk factors for several types of psychopathology.