Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs最新文献

Objective: An inability to correctly perceive chemosensory stimuli can lead to a poor quality of life. Such defects can be concomitant with excess alcohol consumption, but a large-scale cohort study linking these effects is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on chemosensory function by analyzing data from the 2013-2014 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), involving 395 participants categorized by alcohol intake behavior: 219 no-intake, 136 light-intake, and 40 risky-intake groups.

Method: Chemosensory function was assessed using a self-reported Chemosensory Questionnaire along with objective tests for taste (quinine solution) and smell (appetitive and hazardous odors). Adjusted regression analyses were conducted, controlling for age, gender, smoking status, and multiple pairwise comparisons. Weighted regression analyses were also performed.

Results: Risky drinkers had significantly lower odds of identifying quinine (bitter taste) compared with light drinkers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37, p-adjusted = .04). Risky drinkers also had higher odds of identifying appetitive odors such as strawberry (OR = 5.44, p-adjusted = .03) but lower odds for detecting hazardous odors such as natural gas (OR = 0.11, p-adjusted = .001) compared with light drinkers. In addition, light drinkers identified the leather scent more effectively than nondrinkers (OR = 2.54, p = .02).

Conclusions: Chronic alcohol consumption, particularly at risky levels, is associated with altered chemosensory function. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing chemosensory symptoms in individuals with alcohol-related behaviors.

Objective: Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure continue to have an impact on a significant portion of the U.S. population every year. Differences in neighborhood environment may be a contributing factor. The current study examines whether prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure differ by neighborhood environment.

Method: We used neighborhood environment data linked to a U.S.-based, nationally representative cohort of adolescents (N = 8,731; 47.2% female; age: M = 118.6 months, SD = 7.4 months).

Results: Lower neighborhood deprivation, less air pollution, higher lead risk, and higher perceived neighborhood safety were associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, whereas higher neighborhood deprivation and lower perceived neighborhood safety were associated with prenatal tobacco exposure.

Conclusions: Neighborhood environments differ between prenatal alcohol-exposed children and unexposed children, as well as between prenatal tobacco-exposed children and unexposed children. Future research should consider the cumulative and interactive effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco and the neighborhood environment.

Objective: Despite an abundance of public discourse about the opioid crisis in the media, there is little research characterizing opioid-related content on TikTok, a popular video-based social media platform. This study sought to examine how opioids are portrayed on TikTok.

Method: This study used mixed methods to analyze top opioid-related posts marked with the hashtag "#opioids" collected in May 2023. "Holistic coding" was used to topically categorize multimedia content in posts and to quantify the frequency of mentioning opioid-related content areas (e.g., overdose, pain, fentanyl). Template analysis methods were then used to develop themes.

Results: A total of 115 posts were analyzed. The most frequently used opioid-related topic codes include prescription opioids (58.3% of posts), pain (47.0%), overdose (35.7%), and fentanyl (34.8%). Posts were most commonly about challenges to accessing prescription opioids for pain management (37.4%), opioid policy (36.5%), and negative consequences of using opioids (32.2%). Qualitative analysis yielded themes about the potential dangers associated with using opioids, treatment and recovery from opioid use disorder, and barriers to obtaining prescription opioids for pain management.

Conclusions: This study revealed polarizing opinions within opioid-related content on TikTok. The two main stances, dangers of nonmedical opioid use and advocacy for the availability of prescription opioids for pain management, represent nationwide tensions between the opioid and chronic pain crises. The vast audience TikTok garners presents an opportunity for disseminating opioid education, harm-reduction strategies, and treatment options for opioid use disorder that were largely absent among the posts analyzed.

Objective: Substance use patterns vary considerably in the general population, yet little is known about patterns before and during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to describe single substance and polysubstance use (PSU) before and during pregnancy among recent births in the United States and compare exposure patterns.

Method: We used data from the Pregnancy and Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) postpartum survey for 2016-2018 to estimate the prevalence and identify patterns of substance use by participants 1 to 3 months before and during pregnancy. Data on use of cigarettes, cannabis, opioids, amphetamines, heroin, and cocaine were available for seven states. We used latent class analysis to identify patterns of substance use and tested whether participants with those patterns differed by age, income, race/ethnicity, and pre-pregnancy alcohol use. Analyses were weighted using PRAMS' state-level weights.

Results: We studied 15,429 participants representing 384,918 live, singleton births. Approximately half (51.3%) were 20-29 years old, 42.3% were above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and 73.3% were non-Hispanic White. We identified seven latent classes of maternal substance use: minimal users (70.7%), pre-pregnancy cigarette users (10.5%), persistent cigarette users (6.8%), pre-pregnancy cannabis users (5.5%), broad PSU (3.6%), opioid-only users (1.9%), and persistent cigarette/opioid co-users (1.0%). Participants in these groups differed significantly by age, income, race/ethnicity, and pre-pregnancy alcohol use (p < .001).

Conclusions: This novel empirical classification of single substance and PSU could help to further our understanding of the impact of PSU on perinatal health and to design interventions for maternal substance use.

Objective: A low level of response (LR) to alcohol is a known risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although higher total body water (TBW) is associated with lower blood alcohol concentrations and reduced responses following alcohol consumption, the relationship between morphometric measures such as body mass index (BMI) and LR is less clear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between BMI and LR to alcohol and the contribution of TBW to this relationship.

Method: Participants (n = 1,086) enrolled in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Natural History Protocol were assessed for LR to alcohol using the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) Questionnaire. BMI was estimated using height and weight, and TBW was based on height, weight, age, and sex. Participants were categorized based on BMI into three groups: normal weight (18.5-25.0 kg/m²; n = 430), overweight (25.0-30.0 kg/m²; n = 403), and obese (≥30.0 kg/m²; n = 253). Associations between the BMI group and SRE scores for the most recent 3-month period (SRE-Recent) and the effect of TBW were analyzed using analysis of variance. Linear regression analysis was conducted to estimate the proportion of variation in SRE-Recent, as explained by BMI and TBW.

Results: BMI category was associated with LR, with the normal weight group showing higher responses (lower SRE-Recent scores) to alcohol than the overweight or obese groups. After controlling for TBW, the relationship became nonsignificant. Linear regression models confirmed these findings.

Conclusions: Higher BMI is associated with lower LR to alcohol. However, TBW seems to account for this relationship, suggesting that concentrations achieved following alcohol consumption may be the primary determinant of BMI-related differences in LR. Future work should replicate these findings and examine these relationships throughout the life span and in individuals with AUD.

Objective: More than half of U.S. college students are harmed by the drinkers around them. If findings from research on adults generalize to college students, then there will be consequences associated with these alcohol-related harms to others (AHTOs). This study aimed to determine whether harms from others' drinking were associated with key academic and mental health indicators of the college experience.

Method: Data were from a probability-based sample of college students (n = 1,822, 64.9% cisfemale, 68.6% White, 11.3% Black, 15.6% Hispanic/Latinx) conducted October-November 2021. Predictors included domains of five AHTOs: harassment, physical, sexual, academic, and babysitting drinkers. Six binary outcomes included (a) satisfied with college, (b) satisfied with academic performance, (c) grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or greater, (d) depression, (e) suicidal ideation, and (f) mental distress.

Results: Harassment AHTOs were associated with lower college satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.57, 95% CI [0.38, 0.84]) and suicidal ideation (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI [1.08, 2.82]). Physical AHTOs were associated with lower odds of academic satisfaction (aOR = 0.33, 95% CI [0.19, 0.59]) and GPA of 3.0 or greater (aOR = 0.42, 95% CI [0.22, 0.83]). Academic AHTOs were associated with lower odds of being satisfied with college (aOR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.14, 0.52]) and one's academic performance (aOR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.14, 0.50]) and higher odds of mental distress (aOR = 2.27, 95% CI [1.31, 3.94]). Finally, sexual AHTOs were associated with higher odds of depression (aOR = 2.77, 95% CI [1.34, 5.77]).

Conclusions: AHTOs are associated with mental health and academic challenges on college campuses. Longitudinal studies should investigate whether these associations persist over time.

Objective: One in five college women experiences sexual assault. Feminist scholars have called for the use of programming that empowers women by increasing their ability to recognize and resist sexual assault. One such program, the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act Sexual Assault Resistance Education Program (EAAA), has demonstrated lower rates of sexual assault up to 24 months. EAAA could be further enhanced by directly targeting women's risky alcohol and cannabis use, two known risk factors for sexual assault, within an integrated framework. This study evaluated the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of an integrated version of EAAA with enhanced alcohol and new cannabis content.

Method: College women (n = 14) ages 18-24 who reported engaging in past-month heavy alcohol use, cannabis use, and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use participated in the adapted program. Women completed a baseline assessment, measures of acceptability at strategic points during the program, and a post-program assessment.

Results: Women rated the program very high in likability, quality, organization, relevance, and usefulness and were likely to recommend it to other women. Overall, acceptability and usability ratings for EAAA+ were high. Content analysis of open-ended questions indicated that some women wanted more cannabis and/or alcohol content included.

Conclusions: Results indicate that the adapted content is acceptable for the target population and has promising pre-post changes on alcohol, cannabis, and sexual assault-related outcomes.

Objective: There is a robust body of work demonstrating that certain drinking practices, such as pregaming or playing drinking games, are linked to heavier, riskier patterns of drinking among college students. However, less attention has been paid to other drinking practices that are relatively common among undergraduates, such as daytime drinking (i.e., drinking before 4:00 P.M.).

Method: Using data from an intensive longitudinal study (bursts of daily data over 12 months; 6,842 total days of data) collected from a high-risk sample of college students (N = 403), the present study tested daytime drinking as both a proximal (daily-level drinking outcomes) and distal (alcohol use disorder symptoms) risk factor for hazardous drinking.

Results: Daytime drinking was reported by more than 70% of the sample and on approximately 15% of drinking days. Daily-level findings indicated that compared with non-daytime drinking days, daytime drinking days were significantly associated with more drinks consumed, more high-risk drinking practices (i.e., heavy episodic or high-intensity drinking), and greater subjective intoxication. Longitudinal analyses identified frequent daytime drinking as a risk factor for increased hazardous drinking behavior, particularly among individuals who were younger or reported lower hazardous drinking at baseline.

Conclusions: Findings add to a sparse literature supporting daytime drinking as a risky drinking practice among college students. Future work should aim to further characterize contextual and psychosocial factors associated with daytime drinking practices.

Objective: For thousands of years, people have used alcohol to reduce their sensitivity to physical and emotional pain. Previous research has shown that alcohol increases the pain threshold. Previous research has also shown that the pain threshold is positively associated with aggression. This research tests the novel hypothesis that the relationship between alcohol and aggression is mediated by an increased pain threshold.

Method: To replicate findings, two independent laboratory experiments were conducted (Experiment 1: N = 543; Experiment 2: N = 327). In both experiments, heavy social drinkers were randomly assigned to consume either an alcohol or placebo beverage. Next, they reported their pain level to electric shocks that increased in a stepwise manner until the level was described as "painful," which was defined as the pain threshold level. Finally, they delivered painful electric shocks to an ostensible opponent each time they won a competitive reaction time task. Participants won half of the 34 trials (randomly determined). Shock intensity and duration levels were standardized and summed across the 34 trials to create a more comprehensive measure of aggression.

Results: Participants who consumed an alcoholic beverage had a higher pain threshold level than those who consumed a placebo beverage. The less pain participants felt themselves, the more pain they inflicted on their ostensible partner via electric shock. Results were nearly identical across both experiments.

Conclusions: These findings provide novel evidence regarding one possible reason why intoxicated people behave more aggressively than sober people do. Alcohol intoxication increases aggression partially through its effect on increasing the pain threshold.