Psychology of Addictive Behaviors最新文献

Objective: Reductions in alcohol use are associated with improved mental and physical health. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may hamper drinking reductions via drinking to cope with symptoms. Using nationally representative data in those with trauma exposure, we aimed to determine whether PTSD symptoms were associated with (a) the World Health Organization risk drinking levels (WHO RDL) and (b) WHO RDL change over 3 years.

Method: We used baseline (2001-2002) and 3-year follow-up (2004-2005) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions data, including PTSD diagnosis, WHO RDL (abstinence, low, moderate, high, and very high risk based on mean drinks per day), and WHO RDL change (increased, one-, two-, three-level reduction, or reduced to abstinence). Multinomial logistic regression models tested study aims.

Results: PTSD was associated with high-risk (OR = 1.39, p = .040) and very-high-risk drinking (OR = 2.09, p < .001) compared with low-risk drinking (n = 31,638). Baseline PTSD symptoms (retrospectively reported at the follow-up assessment) were associated with greater odds of increasing WHO RDLs over 3 years among those with initial low-risk drinking (OR = 1.36, p = .015; n = 17,948) and lower odds of reducing WHO RDLs among those with initial high-risk (OR = 0.40, p = .026; n = 648) or very-high-risk (OR = 0.21, p < .002; n = 678) drinking levels.

Conclusions: PTSD is associated with high-risk drinking, as well as increased and persistent problematic alcohol use over time. As such, PTSD should be considered and addressed in efforts to prevent or reduce risky alcohol use among those with high-risk drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Reductions in World Health Organization (WHO) risk drinking levels have been used to capture nonabstinent reductions in drinking in the general population and in clinical trials. We examined mandated college students' reductions in WHO risk drinking levels 1 month postintervention, whether reductions were maintained at 5- to 6- and 12-month follow-ups and whether maintenance to 12 months predicted better alcohol-related outcomes. We also explored sex differences throughout.

Method: The sample consisted of nonabstinent mandated students who received a brief motivational intervention (N = 816). Sex-specific WHO risk levels were calculated from drinks per drinking day at baseline and follow-ups. Additional measures of alcohol use and consequences were assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-up.

Results: Most participants (61%) did not initiate reductions in drinking risk level by 1 month follow-up. Of those who achieved at least a one-level reduction, approximately 60% maintained this change at 5-6 and 12 months. Further evidencing maintenance, 1-month reductions predicted an approximately 500% increase in the odds of at least a one-level reduction at each follow-up. Finally, those who failed to maintain at least a one-level reduction to 12 months and those who successfully maintained change were generally similar at baseline. However, by 12 months, those who failed to maintain reduced drinking drank more and experienced more consequences than those who maintained changes. There were few sex differences across all results.

Conclusions: Reductions in WHO risk drinking levels hold promise for quantifying meaningful, individual-level initiation and maintenance of reduced drinking among mandated students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Card packs are physical products providing random content that companies rely on to monetize trading or collectible card games. Loot boxes are equivalent digital products inside video games that can similarly be bought to obtain randomized rewards. Both products are psychologically similar to gambling because the player can "win" by obtaining rare and valuable rewards or alternatively "lose" by obtaining nonvaluable rewards. Loot box spending has been repeatedly and reliably linked to problem gambling. However, the link between card pack spending and gambling has been little studied.

Method: We recruited card game players living in English-speaking Western countries (N = 1,961) to assess the links between card pack and loot box spending on one hand and problem gambling and mental health outcomes on the other.

Results: Spending money on physical card packs (r = 0.15), loot boxes (r = 0.31), and virtual card packs (a specific type of loot boxes found in a specific genre of card-based video games; r = 0.22) were all linked to problem gambling but at markedly different strengths. Spending money on all these gambling-like products were not associated with negative mental health. Spending money on certain subcategories of loot boxes differs from overall spending.

Conclusions: The current legal definitions of "gambling" in many countries should be modernized using scientific evidence: Presently, the law (if properly enforced) would regulate products that are less strongly correlated with problem gambling and therefore arguably less potentially harmful (e.g., physical card packs), but fails to regulate arguably more harmful products that are more strongly correlated with problem gambling (e.g., loot boxes). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The proliferation of gambling advertising has raised concerns about its effects on gambling behavior, particularly among vulnerable populations such as highest risk gamblers. This study examines the influence of gambling advertising on attitudes and intentions to gamble on a large sample of gamblers in France.

Method: We used an online questionnaire in a cross-sectional design, with data collected between February 15 and April 30, 2021. Participants were recruited through a single recruitment channel, namely the client mailing list of the Française des Jeux, resulting in a final sample consisting of 1,334 participants (62% male, 38% female, < 1% other) with a mean age of 41.37 years (SD = 15.07). Participants completed validated questionnaires, including the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, advertisement recall, measures of impulsivity, and cognitive distortions. Exposure to responsible-gambling messages was recorded descriptively and not manipulated.

Results: Results indicate that exposure to gambling advertising was significantly associated with more positive participants' attitudes toward gambling and their intentions to engage in gambling activities. Highest risk gamblers were more susceptible to the influence of advertising, showing higher recall of advertisements and greater likelihood of gambling after exposure.

Conclusions: The study highlights the urgent need for regulatory action to limit exposure of vulnerable populations to gambling advertising and formulate strategies to mitigate gambling-related harm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Objectively verified reductions in cocaine use may be a more viable treatment target compared to complete abstinence. However, few studies have examined the associated health benefits of this change. This study assessed how quality-of-life outcomes (psychological functioning, social functioning, sleep) change with reductions in cocaine-positive urine drug screens.

Method: Participants (n = 107) with cocaine use disorder enrolled in a 12-week contingency management trial and were randomly assigned to high-value, low-value, or noncontingent control groups. Quality of life was measured at predetermined intervals over the course of the trial. Linear mixed models disaggregated the proportion of cocaine-negative urine screens into between-subject (i.e., a participant's average use across the trial) and within-subject (i.e., a participant's deviation from their average) components to separately estimate their associations with quality-of-life outcomes.

Results: Overall, higher proportions of cocaine-negative urine test results were associated with statistically significant, although modest, between- and within-subject changes in several quality-of-life measures, including psychosocial functioning, mental health, and sleep. Participants who reached at least 75% cocaine-negative urine test results during treatment demonstrated improvements in all Short Inventory of Problems-Cocaine outcomes, excluding Total Score.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that reducing cocaine use improves quality-of-life outcomes in people with cocaine use disorder. These results also extend prior research on more robust health improvements that emerge when participants attain 75% negative urine test results over a trial. Future research should explore the extent to which these beneficial outcomes apply to other cocaine use disorder samples, including those with more severe comorbid psychosocial challenges at baseline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Reports the notice of retraction of "Preventing tobacco and alcohol use among high school students through a hybrid online and in-class intervention: A randomized controlled trial" by Christopher Williams, Kenneth W. Griffin, Sandra M. Sousa and Gilbert J. Botvin (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2025[Sep], Vol 39[6], 528-540; see record 2025-86677-001). The published paper reported an incorrect registration number for https://clinicaltrials.gov/. When comparing the correct https://clinicaltrials.gov/ trial registration (NCT03219190) and the published article, there were several discrepancies between the protocol as reported in the published paper and the appropriate https://clinicaltrials.gov/ registry, which deviated from accepted standards for the reporting of RCTs. The outcomes reported in the published article were not specified as primary or secondary outcomes of the trial. The Allocation (randomized) sample size (n = 1804) was markedly less than the registered Anticipated sample size of n = 3000. The age range for the population listed in the https://clinicaltrials.gov/ registration (11-14 years old) was younger than the average age of participants in the published paper (mean age = 15.2). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2025-86677-001.) Objective: School-based health promotion programs can have a positive effect on behavioral and social outcomes among adolescents. Yet, limited classroom time and suboptimal program implementation can reduce the potential impact of these interventions. In the present randomized trial, we tested the effectiveness of a classroom-based substance use prevention program that was adapted for hybrid implementation.

Method: The hybrid adaptation included eight asynchronous e-learning modules that presented didactic content and eight classroom sessions designed to facilitate discussion and practice of refusal, personal self-management, and general social skills. Nineteen high schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Students (N = 1,235) completed confidential online pretest and posttest surveys to assess the effects of the intervention on tobacco and alcohol use and life skills. The sample was 50.7% female and 35.5% non-White with a mean age of 15.2 years.

Results: Analyses revealed significant program effects on current cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drunkenness, and intentions for future use. There were also program effects for communication, media resistance, anxiety management, and refusal skills.

Conclusions: Taken together, these findings suggest that hybrid approaches can produce robust prevention effects and may help reduce barriers to the widespread adoption and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Despite the development of multiple gambling-related self-efficacy measures, their validation has often been conducted in convenience or clinical samples, limiting their generalizability to the broader gambling population. This gap is particularly relevant given that most individuals with gambling problems do not seek treatment, highlighting the need for tools that can be applied in both clinical and nonclinical settings. This study aimed to validate the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire for Gambling (BSCQ-G), a 10-item adaptation of the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire, for assessing gambling-related self-efficacy.

Method: Data were drawn from a nationwide online survey of 1,429 Spanish adults (aged 18-64 years). Analyses were conducted on a subsample of 921 individuals who reported past-year gambling.

Results: The BSCQ-G demonstrated excellent reliability (α and ω = 0.98), and a unidimensional structure was confirmed via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Measurement invariance was confirmed across age, sex, and gambling modality, indicating its applicability across diverse populations of gamblers. Importantly, its invariance across problem gambling severity levels measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (nonproblem: Problem Gambling Severity Index scores of 0-4 vs. problem gambling: Problem Gambling Severity Index scores of 5-27) reinforces its potential application in identifying and monitoring self-efficacy in individuals at varying levels of gambling risk. BSCQ-G scores ≥ 80% exhibited a sensitivity of 93.5% and specificity of 51.6% for identifying individuals with nonproblem gambling. Concurrent validity was supported through negative correlations with gambling frequency, expenditure, and problem gambling severity.

Conclusions: The BSCQ-G is a brief, psychometrically robust tool for assessing self-efficacy in high-risk situations, offering utility in both research and clinical contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Drawing on the dynamic model of relapse, this study examined real-time relationships between momentary gambling motives (enhancement, coping, social, financial) and gambling behavior (episodes, expenditure, duration), as well as the moderating role of stable (problem gambling severity, high-risk situations) and momentary (psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, distress intolerance, state impulsivity) vulnerability factors, and the concordance between stable (Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial) and momentary measures of gambling motives.

Method: A convenience sample of 132 Australian adults who endorsed gambling in a typical month (M_age = 29.9 years; 58.3% male; 94.7% endorsed gambling problems) completed a 28-day ecological momentary assessment protocol, involving twice-daily smartphone assessments of momentary variables and gambling episodes, following a preecological momentary assessment survey of stable variables.

Results: Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that momentary coping (OR = 2.03), enhancement (OR = 1.73), and social motives (OR = 1.57) predicted increased gambling expenditure. Mixed-effects binary logistic regression analyses revealed that longer gambling duration predicted increased momentary financial motives (OR = 3.31), though financial motives did not predict gambling behavior. Individuals with distress intolerance were more likely to report a subsequent gambling episode when coping or enhancement motives were endorsed. No other factors showed significant moderating effects. Stable and momentary motives were strongly correlated (r_s = 0.71-0.89), supporting the validity of single-item ecological momentary assessment measures relative to both the corresponding Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial item and subscale.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of momentary motives, particularly coping and enhancement, and emotional vulnerability in understanding gambling behavior in real time. Interventions targeting these dynamic processes and integrating distress tolerance training may enhance harm reduction efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Extant survey measures of subjective response to alcohol, an important risk factor for alcohol problems, query the number of drinks to experience alcohol effects but do not consider how intensely individuals experience them. We tested whether new measures of the intensity of alcohol effects, alongside the "number of drinks," contributed uniquely or interactively in predicting alcohol problems. We examined associations among these subjective response variables with racial identity and sex assigned at birth.

Method: Participants (N = 246; 18-50 years; 44.3% Black; 55.7% White; 58.4% assigned female; 41.6% assigned male) were oversampled for alcohol-related risk and completed an online survey. Participants reported the number of drinks to experience alcohol effects (Fleming et al., 2016), the intensity of these alcohol effects, alcohol-related problems, and covariates (heavy drinking frequency, tolerance, demographics).

Results: According to confirmatory factor analyses, two factors underlay the number of drinks items ("stimulation number of drinks," "sedation number of drinks") and the same for alcohol effect intensity items ("stimulation intensity," "sedation intensity"). Stimulation intensity and sedation number of drinks were significantly associated with, and interacted to predict, alcohol problems; individuals reporting both greater stimulation intensity and needing more drinks to experience sedation showed the greatest risk. Black relative to White individuals reported greater intensity of, and needing more drinks to feel, stimulation. Male relative to female individuals reported needing more drinks to feel sedation.

Conclusions: Participants' self-reports of the intensity of alcohol effects may capture an important aspect of subjective response that could improve existing survey-based measures of this important alcohol-related risk factor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: A defining characteristic of alcohol use disorders is the loss of control over drinking. Although this loss is associated with reduced self-control, the relationship is supported by limited research conducted in real-world contexts, and existing studies have certain limitations and produce inconsistent findings. Given these gaps, our study investigated whether perceived demands on self-control could predict a subsequent loss of control over drinking (i.e., drinking more than planned) in the daily lives of young adults. Additionally, we examined whether peer exposure and negative urgency act as moderators in this relationship, and explored other aspects of trait impulsivity as moderators.

Method: We observed 496 participants (45% female, 54% White, non-Hispanic, ages 18-22; M_age = 20.3) from Thursday to Sunday across 8 weeks. Participants completed five daily surveys assessing perceived self-control demands over moods and thoughts, peer exposure, and mood. Planned and actual drinking amounts were recorded at the second survey and the next morning, respectively. Loss of control over drinking was defined as the deviation between actual and planned consumption. Baseline measurements included trait impulsivity (urgency, premeditation, and perseverance). We used a mixed-effects linear model to analyze how self-control demands impacted loss of control over drinking across individuals.

Results: Within individuals, predrinking perceived self-control demands did not predict the degree of deviation from planned alcohol consumption. Additionally, neither peer exposure nor negative urgency moderated this relationship.

Conclusions: Utilizing a substantial sample size and rigorous methodology, this study demonstrates that predrinking self-control demands over moods and thoughts do not predict drinking more than intended. Moreover, neither peer exposure nor negative urgency moderate this relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).