Psychology of Addictive Behaviors最新文献

Objective: The diagnosis and severity of substance use disorders (SUDs) are classified by the number of criteria endorsed. However, environmental and genetic factors may influence criterion endorsement. To evaluate this, we tested for differential item functioning of SUDs criteria by adverse childhood events (ACEs) and SUD polygenic scores.

Method: In 10,275 Yale-Penn participants (M_age = 40.59 years, 56.2% male, 47.21% of African-like genetic ancestry, 52.79% of European-like genetic ancestry), we used item response theory models to estimate difficulty and discrimination parameters for each criterion for alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use disorders. We then tested whether these properties varied based on scores on a latent ACEs factor and ancestry-specific polygenic scores using moderated nonlinear factor analyses.

Results: There was variability in the difficulty and discrimination of SUD criteria. Many criteria discriminated less effectively among individuals with higher ACEs factor scores. Continued substance use despite physical/psychological problems (β = .08, SE = 0.01, p < .0001) and withdrawal (β = .07, SE = 0.02, p = .001) were more difficult to endorse for individuals with high ACEs scores than those with lower ACEs scores. No differential item functioning was identified by polygenic scores.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the impact of ACEs on SUD assessment. Considering the relative weighting of criteria or developing screening procedures that consider subgroup-specific differences in symptom functioning may help address these biases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Young adults in the United States commonly report high-intensity drinking (8+ drinks for females; 10+ drinks for males) and alcohol-induced memory loss ("blackouts"). Since few young adults receive formal help for alcohol use, research is needed to better understand which remotely delivered interventions work and for whom. This study tested goal setting, sex assigned at birth, and college enrollment as moderators of outcomes for one efficacious digital alcohol intervention (the "Drinking Dashboard").

Method: Young adults (ages 18-30 years, 58% female, 51% college students) with a history of blackout were randomized to the Drinking Dashboard (n = 74) or screen time control (n = 82). Assessments occurred at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months, as well as daily between baseline and 1-month follow-up. Multilevel generalized linear modeling tested treatment effects on high-intensity drinking and alcohol-induced blackout within moderator subgroups.

Results: Two in three participants (67%) set a goal to reduce their alcohol use or related problems in the next 30 days. Relative to control participants who set an alcohol-related change goal, intervention participants who set an alcohol goal reported greater reductions in high-intensity drinking (incident rate ratio = 0.58, 95% CI [0.35, 0.96], p = .034) but not alcohol-induced blackout (incident rate ratio = 0.74, 95% CI [0.37, 1.46], p = .384). Group × Time interactions were not significant for any other subgroup.

Conclusions: The Drinking Dashboard reduces high-intensity drinking among young adults who set a goal to reduce their alcohol use or problems. We speculate that motivation (as indicated in this case by goal setting) may be more important than static variables like sex or college enrollment in predicting response to digital health interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The present study examined reciprocal associations between structured and unstructured extracurricular activity access and engagement and reasons against drinking and descriptive drinking norms in a predominantly alcohol naïve adolescent sample. Socioeconomic status (SES) was tested as a moderator of these bidirectional associations, considering access to and benefits of structured activities may vary by SES.

Method: Using six waves of data from a sample of early to middle adolescents (N = 1,023; 52% female; 76% White, 5% Black, 12% Latine; 28% from urban school districts), preregistered latent growth curve models with structured residuals tested reciprocal associations and whether they varied by SES.

Results: The relative availability of structured activities to total extracurricular activities (i.e., structured and unstructured) decreased across time, whereas relative engagement remained constant. Reasons against drinking decreased, and descriptive norms increased across time. There was no support for preregistered bidirectional hypotheses for extracurricular access or engagement and descriptive norms. At the between-person level, adolescents who continued participating in structured activities had more reasons against drinking in early adolescence and showed slower declines in these reasons over time. Contrary to our hypotheses, for most waves, when adolescents had greater engagement in structured activities than their typical levels, they had significantly lower reasons against drinking at the next wave. Despite growth trajectories differing across SES, there was no evidence for SES moderation.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between- and within-person effects when studying extracurricular activities, as well as better capturing the interpersonal processes that occur during extracurricular activities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This study investigated the associations between cigarette dependence (CD) and memory performance among young adults while also examining behavioral, psychological, and social factors as potential mediators. Memory outcomes were compared across four groups: individuals who never smoked daily, individuals who smoked daily without CD, and individuals with lifetime or current CD.

Method: Using data from 15,041 participants in Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we conducted ordinary least squares regression models with school fixed effects and nested models to assess mediation. The mean age at Wave IV was 28.50 years (SD = 1.78); 53% were female. Memory was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Digit-Span Backward Task. Mediators included physical activity, sleep problems, partnership quality, number of close friends, perceived stress, and anxiety.

Results: Both lifetime and current CD were significantly associated with poorer memory performance. Lifetime CD was linked to deficits in short-term and long-term memory but not working memory. Current CD was associated with deficits across all three domains. Daily smoking without CD was not significantly associated with memory outcomes. These patterns were consistent across sex. Perceived stress and the number of close friends partially mediated the associations between CD and memory performance, while behavioral factors explained little of the associations.

Conclusions: CD is associated with significant memory impairments in young adulthood. Psychological and social mechanisms partially account for these associations, highlighting the importance of addressing stress and social isolation to mitigate cognitive consequences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Substance use problems peak in emerging adulthood and often co-occur with other psychiatric disorders. Developmentally tailored services are critical to reduce harms, promote recovery, and prevent persistence or exacerbation. The Young Adult Substance Use Program is an evidence-informed outpatient program for 17- to 25-year-olds that aligns with recent frameworks and principles for the treatment of substance use disorders among youth. This article provides (1) an overview of the program's evolution and (2) an evaluation of (a) recruitment, retention, and engagement; (b) clinical characteristics; and (c) treatment outcomes.

Method: Data come from the Young Adult Substance Use Program measurement-based care assessments and clinical chart reviews. A series of descriptive statistics and multilevel linear regressions were performed.

Results: Between February 2021 and May 2024, 339 young adults attended an intake, 263 fully enrolled (78%), and 122 (51%) completed the core components of the program (∼74% attendance). Of those completed or discharged (n = 230), 49% attended groups, 47% received a specialized consult, and 20% received a new medication. Patients were most commonly seeking treatment for alcohol (61%) and/or cannabis (60%) use, with near universal (95%) co-occurring mental health problems. Statistically significant (ps < .001) and clinically important (per minimal clinically important differences) changes were present for substance use, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and quality of life. Approximately 80% reported a clinically important improvement by ∼12 weeks, although persistent clinical elevations were nonetheless present.

Conclusions: Overall, the Young Adult Substance Use Program is an example of an effective evidence-informed developmentally tailored and iteratively refined pragmatic outpatient young adult substance use program. Challenges, lessons learned, and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Substance use disorders frequently co-occur with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, particularly among emerging adults in treatment. While a growing literature has examined bidirectional associations between internalizing symptoms and substance use, findings remain mixed. The present study investigated whether social recovery capital (SRC) mediated bidirectional internalizing symptoms and substance use behaviors associations.

Method: Emerging adults (N = 302, 74% male sex assigned at birth, 95% White) were recruited from a residential substance use treatment facility and assessed at treatment baseline, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups (71% retention rate at the 12-month follow-up). Latent growth curve models with structured residuals, which disaggregate between- (i.e., growth processes) and within-person effects (i.e., cross-sectional and lagged associations), examined reciprocal associations between internalizing symptoms, SRC, and substance use outcomes.

Results: Results indicated that SRC and percent days abstinent increased over time, while internalizing symptoms decreased. Substance use consequences initially decreased but increased after the 3-month follow-up. At the within-person level, there was no support for the central hypothesis that SRC would mediate internalizing symptom-substance use associations. Greater internalizing symptoms were contemporaneously associated with higher substance use consequences. More SRC was contemporaneously associated with higher percent days abstinent and lower internalizing symptoms.

Conclusions: Contemporaneous associations between more SRC and lower internalizing symptoms and greater percent days abstinent suggest SRC may facilitate reductions of co-occurring substance use and internalizing symptoms. Future studies should explore alternative timescales and use more comprehensive measures of SRC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Self-determination theory provides a useful framework for understanding engagement and change in health behaviors and has informed efficacious health intervention, but applications to alcohol use are limited. In the present research, we test hypotheses that greater satisfaction of the psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) is associated with protective factors for alcohol use, whereas greater need frustration is associated with risk factors.

Method: In Studies 1 and 2, convenience samples of college students across the United States completed a cross-sectional survey (Study 1: n = 1,401; M_age = 20.6, SD = 4.0; 73.3% female; 60.3% non-Hispanic White; Study 2: n = 2,276; M_age = 21.1, SD = 5.0; 70.4% female; 52.4% non-Hispanic White). In Study 3, a national sample of U.S. adults completed five surveys over 2 years (n = 1,719; M_age = 49.0, SD = 15.4; 57.4% men; 71.8% non-Hispanic White).

Results: In Studies 1 and 2, we found small associations of greater need satisfaction with more engagement in alcohol harm reduction behaviors, lower alcohol use severity, and fewer alcohol problems; need frustration demonstrated the opposite pattern of associations. In Study 3, we found large positive associations between need frustration and alcohol use severity at each time point, and a large positive association between change in need frustration and change in alcohol use severity.

Conclusions: These findings suggest preliminary support for associations between psychological needs and alcohol use and related outcomes that may lead to future research on alcohol intervention development and refinement based on self-determination theory. However, further research is needed, especially examination of psychological needs in the context of alcohol use or changes in alcohol use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: In The Rooms (ITR) is a commonly used digital recovery support service, yet little is known about ITR participation or its benefits. Greater knowledge would help inform the field about its potential utility.

Method: U.S. adults in, seeking, or interested in learning more about substance use disorder recovery (N = 250; M_age = 46 years; 63.6% female; 18.4% non-White; 59.6% with substance use disorder; 95.2% in recovery with M duration = 6.5 years, SD = 8.5) were recruited from ITR and assessed at study intake and 3 (n = 217; 86.8%) and 6 months (n = 213; 85.2%) later. Analyses of variance examined whether time spent on ITR (ITR time) or number of activities (ITR activity) differed by recovery duration (<1 year/not in recovery; 1-<5 years; and 5+ years). Generalized estimating equation models examined whether each of ITR time and ITR activities was independently associated with abstinence and quality of life contemporaneously and in time-lagged analyses, controlling for relevant confounders.

Results: Individuals with 5+ years had initially lower ITR time but similar ITR activity. ITR time was independently associated with abstinent days, and, in time-lagged models, more ITR activity was independently associated with greater abstinence for those with <1 year or not yet in recovery. Neither ITR participation measure was associated with quality of life.

Conclusions: ITR may be a promising digital recovery support service that promotes greater abstinence, especially for those in early recovery. Further comparative research is warranted to examine incremental benefits attributable specifically to ITR participation and to investigate for whom, and how, this accessible and widely used service may be helpful. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: In addiction-focused clinical and public health communications intended to educate the public, assumptions are made regarding in which specific knowledge aspects the target population is deficient, so these can be emphasized and harms minimized. It is rare, however, that outreach campaign messaging is based on specific known knowledge deficits. This lack of information can lead to prevention and intervention messaging that not only fails to gain target audiences' attention but can produce unintended consequences. Greater knowledge about information deficits could enhance the impact of addiction-specific health campaigns.

Method: Cross-sectional investigation involving members of the public (N = 1,257) sampled via the Prolific platform. Participants listed their top 10 questions pertaining to one of six different types of addiction problems (addiction-general [n = 211], alcohol [n = 209], cannabis [n = 209], cocaine [n = 211], opioids [n = 214], gambling [n = 209]). Results were categorized using qualitative thematic and grounded theory and ranked according to proportional frequency.

Results: Types of questions asked fell into nine domains (e.g., etiology, clinical characterization and course, drug characteristics, pharmacology) and subdomains, with topics varying substantially within addiction type (e.g., cannabis, opioids) across domains (e.g., etiology, treatment), as well as within domains across types. Differences in the proportion of types of questions asked across and within domains were highly variable differing across addiction types (i.e., cannabis, opioids, gambling).

Conclusions: Findings have implications for clinical and public health campaigns helping to highlight more precisely the exact nature and extent of potential population-level knowledge deficits across specific addiction types. These might be prioritized and targeted in knowledge dissemination efforts for prevention and treatment engagement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern. Heavy episodic drinking (HED; i.e., drinking 5+ drinks for men or 4+ drinks for women in a 2-hr period) is a contributing cause of IPV, yet HED does not elicit IPV for all individuals, under all circumstances. Theory and research have identified important intrapersonal moderators of alcohol-related IPV. However, these approaches fall short in conceptualizing alcohol-related IPV from an interpersonal perspective. Guided by the I³ model, the present study used a dyadic approach to examine associations between partners' HED, interpersonal stress perceptions (defined as partners' perceptions of each other's appraisal of stressful life situations), and psychological and physical/sexual IPV perpetration.

Method: Sixty-seven mixed-gender couples (N = 134 individuals) in committed relationships provided data via an online self-report questionnaire.

Results: Actor-partner interdependence models showed that when HED was low, couples' likelihood of perpetrating IPV was independent of the accuracy of partners' perceptions of each other's stress. However, increases in HED were associated with increased risk for IPV perpetration among couples who had accurate perceptions of each other's stress, whereas among couples in which one partner under- or overestimated how stressed the other felt, the risk for IPV perpetration did not increase as HED increased.

Conclusions: If replicated, these findings provide support that under- and overestimating partners' stress may dampen the disinhibiting effects of HED on IPV perpetration that exist among couples who perceive their partners' stress accurately. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).