Addictive behaviors
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Addictive behaviors · Mar 2013
Drinking motives for self and others predict alcohol use and consequences among college women: the moderating effects of PTSD.
Although drinking motives have been shown to influence drinking behavior among women with trauma histories and PTSD, no known research has examined the influence of drinking motives on alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences for women with PTSD as compared to women with a trauma history but no PTSD and women with no trauma history. Therefore, the present study sought to examine the associations between drinking motives women held for themselves as well as their perception of the drinking motives of others and their own alcohol use and consequences, and whether this was moderated by a history of trauma and/or PTSD. College women (N=827) were categorized as either having no trauma exposure (n=105), trauma exposure but no PTSD (n=580), or PTSD (n=142). ⋯ A diagnosis of PTSD moderated the association between one's own depression and anxiety coping and conformity drinking motives and alcohol-related consequences. PTSD also moderated the association between the perception of others' depression coping motives and one's own consequences. These findings highlight the importance of providing alternative coping strategies to women with PTSD to help reduce their alcohol use and consequences, and also suggest a possible role for the perceptions regarding the reasons other women drink alcohol and one's own drinking behavior that may have important clinical implications.
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Addictive behaviors · Feb 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialNeurophysiological effects of modafinil on cue-exposure in cocaine dependence: a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study using pharmacological fMRI.
Enhanced reactivity to substance related cues is a central characteristic of addiction and has been associated with increased activity in motivation, attention, and memory related brain circuits and with a higher probability of relapse. Modafinil was promising in the first clinical trials in cocaine dependence, and was able to reduce craving in addictive disorders. However, its mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study therefore, cue reactivity in cocaine dependent patients was compared to cue reactivity in healthy controls (HCs) under modafinil and placebo conditions. ⋯ Enhanced cue reactivity in the cocaine dependent group compared to healthy controls was found in brain circuitries related to reward, motivation, and autobiographical memory processes. In cocaine dependent patients, these enhanced brain responses were attenuated by modafinil, mainly due to decreases in cue- reactivity in reward-related brain areas (VTA) and increases in cue reactivity in cognitive control areas (ACC). These modafinil-induced changes in brain activation in response to cocaine-related visual stimuli were associated with diminished self-reported craving. These findings imply that in cocaine dependent patients, modafinil, although mainly known as a cognitive enhancer, acts on both the motivational and the cognitive brain circuitry.
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Addictive behaviors · Feb 2013
Differential roles of thought suppression and dispositional mindfulness in posttraumatic stress symptoms and craving.
Exposure to traumatic events often results in severe distress which may elicit self-medication behaviors. Yet, some individuals exposed to trauma do not develop post-traumatic stress symptoms and comorbid addictive impulses. In the wake of traumatic events, psychological processes like thought suppression and mindfulness may modulate post-traumatic stress and craving for substances. ⋯ Moreover, multivariate path analysis indicated that prior traumatic experience was associated with greater thought suppression, which in turn was correlated with increased post-traumatic stress symptoms and drug craving, whereas dispositional mindfulness was associated with decreased suppression, post-traumatic stress, and craving. The maladaptive strategy of thought suppression appears to be linked with adverse psychological consequences of traumatic life events. In contrast, dispositional mindfulness appears to be a protective factor that buffers individuals from experiencing more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms and craving.
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College students drink in consistent patterns over the course of the academic semester and year (Beets et al., 2009; Del Boca et al., 2004). However, it is unclear if there are naturally occurring groups of female Thursday drinkers who display their own unique patterns of drinking across the semester. In a fall semester 10-week mixed online- and paper-based study of college female drinking, classes of Thursday drinkers were identified using Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis. ⋯ Results indicated that the Unlikely group consumed significantly less alcohol at baseline, had lower levels of negative alcohol-related consequences prior to and during the study, and drank less on the weekends (Friday and Saturday). Female students who report drinking on Thursdays tend to be older, to be part of sororities, to have later classes or no classes on Friday, and to experience more negative alcohol-related consequences. Female students whose "weekends" start early are high-risk drinkers and might be targeted for future prevention and intervention efforts.
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Addictive behaviors · Nov 2012
Initiation into prescription drug misuse: differences between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual high-risk young adults in Los Angeles and New York.
Prescription drug misuse is an important public health problem in the U.S., particularly among adolescents and young adults. Few studies have examined factors contributing to initiation into prescription drug misuse, including sexual orientation and childhood abuse and neglect. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between initiation into the misuse of prescription drugs (opioids, tranquilizers, and stimulants), sexual identity, and individual and family determinants. ⋯ The correlates of initiation into prescription drug misuse are multidimensional and offer opportunities for further research. Identifying additional factors contributing to initiation into prescription drug misuse is essential towards developing interventions that may reduce future drug use among young adults.