Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors
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Psychol Addict Behav · Dec 2014
Using motives for smoking to distinguish between different college student smoker typologies.
Relatively little is known about how to categorize different types of smokers, especially occasional smokers. Because of the prevalence of occasional smoking among college students, the current study aimed to gain an understanding of the different typologies of smokers on campus. ⋯ An additional LCA with covariates revealed that age of initiation, current smoking patterns, smoker self-classification, and quit likelihood differentiated these groups of smokers whereas current age and alcohol use did not. These typologies should be considered when designing interventions for occasional smokers.
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Psychol Addict Behav · Sep 2014
ReviewNot just fun and games: a review of college drinking games research from 2004 to 2013.
Drinking games are a high-risk social drinking activity consisting of rules and guidelines that determine when and how much to drink (Polizzotto et al., 2007). Borsari's (2004) seminal review paper on drinking games in the college environment succinctly captured the published literature as of February 2004. ⋯ This review provides an in-depth summary and synthesis of current drinking games research (e.g., characteristics of drinking games, and behavioral, demographic, social, and psychological influences on participation) and suggests several promising areas for future drinking games research. This review is intended to foster a better understanding of drinking game behaviors among college students and improve efforts to reduce the negative impact of this practice on college campuses.
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Psychol Addict Behav · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialOne-year outcomes and mediators of a brief intervention for drug abusing adolescents.
Two manually guided brief interventions were evaluated with a randomized, controlled trial. Adolescents (aged 13-17 years) suspected of abusing alcohol and other drugs and their parent were randomly assigned to receive either a 2-session adolescent only (BI-A), 2-session adolescent and additional parent session (BI-AP), or assessment only control condition (CON). Adolescents were identified in a school setting, and the intervention was delivered by trained counselors. ⋯ Students in the control condition showed worse outcome compared with the BI-A and BI-AP groups. Among the 4 mediating variables measured at 6 months, use of additional services, motivation to change, and parenting practices had significant influences on 12-month outcome; problem-solving skills approached significance as a mediator. The potential value of a brief intervention for drug abusing adolescents is discussed.
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In the study of addiction, attentional bias refers to the observation that substance-related cues tend to capture the attention of experienced substance users. Attentional bias is a cognitive intermediate in the conditioned association between drug-related cues, craving, and relapse. Numerous studies have documented the existence of attentional bias for cues associated with substances. ⋯ Results show that pathological gamblers, but not healthy volunteers, had attentional bias for gambling-related cues with exposure times that assess maintenance of attention. There was no correlation between PG severity and degree of attentional bias. Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.
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Psychol Addict Behav · Sep 2013
Examining the relationships between prenatal methamphetamine exposure, early adversity, and child neurobehavioral disinhibition.
Methamphetamine use is a growing problem among pregnant women in the United States. Many negative consequences of methamphetamine use have been documented for the users, but little research has examined the long-term association between prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) and childhood outcomes. The current study examined the extent to which PME was predictive of childhood neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND), as well as the extent to which early adversity mediated this relationship. ⋯ PME was associated with behavioral and emotional control at 5 years, which was associated with executive function deficits at 6.5 years. Early adversity (birth through year 3) significantly mediated the relationship between PME and ND. Associations with previous research and implications for prevention are discussed.