Environmental context and expectancy of alcohol use on changes in reflection-impulsivity and craving

ABSTRACT

The present study primarily aimed to (a) determine the effects of environmental context and the expectancy of alcohol consumption on changes in reflection-impulsivity (R-I), a state behavioral aspect of impulsivity and (b) test R-I as a mediator of the association between environment, expectancy of alcohol consumption, and subjective craving for alcohol in a sample of college-aged heavy drinkers. Participants were 81 (76.5% female) college students between the ages of 21 and 29 (M = 21.86, SD = 1.87) who were classified as heavy drinkers. Participants first completed measures of alcohol use, trait impulsivity, behavioral R-I, and subjective craving for alcohol in a neutral location prior to being randomized into one of four conditions (1) a neutral environment without the expectancy of alcohol consumption, (2) a neutral environment with the expectancy of alcohol consumption, (3) a simulated bar without the expectancy of alcohol consumption, and (4) a simulated bar with the expectancy of alcohol consumption. Participants completed post-condition exposure assessments of R-I and subjective craving. Post hoc analyses determined that statistical tests for both aims were underpowered. As such, significant findings may not have been detected due to a high probability of Type II error and thus, null findings should be considered with caution. Findings revealed that environment nor expectancy of alcohol consumption elicited changes in R-I or subjective craving. There was a significant effect of time on R-I, whereby R-I improved over time. Such improvement may suggest the potential presence of a testing effect. Further, the association between condition and subjective craving for alcohol was not mediated by R-I. Trait impulsivity was found to positively associate with subjective craving at baseline and post-condition exposure. Thus, alcohol-related cues in one's environment and the priming of future alcohol consumption were not found to elicit changes in R-I or subsequent increases in subjective craving for alcohol. Future research may benefit from replication, as the COVID-19 pandemic may impacted the internal and external validity of this study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)