Impaired control over drinking predicts changes in alcohol-related consequences over and above alcohol use and facets of impulsivity.

The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) states that behavioral intention is the strongest determinant of human behavior. Impaired control (IC; Heather et al., 1993) reflects an intentional failure to consume less alcohol. Cross-sectional studies suggest that IC may mediate relations between impulsivity facets and drinking outcomes but there is only one prospective study examining ICS-Failed-Control (Leeman et al., 2009) and it did not account for effects of impulsivity-facets. Our study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining ICS-Failed-Control as a mediator of relations between impulsivity facets and alcohol-related consequences. We fit a three-wave cross-lagged panel model in a sample of 448 young adults (21-23) from an alcohol challenge study with longitudinal follow-ups (6 and 12 months). Participants completed the UPPS-P, TLFB Interview, the ICS-Failed-Control scale and the YAACQ. Although IC did not mediate effects of impulsivity on alcohol consequences, IC significantly predicted changes in alcohol-related problems at the12-month follow-up, accounting for effects of UPPS-P constructs as well as alcohol use. Lack of premeditation predicted change in alcohol use from baseline to 6-month follow-up and alcohol use (at 6-months) mediated the effect of premeditation (at baseline) on alcohol consequences (at 12-months). Our findings suggest that ICS-Failed-Control is not a mediator of the effects of impulsivity but is a unique predictor of consequences. Future studies should assess UPPS-P constructs earlier in adolescence to identify potential prospective links between UPPS-P constructs and IC.

Perfectionism and self-medication as mediators of the links between parenting styles and drinking outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Perfectionism reflects unreasonably high expectations for oneself that are rarely obtainable leading to negative affect. The self-medication model suggests that alcohol consumption is negatively reinforced and subsequently escalated due to reductions in negative affect when drinking (Hersh & Hussong, 2009). Wang (2010) found that parents directly influence perfectionism levels. Parents have also been found to indirectly influence alcohol-related problems (Patock-Peckham & Morgan-Lopez, 2006, 2009). The current study sought to examine the indirect effects of parenting on alcohol-related problems and alcohol use quantity/frequency through perfectionism dimensions, (i.e. order, discrepancy, and high standards) depression, and self-medication motives for drinking. We hypothesized that more critical parenting and perfectionism discrepancy would be associated with heavier drinking by increasing depressive symptoms and promoting drinking for negative reinforcement. METHOD: A structural equation model with 419 university volunteers was utilized to test our mediational hypotheses. RESULTS: The analyses identified an indirect link between maternal authoritarian parenting and alcohol-related problems operating through perfectionism discrepancy. Higher levels of maternal authoritarian parenting were associated with greater perfectionism discrepancy which contributed to higher levels of depression, and in turn, stronger self-medication motives, as well as more alcohol-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal authoritarian parenting style is directly linked to perfectionism discrepancy along the self-medication pathway to alcohol-related problems. Our results suggest that the reduction of perfectionism discrepancy may be a good therapeutic target for depression as well as inform the development of parent or individual based prevention efforts to reduce risk for alcohol-related problems.

Evaluation of a treatment-appropriate cognitive intervention for challenging alcohol outcome expectancies.

The current study evaluated an alcohol expectancy challenge (EC) that did not require alcohol administration and could therefore be implemented in a treatment setting. Participants in the treatment group directly challenged alcohol expectancies endorsed on an expectancy questionnaire. A total of 62 male and female undergraduates completed the study (32 control participants, 30 EC participants). Self-report questionnaires were collected pre- and post-intervention, and alcohol logs were kept during the study. The EC resulted in significant reductions in alcohol expectancies across multiple expectancy dimensions. Although the analysis for alcohol consumption was not significant, there was a trend toward better outcomes for male participants in the EC condition. In contrast to study hypotheses, women in the EC condition increased their alcohol consumption from pre to post-test to a greater degree than did control participants.

Gender differences related to heterosexual condom use: the influence of negotiation styles.

The present study had three primary goals. The first was to identify gender differences related to negotiation styles associated with condom use. We hypothesized that women would report engaging in more negotiation behaviors associated with condom use than men. The second goal was to determine whether the relationships between intentions to use condoms and past condom use for women and men were moderated by negotiation behaviors. The third goal was to examine gender differences in responses to an open-ended question inquiring why participants did not use condoms. Male and female college students (N = 219) anonymously completed a series of measures. The results indicated that women and men have unique roles in the negotiation process; women play a more active role in negotiation of condom use, while men play a more reactive role. The relationship between intentions to use condoms and past condom use increased for men when their partners were more active in the process of deciding whether to use condoms. Responses to the open-ended item revealed that women identified perceptions of low risk as the most common reason for not using condoms, while men identified the inconvenience or unavailability of condoms as the most common reason. The implications of these results are discussed as they relate to health efforts to increase condom use.

Effects of priming positive and negative outcomes on drinking responses.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of priming positive and negative expectancy outcomes on the drinking responses of college students. Men and women (N = 64) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 priming conditions: a positive expectancy outcome condition, a negative expectancy outcome condition, and a neutral (control) condition. Participants were exposed to a series of semantic primes corresponding to their condition and then asked to complete a beer taste-rating task. Planned comparisons revealed that the average ratio of beer consumed to body weight in the positive condition was significantly greater than the average ratio in the neutral condition, and the average ratio of beer consumed to body weight was significantly less in the negative condition than the average ratio in the neutral condition. These findings are discussed as they relate to cognitive models of alcohol use.