Perceived reward from using cigarettes with alcohol or cannabis and concurrent use: A smartphone-based daily diary study.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking cigarettes under the influence of alcohol or cannabis is associated with perceived pleasure. However, it is unclear whether these changes in perceived reward impact the extent of concurrent use of cigarettes with alcohol or cannabis. The current study investigated if self-reported changes in perceived reward from concurrent use of cigarettes with alcohol or cannabis are related to the extent of concurrent use in real-world contexts using a smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study. METHODS: The sample included 126 diverse young adult smokers in the San Francisco Bay Area who reported current alcohol or cannabis use at baseline (M = 22.8 years, 50.8% male, 40.5% sexual minority, 39.7% Non-Hispanic White). Participants completed an online baseline survey and 30 days of smartphone-based daily EMA surveys of cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use. The baseline assessed self-reported changes in perceived pleasure of smoking cigarettes while using alcohol or cannabis separately. EMA surveys included detailed questions about concurrent use (i.e., the extent of smoking while using another substance) covering the previous day. A total of 2,600 daily assessments were analyzed using mixed models. RESULTS: Higher perceived pleasure from smoking cigarettes while drinking alcohol or using cannabis at baseline were both associated with a greater extent of concurrent use of cigarettes with alcohol (b = 0.140; SE = 0.066; t = 2.1; p = .035) and cannabis (b = 0.136; SE = 0.058; t = 2.4; p = .019) on a given day. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that perceived reward from concurrently using cigarettes with alcohol or cannabis is associated with the extent of concurrent use. Findings can inform tailored smoking cessation interventions.

U.S. reserve soldiers' combat exposure and intimate partner violence: Not more common but it is more violent.

Combat exposure's influence on intimate partner violence (IPV) in reserve soldiers is not well understood. This work examines combat exposure's influence on IPV in U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard soldiers and partners. Data are from Operation: SAFETY, a longitudinal study of U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard soldiers and partners. Logistic regression models examined odds of sexual aggression, physical aggression, and physical injury with combat exposure, controlling for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, marital satisfaction, and age. Combat exposure was associated with greater physical injury, despite no association between combat exposure and physical aggression. This was significant for male soldier to female partner, as well as female partner to male soldier injury. In addition, female partners were more likely to be sexually aggressive against their male soldiers. Female soldiers' combat exposure was not associated with IPV or injury. Although men's combat exposure did not increase the likelihood of physical aggression, it increased the likelihood of IPV resulting in injury for both husband to wife and wife to husband aggression. Results indicate postdeployment programming should focus on conflict resolution and communication for both partners.