Marijuana Use, Marijuana Expectancies, and Hypersexuality among College Students.

Research supports links between marijuana effect expectancies and risky sexual behaviors among marijuana users, but associations between marijuana expectancies and hypersexuality have yet to be investigated. The current study examined links between marijuana lifetime use and hypersexuality among university students. A hierarchical regression adjusting for gender and alcohol use was used to determine the degree to which marijuana use and expectancies accounted for variance in hypersexuality. Marijuana lifetime use and hypersexuality were significantly and positive related. After adjusting for covariates, perceptual and cognitive enhancement expectancies positively correlated with hypersexuality, while tension reduction and relaxation expectancies negatively correlated with hypersexuality.

Perceived safety and controllability of events: Markers of risk for marijuana use in young adults?

Drawing on constructs from the trauma literature, the current study evaluated perceptions of safety and controllability of events as potential markers of risk for marijuana use. In addition, we characterized these perceptions in relation to individual level substance abuse risk factors (marijuana expectancies, impulsivity, depression, and anxiety), gender, and race. Data were collected via web survey from college students at two northeastern universities (n=228, 82.0% female). Controllability of events (CE) was rated significantly higher by Blacks than Whites. Safety/vulnerability (SV) and CE were associated with impulsivity, depression, and anxiety. CE was also associated with marijuana expectancies. Logistic regression analyses revealed a modest but significant association between SV and lifetime use even after adjusting for race, gender, age, and individual level substance abuse risk factors (odds ratio=1.10, 95% confidence intervals:1.02-1.18). No association between SV and past 3month frequency of use or between CE and either marijuana outcome was found. Findings support a link between perceptions of safety and ever using marijuana. They further demonstrate overlap of both perceived safety and controllability of events with substance use related risk factors, and suggest that they differ by race. Additional studies that assess substance use more broadly and query trauma history, using larger, more diverse samples, are needed to more fully grasp the relevance of these constructs to substance use, including their potential as targets for substance abuse prevention efforts.

The road to drink is paved with high intentions: Expectancies, refusal self-efficacy, and intentions among heavy drinking college students.

The present study examined the effects of drinking intentions (DI) on alcohol expectancies (AE) and drink refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) in regard to alcohol consumption among heavy drinking undergraduates. Research shows that DRSE buffers against drinking (Young, Hasking, Oei, & Loveday, 2007) and interacts with AE to predict alcohol consumption (Oei & Burrow, 2000). Studies further show that DI is predicted by DRSE (Norman, 2011) and AE (Fleming, Thorson, & Atkin, 2004). However, additional research is needed to understand DI's influence on both DRSE and AE among heavy college drinkers. This research included 344 heavy drinking college students (mean age = 23.06 years, SD = 5.61, 74.71% female) from a large southern university who completed study material as part of a larger intervention. Findings showed that DI, DRSE, and AE interacted with respect to heavy drinking such that DRSE was negatively associated with alcohol consumption, particularly among those low in positive AE and high in negative AE. This relationship was stronger among individuals low in DI relative to those high in DI. DI seems to be an important factor influencing heavy drinking among undergraduate students. Present findings further support DI's associations with heavy drinking, regardless of an individual's DRSE or AE. Implications of this research suggest that it may be beneficial for interventions to target specific aspects of AE, including anxious drinking.