Daily Positive Alcohol Expectancies and Alcohol Use Outcomes among College Students.

Expectancy theory supports alcohol expectancies, or the expected effects of drinking, as an important factor in alcohol use behaviors. Recent research supports that alcohol expectancies fluctuate daily, but scant research has examined specific types of expectancies and their associations with alcohol use at the daily level. Consequently, the present study examined (1) the daily association between select expectancies (i.e., sociability, tension reduction, liquid courage) and likelihood of drinking, and (2) whether daily expectancies predict alcohol use outcomes (i.e., alcohol-related problems, heavy drinking) on drinking days. Participants (N = 221; 79.2% women) were primarily White (48.4%) and Black (29.7%) university students. Participants completed daily measures of expectancies, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems each day for 14 days. Results from multilevel models revealed daily sociability as the only expectancy subscale linked with increased odds of drinking. Daily expectancies did not predict heavy drinking or alcohol-related problems on drinking days. At the between-person level, average levels of sociability and tension reduction expectancies were associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in heavy drinking and experiencing a problem. Findings highlight that fluctuations in sociability expectancies may be proximally linked to likelihood of alcohol use, which may inform just-in-time intervention efforts targeting alcohol expectancies.

Normative Perceptions of Sexual Behavior and Alcohol Use among Bisexual Women.

Background: As compared to heterosexual and lesbian women, bisexual women report higher rates of alcohol, other substance use, and risky sexual behavior, and they experience more negative outcomes from these behaviors. Descriptive norms (i.e., perceptions of others' behavior) are an important predictor of risky behaviors, but scant research has examined whether bisexual women's perceptions of other bisexual women's alcohol use and sexual behavior are associated with their own alcohol or drug use during sex. Objectives: Consequently, the present study examined (1) whether perceived sex norms were related to engagement in sex and (2) the relative influence of drinking and sex norms on engaging in sex while drinking among bisexual women. Method: Data were collected from 225 self-identified bisexual women who completed an online survey about their typical weekly alcohol use, engagement in alcohol or drug use during sex in the past 30 days, and normative perceptions of drinking and sexual behavior. Results: Regression models demonstrated both sexual norms and drinking frequency norms were positively associated with alcohol or drug use during sex. In addition, only perceived norms of other bisexual women, compared to perceived norms of lesbian and heterosexual women, predicted engagement in sex. Conclusions: Bisexual women may be susceptible to normative perceptions, given their connectedness to a marginalized social group. Thus, alcohol prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing risky consequences among bisexual women should specifically consider drinking and sexual norms of other bisexual women.

Distal and Proximal Minority Stressors on Patterns of Tobacco and Cannabis Use Among Young Bisexual Women.

BACKGROUND: Bisexual women have high rates of tobacco and cannabis use, but few studies have examined co-use behavior in this population. Although the role of distal minority stressors (eg, discrimination) on substance use has been examined, fewer studies have examined proximal minority stressors (eg, negative sexual identity self-schemas). The current study was a secondary data analysis that examined patterns of tobacco and cannabis use, and the role of distal (instability of bisexuality, sexual irresponsibility of bisexual people, and hostility toward bisexual people) and proximal (illegitimacy of bisexuality, anticipated binegativity, internalized binegativity, and identity affirmation) bisexual-specific minority stressors among bisexual women. METHODS: Participants were 224 young (aged 18-30 years old) self-identified bisexual women who reported on their past 30-day tobacco and cannabis use and completed measures of distal and proximal bisexual-specific minority stressors. Participants were categorized into one of 4 patterns: no use, tobacco use only, cannabis use only, and tobacco and cannabis co-use. RESULTS: The most common pattern of past 30-day use was tobacco and cannabis co-use (39.1%). Results from a multinomial logistic regression revealed that bisexual women who reported higher illegitimacy of bisexuality, a proximal minority stressor, were significantly more likely to engage in tobacco and cannabis co-use, relative to no use. DISCUSSION: Bisexual women have particularly high rates of substance use, with tobacco and cannabis co-use as the most common pattern. Incorporating the role of proximal minority stressors, and specifically, beliefs about the legitimacy of bisexuality, may be an important target of substance use interventions for bisexual women.

Impulsivity, sex-related alcohol expectancies, alcohol use, and sexual risk-taking among bisexual women.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: According to the acquired preparedness model, personality traits, such as impulsivity, may influence the learning process, contributing to heightened expectations surrounding risky behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, sexual risk-taking). As bisexual women demonstrate heightened risk for hazardous alcohol- and sex-related behaviors, the present study examined a sequential pathway, whereby the relation between impulsivity and sexual risk-taking is mediated through sex-related alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. METHODS: Data were collected from 225 self-identified cisgender, bisexual women between the ages of 18 and 30 years (M = 22.77, SD = 3.45), who participated in an online survey. Participants reported on impulsivity, sex-related alcohol expectancies, alcohol use, and experiences of sexual risk-taking. RESULTS: Results revealed that sex-related alcohol expectancies and alcohol use sequentially mediated the relation between impulsivity and sexual risk-taking. Thus, greater impulsivity was related to greater sexual risk-taking through heightened sex-related alcohol expectancies and elevated alcohol use. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study highlight mechanisms associated with risky drinking and sexual behaviors among this at-risk population. Such information could aid the development of more efficacious prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing consequences associated with alcohol use and sexual risk-taking among bisexual women. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Bisexual women are at heightened risk for alcohol-related problems, including sexual risk-taking. Findings from the current study identify impulsivity and sex-related alcohol expectancies as independent and integrative predictors of such risky behaviors. Incorporation of these constructs may aid in the development of more efficacious clinical methods aimed at bettering health outcomes among bisexual women.

Normative Perceptions of Peer Drinking Distinguish High-Intensity Drinkers from Other Drinking Groups.

Background: High-intensity drinking (HID), or drinking that doubles the binge threshold (i.e., 8+/10+ drinks for women/men), is associated with more negative consequences than binge-only drinking. However, research focusing on HID and factors that may delineate HID from other drinking behaviors is lacking. The present study evaluated if perceived norms for peer drinking behavior (i.e., descriptive norms for alcohol quantity and frequency and injunctive norms) differentiated high-intensity drinkers from other drinker statuses. Further, we evaluated the role of perceived norms on odds of HID engagement and HID frequency. Finally, college status, sex, and underage drinker status were evaluated as moderators of the association between perceived norms and HID status/frequency. Methods: Participants were 623 emerging adult drinkers recruited via Craigslist (68.7% male; 69.0% White). Participants completed an online survey on their drinking behaviors and related social factors. Results: Each domain of perceived norms positively associated with drinker status. Higher perceived norms were associated with greater odds of HID and predicted HID frequency. The association between quantity and frequency descriptive norms and HID engagement was stronger for nonstudents and was only significant for males. Underage drinker status did not moderate associations between perceived norms and HID engagement. Conclusions: Findings provided evidence that perceptions of peer drinking behaviors are strong indicators of HID risk and may be especially useful for identifying high-intensity drinking males and nonstudents. The utility of perceived peer norms to differentiate this group of particularly risky drinkers suggests that social-influence-focused intervention approaches, including norms correction, may be efficacious in targeting HID among emerging adults.

Using the theory of planned behavior to assess willingness and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination among a predominantly white U.S. college sample.

Objective: Through the lens of behavioral models such as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Belief Model, the present study (1) investigated U.S. university students' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and (2) examined predictors (e.g. demographics, past vaccine experience, TPB constructs) of vaccine willingness. Method: University students (n = 170) completed a survey assessing demographics, health behaviors, attitudes, perceived severity/susceptibility, norms, and vaccine intentions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from April 2020 through July 2020. Results: Overall, 56.5% of participants indicated that they would be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available, 39.4% were unsure of whether they would receive the vaccine, and 4.1% indicated they would not receive the vaccine. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that greater adherence to CDC guidelines (p = .030) and greater perceived pro-vaccine norms (p < .001) predicted greater vaccine willingness. Conclusions: Results from this study are consistent with previous literature on vaccine hesitancy, whereby normative beliefs and adherence to CDC guidelines were found to be determinants of vaccine willingness. To reduce transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions aimed at promoting positive attitudes towards vaccination should aim to incorporate these observed determinants.

Differential Pathways of Risky Drinking via Coping Motives in College and Noncollege Young Adults.

The current study tested a mediation model of psychological functioning (i.e., perceived stressors, psychological distress, and self-regulation) and risky drinking through a drinking to cope pathway comparing college and noncollege young adults. Participants were 623 young adult drinkers (M age = 21.46) who completed an online survey. Multigroup analyses examined the proposed mediation model for college students and nonstudents. For nonstudents, the indirect effects of psychological distress to alcohol use outcomes (i.e., alcohol quantity, binge drinking frequency, and alcohol-related problems) via coping motives was significant. Further, coping motives significantly mediated the positive effects of self-regulation on alcohol quantity, binge drinking frequency, and alcohol-related problems. For students, greater psychological distress was associated with greater coping motives, which in turn, related to greater alcohol-related problems. Coping motives significantly mediated the positive effect of self-regulation on binge drinking frequency. Findings highlight the different pathways that may result in risky drinking and alcohol problems based on young adult's educational attainment. These results have important clinical implications, particularly for those who have not attended college.

Daily impulsivity and alcohol expectancies: A multilevel examination of the acquired preparedness model.

BACKGROUND: The acquired preparedness model (APM) integrates personality traits and psychosocial learning to posit amechanism whereby individuals initiate and continue alcohol use. The present study examined within-person associations between impulsivity, alcohol expectancies, alcohol use, and alcohol problems to inform daily process models of drinking and test the APM. METHODS: Participants were 89 college student drinkers who completed momentary reports (three random and two user-initiated reports) for 14 days. Multilevel mediation analyses examined whether daily associations between impulsivity and alcohol use and problems were mediated by positive and negative expectancies. RESULTS: Daily impulsivity was positively associated with daily positive expectancies, prior to drinking. Greater daily positive expectancies were associated with more alcohol consumed and alcohol problems that day. The indirect effects were significant, indicating greater than usual impulsivity was associated with greater alcohol use and alcohol problems through greater positive expectancies. Impulsivity was positively associated with negative expectancies at the within-subject and between-subject levels, but negative expectancies did not serve as a mediator between impulsivity and either alcohol outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to test the APM at the day level. Findings supported daily fluctuations in beliefs regarding the positive effects of alcohol as a salient mechanism explaining the link between daily impulsivity and level of alcohol use. Because impulsivity was linked to changes in expectancy states that were proximal to drinking that day, this information may be used to develop prevention and intervention programs to reduce alcohol harms.

A daily examination of perceived stress and coping strategies used among college students during COVID-19.

This study examined inter- and intra-person level associations between stress and overwhelm and adaptive coping strategies used by college students during COVID-19. Participants were 55 college students (Mage = 23.31, SD = 4.49; 87% White, 85% Female), who completed a 21-day daily diary study. The common coping strategies endorsed were media use, relaxation techniques, and exercise. Variability among feelings of stress (ICC = .520) and overwhelm (ICC = .530) were similarly explained by between and within-person differences. Daily stress and overwhelm were positively associated with relaxation techniques, media, and total coping strategies. Further, daily stress was positively associated with connection with others to cope. At the between-person level, average stress was associated with avoidance strategies such as taking a break from news to cope. These findings may prove useful in the development of interventions to increase the practice of adaptive coping strategies to reduce stress and overwhelm.

Dimensions of binegativity differentially predict drinking to cope motivations and alcohol use severity among bisexual women.

Research indicates that bisexual women experience greater stigmatization and discrimination compared to lesbian women. Such oppression is described as binegativity and is associated with alcohol use among bisexual women. Specifically, previous research has suggested that bisexual women may drink to cope in an effort to self-medicate from experiences of binegativity. Although substantial research has been conducted with regard to drinking behaviors among at-risk groups, research has yet to identify which specific types of binegativity may be most predictive of drinking outcomes among bisexual women. Consequently, the present study sought to examine the predictive utility of three dimensions of binegativity: (a) sexual orientation instability (e.g., the perception of bisexuality as an illegitimate sexual orientation), (b) sexual irresponsibility (e.g., the stereotype that bisexual persons are oversexualized or sexually promiscuous), and (c) interpersonal hostility (e.g., the alienation and uncomfortability with bisexual identification), on drinking to cope motivations and alcohol use severity. Participants were 225 self-identified bisexual women between the ages of 18 and 30 years (Mean = 22.77, SD = 3.45) who participated in a larger study about health behaviors among bisexual women. Multiple regressions revealed that, compared to other binegativity dimensions, sexual irresponsibility was the strongest predictor of typical alcohol use, drinking to cope motivations, and alcohol use severity. Thus, bisexual women who are stereotyped to be sexually promiscuous are at particular risk for problematic alcohol use. Prevention and intervention efforts should target stress associated with experiences of oversexualized stigmatizations, in an effort to reduce alcohol-related risk among bisexual women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire among student and nonstudent young adults.

The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (BYAACQ) is a widely used measure designed to assess alcohol-related consequences experienced by young adults, but little psychometric work has been done outside of college student populations. The primary goal of this study was to investigate if there were group differences between nonstudents (i.e., those without any postsecondary education) and college students (i.e., currently enrolled in a 4-year institution) on the BYAACQ in terms of (a) the "difficulty" level of a consequence based on endorsement and (b) the association between each consequence and the underlying overall level of consequences. Participants were 724 young adult drinkers (Mage = 20.40, SD = 2.19; 58.8% female) who was either a student currently enrolled in a 4-year college (n = 560; 77.3%) or a nonstudent if they had no current or prior college attendance (n = 164; 22.7%) that completed a survey in-person. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the BYAACQ for both students and nonstudents. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses indicated that six items showed significant DIF in the item difficulty parameters, with college students more likely to experience social- and short-term health-related alcohol consequences, while nonstudents more likely to experience consequences related to impaired control and dependence. Thus, using the latent or sum scores of the entire scale could be problematic, as this overall score is unable to capture specific differences in the types of alcohol consequences experienced between college students and nonstudents. Implications for interventions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impulsivity typologies and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use.

Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis or marijuana ("SAM") use is prevalent among young adults and associated with adverse outcomes. Impulsivity is a key construct associated with alcohol and other substance use in this age group, but scant work has considered the role of individual facets of impulsivity on SAM use. The present study compared latent profiles defined by facets of impulsivity (negative urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, sensation seeking, and positive urgency) and examined whether profiles were associated with recent SAM use relative to alcohol without cannabis use. Participants were 542 young adults (53% female) recruited through Qualtrics Panels who reported past-year alcohol use and blackout drinking behavior. Participants completed online questionnaires regarding their past-year substance use behavior and typical impulsivity. Regression analysis examining the five impulsivity facets revealed that only sensation seeking predicted the likelihood of recent SAM use relative to alcohol without cannabis use. Using latent profile analysis, four profiles were identified: "low impulsivity," "high sensation seeking/urgency impulsivity," "moderate impulsivity," and "high lack of premeditation/perseverance impulsivity." Individuals in the high sensation seeking/urgency group were more likely to engage in SAM use. Impulsivity may be an important individual difference factor associated with SAM use. Young adults who engage in SAM use may be particularly vulnerable for impulsivity related to sensation seeking and urgency, which may further heighten their risk for hazardous use and related outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Daily impulsivity is associated with alcohol use and problems via coping motives, but not enhancement motives.

BACKGROUND: The present study sought to determine daily associations between impulsivity, coping and enhancement motives, alcohol use, and alcohol problems in the natural environment. METHODS: Participants were 89 (47 women) heavy drinking, college students from a university in the southeastern U.S. who completed a 14-day ecological momentary assessment study. Each day, participants completed three random reports of momentary impulsivity and indicators of drinking motives and two additional reports at the beginning and end of any drinking occasions. RESULTS: A series of multilevel mediation models were tested to examine indirect effects from impulsivity to alcohol use and alcohol problems through coping and enhancement motives. At the within-person level, results revealed that greater than usual impulsivity experienced prior to drinking was associated with greater coping motives, and this in turn was associated with greater number of drinks consumed that day (all p values <0.001). A similar indirect effect was revealed when impulsivity predicted alcohol problems that day through coping motives (p values range: <0.001 to .01). Greater enhancement motives than usual were associated with greater number of drinks consumed and alcohol problems experienced that day (p values range: <0.001 to.001), but associations with impulsivity were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Findings supported daily fluctuations in drinking to cope motives as a salient mechanism explaining the link between daily impulsivity and level of alcohol use and alcohol problems. Fluctuations in daily impulsivity were associated with changes in motivations to drink which may benefit efforts aimed at reducing alcohol harms among young adults.

Social network moderators of brief alcohol intervention impact.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation examined the impact of social networks on drinking reduction efforts following a brief alcohol intervention. In a reanalysis of data from an earlier randomized controlled trial with nonstudent emerging adult drinkers (Lau-Barraco et al., 2018), we aimed to test three domains of preintervention social network features as potential factors influencing intervention response: (a) general network characteristics (i.e., network size, network stability), (b) general network alcohol use (i.e., network alcohol abstainers, network heavy/problem drinkers), and (c) risky peers in network (i.e., proportion of drinking buddies, presence of drinking buddies identified as heavy/problem drinker). METHOD: Participants were 164 emerging adult heavy drinkers recruited from the community (65.9% men; mean age = 21.98 years; 56.2% ethnic minority). Participants were randomly assigned to either a brief personalized feedback intervention (PFI) or assessment-only control and provided data at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Greater network stability and greater representation of alcohol abstainers in one's social network were associated with improved initial postintervention response. Heavy/problem drinkers in the network did not moderate initial postintervention effects on drinking outcomes, but there was potentially a stronger intervention effect on risk reduction for those with higher proportions of drinking buddies in their network. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings provided evidence that a PFI was efficacious in mitigating some risky social network influence. However, findings did not support a consistent impact across all the network variables examined. Future research is needed to further clarify social network influences and how they may be targeted to enhance intervention efficacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk factors associated with alcohol and drug use among bisexual women: A literature review.

Bisexual women report elevated alcohol and drug use compared to other sexual minority women. This review summarized extant research on mechanisms (i.e., coping processes with minority stress and victimization, disclosure of sexual identity, connectedness to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ +) community, religiosity, and normative perceptions) that may influence alcohol and other drug use among bisexual women. Specifically, bisexual women experience unique sexual discrimination (i.e., binegativity) and are at heightened risk for other forms of victimization and other stressful life events. Given this heightened experience with stress, bisexual women may use alcohol as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Further, disclosure of one's sexual identity may produce opportunities for connecting with the LGBTQ + community, but such openness may increase exposure to discrimination and stigmatization among bisexual women. Findings on religiosity have been mixed, but there is some support that bisexual women may use substances in response to internal conflict between their religious beliefs and sexual identity. Lastly, we found that normative perceptions of other bisexual women's drinking behaviors are strongly tied to their own levels of alcohol use. From a therapeutic perspective, we suggest that practitioners recognize the unique experience of minority stress and teach strategies that lessen internalized stigma and promote healthy psychosocial adjustment among their bisexual clients. Clinicians may also help their clients find sources of support, which may protect them against the use of alcohol and drugs to manage minority-induced stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco polysubstance use: A latent profile analysis of age of onset.

BACKGROUND: Despite understanding the long-term risks associated with early substance use, less is known about the specific patterns of the age of onset (AO) across multiple substances and whether these patterns of early exposure are linked to substance use later in young adulthood. Consequently, the present study sought to (1) identify distinct classes regarding AO for alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco and (2) compare these classes on patterns of individual and simultaneous alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use, other substance use, and mental health symptoms. METHODS: Participants were 510 emerging adults (Mage = 21.35; 88.6% men) who reported past-year use of alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco. RESULTS: Latent profile analysis was used to identify classes based on three indicators: AO for alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco. Results revealed that four classes best fit the data: Earliest AO for Alcohol (19.8%); Latest AO for Substances (6.5%); Late AO for Substances (67.8%); Earliest AO for Cannabis and Tobacco (5.9%). Classes varied on current patterns of individual substance use, co-use of substances, other illicit drug use, and mental health symptomology. The Latest AO of Substances class reported the lowest alcohol use, cannabis use, other illicit drug use, and mental health symptomology than the other classes. The Earliest AO for Alcohol and the Late AO of Substances reported a lower frequency of tobacco compared to the other classes. The Late AO of Substance class reported the highest past-year frequency of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use. CONCLUSIONS: The current study contributed to the larger polysubstance literature by identifying profiles that may signify risky patterns of use. Findings may help guide prevention and intervention work with adolescents and young adults.

The cultural equivalence of measurement in substance use research.

Across a wide range of substance use outcomes, ethnic/racial minorities in the U.S. experience a disproportionately higher burden of negative health outcomes and/or lower levels of access to care (relative to non-Latinx White individuals). Various explanations for these substance use-related health disparities have been proposed. This narrative review will not focus on the theoretical content of these explanations but will instead focus on the underlying statistical frameworks that are used to test such theories. Here, we provide a narrative review of psychometric critiques of cross-cultural research, which collectively suggest that (a) research testing similarities and differences among ethnic/racial groups often miss or omit to test statistical assumptions of equal instrument functioning across the ethnic/racial groups being compared; (b) testing the assumptions of equal instrument functioning is feasible using established guidelines from modern measurement theories; and (c) substance use research may need to explicitly incorporate the tests of equal instrument functioning to prevent bias when making inferences across ethnic/racial groups. We provide recommendations for evaluating the cultural equivalence of measurement using structural equation modeling, and advocate that cross-cultural substance use research move toward statistical approaches that are better positioned to test for (and model) bias in measurement. Explicitly testing the cultural equivalence of measurement when making inferences across cultural groups (within a falsifiable psychometric framework) can advance our understanding of similarities and differences among ethnic/racial groups, and hence can provide a more socially just (and statistically robust) scientific base. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Event-Specific Drinking and Protective Behavioral Strategy Use among College Students.

BACKGROUND: Event-specific drinking occasions (e.g. holidays, special occasions, school breaks) have been associated with heavy drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. The current study extends prior research by examining understudied holidays and changes in protective behavioral strategy use during these event-specific drinking occasions. METHOD: Participants were 537 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 who retrospectively reported drinking in the past two weeks. Several alcohol use variables (e.g., frequency, quantity, heavy episodic drinking frequency), negative alcohol-related consequences, and protective behavioral strategies were assessed for the previous 14 days. Ten event-specific drinking occasions were coded for the 14-day reporting period. A series of Analysis of Covariance models were conducted to examine differences on alcohol use variables, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategies for weeks that included an event-specific drinking occasion relative to a no holiday reference timeframe. RESULTS: Compared to the no holiday reference group, several event-specific drinking occasions (e.g., Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day) were associated with greater alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use. In contrast, other occasions were determined to be low-risk holidays (e.g., Veterans Day) when protective behavioral strategies were less frequently used. Some occasions (e.g., spring break) did not exhibit the expected clear pattern of risk. CONCLUSIONS: College students' alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use vary across event-specific drinking occasions. Determining which event-specific drinking occasions are associated with risky alcohol use and the lowest use of harm reduction strategies is important for prevention and intervention programs.

Momentary patterns of impulsivity and alcohol use: A cause or consequence?

BACKGROUND: Impulsivity is a robust risk factor for alcohol use, but significant gaps remain in our understanding of the way that impulsivity relates to alcohol harms. Most prior research has been limited to between-level differences; thus, within-person variability in impulsivity at the momentary level and its bidirectional association with alcohol use has not been examined. The present research used a 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) design to determine the bidirectionality of impulsivity and alcohol use and alcohol problems. METHODS: Participants were 89 (47 women) heavy-drinking college students. The mean age was 19.80 (SD = 1.76) years. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire and 14 consecutive days of momentary reports sent in the morning, afternoon, and evening; participants also completed two user-initiated reports during a drinking occasion at the beginning and the end of their drinking. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling results indicated that greater levels of impulsivity experienced during the day was not associated with alcohol use or problems experienced that night. However, level of alcohol use and the number of alcohol problems experienced predicted greater variability in impulsivity the next day. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study was the first to examine the bidirectional relationship between impulsivity and alcohol use using EMA. Findings supported impulsivity's conceptualization as a state construct and fluctuations in alcohol use behaviors coinciding with states of impulsivity the next day after drinking. Findings from the present study contributed to conceptual daily process models of drinking by identifying how alcohol behaviors unfold in the real world.

Personalized feedback tempers weekend increases in alcohol use among nonstudent emerging adult drinkers.

A common pattern of problematic alcohol consumption among emerging adults consists of little to no drinking during the week, with heavy drinking episodes on the weekend. However, little is known about whether brief alcohol interventions exert impact on decreasing weekend drinking escalations or simply overall consumption throughout the week. A recent randomized controlled trial of heavy drinking emerging adult nonstudents (N = 164) demonstrated the efficacy of a personalized feedback intervention (PFI). Specifically, the PFI was associated with reduced overall alcohol consumption relative to assessment-only controls. However, it is not clear if patterns of weekend drinking escalation may have been disrupted by the intervention. The current study was a follow-up analysis of the parent trial. Using retrospective daily drinking data provided at each timepoint (up to 9-months), data were coded to reflect condition, time (coded to capture initial changes post-intervention as well as long-term maintenance), and day of the week (coded to capture weekend versus weekday). A multilevel negative binomial hurdle analysis was conducted, yielding two sets of results: 1) predicting the probability of a non-drinking day, and 2) predicting number of drinks consumed. Although the three-way interaction was not significant, 2 two-way interactions indicated that weekend increases in drinking were less steep over time for both groups, and less steep for PFI participants. In addition, the higher weekend likelihood of drinking was decreased over time for both groups. Steep weekend increases in drinking were disrupted over time, particularly among PFI recipients. Personalized feedback may be effective at helping nonstudent emerging adults avoid high risk drinking situations.