Reasons and obstacles for changing risky drinking behavior among Latinas at risk of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy

Background & purpose. Research indicates a positive relationship between sharing alcohol references on social media and drinking behavior. The current study extends that line of research by assessing the interaction of risk-related personality traits with alcohol-related social media use, to examine if social media can be used to identify individuals at risk for heavy drinking behavior. Methods & results. The results of a cross-sectional survey among a sample of 638 emerging adults (age 18-25) find that the positive association between sharing alcohol references on social media and drinking intention was strongest for individuals with low levels of sensation seeking and sensitivity to peer pressure, and high levels of self-control, and non-significant for those on the other end of these personality traits. Conclusions. These findings indicate that the relationship between sharing alcohol references and drinking intentions is not uniform for all individuals, and that risk-related individual differences should be considered in future research and interventions.

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Think-aloud testing of a novel safer drinking app for college students during COVID-19 (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.32716 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Gomez Smith ◽

Nour Sami Alamiri ◽

Grace Biegger ◽

Christina Frederick ◽

Jennifer P. Halbert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Mobile App ◽

Think Aloud ◽

Risky Drinking ◽

Student Drinking ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Hazardous alcohol consumption, and binge drinking in particular, continues to be common among college students, posing the greatestrisk for their health and safety. Despite widespread exposure to evidence-based preventive interventions among U.S. undergraduates, only modest and temporary effects on risky drinking occur. Formative studies have demonstrated that students want a more engaging intervention tool for risky drinking that can be used “just in time.” OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to test the appeal, relevance, and perceived utility of a draft mobile app for safer student drinking. METHODS Undergraduate student participants tested the draft mobile app via an interactive online prototype with hot spots that responded to their taps to mimic app functionality. They narrated their impressions, navigation, and comments in a standardized Think-Aloud procedure. After each round of Think-aloud interviews, researchers debriefed the investigators and developers to discuss findings and brainstorm app modifications. RESULTS Data indicated that minor changes to the functionality and aesthetics would improve usability of the app. Student testers recommended tailoring the app to the needs of college students and to aspects of the local university’s drinking culture. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study will be synthesized with information gained from other formative work to determine the final app features. We will test the app in a pilot randomized trial to assess app usage and the impact of the app on college student drinking behavior over several months.

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Prevalence of Alcohol Use in Istanbul

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.2003.92.3c.1081 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 92 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1081-1088 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yildiz Akvardar ◽

Ahmet Turkcan ◽

Umit Yazman ◽

Sema Aytaçlar ◽

Gul Ergor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Age Group ◽

Risky Drinking ◽

Prevention Strategies ◽

Problem Drinkers ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Cage Questionnaire ◽

Alcohol Related Problems ◽

Current Alcohol

The current research assessed the prevalence of alcohol use in Istanbul, Turkey along with characteristics and severity of related problems. The data were collected from structured interviews including the CAGE Questionnaire to eliminate the severity of alcohol-related problems of 1,550 residents (743 women, 807 men) of Istanbul, ages 12 to 65 years. Current alcohol use was 25.6% (397 persons, 118 women and 279 men), including 15.9% of the women and 34.5% of the men. 67% reported never having used alcohol. The rate of alcohol use was highest in the 40- to 49-yr. age group; the onset of use was reported as most common for the 16- to 19-yr.-olds. Prevalence of risky drinking was 6.8% (106 persons). Men were more likely to have an earlier initiation to alcohol use, to consume more [5.2 standard drinks (SD = 3.4) vs 3.6 standard drinks ( SD = 2.5)] and be problem drinkers (31.5% vs 15.2%) than women. Prevalence of alcohol use seems to be relatively low in Istanbul. Data on characteristics of alcohol use are important in estimating groups at risk for problems and in planning prevention strategies.

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Drinking Behavior Among College Students: Interventions to Increase Mindfulness and Social Capital

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences ◽

10.5590/jsbhs.2020.15.1.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jenna C Anderson ◽

Antonio J. Gardner ◽

Barry Hunt

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Social Capital ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

College Campuses ◽

Risky Drinking ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Student Drinking ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

Drinking Behaviors

The impacts of drinking behaviors are far-reaching, with college student drinking contributing to over 1,500 deaths and an estimated 696,000 assaults on college campuses each year (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2019). There are a variety of explanations to explain why college students engage in risky drinking behaviors. However, there is evidence to suggest that drinking and other substance use may be a result of complex psychological origins, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This paper reviews the literature available on ACEs among college students, how these experiences impact alcohol use among this population, and potential areas for intervention, including those with a focus on mindfulness and social capital.

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The Association Between Social Networking Sites and Alcohol Abuse Among Belgian Adolescents

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000196 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 207-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Femke Geusens ◽

Kathleen Beullens

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Abuse ◽

Social Norms ◽

Social Networking ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Risky Drinking ◽

Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Excessive Alcohol

Abstract. Both consuming alcohol and using social networking sites (SNS) are popular pastimes among adolescents. The current cross-sectional study (N = 3,133) aims to explore the relation between being exposed to and displaying alcohol-related content on SNS with alcohol abuse among adolescents aged 16–20 years. First, the results support that displaying alcohol-related content on SNS is more strongly associated with alcohol abuse than exposure to this kind of content. Furthermore, the associations of both exposure to and displaying alcohol-related content on SNS with alcohol abuse are mediated through perceived social norms of friends and attitudes toward excessive alcohol consumption. Yet, whereas alcohol-related attitudes and social norms seemed to be equally important mediators in the relation between exposure to alcohol-related content on SNS and alcohol abuse, the association between displaying alcohol-related content on SNS and alcohol abuse seemed to be mediated predominantly through a change in alcohol-related attitudes. Overall, this study sheds more light on the complex relations between SNS use and risky drinking behavior among adolescents.

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Mystical-type experiences occasioned by ketamine mediate its impact on at-risk drinking: Results from a randomized, controlled trial

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881120970879 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 026988112097087

Author(s):

Rebecca L Rothberg ◽

Nour Azhari ◽

Nancy A Haug ◽

Elias Dakwar

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Substance Use ◽

Addiction Treatment ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Future Research ◽

Motivational Enhancement Therapy ◽

Motivational Enhancement ◽

Psychoactive Effects ◽

Dissociative States ◽

Alcohol Dependent

Background: Sub-anesthetic ketamine administration may be helpful for substance use disorders. Converging evidence suggests that the efficacy of ketamine for certain conditions may implicate a subset of its psychoactive effects. Aims: The aim of this analysis is to evaluate whether the mystical-type effects of ketamine are critical for clinical efficacy in alcohol-dependent individuals. In this secondary analysis, we determine if a subset of the psychoactive effects of ketamine, the so-called mystical-type experience, mediates the effect of ketamine, when combined with motivational enhancement therapy, on at-risk drinking behavior in alcohol-dependent individuals interested in treatment. Methods: Forty alcohol dependent adults were randomized to either a 52-minute infusion of ketamine or midazolam, which they received on a designated quit-day during the second week of a five-week motivational enhancement therapy regimen. Psychoactive effects were assessed following the infusion, and alcohol use was monitored for the subsequent 3 weeks at each twice-weekly visit. Results: We found that ketamine leads to significantly greater mystical-type effects (by Hood Mysticism Scale) and dissociation (by Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale) compared to the active control. Ketamine also led to significant reduction in at-risk drinking. The Hood Mysticism Scale, but not Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale score, was found to mediate the effect of ketamine on drinking behavior. Conclusions: This trial adds evidence to the literature on the importance of mystical-type experiences in addiction treatment. Future research should continue to investigate the relationship between the psychoactive effects of psychedelic therapeutics and clinical outcomes for other substance use and mental health disorders.

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Beyond pre-loading: Understanding the associations between pre-, side- and back-loading drinking behavior and risky drinking

Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 146-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sean O'Rourke ◽

Jason Ferris ◽

Madonna Devaney

Keyword(s):

Drinking Behavior ◽

Risky Drinking

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Burnout Syndrome and alcohol consumption in prison employees

Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia ◽

10.1590/1980-5497201600010018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 205-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini Campos ◽

Valéria Schneider ◽

Fernanda Salloume Sampaio Bonafé ◽

Raquel Velez Oliveira ◽

João Maroco

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽

Religious Practice ◽

Drinking Pattern ◽

Burnout Syndrome ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Increased Risk

ABSTRACT: Objective: The aims of this study were to estimate the association between an at-risk drinking pattern and sociodemographic variables, and to compare the mean scores of the factors associated with the Burnout Syndrome, according to the alcohol consumption pattern in staff members from two Brazilian prisons. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed with 339 participants (response rate = 63.8%). The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS). Results: The participants' average age was 40.2 (SD = 8.8) years, and 81.0% were male. Among 78.5% of participants (95%CI 74.1 - 82.8) reported consuming alcoholic beverages. The prevalence of at-risk drinking behavior in the sample was 22.4% (95%CI 18.0 - 26.9), and of the Burnout Syndrome was 14.6% (95%CI 10.8 - 18.4). We observed a significant association between at-risk drinking behavior with gender, higher risk for men (OR = 7.32, p < 0.001), smoking, increased risk for smokers (OR = 2.77, p < 0.001), and religious practice, showing lower risks for religion practitioners (OR = 0.364, p < 0.001). We noticed significantly higher mean scores (p < 0.001) of emotional exhaustion and cynicism, and lower scores of professional achievement among individuals who reported consuming alcoholic beverages. Conclusion: Men who smoke were more likely to develop an at-risk drinking pattern, while religion is presented as a protective factor. Individuals who consume alcohol were more affected by the different factors of the Burnout Syndrome.

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