Behavioral Economic Demand for Alcohol and Cigarettes in Heavy Drinking Smokers: Evidence of Asymmetric Cross-commodity Reinforcing Value

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have highlighted a strong bidirectional relationship between cigarette and alcohol consumption. To advance our understanding of this relationship the present study uses a behavioral economic approach in a community sample (N = 383) of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers. Aims and Methods The aims were to examine same-substance and cross-substance relationships between alcohol and cigarette use, and latent factors of demand. A community sample of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers completed an in-person assessment battery including measures of alcohol and tobacco use as well as the Cigarette Purchase Task and the Alcohol Purchase Task. Latent factors of demand were derived from these hypothetical purchase tasks. Results Results revealed a positive correlation between paired alcohol and cigarette demand indices (eg, correlation between alcohol intensity and cigarette intensity) (rs = 0.18–0.46, p ≤ .003). Over and above alcohol factors, cigarette use variables (eg, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and cigarettes per smoking day) significantly predicted an additional 4.5% (p < .01) of the variance in Persistence values but not Amplitude values for alcohol. Over and above cigarette factors, alcohol use variables predicted cigarette Persistence values (ΔR2 = .013, p = .05), however, did not predict Amplitude values. Conclusions These results advance our understanding of the overlap between cigarette and alcohol by demonstrating that involvement with one substance was associated with demand for the other substance. This asymmetric profile—from smoking to alcohol demand, but not vice versa—suggests that it is not simply tapping into a generally higher reward sensitivity and warrants further investigation. Implications To our knowledge, no study to date has examined alcohol and cigarette demand, via hypothetical purchase tasks, in a clinical sample of heavy drinking smokers. This study demonstrates that behavioral economic indices may be sensitive to cross-substance relationships and specifically that such relationships are asymmetrically stronger for smoking variables affecting alcohol demand, not the other way around.

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Behavioral Economic Assessment of Alcohol and Cigarette Demand in Smokers With Alcohol Use Disorder

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yong Cui ◽

Paulina Linares Abrego ◽

Jin Ho Yoon ◽

Maher Karam-Hage ◽

Paul M. Cinciripini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Principal Component ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Behavioral Economic ◽

Substance Exposure ◽

Cigarette Demand ◽

Alcohol Demand ◽

Quitting Smoking ◽

Response Output

Background and Objectives: Behavioral economic purchase tasks are widely used to assess drug demand in substance use disorder research. Comorbid alcohol use is common among cigarette smokers and associated with greater difficulty in quitting smoking. However, demand for alcohol and cigarettes in this population has not been fully characterized. The present study addressed this gap by examining alcohol and cigarette demand among treatment-seeking smokers with alcohol use disorder (AUD).Methods: Alcohol and cigarette demand was assessed among 99 smokers with AUD. We conducted Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlational analyses on the demand indices.Results: Participants showed higher demand for alcohol than for cigarettes, as evidenced lower elasticity (resistance to increasing price) and higher Omax (maximum response output for drug). PCA revealed a two-factor structure (Persistence and Amplitude) for both alcohol and cigarette demand indices. Cigarette-related demand indices were positively correlated with nicotine dependence, but alcohol-related demand indices were not associated with alcohol dependence, suggesting dissociation between alcohol demand and use behaviors.Discussion and Conclusions: Our results suggest that smokers with AUD were more resistant to price elevations in relation to reducing alcohol consumption as compared to cigarette consumption, suggesting preferential demand for alcohol over cigarettes. However, it is unclear how acute substance exposure/withdrawal impacts the demand indices.Scientific Significance: Potentially differential alcohol and cigarette demands among smokers with AUD should be considered in the concurrent treatment of smoking and alcohol.

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Elevated Behavioral Economic Demand for Alcohol in a Community Sample of Heavy Drinking Smokers

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.15288/jsad.2017.78.623 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 78 (4) ◽

pp. 623-628 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Michael Amlung ◽

James MacKillop ◽

Peter M. Monti ◽

Robert Miranda

Keyword(s):

Community Sample ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Behavioral Economic

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Measurement Invariance of the Parent Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Across Community and Clinical Populations

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000339 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 238-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Iris A. M. Smits ◽

Meinou H. C. Theunissen ◽

Sijmen A. Reijneveld ◽

Maaike H. Nauta ◽

Marieke E. Timmerman

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Community Sample ◽

Strengths And Difficulties Questionnaire ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Favorable Result ◽

Strengths And Difficulties ◽

Parent Version ◽

Clinical Populations

Abstract. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a popular screening instrument for the detection of social-emotional and behavioral problems in children in community and clinical settings. To sensibly compare SDQ scores across these settings, the SDQ should measure psychosocial difficulties and strengths in the same way across community and clinical populations, that is, the SDQ should be measurement invariant across both populations. We examined whether measurement invariance of the parent version of the SDQ holds using data from a community sample (N = 707) and a clinical sample (N = 931). The results of our analysis suggest that measurement invariance of the SDQ parent version across community and clinical populations is tenable, implying that one can compare the SDQ scores of children across these populations. This is a favorable result since it is common clinical practice to interpret the scores of a clinical individual relative to norm scores that are based on community samples. The findings of this study support the continued use of the parent version of the SDQ in community and clinical settings.

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Supplemental Material for Behavioral Economic Measurement of Cigarette Demand: A Descriptive Review of Published Approaches to the Cigarette Purchase Task

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1037/pha0000347.supp ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Economic ◽

Cigarette Demand ◽

Cigarette Purchase Task

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The Structure and Subtypes of Gambling Frequency: An Approach to Studying Associations with Different Gambling Behaviors

10.31234/osf.io/mgz67 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Spencer Huggett ◽

Evan Winiger ◽

Rohan Palmer ◽

John K. Hewitt ◽

Robin P. Corley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensation Seeking ◽

Latent Class ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Community Sample ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Gambling Behaviors ◽

Pathways Model ◽

The Common ◽

Gambling Activities ◽

Gambling Frequency

The multitude of gambling activities corresponds to heterogeneous ways of analyzing behavioral outcomes and may partially underlie the lack of replication in gambling research. The current study incorporated complementary analyses to provide an approach to investigate associations with multi-dimensional gambling data that we demonstrated in a discovery/community sample of 2,116 twins (54.86% female; Mage=24.90) and a replication/clinical sample of 619 siblings (30.37% female; Mage=28.00). Our proposed approach was twofold. First, we used confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) to derive a general gambling frequency measure across eight gambling activities and to test the common liability hypothesis. Second, we conducted latent class analyses (LCAs) to derive gambling frequency subtypes and investigated their theoretical correspondence with the Pathways Model. Our study identified robust support for the common liability hypothesis of gambling, suggesting a shared mechanism for multiple gambling behaviors – including activities controversially defined as “gambling.” Using LCAs, we identified four novel gambling frequency subtypes with analogous behavioral profiles and correlates across samples and some resemblance with the Pathways Model. The subtype with the highest rates of problem gambling had a frequent appetite for particular gambling activities and demonstrated externalizing psychopathology comparable to the “antisocial impulsivist” pathway. Using co-twin control models, we determined that risk-taking, sensation seeking and antisocial personality disorder predicted gambling frequency above and beyond shared genetic and environmental factors. In sum, we illustrated the utility of multi-dimensional statistical techniques for disentangling the structure and typology of different gambling behaviors and discussed our results in context of the psychometric, empirical and theoretical implications.

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A Modified CAIDE Risk Score as a Screening Tool for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210269 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Magdalena I. Tolea ◽

Jaeyeong Heo ◽

Stephanie Chrisphonte ◽

James E. Galvin

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Risk Score ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Community Sample ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Predictive Values

Background: Although an efficacious dementia-risk score system, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) was derived using midlife risk factors in a population with low educational attainment that does not reflect today’s US population, and requires laboratory biomarkers, which are not always available. Objective: Develop and validate a modified CAIDE (mCAIDE) system and test its ability to predict presence, severity, and etiology of cognitive impairment in older adults. Methods: Population consisted of 449 participants in dementia research (N = 230; community sample; 67.9±10.0 years old, 29.6%male, 13.7±4.1 years education) or receiving dementia clinical services (N = 219; clinical sample; 74.3±9.8 years old, 50.2%male, 15.5±2.6 years education). The mCAIDE, which includes self-reported and performance-based rather than blood-derived measures, was developed in the community sample and tested in the independent clinical sample. Validity against Framingham, Hachinski, and CAIDE risk scores was assessed. Results: Higher mCAIDE quartiles were associated with lower performance on global and domain-specific cognitive tests. Each one-point increase in mCAIDE increased the odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by up to 65%, those of AD by 69%, and those for non-AD dementia by > 85%, with highest scores in cases with vascular etiologies. Being in the highest mCAIDE risk group improved ability to discriminate dementia from MCI and controls and MCI from controls, with a cut-off of ≥7 points offering the highest sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. Conclusion: mCAIDE is a robust indicator of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling seniors, which can discriminate well between dementia severity including MCI versus controls. The mCAIDE may be a valuable tool for case ascertainment in research studies, helping flag primary care patients for cognitive testing, and identify those in need of lifestyle interventions for symptomatic control.

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Electronic Cigarette Use Among College Students: Links to Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Smoking, and Heavy Drinking

Journal of American College Health ◽

10.1080/07448481.2015.1043130 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 63 (8) ◽

pp. 523-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Andrew K. Littlefield ◽

Joshua C. Gottlieb ◽

Lee M. Cohen ◽

David R. M. Trotter

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Electronic Cigarette ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Race Ethnicity

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Correlates of Youth Suicide Attempters in Australian Community and Clinical Samples

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1614.2003.01179.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 286-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Gregory L. Carter ◽

Cathy Issakidis ◽

Kerrie Clover

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Substance Use ◽

Substance Use Disorder ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Community Sample ◽

Community Control ◽

Clinical Group ◽

Health Related

Objective: This study (i) explores differences between a clinical sample of deliberate selfpoisoning (DSP) patients and a community sample who reported previous attempted suicide (AS); and (ii) examines correlates of suicidal behaviour in these groups compared with a community control group (CC) with no suicidal behaviour. Method: The study design was: case–case, case–control and cross-sectional population studies. A clinical sample of DSP (n = 51), a community sample of AS (n = 31) and a community sample with no suicidal behaviour (n = 842) were used, all aged 18–24 years. The DSP and AS groups were compared on several variables and two logistic regression models were developed for risk of (i) DSP and (ii) AS compared to community controls. Results: The adjusted odds ratios for DSP were: female gender (OR = 5.7, CI = 1.7–19.4), anxiety (OR = 7.4, CI = 2.2–25.1), affective (OR = 23.0, CI = 6.9–76.5), or substance-use disorder (OR = 19.2, CI = 5.6–65.4) and greater mental health related disability (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.3–0.7 for 1 SD decrease). For AS the results were: anxiety (OR = 9.4, CI = 1.7–52.8) or substance-use disorder (OR = 3.0, CI = 1.1–8.7) and greater mental health disability (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.4–0.7). Affective disorder was close to significant for the AS group (OR = 4.0, CI = 0.9–17.1). Conclusions: Correlates of DSP/AS were usually more powerful in the clinical group, but showed a similar pattern of psychiatric disorder and disability factors in both groups, supporting a continuum of risk factors across these groups. Interventions based on modifiable risk factors could target the same factors for public health, primary care or hospital populations: anxiety, depression and substance use disorders and mental health related disability.

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