Examining differential item functioning of social interaction and performance fears in people with hazardous alcohol consumption and probable alcohol dependence

A growing body of epidemiological evidence has highlighted the significant relationship between social anxiety disorder and hazardous alcohol consumption, harmful use, and alcohol use disorder. This relationship may influence the reporting of fear and avoidance of social or performance situations on common self-report measures among individuals with hazardous alcohol use or dependence. As such, the current study utilised modern psychometric methods, namely Item Response Theory (IRT) and Differential Item Functioning (DIF), in a large online sample of Australian adults (n=1052) to examine the potential under- or over-reporting of items on the Social Interaction Anxiety and Social Phobia Scales (SIAS/SPS) by groups of alcohol users (as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), while controlling for underlying levels of social anxiety severity. The results indicated that there were no items on the SIAS/SPS that exhibited significant (p<0.01) and meaningful DIF (based on an a priori cut-off of change in pseudo-R2 across nested models >0.05) attributable to either hazardous consumption or symptoms of alcohol dependence. Moreover, the combined effect of multiple items that demonstrated significant (but non-meaningful) DIF on total SIAS scores relative to scores that assume no DIF between alcohol using groups was minimal. These results suggest that different rates of social anxiety across levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence may not be the result of a systematic under- or over-reporting of certain items on the SIAS and SPS, and as such total social anxiety scores can be compared and interpreted regardless of the level of alcohol use or dependence symptoms

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Examining differential item functioning of social interaction and performance fears in people with hazardous alcohol consumption and probable alcohol dependence

Addiction Research & Theory ◽

10.1080/16066359.2019.1691537 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 484-492

Author(s):

Matthew Sunderland ◽

Mohammad H. Afzali ◽

Miriam Forbes ◽

Lexine Stapinski ◽

Andrew Baillie

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Differential Item Functioning ◽

Item Functioning ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption ◽

And Performance

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Mental Health, Sexual Orientation, and Perceived Social Network Support in Relation to Hazardous Alcohol Consumption Among Active Duty Military Men

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/1557988320976306 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 155798832097630

Author(s):

Cheríe S. Blair ◽

Shannon Dunlap ◽

Michael Tzen ◽

Carl A. Castro ◽

Jeremy T. Goldbach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Network ◽

Sexual Orientation ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Interaction Analysis ◽

Network Support ◽

Social Network Support ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption

Knowledge surrounding perceived network support and alcohol consumption among active duty U.S. military personnel is limited, particularly among sexual minorities. We sought to determine the correlates of hazardous alcohol consumption and whether perceived network support moderated the relationship between sexual orientation and Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT-C) score. The sample comprised cisgender men currently serving in the U.S. military ( N = 292). Participants were recruited through respondent-driven sampling and completed an online survey. Logistic regression analysis evaluated associations between positive AUDIT-C with sociodemographic characteristics (including sexual orientation), military service, mental health, and perceived social network support. Interaction analysis assessed the moderating effect of perceived network support on sexual orientation and AUDIT-C. Among study participants, 52.7% (154/292) had positive AUDIT-C, while 65.4% (191/292) self-identified as heterosexual/straight and 34.6% (101/292) identified as gay or bisexual. In adjusted analysis, positive AUDIT-C was associated with increased post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology (adjusted odds ratio [adjOR] 1.03; 95% CI [1.00, 1.06]; p = .019) and high perceived network support (adjOR 1.85; 95% CI [1.04, 3.29]; p = .036), while mental health service utilization had reduced odds of positive AUDIT-C (adjOR 0.40; 95% CI [0.20, 0.78]; p = .007). In interaction analysis, high perceived network support was associated with increased odds of positive AUDIT-C among sexual minority men (adjOR 3.09; 95% CI [1.21, 7.93]; p = .019) but not heterosexual men (adjOR 1.38; 95% CI [0.68, 2.81]; p = .37). Hazardous alcohol use was prevalent among all men in our sample. Perceived social network support may influence hazardous alcohol consumption, particularly among sexual minority servicemen. These findings suggest the potential role of tailored social network-based interventions to decrease hazardous alcohol use among military personnel.

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Does providing a brief internet intervention for hazardous alcohol use to people seeking online help for depression reduce both alcohol use and depression symptoms among participants with these co-occurring disorders? Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022412 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e022412 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John A Cunningham ◽

Christian S Hendershot ◽

Frances Kay-Lambkin ◽

Clayton Neighbors ◽

Kathleen M Griffiths ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Internet Intervention ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Use ◽

Internet Interventions ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption

IntroductionHazardous alcohol consumption is common among people experiencing depression, often acting to exacerbate depressive symptoms. While many people with these co-occurring disorders do not seek face-to-face treatment, they do seek help online. There are effective internet interventions that target hazardous alcohol consumption or depression separately but none that combine these online interventions without the involvement of a therapist. In order to realise the potential of internet interventions, we need to develop an evidence base supporting the efficacy of internet interventions for co-occurring depression and hazardous alcohol use without any therapist involvement. This study aims to evaluate the effects on drinking, and on depressive symptoms, of combining an internet intervention targeting hazardous alcohol consumption with one for depression.Methods and analysisA double blinded, parallel group randomised controlled trial will be used. Participants with current depression who also drink in a hazardous fashion (n=986) will be recruited for a study to ‘help improve an online intervention for depression’. Participants will be randomised either to receive an established online intervention for depression (MoodGYM) or to receive MoodGYM plus a brief internet intervention for hazardous alcohol consumption (Check Your Drinking; CYD). Participants will be contacted 3 and 6 months after receiving the interventions to assess changes in drinking and depression symptoms. It is predicted that participants receiving the CYD intervention in addition to MoodGYM will report greater postintervention reductions in alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms compared with those who received MoodGYM only. Hypothesised mediation and moderation effects will also be investigated. Using an intention-to-treat basis for the analyses, the hypotheses will be tested using a generalised linear hypothesis framework, and longitudinal analyses will use either generalised linear mixed modelling or generalised estimating equation approach where appropriate.Ethics and disseminationThis research comprises the crucial first steps in developing lower-cost and efficacious internet interventions for people suffering from depression who also drink in a hazardous fashion—promoting the widespread availability of care for those in need. This study has been approved by the standing ethics review committee of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and findings will be disseminated in the form of at least one peer-reviewed article and presentations at conferences.Trial registration numberNCT03421080; Pre-results.

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Quantitative electroencephalography analysis in university students with hazardous alcohol consumption, but not alcohol dependence

Neuroreport ◽

10.1097/wnr.0000000000000384 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (10) ◽

pp. 555-560

Author(s):

Luis Núñez-Jaramillo ◽

Paulo Vega-Perera ◽

Leticia Ramírez-Lugo ◽

Julián V. Reyes-López ◽

Efraín Santiago-Rodríguez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

University Students ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Quantitative Electroencephalography ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption

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Metabolite Levels in the Brain Reward Pathway Discriminate Those Who Remain Abstinent From Those Who Resume Hazardous Alcohol Consumption After Treatment for Alcohol Dependence*

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.15288/jsad.2010.71.278 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

pp. 278-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Timothy C. Durazzo ◽

Varsha Pathak ◽

Stefan Gazdzinski ◽

Anderson Mon ◽

Dieter J. Meyerhoff

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Reward Pathway ◽

Brain Reward ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption ◽

The Brain

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Correlates of Alcohol-Using Network Size Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in San Francisco, CA

American Journal of Men s Health ◽

10.1177/15579883211007005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 155798832110070

Author(s):

Alex Garcia ◽

Chris Rowe ◽

Caitlin Turner ◽

Glenn-Milo Santos

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

San Francisco ◽

Network Size ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Polysubstance Use ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Consumption ◽

Sex With Men

Men who have sex with men (MSM) have a high prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption. While network-level characteristics such as social network size have been indicated as upstream determinants of alcohol use in general population samples, no studies have examined factors associated with alcohol using network size (ANS), among MSM. This secondary analysis examined demographic, substance use, and sexual behavior correlates of ANS using data from a diverse sample of alcohol-using MSM in San Francisco ( N = 252). Associations were calculated using multivariable negative binomial regression, adjusting for age, race, education, and employment. The median ANS was 10. Factors associated with larger ANS in multivariable analyses included identifying as Hispanic/Latino, having completed a college education or higher, having a higher Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score, having a greater number of sexual partners, polysubstance use, and being unaware of one’s own HIV status. Factors associated with smaller ANS included being between 18 and 24 years of age, reporting a low income, and having any lifetime history of injection drug use. For MSM, ANS was associated with increased likelihood of hazardous alcohol use, as well specific individual-level substance use and sexual risk behaviors. These results highlight the role of ANS in hazardous alcohol consumption and sexually transmitted infection transmission among MSM. These results also indicate ways that research and intervention programs aimed at reducing alcohol use among MSM might be improved through network-based recruitment or engagement. Finally, these results suggest the need for further research on HIV-unknown MSM.

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