Alcohol Research Research Articles

The maladaptive alcohol self-administration task: An adapted novel model of alcohol seeking with negative consequences.

The progression of recreational drinking to alcohol use disorder is characterized by loss of control over seeking, which involves continued use of alcohol despite negative consequences. The present study proposes a novel maladaptive alcohol self-administration task in which animals are trained to withhold alcohol drinking in the presence of an auditory cue signaling consequence (conflict phase) but to drink freely when there is no consequence (neutral phase). These phases are performed within trial; successful performance involves waiting for the conflict phase to end and drinking during the neutral phase. We discuss the background and implementation of the task, its relation to existing models, and its relevance to the field of translational alcohol research. Importantly, we also present evidence of its efficacy. Both male and female Long-Evans rats are capable of performing the maladaptive alcohol self-administration task for both sweetened and unsweetened alcohol solutions. Finally, we show that acute injection of a pharmacological stressor (yohimbine) significantly disrupted performance of the task in both sexes and reinforcers. We suggest the maladaptive alcohol self-administration taskmay prove particularly useful in models of alcohol use disorder or vulnerability to this disorder where its application may reveal maladaptive neural circuit adaptations responsible for motivational perturbations associated with loss of control over alcohol seeking.

The Effects of a Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Middle-Aged Women: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

In the last decade, alcohol consumption among middle-aged women (40-65 years old) in Australia increased, despite declines in overall population consumption. Web-based, brief interventions are promising for reducing alcohol consumption, with efficacy shown in a wide range of populations. However, no published interventions have been designed specifically for and tested with middle-aged women. This study aims to design and implement a web-based intervention intended to reduce alcohol consumption among middle-aged women. The study is a 3-arm randomized controlled trial with a web-based intervention plus ecological momentary assessment (EMA) group compared to an EMA-only and a pre-post only control group. The study is aimed at middle-aged women, defined as women aged between 40 and 65 years, who consume alcohol at least weekly or who have consumed 4 or more drinks on 1 occasion in the last month. The intervention aims to reduce alcohol consumption through 4 modules that provide information on the health impacts of alcohol, mindfulness, social influences, and alcohol marketing. Intervention participants will also fill out biweekly EMA assessments. The comparators are EMA-only and pre-post control only. The primary outcome is alcohol consumption at 8 weeks compared between groups. Secondary outcomes are awareness of alcohol-related harms, readiness to change alcohol consumption, health status, mental health, and social support. Ethics approval for this project was received on September 11, 2019. The trial was registered on August 14, 2020. Recruitment has commenced, and the expected results will be available in 2022. This web-based intervention aims to reduce alcohol consumption among middle-aged women, a currently understudied cohort in alcohol research. Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12620000814976; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12620000814976. DERR1-10.2196/34842.

Examining the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised Short Form among university students in Australia, NewZealand and Argentina.

The Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (DMQ-R-SF) is widely used among alcohol researchers studying adolescents and young adults. The psychometric properties of the DMQ-R-SF have been examined among university students in many countries, but to our knowledge, not in Australia, New Zealand or Argentina. We sought to examine the reliability and endorsement of the items on the DMQ-R-SF, and test the associations between the DMQ-R-SF subscales and alcohol use, and negative alcohol consequences between university students from Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. University students (N=820) in Australia (n=315), New Zealand (n=265) and Argentina (n=240) completed a confidential online alcohol survey which included the DMQ-R-SF, the Daily Drinking Questionnaire and the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Using the alignment method, support for the four-factor model on the DMQ-R-SF emerged and the factor loadings for 11 of the 12 items were invariant across sites. Most items (8 out of 12) on the DMQ-R-SF were fully invariant across all sites, but some small differences in item reliability for one item, and endorsement for three items emerged between the sites. Across the three countries, coping motives were positively correlated with negative alcohol consequences. Enhancement motives were positively associated with both alcohol use and negative alcohol consequences among students from Australia and New Zealand. Most items on the DMQ-R-SF were comparably reliable among the university students sampled from Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Our preliminary findings suggest that the DMQ-R-SF can be reliably used with university students from these countries.

Women, alcohol consumption and health promotion: the value of a critical realist approach.

Research on women's drinking occurs in largely disparate disciplines-including public health, health promotion, psychology, sociology, and cultural studies-and draws on differing philosophical understandings and theoretical frameworks. Tensions between the aims and paradigmatic underpinnings of this research (across and within disciplines) have meant that knowledge and insight can be frequently disciplinary-specific and somewhat siloed. However, in line with the social and economic determinants of the health model, alcohol research needs approaches that can explore how multiple gender-related factors-biological, psycho-social, material, and socio-cultural-combine to produce certain drinking behaviours, pleasures and potential harms. We argue that critical realism as a philosophical underpinning to research can accommodate this broader conceptualization, enabling researchers to draw on multiple perspectives to better understand women's drinking. We illustrate the benefit of this approach by presenting a critical realist theoretical framework for understanding women's drinking that outlines interrelationships between the psychoactive properties of alcohol, the role of embodied individual characteristics and the material, institutional and socio-cultural contexts in which women live. This approach can underpin and foster inter-disciplinary research collaboration to inform more nuanced health promotion practices and policies to reduce alcohol-related harm in a wide range of women across societies.

Trait anger – Anger expression style and coping with stress in alcohol and substance use disorders: A randomized and controlled study

PurposeThe objective of this randomized controlled study is to analyze the effect of nine-session psychoeducation on anger and stress coping abilities of individuals who are individuals with alcohol and substance use disorders. Design and methodsThe single-blind research method was used in the experimental study in the pretest - posttest order. The study was conducted in the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Research, Treatment and Education Center (AMATEM) of a Training and Research Hospital, between July 1st and October 30th of 2021, with 61 patients (30 in experimental group, 31 in control group). The data was collected with Sociodemographic Information Form, Ways of Coping with Stress Scale (WCSI), and Trait Anger – Anger Expression Style Scale (STAI). The data was analyzed using mean, percentage distribution, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon test, Fisher-Exact test or “Pearson-χ2” and “Spearman” correlation coefficient. ResultsThe age average of the experimental group is 33.48±9.28 and control group is 34.03±8.49.A statistically significant difference was detected in the experimental group in terms of pretest and posttest scores of WCSI and STAI subscales (p < 0.05). ConclusionPsychoeducation program is observed to be effective in coping with stress and providing anger control in in-patients with the objective of this randomized controlled study is to analyze the effect of nine-session psychoeducation on anger and stress coping abilities of individuals who are individuals with alcohol and substance use disorders. Practice implicationsThe psychiatric nurse should ensure the continuation of the psychoeducation program for the objective of this randomized controlled study is to analyze the effect of nine-session psychoeducation on anger and stress coping abilities of individuals who are individuals with alcohol and substance use disorders.

Neuropharmacology of Alcohol Addiction with Special Emphasis on Proteomic Approaches for Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets.

Alcohol is a generic pharmacological agent with only a few recognized primary targets. Nmethyl- D-aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine, 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (serotonin), nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and L-type Ca2+ channels and G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying K channels are all involved. Following the first hit of alcohol on specific brain targets, the second wave of indirect effects on various neurotransmitter/neuropeptide systems begins, leading to the typical acute behavioral effects of alcohol, which range from disinhibition to sedation and even hypnosis as alcohol concentrations rise. Recent research has revealed that gene regulation is significantly more complex than previously thought and does not fully explain changes in protein levels. As a result, studying the proteome directly, which differs from the genome/transcriptome in terms of complexity and dynamicity, has provided unique insights into extraordinary advances in proteomic techniques that have changed the way we can analyze the composition, regulation, and function of protein complexes and pathways underlying altered neurobiological conditions. Neuroproteomics has the potential to revolutionize alcohol research by allowing researchers to gain a better knowledge of how alcohol impacts protein structure, function, connections, and networks on a global scale. The amount of information collected from these breakthroughs can aid in identifying valuable biomarkers for early detection and improved prognosis of an alcohol use disorder and future pharmaceutical targets for the treatment of alcoholism.

Interactions Between the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Alcohol Industry: Evidence From Email Correspondence 2013-2020.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent and nature of email interactions between National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) leaders and the alcohol industry from 2013 to 2020. We performed a thematic content analysis of 4,784 pages of email correspondence obtained from Freedom of Information Act requests to the National Institutes of Health on three senior NIAAA staff members. A total of 43 NIAAA staff were identified interacting with 15 industry bodies (companies and other organizations). NIAAA leaders provided industry with extensive information about scientific and policy developments. Discussions were facilitated by the willingness of NIAAA leaders to meet with industry and have other informal contacts, as well as NIAAA leadership presence at industry-sponsored and other events. Key industry actors asked NIAAA leaders for help on science and policy issues. At times, NIAAA leaders heavily criticized public health research and researchers in correspondence with industry. Institutional practices of engagement with the alcohol industry have been sustained by NIAAA leaders' activity. There is an urgent need to better understand the extent to which commercial rather than public health interests have shaped alcohol research agendas, both within and beyond NIAAA.

Contextual cues prompt greater improvements in alcohol consumption recall for people with higher working memory capacities

ABSTRACT Objective Alcohol research often relies on surveys to assess how much alcohol participants consume. Therefore, improving accuracy in surveys is a priority for researchers. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between working memory and self-reported alcohol consumption. Method Two hundred and eighty-five respondents (203 female, mean age = 55.60, SD = 7.35) were recruited online to complete three working memory tests and two alcohol consumption measures: one included contextual cues (Within-Location Beverage Specific; WLBS) and the other did not (Graduated Frequency; GF). Results Contrary to expectations, while all respondents reported higher alcohol consumption in response to the WLBS than the GF, those who scored high on working memory measures gained greater benefits from the inclusion of contextual cues than those who scored low. Conclusions Thus, while contextual cues in alcohol consumption surveys elicit higher levels of reported consumption, they may still lead to under-reporting by those with poorer working memories. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: People under-report their alcohol consumption Providing contextual cues in surveys can help Working memory influences ability to recallbehaviours like alcohol consumption What this topic adds: Increased contextual cues help those with better working memory While increasing contextual cues increase reported consumption, it does so disproportionately for those with good working memory While increased contextual cues lead to higher reported consumption they may also lead to increased under-reporting of a range of behaviours in those with poor working memory, relative to those who do not have poor working memory.

Substance Use Disorders and Hepatitis C: A Public Health Issue

Objective: Substance use is a gradually increasing public health problem. Viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV can be transmitted with intravenous substance use and cause significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and syphilis test results of patients followed at the Şanlıurfa Alcohol and Drug Addiction Research Treatment and Training Center (AMATEM) clinic. Methods: The age, gender, background, information about type of substance addiction of the patients and HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HCV, anti-HIV, and venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test results were evaluated. Results: A total of 427 patients over 18 who were followed at the AMATEM clinic between 2021 and 2022 were included in the study. Of these, 408 (95.6%) were male, and 19 (4.4%) were female. The mean age of the participants was 27.03±5.5 years. Three hundred fifteen (73.8%) patients had intravenous substance use, and all these patients (100%) used opioids. HBsAg positivity was detected in 3 (0.71%), and Anti-HCV positivity was detected in 52 (12%) patients. While only 20 (38.46%) of these patients had applied to the relevant clinics for further testing and treatment, HCV-RNA positivity was detected in 12 (60%) of the patients. In addition, the frequency of genotype 3 was higher in HCV RNA-positive patients (66.67%). Conclusion: Opioid use was at the forefront both in the whole patient population and in patients with anti-HCV positivity. Although anti-HCV positivity was detected at a high rate compared to the general population, only one out of every three patients had applied to the relevant clinics for further testing and treatment. Thanks to the new treatment options Hepatitis C is a curable disease. Screening programs are extremely important to ensure both personal and community viral eradication by providing patients with suitable treatments.

SEROPREVALENCE OF HBsAg, Anti-HBs, Anti-HCV, and Anti-HIV IN PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN AN AMATEM CLINIC IN EASTERN TURKIYE: A SIX-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION

Aim&#x0D; Substance abuse and concomitant infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality. Yet, the number of epidemiological studies regarding infectious diseases in people with substance abuse are limited in our country. In this study, the aim was to investigate the frequency of illegal alcohol and substance use in an Alcohol and Drug Research, Treatment and Training Centres (AMATEM) clinic in Turkey as well as the HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV parameters between the years of 2016-2021. &#x0D; Material and Method&#x0D; HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV tests were conducted using the ELISA technique in 6881 alcohol and substance use disorder (ASUD). Urine samples from ASUD’s were analyzed for alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine metabolites. The results were evaluated retrospectively. &#x0D; Results&#x0D; All of the 6881 ASUD’s were male with a mean age of 32.18±9.66 years. Of the 6881 ASUD’s included in the study, 4107 (59.7%) were opioid addicts; 1479 (21.5%) were mixed drug addicts; 897 (13%) were alcohol addicts; and the rest were addicts with other types of substance use. The mean age of the alcohol users was 45.33±13.03 and the mean age of opioid users was 29.90±7.13. The percentage of opioid addiction in 2016 was 71.2% which dropped to 28.7% in 2021. Meanwhile, the percentage of alcohol addiction was 13.6% in 2016 and increased to 21.4% in 2021; and the percentage of mixed drug use was 8.7% in 2016 and increased to 36.8% in 2021. HBsAg-positivity in opioid users (56.7%) was higher compared to cannabis users (2.6%) and mixed drug users (22.3%). Anti-HCV positivity of opioid users (69.4%) was found to be higher compared to alcohol (9.4%), cannabis (2%), and mixed drug (16.2%) users, and this finding was statistically significant (p=0.0001). Anti-HBs positivity of opioid users (63.1%) was found to be higher compared to alcohol (9.9%), cannabis (3%), and mixed drug (21%) users, and this finding was statistically significant (p=0.0001). Anti-HIV was determined negative in all ASUD’s. The highest rates of HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-HBs positivity were found in the 26-30 years of age. &#x0D; Conclusion&#x0D; These findings indicate a high prevalence of intravenous substance abuse in the 26-30 years age group in our region as well as the high HBV and HCV rates in this patient group.

Childhood neglect is associated with low affect and high stress in habitual alcohol drinkers.

Adverse childhood experiences, ranging from childhood trauma to neglect or mistreatment, show associations with alcohol dependence in adulthood. Alcohol researchers have not yet clearly demonstrated the potential impact of childhood maltreatment on everyday drinking in alcohol consumers who do not have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study examined whether a history of childhood neglect results in differential ratings of stress, affect, and desire to drink, during typical alcohol consumption in moderate to heavy drinkers without an AUD. The parent study from which these analyses were generated recruited overall healthy, albeit moderate to heavy alcohol users who fell above National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) classifications for low-risk drinking. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) responses were collected, and real-time surveys were collected in participants' natural environments approximately every three hours between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. using iPhones equipped with a study-created application probing stress, affect, and desire for alcohol, while participants followed their typical drinking routine (3 days) and during a brief period of imposed abstinence (3 days). Thirty-six participants averaging 41 years of age and consuming an average of 17 (±5) drinks per week participated in this study. CTQ responses showed low prevalence of childhood abuse, but moderate to high emotional (M = 17.39, SD = 6.77) and physical neglect (M = 11.11, SD = 3.31) scores. Multilevel modeling revealed significantly higher stress and lower affect ratings among participants reporting higher physical neglect. Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with decreased stress, and increased affect and desire for alcohol. A significant interaction showed that as childhood physical neglect ratings increased, the benefits observed following drinking (of decreased stress, and increased affect and desire for alcohol) were reduced. These results suggest that moderate to heavy healthy daily drinkers with histories of greater childhood physical neglect experience poorer mood and higher stress on a daily basis, with smaller improvement experienced from drinking alcohol. Among moderate to heavy daily drinkers without an AUD, those with greater childhood physical neglect experience poorer mood and higher stress on a daily basis, and have smaller improvements in stress, affect and desire while/following drinking alcohol than those with less childhood physical neglect.

Acute Administration of Ethanol and of a D1-Receptor Antagonist Affects the Behavior and Neurochemistry of Adult Zebrafish.

Alcohol abuse represents major societal problems, an unmet medical need resulting from our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms underlying alcohol's actions in the brain. To uncover these mechanisms, animal models have been proposed. Here, we explore the effects of acute alcohol administration in zebrafish, a promising animal model in alcohol research. One mechanism via which alcohol may influence behavior is the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system. As a proof-of-concept analysis, we study how D1 dopamine-receptor antagonism may alter the effects of acute alcohol on the behavior of adult zebrafish and on whole brain levels of neurochemicals. We conduct these analyses using a quasi-inbred strain, AB, and a genetically heterogeneous population SFWT. Our results uncover significant alcohol x D1-R antagonist interaction and main effects of these factors in shoaling, but only additive effects of these factors in measures of exploratory behavior. We also find interacting and main effects of alcohol and the D1-R antagonist on dopamine and DOPAC levels, but only alcohol effects on serotonin. We also uncover several strain dependent effects. These results demonstrate that acute alcohol may act through dopaminergic mechanisms for some but not all behavioral phenotypes, a novel discovery, and also suggest that strain differences may, in the future, help us identify molecular mechanisms underlying acute alcohol effects.

The emperor has no clothes: a synthesis of findings from the Transformative Research on the Alcohol industry, Policy and Science research programme.

The Transformative Research on the Alcohol industry, Policy and Science (TRAPS) programme investigates the alcohol industry, with an innovative focus on public health sciences. TRAPS adds to an under-developed literature on the study of alcohol industry influence on alcohol science and policymaking. This paper provides a synthesis of TRAPS findings to inform future research. We conducted an interpretive review of TRAPS research findings across its component studies, identifying and integrating the key contributions made by individual studies to the literature on alcohol policymaking and science, and identifying areas where TRAPS progress was limited. This produced themes for consideration in future research agenda setting. TRAPS explored the interventions of the alcohol industry in science and policymaking using various methods, including systematic reviews and qualitative interviews. These studies identified the industry's activities in several key areas, such as the debate over minimum unit pricing (MUP), cardiovascular health and alcohol research and a long-running public relations programme developed in close connection with the tobacco industry. Collectively, the research shows that alcohol policymaking has involved a contest between the research community and alcohol industry actors about whether and how science should be used to inform policy. The TRAPS programme demonstrates the need for a transdisciplinary approach to understand the nature of corporate political activity; the crucial role industry involvement in science plays in the development of corporate political power; and how public health actors have successfully overcome industry opposition to evidence-based policies. Advances in alcohol policy should be underpinned by strong, reflexive public health sciences, alert to the role of industry in the alcohol harms under study and thorough in their investigation of the alcohol industry as an object of study in itself.

UNIQUE CASE OF ISOLATED CONGESTIVE SPLENOMEGALY DUE TO ALCOHOLIC CARDIOMYOPATHY RESULTING IN PANCYTOPENIA

UNIQUE CASE OF ISOLATED CONGESTIVE SPLENOMEGALY DUE TO ALCOHOLIC CARDIOMYOPATHY RESULTING IN PANCYTOPENIA

Effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of vaporized nicotine products versus nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco smoking cessation in a low-socioeconomic status Australian population: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn Australia, tobacco smoking rates have declined but inequalities remain with significantly higher smoking prevalence among low-socioeconomic populations. Clinical trial data suggest vaporized nicotine products (VNPs) aid smoking cessation. Most VNP trials have used refillable tank systems, but newer generation (pod) devices now comprise the largest market share yet have limited clinical trial evidence on safety and effectiveness. This study evaluates the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of VNPs (pod and tank device) compared with nicotine replacement therapy ([NRT]—gum or lozenge) for smoking cessation.MethodsThis is a two-arm, open-label, superiority, parallel group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with allocation concealment and blinded outcome assessment. The RCT is conducted at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Participants are people who smoke daily, are interested in quitting and receive a government pension or allowance (N = 1058). Participants will be randomized (1:1 ratio) to receive 8 weeks of free: VNPs, with pod (40 mg/mL nicotine salt) and tank device (18 mg/mL freebase nicotine) in mixed flavours; or NRT (gum or lozenge; 4 mg). All participants will receive daily text message behavioural support for 5 weeks. Assessments will be undertaken by telephone at baseline, with three follow-up calls (two check-in calls within the first month and final follow-up at 7 months post randomization) to ascertain smoking status, treatment adherence and adverse events. The primary outcome is 6-month continuous abstinence verified by carbon monoxide breath test of ≤5ppm at 7-month follow-up. Safety and cost-effectiveness of VNPs versus NRT will also be evaluated.DiscussionFurther data are required to strengthen certainty of evidence for VNPs aiding smoking cessation, particularly for newer generation pod devices. To our knowledge, this trial is the first to offer choice of VNPs and no comparative effectiveness trial data exists for new pod devices. If effective, the findings can inform wider implementation of VNPs to aid smoking cessation in a priority group.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621000076875. Registered on 29 January 2021. https://www.anzctr.org.au

New insights into the mechanism of alcohol-mediated organ damage via its impact on immunity, metabolism, and repair pathways: A summary of the 2021 Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting.

On November 19th, 2021, the annual Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group (AIRIG) meeting was held at Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, Illinois. The 2021 meeting focused on how alcohol misuse is linked to immune system derangements, leading to tissue and organ damage, and how this research can be translated into improving treatment of alcohol-related disease. This meeting was divided into three plenary sessions: the first session focused on how alcohol misuse affects different parts of the immune system, the second session presented research on mechanisms of organ damage from alcohol misuse, and the final session highlighted research on potential therapeutic targets for treating alcohol-mediated tissue damage. Diverse areas of alcohol research were covered during the meeting, from alcohol's effect on pulmonary systems and neuroinflammation to epigenetic changes, senescence markers, and microvesicle particles. These presentations yielded a thoughtful discussion on how the findings can lead to therapeutic treatments for people suffering from alcohol-related diseases.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources for health professionals: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionPeople with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) encounter a range of health and allied health providers and require specialised support to ensure health services are provided safely and effectively. Not...

Walking side-by-side: Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to lead the way in alcohol research.

Several initiatives have sought to increase the number of First Nations individuals with a higher degree in research (i.e., PhD or research masters)-in Australia and in similarly colonised countries. However, little has been written on day-to-day support structures and mechanisms that might help First Nations Australian candidates thrive in postgraduate research degrees and beyond. For sensitive research fields such as alcohol, emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers must grapple with topics which are stigmatising and in some instances associated with traumatic associations. There is also a lack of studies internationally that describe optimal support for First Nations students undertaking a higher degree by research with a primary focus on alcohol. Here we discuss what we have learned from the support offered through the Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and Alcohol-from the perspective of academic staff, students, trainees and early career researchers. We consider what may be generalisable lessons from this experience.

The Internalized Stigma and Self-Esteem in Individuals with Alcohol and Risky Substance Use Disorder

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between the internalized stigma and self-esteem in individuals with alcohol and risky substance use disorder. The sample of the study is consisted of 233 individuals who have been diagnosed with alcohol and substance use disorder and are undergoing inpatient or outpatient treatment. The researcher’s Socio-Demographic Information Form, Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory (CSEI) and The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI) were applied to the participants. The data of the study was collected in person between 10th of May – 31st of December 2021 at the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Research, Treatment and Education Center (AMATEM). The mean CSEI score of participants was 39,51 ± 11,84, and the mean ISMI score was 78,70 ± 9,70. It was discovered that the social withdrawal scores of the unemployed are higher than those of the retired (p < .05). There was a positive correlation between social withdrawal and self-esteem r = 0.172, and stigma resistance and self-esteem r = 0.14 (p = 0,033 < 0.05). It was found that the self-esteem and the internalized stigma experienced by individuals with alcohol and risky substance use disorder were moderate, and there was a positive correlation between self-esteem and the ISMI subscales of social withdrawal and stigma resistance.

Careless responding in crowdsourced alcohol research: A systematic review and meta-analysis of practices and prevalence.

Crowdsourcing-the process of using the internet to outsource research participation to "workers"-has considerable benefits, enabling research to be conducted quickly, efficiently, and responsively, diversifying participant recruitment, and allowing access to hard-to-reach samples. One of the biggest threats to this method of online data collection however is the prevalence of careless responders who can significantly affect data quality. The aims of this preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis were: (a) to examine the prevalence of screening for careless responding in crowdsourced alcohol-related studies; (b) to examine the pooled prevalence of careless responding; and (c) to identify any potential moderators of careless responding across studies. Our review identified 96 eligible studies (∼126,130 participants), of which 51 utilized at least one measure of careless responding, 53.2%, 95% CI [42.7%-63.3%]; ∼75,334 participants. Of these, 48 reported the number of participants identified by careless responding method(s) and the pooled prevalence rate was ∼11.7%, 95% CI [7.6%-16.5%]. Studies using the MTurk platform identified more careless responders compared to other platforms, and the number of careless response items was positively associated with prevalence rates. The most common measure of careless responding was an attention check question, followed by implausible response times. We suggest that researchers plan for such attrition when crowdsourcing participants and provide practical recommendations for handling and reporting careless responding in alcohol research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).