Lifetime Alcohol Research Articles

A retrospective examination of changes in drinking motives during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial changes in college student alcohol use. Changes in drinking motives may explain some of these changes in drinking patterns. The purpose of the present study is to explore how drinking motives and alcohol use have changed amongst college students considering the timeframes before and after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., March 2020) in the United States. We hypothesized that there would be significant changes in drinking motives after March 2020, which would be significantly related to changes in alcohol use.MethodsParticipants for the current study were undergraduate students reporting lifetime alcohol use (n = 198, Mage = 21.3, 66.7% female, 86.4% White) recruited through online advertisements in classes to complete an online survey in April 2020. Participants were asked to report on their drinking motives and alcohol use considering the timeframes before and after the onset of closures and stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., before and since March 2020).ResultsPaired samples t-tests revealed that endorsement of social (t[171) = 12.79, p < .001, d = 1.16) and conformity motives significantly decreased (t[170] = 4.46, p < .001, d = 0.31), while endorsement of coping motives significantly increased (t[172] = -2.70, p = .008, d = .15) after the onset of COVID-19. Linear regression analyses, controlling for drinking motives before March 2020, revealed that changes in enhancement (β = -.47, p < .001) and coping motives (β = -.22, p = .04) were significantly associated with changes in alcohol use quantity.ConclusionsFindings of the present study support the need for interventions to target coping and social drinking to reduce risk for alcohol use.

Very Low Alcohol Consumption Is Associated with Lower Prevalence of Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

The role of moderate alcohol consumption in the evolution of NAFLD is still debated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of current and lifelong alcohol consumption in patients with NAFLD. From 2015 to 2020, we enrolled 276 consecutive patients fulfilling criteria of NAFLD (alcohol consumption up to 140 g/week for women and 210 g/week for men). According to their current alcohol intake per week, patients were divided in: abstainers, very low consumers (C1: <70 g/week) and moderate consumers (C2). We created a new tool, called LACU (Lifetime Alcohol Consuming Unit) to estimate the alcohol exposure across lifetime: 1 LACU was defined as 7 alcohol units per week for 1 drinking year. Patients were divided into lifelong abstainers and consumers and the latter furtherly divided into quartiles: Q1-Q4. Stratification according to alcohol intake, both current and cumulative as estimated by LACU, showed that very low consumers (C1 and Q1-Q3) displayed lower frequency of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma compared to abstainers and moderate consumers (C2 and Q4). We can speculate that up to one glass of wine daily in the context of a Mediterranean diet may be a long-term useful approach in selected NAFLD patients.

Heterosexist Bullying Victimization and Perpetration and Substance Use Among Heterosexual Adolescents.

Although heterosexist bullying mainly affects sexual minority adolescents, heterosexual adolescents may also be targets. Research is needed to understand the impact of heterosexist bullying victimization on heterosexual adolescents' behavioral health. Moreover, there is a dearth of research examining the negative consequences of perpetrating heterosexist bullying among heterosexual adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between heterosexist bullying victimization and perpetration and substance use in a racially diverse sample of heterosexual adolescents. A probability sample of middle and high school heterosexual students (N = 2,337; aged 11-19; 52.7% female; 35.9% Black or African American and 31.9% White) using random cluster methods was obtained from a southeastern US school district. Multiple logistic regression models were used to test the relationships between experiencing and perpetrating heterosexist bullying and substance use while accounting for sociodemographics. Of the participants, 7.1% reported heterosexist bullying victimization and 7.8% reported perpetration of heterosexist bullying. Of those engaging in heterosexist bullying, 29.5% also experienced it as a victim. Perpetrating heterosexist bullying was associated with greater odds of recent and lifetime alcohol, cigarette, e-cigarette, cannabis, and prescription drug use. Heterosexist bullying victimization was only associated with recent and lifetime cigarette use and lifetime e-cigarette use. The results demonstrate the negative correlates of heterosexist bullying victimization and perpetration on heterosexual adolescents' substance use. The findings underscore the need to address sexual stigma, such as heterosexist bullying, among not only adolescents experiencing it but also its perpetrators to help reduce substance use among all adolescents.

Underage drinking in Brazil: findings from a community household survey.

Objectives:Previous studies have estimated the 30-day prevalence of alcohol use to be approximately 21% among youth in Brazil, despite the legal drinking age of 18 years. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of underage drinking and its associated factors among adolescents in Brazil.Methods:The 3rd National Survey on Drug Use by the Brazilian Population (III Levantamento Nacional sobre o Uso de Drogas pela População Brasileira) is a nationwide, multi-stage, probability-sample household survey. Herein, youth between the ages of 12-17 years were included. Lifetime and 12-month alcohol use prevalence were estimated. Factors associated with 12-month alcohol use were evaluated through multivariate analysis considering survey weights and design.Results:Overall, 628 youth were interviewed. Estimated lifetime and 12-month alcohol use were 34.3% (standard error [SE] = 1.9) and 22.2% (SE = 1.7), respectively. Factors associated with 12-month drinking were: other/no religion vs. Christianity; living in rural vs. urban areas; self-reported diagnosis of depression vs. no self-reported depression; lifetime tobacco use vs. no history of tobacco use; and any illicit drug use vs. no history of illicit drug use.Conclusion:Considering that alcohol use is a major risk factor for early death among Brazilian youth, our findings highlight the importance of preventative measures to reduce underage drinking.

Cross sectional analysis of the effect of alcohol on pulmonary function in a cohort of men and women living with HIV.

People living with HIV (PLWH) are at increased risk for noncommunicable diseases such as lung disease in part due to opportunistic infections including pneumonia. HIV infection is associated with increased prevalence of impaired lung function and abnormal gas exchange. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is exceedingly common in PLWH and is associated with higher risk of pneumonia in PLWH. Alcohol use may lead to lung damage through several mechanisms. Data on the long-term effect of AUD on pulmonary function in PLWH are sparse and conflicting. To evaluate this relationship, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adult PLWH in care in Louisiana. We hypothesized that chronic alcohol use would be associated with subsequent pulmonary dysfunction in a dose-dependent fashion. All participants performed standardized spirometry on study entry. In total, 350 participants with acceptable spirometry were included in this analysis. Thirty-one percent of participants were female. Women reported less lifetime alcohol use and less smoking; however, they reported more chronic respiratory symptoms. In adjusted models, total lifetime alcohol use was not associated with spirometry measures of pulmonary function. HIV-related variables (CD4 count and viral load) were also not associated with measures of pulmonary function. We then conducted sex-stratified analyses to eliminate residual confounding of sex and similarly found no association of total lifetime alcohol use and pulmonary function. We found no association of AUDIT score or early life alcohol use and pulmonary function. In latent class factor analysis, current heavy alcohol use was associated with lower measures of pulmonary function as compared to former heavy alcohol use. In summary, in this cohort of New Orleanian men and women living with HIV with robust measures of alcohol use, though total lifetime alcohol use and early life alcohol use were not associated with pulmonary function, current heavy alcohol use was associated with impaired pulmonary function.

Alcohol consumption, polygenic risk score, and early- and late-onset colorectal cancer risk.

SummaryBackgroundEvidence is lacking on the impact of alcohol consumption on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk (overall and by age at diagnosis) by polygenic risk score (PRS) levels, and it is unclear how the magnitude of CRC risk associated with alcohol consumption compares to the magnitude of genetically determined risk.MethodsMultiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) across PRS levels based on 140 CRC-related loci among 5104 CRC cases and 4131 controls from a large population-based case-control study. We compared the effects for alcohol consumption and PRS on CRC risk using the “Genetic Risk Equivalent (GRE)” for effective risk communication. Specific analyses were conducted for early-onset CRC (EOCRC, <55 years) and late-onset CRC (LOCRC, ≥55 years).FindingsHigh alcohol consumption, and to a lower extent, also alcohol abstinence were associated with increased CRC risk. Compared to low alcohol consumption (0·1-<25 g/d), lifetime average alcohol consumption ≥25 g/d was more strongly associated with EOCRC [odds ratio (OR) 1·8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·2–2·8] than with LOCRC risk (OR 1·3, 95% CI 1·1–1·4) (P-value for interaction with age =0·011). Interactions between alcohol consumption and PRS did not reach statistical significance for either EOCRC or LOCRC risk. The estimated impact of high lifetime alcohol consumption on EOCRC was equivalent to the effect of having 47 percentiles higher PRS (GRE 47, 95% CI 12–82), stronger than the impact on LOCRC (GRE 18, 95% CI 8–29).InterpretationExcessive alcohol use was strongly associated with EOCRC risk, independent of PRS levels. Abstaining from heavy drinking could reduce risk for CRC, in particular for EOCRC to an extent that would be equivalent to having a much lower genetically determined risk.FundingThe first author (X.C.) was supported by the Guangzhou Elite Project (GEP). The DACHS study was supported by grants from the German Research Council (BR 1704/6–1, BR1704/6–3, BR 1704/6–4, BR 1704/6–6, CH 117/1–1, BR 1704/17–1, HO 5117/2–1) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (01KH0404, 01ER0814, 01ER0815, 01GL1712).

The prevalence of subthreshold psychiatric symptoms and associations with alcohol and substance use disorders: from a nationally representative survey of 36,309 adults

BackgroundOur aim was to describe a broad number of subthreshold psychiatric symptoms (SPS) in a nationally representative population and evaluate associations with substance use. SPS describe groups of symptoms with significant pathology, but that do not quite meet full psychiatric diagnostic criteria. They have been associated with significant impairment and cost.MethodsThe National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III was a multistage, weighted, cross-sectional survey completed in the United States in 2013 comprising 36,309 noninstitutionalized adults. We report lifetime prevalence rates of 14 SPS related to mood, anxiety, trauma, eating, and personality disorders. We then evaluate associations with lifetime alcohol use disorders (AUD) and all substance use disorders (SUD) using logistic regression and adjusted odds ratios. SPS and psychiatric diagnoses were mutually exclusive (could not co-occur).ResultsLifetime prevalence of having at least one of 14 SPS was 57% compared with 37% for the related psychiatric disorders. This was similar for males and females, in contrast to psychiatric disorders in which prevalence was 42% in females and 31% in males. Otherwise, overall SPS and disorders had similar prevalence patterns across sociodemographic characteristics. Subthreshold personality symptoms had the highest prevalence rates (schizotypal 21.3%, antisocial 18.3%, and borderline 17.6%), followed by posttraumatic stress (13.1%). Subthreshold bipolar and depression had lifetime prevalence rates of 2.7 and 8.5%, respectively. Prevalence rates of subthreshold anxiety symptoms ranged from 2.2% (agoraphobia) to 9.8% (specific phobia). Subthreshold eating disorder related symptoms had the lowest prevalence rates (anorexia 1.5% and bulimia 1.7%). Half (seven) of the SPS had significantly increased odds of lifetime AUD. This number increased to 12 for all SUD. Subthreshold antisocial personality symptoms had the highest odds of AUD (2.2; 95% CI 2.00–2.37) and SUD (3.5; 95% CI 3.22–3.81).ConclusionsWe found high lifetime SPS prevalence rates and significant associations with AUD and SUD. To our knowledge, this is the first published study evaluating a broad number of SPS. This indicates possible opportunities for early intervention and prevention but requires additional research and development of infrastructure and guidelines to better understand and manage patients who experience SPS.

Positive associations between cannabis and alcohol use polygenic risk scores and phenotypic opioid misuse among African-Americans.

BackgroundThis study examined whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for lifetime cannabis and alcohol use were associated with misusing opioids, and whether sex differences existed in these relations in an urban, African-American sample.MethodsData were drawn from three cohorts of participants (N = 1,103; 45% male) who were recruited in first grade as part of a series of elementary school-based, universal preventive intervention trials conducted in a Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. In young adulthood, participants provided a DNA sample and reported on whether they had used heroin or misused prescription opioids in their lifetime. Three substance use PRS were computed based on prior GWAS: lifetime cannabis use from Pasman et al. (2018), heavy drinking indexed via maximum number of drinks from Gelernter et al. (2019), and alcohol consumption from Kranzler et al. (2019).ResultsHigher PRS for lifetime cannabis use, greater heavy drinking, and greater alcohol consumption were associated with heightened risk for misusing opioids among the whole sample. Significant sex by PRS interactions were also observed such that higher PRS for heavy drinking and alcohol consumption were associated with a greater likelihood of opioid misuse among males, but not females.ConclusionOur findings further elucidate the genetic contributions to misusing opioids by showing that the genetics of cannabis and alcohol consumption are associated with lifetime opioid misuse among young adults, though replication of our findings is needed.

Assaultive trauma, alcohol use, and alcohol-related consequences among American Indian adolescents.

American Indian (AI) adolescents report disproportionate higher rates of alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences than adolescents from other racial/ethnic groups. Trauma exposure is also reported at high rates among AI individuals and likely confers risk for alcohol use. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of assaultive trauma experiences (e.g., physical assault, sexual assault) on alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences in AI adolescents. We conducted a secondary analysis of self-reported data on trauma exposure, alcohol consumption, and lifetime alcohol-related consequences provided by AI 7th to 12th graders residing on or near a reservation (n=3498, Mage =14.8; 49.5% female). Institutional Review Boards, tribal authorities, and school boards approved the study protocols prior to beginning data collection. Nearly half (49.3%, n=1498) of AI adolescents reported having experienced at least one assaultive trauma in their lifetime. Those who had experienced assaultive trauma were more likely to report lifetime alcohol use (χ2 =111.84, p<0.001) and experienced greater alcohol-related consequences (t(1746)=12.21, p<0.001) than those with no assaultive trauma exposure. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that a greater number of assaultive traumatic events was significantly associated with greater odds of lifetime alcohol use (p<0.001, OR=1.81, 95% CI [1.65, 2.00]) and having experienced a greater number of alcohol-related consequences (b=0.36, SE=0.04, t=16.95, p<0.001, 95% CI [0.31, 0.46]). Findings of the present study highlight the relevance of exposure to assaultive trauma to AI adolescents' use of alcohol and experiences of alcohol-related consequences. These findings support the need for trauma-informed interventions in addressing alcohol use among AI adolescents.

Alcohol consumption patterns and unhealthy aging among older lifetime drinkers from Spain

BackgroundThe protective health effects of light alcohol consumption are debated due to potential selection biases, reverse causation and confounding. We examined cross-sectional and prospective associations of alcohol consumption patterns with unhealthy aging among older drinkers addressing these methodological issues. Methods2081 lifetime drinkers aged 65 + years from the Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort followed-up for 2.4 years were classified as occasional (average lifetime alcohol intake [g/day] ≤1.43), low-risk (men: >1.43–20; women: >1.43–10), moderate-risk (men: >20–40; women: >10–20) and high-risk drinkers (men: >40; women: >20; or binge drinkers). A Mediterranean drinking pattern (MDP) was defined as occasional/low-risk drinking, wine preference and drinking only with meals. Unhealthy aging was measured with a 52-item health deficit accumulation index (DAI), with higher values indicating more health deficits. ResultsA 10-g/day increment in lifetime average alcohol intake was cross-sectionally associated with a higher DAI among all drinkers (mean difference [95% confidence interval] = 0.35 [0.16, 0.53]) and moderate-/high-risk drinkers (0.41 [0.17, 0.65]), but not among occasional/low-risk drinkers. Also, the DAI was 1.35 (0.06, 2.65) points higher in high-risk versus low-risk drinkers and 2.07 (0.59, 3.60) points higher in non-adherers versus adherers to the MDP. Most associations strengthened when restricting analyses to individuals with lower disease burden and did not generally remain after 2.4 years. ConclusionsWe found no evidence of a beneficial association between low-risk alcohol consumption and unhealthy aging, but a detrimental one for high-risk drinking, which strengthened when accounting for reverse causation, although attenuated over the follow-up likely due to selective attrition of those less resilient to the harmful effects of alcohol.

Late-Onset Alcohol Abuse as a Presenting Symptom of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The association between lifetime alcohol abuse and a higher risk to develop dementia is well known. However, it is unknown whether older adults who begin abusing alcohol late in life have an underlying neurodegenerative disease. Identify the frequency of lifelong alcohol abuse (L-AA), late-onset alcohol abuse (LO-AA), and alcohol abuse as a first symptom of dementia (AA-FS) in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Cross-sectional retrospective study of patients evaluated at an academic referral center with a clinical diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Alzheimer-type dementia (AD), and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) (n = 1,518). The presence of alcohol abuse was screened with the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center questionnaire. L-AA was defined as onset < 40 years, LO-AA as onset ≥40 years, and AA-FS was defined when the abuse started within the first three years from symptom onset. The frequency of LO-AA was 2.2% (n = 33/1,518). LO-AA was significantly more frequent in patients with bvFTD than AD (7.5%, n = 13/173 versus 1.3%, n = 16/1,254, CI:1.0;11.4%), but not svPPA (4.4%, n = 4/91, CI: -4.4;10.7%). Similarly, AA-FS was more frequent in bvFTD patients than AD (5.7%, n = 10/173 versus 0.7%, n = 9/1,254, CI:0.5%;9.5%), but not svPPA (2.2%, n = 2/91, CI:-2.4;9.1%). LO-AA can be a presenting symptom of dementia, especially bvFTD. Alcohol abuse onset later in life should prompt a clinical investigation into the possibility of an underlying neurodegenerative process because delay in diagnosis and treatment may increase patient and caregiver burden. The results need to be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of the study.

Disruption of cerebellar-cortical functional connectivity predicts balance instability in alcohol use disorder

BackgroundA neural substrate of alcohol-related instability of gait and balance is the cerebellum. Whether disruption of neural communication between cerebellar and cortical brain regions exerts an influence on ataxia in alcohol use disorder (AUD) was the focus of this study. MethodsStudy groups comprised 32 abstinent AUD participants and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CTL). All participants underwent clinical screening, motor testing, and resting-state functional MR imaging analyzed for functional connectivity (FC) among 90 regions across the whole cerebrum and cerebellum. Ataxia testing quantified gait and balance with the Fregly-Graybiel Ataxia Battery conducted with and without vision. ResultsThe AUD group achieved lower scores than the CTL group on balance performance, which was disproportionately worse for eyes open than eyes closed in the AUD relative to the CTL group. Differences in ataxia were accompanied by differences in FC marked by cerebellar-frontal and cerebellar-parietal hyperconnectivity and cortico-cortical hypoconnectivity in the AUD relative to the control group. Lifetime alcohol consumption correlated significantly with AUD-related FC aberrations, which explained upwards of 69% of the AUD ataxia score variance. ConclusionHeavy, chronic alcohol consumption is associated with disorganized neural communication among cerebellar–cortical regions and contributes to ataxia in AUD. Ataxia, which is known to accelerate with age and be exacerbated with AUD, can threaten functional independence. Longitudinal studies are warranted to address whether extended sobriety quells ataxia and normalizes aberrant FC contributing to instability.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, and age at onset of Huntington's disease: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundSmoking and alcohol consumption have been associated with earlier age at onset (AAO) of Huntington's disease (HD) in observational studies. We conducted this Mendelian randomization (MR) study to evaluate whether these associations are causal. MethodsWe selected genetic instruments for lifetime smoking (n = 462,690) and alcohol consumption (n = 941,280) based on two large genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The summary-level data for residual AAO of HD were derived from a GWAS meta-analysis carried out by the Genetic Modifiers of Huntington's disease Consortium (n = 9,064 HD patients). We conducted univariable and multivariable MR analyses to evaluate the independent impact of smoking and alcohol consumption on AAO of HD. ResultsGenetically predicted lifetime smoking was causally related to an earlier AAO of HD in the univariable MR analyses (β = −2.16 years per standard deviation (SD) increase in lifetime smoking index, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −3.70 to −0.63, P = 0.006). This association persisted significant in the multivariable MR analyses after adjusting for alcohol consumption (β = −2.04 years per SD increase in lifetime smoking index, 95% CI = −3.85 to −0.22, P = 0.028). However, no significant association was found between alcohol consumption and AAO of HD. ConclusionsThis study suggests that genetically predicted smoking is causally related to an earlier AAO of HD.

Alcohol consumption patterns and growth differentiation factor 15 among life-time drinkers aged 65+ years in Spain: a cross-sectional study.

To examine the association of alcohol consumption patterns with growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in older drinkers, separately among individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD)/diabetes and those without them, as GDF-15 is a strong biomarker of chronic disease burden. Cross-sectional study. Population-based study in Madrid (Spain). A total of 2051 life-time drinkers aged 65+ years included in the Seniors-ENRICA-2 study in 2015-17. Participants' mean age was 71.4years and 55.4% were men. According to their average life-time alcohol intake, participants were classified as occasional (≤ 1.43 g/day), low-risk (men: > 1.43-20 g/day; women: > 1.43-10g/day), moderate-risk (men: > 20-40 g/day; women: > 10-20 g/day) and high-risk drinkers (men: > 40 g/day; women: > 20 g/day; or binge drinkers). We also ascertained wine preference (> 80% of alcohol derived from wine), drinking with meals and adherence to a Mediterranean drinking pattern (MDP) defined as low-risk drinking, wine preference and one of the following: drinking only with meals; higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet; or any of these. In participants without CVD/diabetes, GDF-15 increased by 0.27% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06%, 0.48%] per 1g/day increment in alcohol among high-risk drinkers, but there was no clear evidence of association in those with lower intakes or in the overall group, or across categories of alcohol consumption status. Conversely, among those with CVD/diabetes, GDF-15 rose by 0.19% (95% CI = 0.05%, 0.33%) per 1g/day increment in the overall group and GDF-15 was 26.89% (95% CI = 12.93%, 42.58%) higher in high-risk versus low-risk drinkers. Drinking with meals did not appear to be related to GDF-15, but among those without CVD/diabetes, wine preference and adherence to the MDP were associated with lower GDF-15, especially when combined with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Among older life-time drinkers in Madrid, Spain, high-risk drinking was positively associated with growth differentiation factor 15 (a biomarker of chronic disease burden). There was inconclusive evidence of a beneficial association for low-risk consumption.

Predictors and outcomes of online mutual-help group attendance in a national survey study

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, online video platforms became the primary mode of accessing substance use-focused mutual-help group meetings, which may persist after in-person meetings are available again. This study examined the characteristics (demographic, substance use and recovery, and mutual-help group use) of attendees of online recovery support meetings, and associations of online meeting attendance with substance use outcomes, using national data (without ensured representativeness) collected before the pandemic. Methods: Data were from the Peer Alternatives in Addiction (PAL) Study of attendees of 12-step groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), Women for Sobriety (WFS), LifeRing Secular Recovery (LifeRing), and SMART Recovery (SMART). The baseline sample, collected in 2015 (pre-pandemic), was 647 adults with lifetime alcohol use disorder who were surveyed online at baseline and 6-month (81%) and 12-month follow-up (83%). Results: At baseline, 62% (n = 402) had attended an online mutual-help group meeting in their lifetime, and 36% (n = 236) had done so in the past 30 days. Bivariate analyses found that online meeting attendance was more likely among women than men, younger than older participants, and participants with more recent alcohol and drug use, and less abstinence self-efficacy. In addition, online meeting attendance was more likely among respondents who attended two or more different types of mutual-help groups (rather than just one type), and whose primary group was 12-step or WFS rather than LifeRing or SMART. Longitudinal analyses found an interaction between online meeting attendance (yes or no) and time on the outcomes of alcohol and total abstinence such that, compared to those who did not attend online meetings, online meeting attendees were less likely to be abstinent at baseline but were about the same on abstinence at 12 months. However, the interaction effect was attenuated when the model adjusted for mutual-help use characteristics. Conclusions: The findings inform mutual-help groups, providers, and researchers' efforts to sustain and expand this resource by suggesting that online meeting attendance may have appeal and be helpful to mutual-help group members who are earlier in their recovery.

Food addiction and lifetime alcohol and illicit drugs use in specific eating disorders.

Background and aimsFood addiction (FA) and substance use (SU) have frequently been reported in patients with eating disorders (EDs). Our study aimed to assess the prevalence rates of FA and/or lifetime problematic alcohol and illicit drug use among patients with specific ED, such as: bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED). We sought to identify clinical, psychopathological, and personality profiles involved in these addictive behavior-based phenotypes.MethodsThe total sample was 527 patients (176 BN, 115 BED, and 236 OSFED). FA was assessed through the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. To determine lifetime SU, a semi-structured clinical interview was carried out.ResultsPatients with BN had the highest rates of FA both with and without SU. No gender differences were obtained for the prevalence of current FA and/or lifetime SU. Patients reporting at least one addictive-related behavior exhibited increased clinical severity compared to those who reported none. Increased impulsivity (such as high lack of premeditation, sensation seeking, and positive urgency) and low self-directedness were differentiating factors for presenting one or two addictive behaviors.Discussion and ConclusionsOverall, patients presenting with at least one addictive-like behavior reported a poorer clinical status than those without. Also, patients with FA and SU exhibited a more dysfunctional profile characterized by high impulsivity and low self-directedness. These findings would support the need for targeted treatments to reduce impulsivity and increase self-directedness, especially in patients with any addictive-related behavior, as a step towards improving their treatment outcome.

Occurrence and severity of cocaine-induced hallucinations: Two distinct phenotypes with shared clinical factors but specific genetic risk factors

Cocaine-induced transient hallucinations (CIH) are a frequent complication following cocaine intake that is associated with addiction severity. MethodsTwo hundred and forty-two non-psychotic and Caucasian lifetime cocaine users were included in a French multicentric study. Clinical variables and dopamine pathway genotype data were extracted and tested with CIH scores using a zero-inflated binomial model, which allows for the exploration of factors associated with occurrence and severity separately. ResultsCocaine dependence (poccurrence= 6.18 × 10-5, pseverity= 9.25 × 10-8), number of cocaine dependence DSM IV-Tr criteria (poccurrence= 1.22 × 10-7, pseverity= 5.09 × 10-6), and frequency of intake during the worst period of misuse (poccurrence= 8.51 × 10-04, pseverity= 0.04) were associated with greater occurrence and higher severity of CIH. The genetic associations did not yield significant results after correction for multiple tests. However, some nominal associations of SNPs mapped to the VMAT2, DBH, DRD1, and DRD2 genes were significant. In the multivariate model, the significant variables were the number of cocaine dependence criteria, lifetime alcohol dependence, and the nominally associated SNPs. ConclusionOur study shows that CIH occurrence and severity are two distinct phenotypes, with shared clinical risk factors; however, they likely do not share the same genetic background.

Factors associated with the risk of suicidal behavior among adolescents transitioning to secondary school in Nairobi County, Kenya: a cross-sectional study

adolescence is a transitory stage in the lives of young people. The transition from primary to secondary school among adolescents is associated with suicidal behavior but is not well characterized in the Kenyan context. This study sought to elucidate factors associated with the risk of suicidal behavior among adolescents aged 11-18 years in transition to secondary school. a cross-sectional design was employed in the study that was conducted among adolescents in 5 randomly selected secondary schools in Nairobi County. The study involved 539 students who had joined form 1 in January 2020. Data were collected using the suicide behavior questionnaire-revised (SBQ-R) in March 2020. Factors associated with suicidal behavior were assessed using a generalized linear model (GLM), using a poisson distribution with a log-link function to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR), and a significance level of p=.05. one-fifth (20.04%) of adolescents with a median age of 14 years were at risk of suicidal behavior. Depression (aPR=3.16, C.I {1.85, 5.41}, p=0.001) and lifetime alcohol use (aPR=1.87, C.I {1.17, 2.97}, p=0.009) were found to be significant factors for suicidal behavior. depression and lifetime alcohol use are associated with the risk of suicidal behavior among adolescents transitioning from primary to secondary school. Interventions may need to be targeted at the pre-secondary or primary school level to prevent underage alcohol use and enhancement of social support to prevent depression in this demographic of the population.

Intimate partner violence and COVID-19 among reproductive age women: A community-based cross-sectional survey, Ethiopia.

Introduction:Intimate partner violence is one of the most common psychological, physical, and sexual assaults toward women which suit the entire life of women, and nowadays, the magnitude accelerates due to coronavirus pandemic. Hence, this study was aimed to examine the prevalence of intimate partner violence and predictors during coronavirus among childbearing-age residents in Debre Berhan.Methods:A community-based cross-sectional survey was employed from 1 May to 1 July 2020. Eight items of women abuse screening tool were used to estimate intimate partner violence. Trained data collectors directly interview randomly selected participants. The data were entered using Epi-info V. 7 and analyzed using SPSS V. 23. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence and the frequency distribution of other variables. During bivariate analysis, predictor variables with a p-value less than 0.25 were nominated to further analysis. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Result:A total of 700 participants were included with a response rate of 95.1%. The prevalence of intimate partner violence in the past single year was 19% with 95% confidence interval = 16.1–21.9. Besides, the prevalence of emotional (19.9%, 95% confidence interval = 16.9–22.8), sexual (10.9%, 95% confidence interval = 8.6–13.2) and physical (9.4%, 95% confidence interval = 7.3–11.6) violence was reported. Women with depressive symptoms, overweight, suicidal ideation, and body image disturbance were significantly associated with intimate partner violence, but not educational status, employment, income, stressful life events, lifetime alcohol use, suicidal attempt, and abortion.Conclusion and recommendation:Nearly one out of five interviewed participants had intimate partner violence. Being overweight, having poor body image, and having depression increase intimate partner violence. Special preventive measures and treatment, and other legal services should be taken to alleviate the predictor variables and intimate partner violence.

Mobile assessment of decisions to drink in young adults: Examining the role of incentives and disincentives.

Research on decision-making (DM) biases in persons with alcohol use disorder have largely relied on behavioral economic DM tasks, which do not assess the dynamic multitude of factors associated with real-world decisions about drinking. The current study extends the literature on DM and alcohol use by using a mobile daily diary approach to investigate whether, and how, real-world incentives and disincentives are associated with actual drinking decisions in college students. We assessed current drinking and lifetime alcohol problems in 104 young adults (61.5% female, 84.5% White) who, for 14 days, used a mobile daily diary to respond to questions about drinking decisions from the day prior. Mobile prompts assessed daily data on the timing of drinking decisions, alcohol quantity initially decided to drink, quantity actually decided to drink, and the incentives that influenced drinking decisions. Users of the app reported high usability, high compliance rates were observed, and incentive responses were reduced to three subtypes: alcohol, social/party, and mood. Daily mobile measures of drinking quantity were strongly correlated with self-reported drinking 2weeks prior to the daily assessment. Lifetime alcohol problems were positively related to the average quantity decided to drink per event, drinking more than initially decided, and higher levels of self-reported drinking-decision incentives. "Alcohol" and "social/party" incentives were positively related to the quantity the participant decided to drink at drinking events. Mood incentives and disincentives showed little to no significant relationships with drinking decisions. The results suggest that mobile data collection can be useful for assessing aspects of real-world drinking decisions and the influence of multiple drinking decision incentives.