Poor Impulse Control Research Articles

Extra-striatal D2/3 receptor availability in youth at risk for addiction

The neurobiological traits that confer risk for addictions remain poorly understood. However, dopaminergic function throughout the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and upper brainstem has been implicated in behavioral features that influence addiction vulnerability, including poor impulse control, and altered sensitivity to rewards and punishments (i.e., externalizing features). To test these associations in humans, we measured type-2/3 dopamine receptor (DA2/3R) availability in youth at high vs. low risk for substance use disorders (SUDs). In this study, N = 58 youth (18.5 ± 0.6 years) were recruited from cohorts that have been followed since birth. Participants with either high (high EXT; N = 27; 16 F/11 M) or low pre-existing externalizing traits (low EXT; N = 31; 20 F/11 M) underwent a 90-min positron emission tomography [18F]fallypride scan, and completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Substance Use Risk Profile scale (SURPS), and Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) questionnaire. We found that high vs. low EXT trait participants reported elevated substance use, BIS-11, SR, and SURPS impulsivity scores, had a greater prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and exhibited higher [18F]fallypride binding potential (BPND) values in prefrontal, limbic and paralimbic regions, even when controlling for substance use. Group differences were not evident in midbrain dopamine cell body regions, but, across all participants, low midbrain BPND values were associated with low SP scores. Together, the results suggest that altered DA2/3R availability in terminal extra-striatal and dopamine cell body regions might constitute biological vulnerability traits, generating an EXT trajectory for addictions with and without co-occurring alterations in punishment sensitivity (i.e., an internalizing feature).

109 Hyperthyroidism-induced Psychosis

To describe the presence of psychotic symptomatology in a patient with hyperthyroidism. Psychiatric-spectrum symptoms associated with thyrotoxicosis has been well reported in the past. However, psychosis in a patient with a thyroid nodule is a rare find. Here, the case of twenty four-year-old, single, unemployed, Albanian American male with self-reported history of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Cannabis use disorder was brought in to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) due to new onset psychosis. Patient was paranoid, disorganized with labile mood. He had poor insight, judgement and impulse control. The event coincided with a period of unemployment in his life and new onset of hallucinations from past few days. He was brought in to the hospital after he was found pacing and having lack of sleep. Patient was treated with antipsychotic for acute psychosis. He was started on Risperidone initially to which he did not respond to. Blood work showed low TSH and elevated T4. Physical exam was noted for palpable thyroid nodule. Further labs resulted in high thyroid peroxidase antibody. Ultrasound of thyroid with color flow showed single nodule in the left lobe and iodine uptake activity localized to the left lobe. Patient was started on Methimazole 5 mg along with Haldol 5mg orally twice a day which improved his symptoms tremendously. Patient was stabilized and after 1 week was discharged on Haldol 5 mg by mouth two times a day for Psychosis, Cogentin 1 mg by mouth two times a day for extrapyramidal system (EPS), and Methimazole 5 mg by mouth daily for overactive thyroid nodule. Psychosis associated with thyroid nodule is rare but possible. The onset of psychotic syndrome is an important clinical element whose underlying medical cause must be promptly clarified. Psychosis can present in a number of ways and can have different causes. Apart from psychiatric causes, underlying medical causes should always be considered. In this case it was important to get a full clinical history of the patient as well as complete physical examination. The differential diagnosis of a psychotic disorder in light of a medical disease should always be considered in order to promptly diagnose and treat the underlying cause to reduce the morbidity and possibly the mortality associated with it.

Early improvements of individual symptoms as a predictor of treatment response to asenapine in patients with schizophrenia.

AimIt is well accepted that early improvement with antipsychotics predicts subsequent response in patients with schizophrenia. However, no study has examined the contribution of individual symptoms rather than overall symptom severity as the predictors. Thus, we aimed to detect individual symptoms whose improvements could predict subsequent response in patients with schizophrenia during treatment with asenapine and examine whether a prediction model with individual symptoms would be superior to a model using overall symptom severity.MethodsThis study analyzed a dataset including 532 patients with schizophrenia enrolled in a 6‐week double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized trial of asenapine. Response to asenapine was defined as a ≥30% decrease in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score from baseline to week 6. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations among response and PANSS total/individual item score improvements at week 1 or week 2.ResultsResponse was associated with early improvement in the following PANSS items: disturbance of volition, active social avoidance, poor impulse control at week 1; and active social avoidance, poor attention, lack of judgment and insight at week 2. Prediction accuracy was almost compatible between the model with individual symptoms and the model with PANSS total score both at weeks 1 and 2 (Nagelkerke R 2: .51, .42 and .55, .54, respectively).ConclusionEarly improvement in negative symptoms, poor attention and impulse control, and lack of insight, in particular predicted subsequent treatment response in patients with schizophrenia during treatment with asenapine as accurately as prediction based on overall symptom severity.

The Psychosocial Impact of Neurobehavioral Disability.

Neurobehavioral disability (NBD) comprises elements of executive and attentional dysfunction, poor insight, problems of awareness and social judgement, labile mood, altered emotional expression, and poor impulse control, any or all of which can have a serious impact upon a person's decision-making and capacity for social independence. The aim of this narrative review is to explore some of the more intrusive forms of NBD that act as obstacles to psychosocial outcome to act as a frame of reference for developing effective rehabilitation interventions. Special consideration is given to the psychosocial impact of three core forms of NBD: a failure of social cognition, aggressive behavior, and problems of drive/motivation. Consideration is also given to the developmental implications of sustaining a brain injury in childhood or adolescence, including its impact on maturational and social development and subsequent effects on long-term psychosocial behavior.

How About The Resilience of Students Who Have Mothers as Victims of Domestic Violence?

The ability in the form of individual toughness to be ready to face bitter realities is known as resilience. Resilience is needed by students, one of which applies as the child of a parent of victims of domestic violence. This research is a qualitative research with a case study approach. The study was conducted at one of the High Schools in the City of Padang. The subjects in this study were one student with criteria as a child whose parents (mother) experienced domestic violence, counseling teachers and parents of students. Taking the subject of this study using purposive sampling method. This study uses data collection techniques with interviews and observations. The technique guarantees the validity of the data carried out by building close relationships with subjects and informants naturally and continually making observations. Data analysis technique is done by data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification. The results revealed that the conditions of resilience of parents (mothers) of domestic violence victims are as follows: (1) IRs have immature emotional control when dealing with domestic violence experienced by their mothers, (2) IRs have poor impulse control when dealing with domestic violence experienced by their mothers , (3) IR has good optimism when facing domestic violence experienced by his mother, (4) IR is still not good at analyzing problems carefully, (5) IR has good empathy, (6) IR has good self-efficacy, and (7) IRs have good reaching out when dealing with their mothers as victims of domestic violence. So, it can be concluded that IR has a fairly good resilience.

The comparative study of the early stages of sensory and sensory-motor information processing in aggressive and non-aggressive schizophrenic patients

To study the early stages of sensory (P50 suppression) and sensorimotor (prepulse modification of acoustic startle reaction - ASR) information processing in aggressive and non-aggressive patients with schizophrenia. Two groups (aggressive group A, 44 s. and non-aggressive group NA, 27 s.) and 48 healthy people were studied using oculography and encephalography. Symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed by PANSS. The analysis of ASR and P50 revealed the increased ASR latency, deficit of prepulse inhibition (PPI) with 60 ms leading interval, and P50 suppression in patients compared to controls. Aggressive behavior impacted on lateral features of ASR changes in the group A. The increase of ASR amplitude and the decline of prepulse facilitation were found in the group NA. The P50 analysis revealed the increased P50 amplitude and the shortened latency in response to 2nd stimulus in the pair. The increase in scores on item G14 of the PANSS (Poor impulse control) in the group A and its correlations with ASR and P50 parameters in this group suggested the important role of impulsivity in aggressive behavior in the studied sample of aggressive patients. ASR and P50 characteristics in the group NA are associated with increased sensitivity to incoming stimuli and such personality traits as increased alertness and fear, which might inhibit aggression. Thus, indicators of the early stages of information processing can be considered as potential predictors of aggressive behavior.

Sexual Coercion by Women: The Influence of Pornography and Narcissistic and Histrionic Personality Disorder Traits

Largely overlooked in the literature, this study investigated factors influencing women’s use of sexual coercion. Specifically, pornography use and personality disorder traits linked with poor impulse control, emotional regulation, and superior sense of sexual desirability were considered. Women (N = 142) aged 16–53 years (M = 24.23, SD = 7.06) were recruited from community and student populations. Participants completed the Narcissistic and Histrionic subscales of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4, in addition to the Cyber-Pornography Use Inventory to explore the influence of their pornography use (interest, efforts to engage with pornography, and compulsivity) on their use of sexual coercion. This was measured using four subscales of the Postrefusal Sexual Persistence Scale: nonverbal sexual arousal, emotional manipulation and deception, exploitation of the intoxicated, and use of physical force or threats. Multiple regression analyses revealed that pornography use, narcissistic traits, and histrionic traits significantly predicted the use of nonverbal sexual arousal, emotional manipulation and deception, and exploitation of the intoxicated. Effort to engage with pornography was a significant individual predictor of nonverbal sexual arousal and emotional manipulation and deception, while histrionic traits were a significant individual predictor of exploitation of the intoxicated. Findings were discussed in relation to existing sexual coercion literature and potential future research.

Men's Depression and Suicide.

To explore recent research evidence addressing men's depression and suicide. Included are discussions of recent literature investigating male depression symptoms, and men's depression and suicidality help-seeking and engagement with professional mental health care services. Specific externalizing symptoms of substance misuse, risk-taking, and poor impulse control among men indicate the need for gender-sensitized depression screening and risk assessments. The reticence of some men for seeking professional health care has drawn public awareness raising and de-stigmatizing efforts, while clinical guidelines for working with boys and men have been offered to better serve men seeking help for depression and/or suicidality. There is a strengthening case for male depression comprising specific externalizing symptomology, and these findings, along with high male suicide rates (including men who are seemingly in care), indicate the need for tailored approaches to men's depression and suicide prevention.

The Association Between Internet Gaming Disorder and Impulsivity: A Systematic Review of Literature

Research examining Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has increased substantially over the past decade. One of the risk factors for IGD includes poor impulse control. The present study comprises the first ever systematic review of studies examining the relationship between IGD and impusivity utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was conducted via EBSCO (which included the following academic databases: Academic Search Complete, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO), PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2000 and 2019, (ii) being an empirical study that collected primary data, (iii) written in English and Turkish languages (the two languages spoken by the authors), (iv) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal, and (v) conducted an objective assessment of both IGD and impulsivity. Following these procedures, 33 eligible empirical studies remained for evaluation in the present review comprising 18,128 participants in total. Results demonstrated that despite many methodological weaknesses, 32 studies reported a positive association between impulsivity and IGD. Possible explanations for this consistent finding appear to indicate that altered neurobiological structures detected in participants with impulsivity may explain some of the relationships between impulsivity and internet gaming disorder.

Aggressive Video Games are Not a Risk Factor for Future Aggression in Youth: A Longitudinal Study.

The issue of whether video games with aggressive or violent content (henceforth aggressive video games) contribute to aggressive behavior in youth remains an issue of significant debate. One issue that has been raised is that some studies may inadvertently inflate effect sizes by use of questionable researcher practices and unstandardized assessments of predictors and outcomes, or lack of proper theory-driven controls. In the current article, a large sample of 3034 youth (72.8% male Mage = 11.2) in Singapore were assessed for links between aggressive game play and seven aggression or prosocial outcomes 2 years later. Theoretically relevant controls for prior aggression, poor impulse control, gender and family involvement were used. Effect sizes were compared to six nonsense outcomes specifically chosen to be theoretically unrelated to aggressive game play. The use of nonsense outcomes allows for a comparison of effect sizes between theoretically relevant and irrelevant outcomes, to help assess whether any statistically significant outcomes may be spurious in large datasets. Preregistration was employed to reduce questionable researcher practices. Results indicate that aggressive video games were unrelated to any of the outcomes using the study criteria for significance. It would take 27 h/day of M-rated game play to produce clinically noticeable changes in aggression. Effect sizes for aggression/prosocial outcomes were little different than for nonsense outcomes. Evidence from this study does not support the conclusion that aggressive video games are a predictor of later aggression or reduced prosocial behavior in youth.

The relationship between auditory evoked potentials and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adult patients with major depressive disorder

ObjectivesLoudness dependence of auditory evoked potential (LDAEP) has been proposed as a biological marker for central serotonergic activity in depressive illness. A recent study has suggested that serotonin plays an important role in impulsivity and emotional sensitivity that are prominent clinical manifestations in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective of this study was to examine the association between LDAEP and ADHD symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD). MethodsA total of 60 participants (40 subjects with MDD and 20 healthy controls) aged >18 years who had LDAEPs performed during electroencephalograms were included in this study. ADHD symptoms, depressive, and anxiety symptoms were evaluated. Psychological characteristics and event-related potentials (ERP) were compared among three groups: depression with ADHD symptoms, depression without ADHD symptoms, and healthy controls. ResultsMDD subjects with ADHD symptoms (N = 20) showed significantly lower LDAEP levels than those without ADHD symptoms (N = 20) and healthy controls (N = 20). LDAEP differences between MDD subjects without ADHD symptoms and healthy controls were not statistically significant. In partial correlation analyses adjusted for age and sex, significant correlations of psychological scales of depression, ADHD symptoms, and LDAEPs were found. ConclusionResults of the present study suggest that LDAEP can reflect adult ADHD symptoms in MDD. Auditory evoked potential appears to be a promising candidate as an evaluation tool for inattention and poor impulse control as well as emotional sensitivity.

Effects of multisensory stop signals on alcohol-induced disinhibition in adults with ADHD.

Multisensory environments facilitate behavioral functioning in humans. The redundant signal effect (RSE) refers to the observation that individuals respond more quickly to stimuli when information is presented as multisensory, redundant stimuli (e.g., aurally and visually) rather than as a single stimulus presented to either modality alone. RSE appears to be because of specialized multisensory neurons in the superior colliculus and association cortex that allow intersensory coactivation between the visual and auditory channels. Our studies show that the disinhibiting effects of alcohol are attenuated when stop signals are multisensory (e.g., Visual + Auditory stop signals) versus unisensory (Roberts, Monem, & Fillmore, 2016). The present study expanded on this research to test the degree to which multisensory stop signals could also attenuate the disinhibiting effects of alcohol in those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a clinical population characterized by poor impulse control. The study compared young adults with ADHD (n = 22) with healthy controls (n = 22) and examined the acute impairing effect of alcohol on response inhibition to stop signals that were presented as a unisensory (visual) stimulus or a multisensory (Visual + Auditory) stimulus. For controls, results showed alcohol impaired response inhibition to unisensory stop signals but not to multisensory stop signals. Response inhibition of those with ADHD was impaired by alcohol regardless of whether stop signals were unisensory or multisensory. The failure of multisensory stimuli to attenuate alcohol impairment in those with ADHD highlights a specific vulnerability that could account for heightened sensitivity to the disruptive effects of alcohol. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Tilted Dramaturgy: Combined Spectatorship, Playwriting, and Role-Playing in Bully Pulpit’s Fiasco

Bully Pulpit Games released their Fiasco play system around 2010 to a variety of online and game convention awards. In their own words, Fiasco is “inspired by cinematic tales of small time capers gone disastrously wrong. You’ll play ordinary people with powerful ambition and poor impulse control” (Bully Pulpit Games). Fiasco not only allows people who love games, improv, writing, and genre to have fun over the course of a few hours collectively creating a two-act play, but also renders divisions between spectator and participant moot. In a classroom context, I’ve used Fiasco as a model for introducing affective, artistic, and unexpected reactions to theatre; creativity; audience response theory; entertainment; and phenomenological responses to performance experiences. The game uses a ‘tilt’ table to offset the plans of all the players/actors in the experience, ultimately introducing them to complications they did not anticipate. Fiasco lets everyone win by rendering all their characters through degrees of narratively satisfying loss, which include cinematic-style cliffhangers and final moments—epilogues—by each person to end the experience.

Ketamine abusers referring to emergency departments in northern Italy: a cross- sectional study.

Ketamine is an essential medicine used as an anesthetic in low and middle-income countries and in veterinary medicine. Recreational use is widespread throughout the world, especially owing to its lower price compared to other substances. In Western countries its use has been mainly linked to subpopulations of young people who use drugs recreationally. Ketamine misuse is associated with amnesia, dependence, dissociation, lower urinary tract dysfunction and poor impulse control. Regular ketamine use is associated with abdominal pains. The aims of this study are to analyze characteristics and main symptoms of ketamine abusers attending emergency departments (EDs) in the metropolitan area of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Region, northern Italy. We identified 74 records of ketamine-related visits: 30% female; 22% non-natives; mean age 25.6 years. Forty-two percent reported ketamine use alone, 46% reported the use of other illegal substance (cocaine 19%, heroin 18%), 26% alcohol misuse. The most common reported symptoms were neurological (soporous state 18%, agitation 14%, confusion 7%, panic attacks 7%, mydriasis 7%, tremors 7%), gastro-intestinal (abdominal pain 15%, vomiting 11%), urological (6.8%) and cardiac (palpitations 5%, chest pain 5%). Complications secondary to falls and cuts (7%) were the most frequent trauma complications. We highlight a significant number of visits regarding suicide attempts (10%) and overdose (4%). The results highlight a particular population of problematic ketamine users identified using the hospital's ICT system. In particular, poly-drug users who consume ketamine in combination with heroin or cocaine presenting to the ED represent a specific target for targeted prevention projects on non-lethal overdoses and suicide attempts.

A SHORT REVIEW ON UNNMAD W.S.R. TO ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)

Unnmad is one type of mansik-vyadhi which is most common form of mental disorder. Unnmad can be co –related with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Today’s modern era day to day psychosomatic disorder affected children are increased in pediatric clinics, out of that Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) one of them. Due to increased distractibility and difficulty sustaining attention; poor impulse control and decreased self-inhibitory capacity; and motor over activity and motor restlessness. etc leads to this disease.
 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) neurobehavioral disorder of childhood and one of among the most prevalent chronic health conditions affecting school-age children. In modern medicine except presynaptic dopaminergic agonists, there is no other treatment for this disease While traditional life science Ayurveda has most effective solution over this. The present article is an attempt to highlighting on details of unnmada with co-relating with ADHD.

Gender differences moderate Machiavellianism and impulsivity: Implications for Dark Triad research

The traits of the Dark Triad of personality have different relationships with impulsivity. Although psychopathy is consistently associated with poor impulse control, the relationship between other Dark Triad traits and impulsivity is inconsistent. For example, Machiavellianism is a construct defined by caution and strategic thinking. Thus, positive correlations particularly with non-planning is antithetical to the construct. However, previous research has revealed gender-related differences among the Dark Triad, which may partially account for mixed findings. Using a student sample (n = 898), we examined separate relationships between impulsivity and the Dark Triad based on gender. We found that Machiavellianism in men is positively correlated with planning, whereas Machiavellianism in women is negatively correlated with planning. Thus, it appears that Machiavellianism may have different behavioral patterns depending on gender. These findings have implications for how Machiavellianism is expressed between men and women, and may guide future predictions for Machiavellianism based on gender.

Trajectories of alcohol and marijuana use among primary versus secondary psychopathy variants within an adjudicated adolescent male sample.

The distinction between low-anxious primary versus high-anxious secondary psychopathy is well-established among incarcerated adults and adolescents. However, no studies have used a prospective longitudinal approach to explore whether primary versus secondary psychopathy variants have different rates of alcohol and marijuana use across adolescence, and what mechanisms account for these differences. The sample was 1,170 male adolescents who had interacted with the justice system, with data collected as part of the Pathways to Desistance project. We used interviewer assessments of psychopathy and self-reported anxiety at baseline to identify primary and secondary psychopathy subgroups. We explored subgroup differences via self-reported measures of psychopathic traits and anxiety, aggression, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at baseline and a 6-month follow-up. Finally, we tested whether groups had different trajectories of alcohol and marijuana use over 4 years, and whether poor impulse control or anxiety mediated these differences. Latent profile analysis identified four groups: low-anxious primary psychopathy, high-anxious secondary psychopathy, anxious only, and low risk. The secondary group had similar levels of aggression and psychopathy to the primary group, but more depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. The primary and secondary psychopathy variants did not differ in rates of alcohol or marijuana use across adolescence, but alcohol use among secondary variants was specifically mediated via poor impulse control. The findings establish two psychopathy groups that differ meaningfully in their internalizing psychopathology and pathways to alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Chapter 1 - The prefrontal cortex in the neurology clinic

Throughout the nervous system, posterior structures are mainly devoted to receptive functions-sensation and perception-while anterior structures are devoted to motor functions. In the cortex, that dichotomy is unclear because perception and action are intertwined in the perception-action cycle, the biocybernetic cycle that adapts the organism to its environment. All neural systems store information (memory), which they enact in behavior and language. There are no "systems of memory" but the memory of systems. The cortex of the frontal lobe is a hierarchical system: motor cortex at the bottom for coordination of simple movements, and prefrontal cortex at the top for complex goal-directed actions. In the coordination of such actions, the frontal hierarchy engages the posterior (perceptual) cortex in the perception-action cycle. Inputs to the cycle come to prefrontal cortex from sensory-evoked perceptual memory and biologic (phyletic) memory. The first comes from neocortex, the second from limbic structures-through orbitomedial cortex. Outputs flow to pyramidal and diencephalic structures. Feedback inputs for monitoring and correction operate at all levels of the cycle. All prefrontal functions-planning, executive attention, working memory, decision-making, and inhibitory controls-are prospective, i.e., have a future perspective for the cycle to reach its goal. Damage to lateral prefrontal cortex impairs all of them. Orbitofrontal damage impairs the exclusionary aspect of attention and often leads to poor impulse control, excessive risk taking, unstable mood, and antisocial behavior. Medial prefrontal damage leads to poor monitoring of behavioral outcome for prevention of errors.

Blunted stress reactivity reveals vulnerability to early life adversity in young adults with a family history of alcoholism.

People with blunted stress reactivity have poor impulse control and also show increased risk for alcoholism. Exposure to early life adversity (ELA) contributes to blunted reactivity, but individual differences in susceptibility to ELA are not well understood. This study aimed to determine whether exposure to ELA has a greater impact on stress reactivity in young adults with a family history of alcoholism (FH+) compared with young adults with no family history of alcoholism (FH-). Observational study using linear modeling. Oklahoma, USA. Seven hundred and nine young adults (398 females) recruited through community advertisement. We obtained heart rates and cortisol levels in subjects while undergoing public speaking and mental arithmetic stress compared with a resting control day (1418 test sessions). ELA was quantified as 0, 1 or>1 adverse events experienced by age 15years. FH+ people had one or two parents with an alcohol use disorder, and FH- controls had no such history for two generations. Increasing levels of ELA predicted progressive blunting of cortisol and heart rate reactivity for the whole sample (Fs = 4.57 and 4.70, Ps ≤ 0.011), but examination by FH status showed that the effect of ELA was significant only among FH+ (Fs≥3.5, Ps<0.05) and absent in FH- (Ps>0.40). This difference in ELA impact was not explained by the cortisol diurnal cycle or subjective evaluation of the stressors. People with a family history of alcoholism appear to be vulnerable, in terms of changes to physiological stress response, to the impact of exposure to early life adversity while people with no family history of alcoholism appear to be resilient. Blunted stress reactivity may reflect differential vulnerability to early life adversity in young adults with a family history of alcoholism.

Sleepiness and impulsivity: Findings in non-treatment seeking young adults.

Background and aimsAlthough inadequate sleep has been linked to problematic behaviors, such as poor impulse control and emotion dysregulation, little research interest has been the role of sleep and sleep deprivation on impulsive behaviors in young adults. To further examine the relationship of sleepiness to impulsivity and impulsive behaviors, this study was designed to collect data on sleepiness, and a range of impulse control disorders and cognitive measures.MethodsYoung non-treatment-seeking adults were recruited from two US cities and completed a screening form for sleepiness, along with demographic, clinical, and cognitive measures relevant to impulsivity. Relationships between these explanatory variables and total sleepiness scores were analyzed using partial least squares. Significant explanatory variables were identified (p < .05, bootstrap).ResultsHigher levels of sleepiness were significantly associated with higher ADHD symptoms, gambling disorder symptoms, Internet addiction symptoms, and personality-related impulsiveness. Sleepiness was also associated with set-shifting errors, and with gambling more points (abnormal decision-making), but not with significant impairment in response to inhibition, or other aspects of decision-making.ConclusionsThis study confirms a cross-sectional relationship between sleepiness and a range of impulsive measures at the level of behavior (ADHD, gambling, and Internet addiction) and personality traits. Longitudinal research would be required to explore causal mechanisms and the direction of any such effects. Screening for such mental health diagnoses in people with sleep problems may be valuable, as enquiring patients with such impulsive symptoms about sleep, in order to maximize quality of life.