Risk For Alcohol Use Disorder Research Articles

Childhood emotional abuse and alcohol use disorders in a national Nepali women sample: The mediating role of borderline personality traits.

While many studies have found an association between childhood emotional abuse and alcohol use disorders (AUD) during adulthood, underlying psychological mechanisms linking the two remain inadequately understood. Drawing on the developmental psychopathology perspective, this study examined the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and AUD during adulthood with a national sample of women in Nepal (N = 1,100, M age = 37.73), focusing on the mediating role of borderline personality traits. Mediation analyses were performed using the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method and bootstrapping confidence intervals. Results indicated that Nepali women's borderline personality traits significantly mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and AUD. Hence, emotional abuse in childhood increases the risk for AUD during adulthood for Nepali women by increasing the risk of borderline personality traits. Findings underscore the necessity of continued emphasis on developing and implementing early interventions for childhood emotional abuse and therapeutic interventions for borderline personality traits in reducing AUD among vulnerable women in Nepal.

Acceptability and anklet user experience with the SCRAM-CAM transdermal alcohol concentration sensor in regularly drinking young adults' natural environments.

Recent developments in wearable technologies have allowed for device-based capture of alcohol concentration among participants in their natural environments. Currently, the Continuous Alcohol Monitor from SCRAM systems (SCRAM-CAM) is the most extensively studied and validated transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) sensor. However, there has been relatively little work focusing on its acceptability from the participants' perspective. In the current study, we assess the user experience of the SCRAM-CAM anklet in a sample of 222 regularly heavy drinking young adults (mean age=22.3) who wore the anklet in their natural environments for five 24-h periods spanning 6 consecutive days. Differences in the anklet user experience were measured along a number of dimensions, and differences were tested by sex at birth, white/non-white racial/ethnic group membership, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) risk (measured through Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT] scores). Males and females differed significantly on six of the eight acceptability items, with males showing more positive responses toward the anklet than females. No differences were found by white/non-white racial/ethnic groups nor AUD risk. Results suggest positive levels of acceptability toward the device overall while in natural environments, further validating the usage of the device in studies that measure alcohol consumption among different groups, including those with high levels of alcohol consumption. Researchers should take into consideration the different levels of burden or discomfort in male versus female participants when using the device.

Brain Networks and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Alcohol misuse in adolescence is a leading cause of disability and mortality in youth and is associated with higher risk for alcohol use disorder. Brain mechanisms underlying risk of alcohol misuse may inform prevention and intervention efforts. To identify neuromarkers of alcohol misuse using a data-driven approach, with specific consideration of neurodevelopmental sex differences. Longitudinal multisite functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected at ages 14 and 19 years were used to assess whole-brain patterns of functional organization associated with current and future alcohol use risk as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Primary data were collected by the IMAGEN consortium, a European multisite study of adolescent neurodevelopment. Model generalizability was further tested using data acquired in a single-site study of college alcohol consumption conducted in the US. The primary sample was a developmental cohort of 1359 adolescents with neuroimaging, phenotyping, and alcohol use data. Model generalizability was further assessed in a separate cohort of 114 individuals. Brain-behavior model accuracy, as defined by the correspondence between model-predicted and actual AUDIT scores in held-out testing data, Bonferroni corrected across the number of models run at each time point, 2-tailed α < .008, as determined via permutation testing. Among 1359 individuals in the study, the mean (SD) age was 14.42 (0.40) years, and 729 individuals (54%) were female. The data-driven, whole-brain connectivity approach identified networks associated with vulnerability for future and current AUDIT-defined alcohol use risk (primary outcome, as specified above, future: ρ, 0.22; P < .001 and present: ρ, 0.27; P < .001). Results further indicated sex divergence in the accuracies of brain-behavior models, such that female-only models consistently outperformed male-only models. Specifically, female-only models identified networks conferring vulnerability for future and current severity using data acquired during both reward and inhibitory fMRI tasks. In contrast, male-only models were successful in accurately identifying networks using data acquired during the inhibitory control-but not reward-task, indicating domain specificity of alcohol use risk networks in male adolescents only. These data suggest that interventions focusing on inhibitory control processes may be effective in combating alcohol use risk in male adolescents but that both inhibitory and reward-related processes are likely of relevance to alcohol use behaviors in female adolescents. They further identify novel networks of alcohol use risk in youth, which may be used to identify adolescents who are at risk and inform intervention efforts.

The collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism: Brain function.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related health conditions result from a complex interaction of genetic, neural and environmental factors, with differential impacts across the lifespan. From its inception, the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) has focused on the importance of brain function as it relates to the risk and consequences of alcohol use and AUD, through the examination of noninvasively recorded brain electrical activity and neuropsychological tests. COGA's sophisticated neurophysiological and neuropsychological measures, together with rich longitudinal, multi-modal family data, have allowed us to disentangle brain-related risk and resilience factors from the consequences of prolonged and heavy alcohol use in the context of genomic and social-environmental influences over the lifespan. COGA has led the field in identifying genetic variation associated with brain functioning, which has advanced the understanding of how genomic risk affects AUD and related disorders. To date, the COGA study has amassed brain function data on over 9871 participants, 7837 with data at more than one time point, and with notable diversity in terms of age (from 7 to 97), gender (52% female), and self-reported race and ethnicity (28% Black, 9% Hispanic). These data are available to the research community through several mechanisms, including directly through the NIAAA, through dbGAP, and in collaboration with COGA investigators. In this review, we provide an overview of COGA's data collection methods and specific brain function measures assessed, and showcase the utility, significance, and contributions these data have made to our understanding of AUD and related disorders, highlighting COGA research findings.

Frequency and factors related to substance use among Black individuals aged 15-40 years old in Canada: The role of everyday racial discrimination.

Despite evidence that Black individuals are confronted with various types of racial discrimination that put them at risk for alcohol and substance use disorders, no study in Canada has assessed the frequency and factors related to substance use in Black communities. This study thus aims to examine the frequency and factors related to substance use in Black communities in Canada. A total of 845 Black individuals in Canada (76.6% female) completed questionnaires assessing substance use (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs), everyday racial discrimination, resilience, religious involvement, and sociodemographic information. Multivariable regression analyses were used to determine factors related to substance use among Black individuals. The findings showed that 14.8% (95% CI [8.60, 20.94]) of participants reported using any substance (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs) in the past 12 months. Men reported a significantly higher frequency of substance use than women (25.7% vs. 11.1%; x² = 27.67, p < .001). Everyday racial discrimination (ß = .27, p < .001) and place of birth (born in Canada, ß = .14, p < .001) were positively associated with substance use, whereas it was negatively associated with religiosity, resilience, and gender (being a female; ß = -.08, p < .05; ß = -.21, p < .001; ß = -.12, p < .001). Racial discrimination is associated with substance use among Black individuals in Canada. The study findings inform potential prevention and intervention strategies by examining protective factors related to substance use (e.g., religiosity, resilience, gender) among Black individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Short-term effect of household indebtedness and risk of alcohol use disorder among Korean youth: 2017-2020 longitudinal panel study.

In Republic of Korea, household debt has increased recently among young adults, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Household debt may potentially lead to numerous outcomes including alcohol use disorder (AUD). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between a change in indebtedness and the risk of developing AUD. A total of 5,091 participants (2,720 men and 2,371 women) were included during a 4-year study period. Indebtedness was divided into four groups: no debt a year ago and at present (group 1), paying off a year's debt (group 2), newly incurred current debt after a year when there was no debt (group 3), and indebtedness a year ago and at present (group 4). Groups 2, 3, and 4 were also divided into subgroups based on debt characteristics. AUD risk was evaluated by the CAGE scale, and a score of 2 or higher was defined as AUD high risk. Several time-varying socioeconomic and health-related characteristics were adjusted. Participants who indicated indebtedness at present (groups 3 and 4) were more likely to be AUD high-risk compared to group 1 in both genders (men: adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 1.031, 95% CI [1.014-1.049] in group 3, aRR = 1.028, 95% CI [1.007-1.050] in group 4; women: aRR = 1.039, 95% CI [1.016-1.163] in group 3, aRR = 1.028, 95% CI [1.007-1.050] in group 4). Even paid-off debt affected the risk of AUD among female participants (aRR = 1.018, 95% CI [1.001-1.034] in group 2). Women whose amount of debt increased for 1 year were more likely to be AUD high-risk compared to group 1. Women showed higher aRR than men for increasing CAGE scores by one unit in all debt subgroups. Our research demonstrated a possible link between indebtedness and a heightened risk of AUD. These results underscore the importance of implementing targeted screening and interventions for AUD, particularly among young women who are facing mounting levels of debt.

Courage, camaraderie and compassion: a qualitative exploration into UK military veterans’ experiences of self-compassion within the context of alcohol use disorders and recovery

IntroductionUK veterans are at increased risk of mental health and alcohol use disorders (AUDs), experiencing specific challenges such as combat exposure and re-integration which may contribute to treatment barriers. Experiences...

Natural allelic variation modifies acute ethanol response phenotypes in wild strains of C. elegans.

Genetic variation contributes to the likelihood that an individual will develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Traditional laboratory studies in animal models have elucidated the molecular pharmacology of ethanol, but laboratory-derived genetic manipulations rarely model the naturally occurring genetic variation observed in wild populations. Rather, these manipulations are biased toward identifying genes of central importance in the phenotypes. Because changes in such genes can confer selective disadvantages, they are not ideal candidates for carrying AUD risk alleles in humans. We sought to exploit Caenorhabditis elegans to identify allelic variation existing in the wild that modulates ethanol response behaviors. We tested the acute ethanol responses of four strains recently isolated from the wild (JU1511, JU1926, JU1931, and JU1941) and 41 multiparental recombinant inbred lines (mpRILs) derived from them. We assessed locomotion at 10, 30, and 50 min on low and high ethanol concentrations. We performed principal component analyses (PCA) on the different phenotypes, tested for transgressive behavior, calculated heritability, and determined the correlations between behavioral responses. We observed a range of responses to ethanol across the strains. We detected a low-concentration locomotor activation effect in some of the mpRILs not seen in the laboratory wild-type strain. PCA showed different ethanol response behaviors to be independent. We observed transgressive behavior for many of the measured phenotypes and found that multiple behaviors were uncorrelated. The average broad-sense heritability for all phenotypes was 23.2%. Genetic variation significantly affects multiple acute ethanol response behaviors, many of which are independent of one another. This suggests that the genetic variation captured by these strains likely affects multiple biological mechanisms through which ethanol acts. Further study of these strains may allow these distinct mechanisms to be identified.

The beer component hordenine inhibits alcohol addiction-associated behaviours in mice.

Alcohol consumption is a widespread behaviour that may eventually result in the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol, however, is rarely consumed in pure form but in fruit- or corn-derived preparations, like beer. These preparations add other compounds to the consumption, which may critically modify alcohol intake and AUD risk. We investigated the effects of hordenine, a barley-derived beer compound on alcohol use-related behaviours. We found that the dopamine D2 receptor agonist hordenine (50 mg/kg) limited ongoing alcohol consumption and prophylactically diminished relapse drinking after withdrawal in mice. Although not having reinforcing effects on its own, hordenine blocked the establishment of alcohol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). However, it independently enhanced alcohol CPP retrieval. Hordenine had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on locomotor activity. Chronic hordenine exposure enhanced monoamine tissue levels in many brain regions. Further characterization revealed monoaminergic binding sites of hordenine and found a strong binding on the serotonin and dopamine transporters, and dopamine D3 , and adrenergic α1A and α2A receptor activation but no effects on GABAA receptor or glycinergic signalling. These findings suggest that natural ingredients of beer, like hordenine, may work as an inhibitory and use-regulating factor by their modulation of monoaminergic signalling in the brain.

Standardized Models for Identification and Intervention for Emergency Department Patients at Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is chronic, lasting a person's lifetime. An increase in driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as emergency department (ED) visits, has been reported. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C) is utilized to assess hazardous drinking. The Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model assists in early intervention and referral for treatment. The Transtheoretical Model standardized instrument assesses individual readiness to change. These tools may be used by nurses and nonphysicians in the ED to help reduce alcohol use and the consequences of its use.

The collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism: Genetics.

This review describes the genetic approaches and results from the family-based Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). COGA was designed during the linkage era to identify genes affecting the risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related problems, and was among the first AUD-focused studies to subsequently adopt a genome-wide association (GWAS) approach. COGA's family-based structure, multimodal assessment with gold-standard clinical and neurophysiological data, and the availability of prospective longitudinal phenotyping continues to provide insights into the etiology of AUD and related disorders. These include investigations of genetic risk and trajectories of substance use and use disorders, phenome-wide association studies of loci of interest, and investigations of pleiotropy, social genomics, genetic nurture, and within-family comparisons. COGA is one of the few AUD genetics projects that includes a substantial number of participants of African ancestry. The sharing of data and biospecimens has been a cornerstone of the COGA project, and COGA is a key contributor to large-scale GWAS consortia. COGA's wealth of publicly available genetic and extensive phenotyping data continues to provide a unique and adaptable resource for our understanding of the genetic etiology of AUD and related traits.

Risks of alcohol and drug use disorders in prostate cancer survivors: a national cohort study.

Prostate cancer (PC) survivors may potentially use substances to cope with psychological distress or poorly controlled physical symptoms. Little is known, however, about the long-term risks of alcohol use disorder (AUD) or drug use disorders in men with PC. A national cohort study was conducted in Sweden of 180 189 men diagnosed with PC between 1998 and 2017 and 1 801 890 age-matched population-based control men. AUD and drug use disorders were ascertained from nationwide records through 2018. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) while adjusting for sociodemographic factors and prior psychiatric disorders. Subanalyses examined differences by PC treatment from 2005 to 2017. Men with high-risk PC had increased risks of both AUD (adjusted HR = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33 to 1.57) and drug use disorders (adjusted HR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.67 to 2.24). Their AUD risk was highest in the first year and was no longer significantly elevated 5 years after PC diagnosis, whereas their drug use disorders risk remained elevated 10 years after PC diagnosis (adjusted HR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.45 to 3.52), particularly opioid use disorder (adjusted HR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.61 to 5.84). Those treated only with androgen-deprivation therapy had the highest risks of AUD (adjusted HR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.62 to 2.25) and drug use disorders (adjusted HR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.70 to 2.92). Low- or intermediate-risk PC was associated with modestly increased risks of AUD (adjusted HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.30 to 1.46) and drug use disorders (adjusted HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.34). In this large cohort, men with PC had significantly increased risks of both AUD and drug use disorders, especially those with high-risk PC and treated only with androgen-deprivation therapy. PC survivors need long-term psychosocial support and timely detection and treatment of AUD and drug use disorders.

Subjective response to alcohol: Interactive effects of early life stress, parental risk for mood and substance use disorders, and drinking context

Early life stress, specifically childhood maltreatment, and parental risk for mood and substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with increased risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). There is limited data on how these factors interact to contribute to alcohol-related outcomes. Prior work has suggested early life stress may increase sensitivity to psychostimulants and that subjective response to alcohol is heritable. It is unclear if early life stress alters sensitivity to alcohol and interacts with parental risk for mood/SUDs, which in turn may act as a risk factor for AUD. The current study uses within-subjects placebo-controlled alcohol administration methods to investigate the effects of childhood maltreatment on subjective response to alcohol in young adults with and without parental risk of mood/SUDs. Additionally, we explored interactions with drinking context (i.e., drinking in a bar vs. non-bar context). Within individuals with parental risk for mood/SUDs, there was a positive relation between total Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) score and how drunk individuals reported feeling across both alcohol and placebo conditions (parental risk group-by-CTQ interaction p = .01; main effect of CTQ within individuals with parental risk for mood/SUDs p = .005). When exploring interactions with drinking context (bar vs. non-bar context), we observed a significant drinking context-by-parental risk-by-CTQ interaction (p = .03), with CTQ score positively associated with greater positive valence/positive arousal feelings in the parental risk group if they consumed their beverages in the bar context (p = .004) but not if they consumed their beverages in the non-bar context. Results suggest childhood maltreatment may contribute to variation in subjective response to the positive effects of alcohol—possibly mediated by alcohol cues and/or expectancies—in young adults with parental risk for mood/SUDs.

The association between the CCDC88A gene polymorphism at rs1437396 and alcohol use disorder, with or without major depression disorder.

Girdin is a protein involved in neuronal migration and hippocampal development. It is encoded by the coiled-coil domain-containing 88A (CCDC88A) gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 2 (2p). The CCDC88A gene is modulated by the intergenic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the rs1437396, situated 9.5 kb downstream from its transcription stop site. As recent genome-wide research has associated the T allele of the SNP with increased risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD), we wanted to validate this finding in an independent cohort and to test further for an association with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD). The study included 226 AUD patients (AUD group), 53 patients with comorbid MDD, and 391 controls selected randomly. The participants were genotyped for the rs1437396 polymorphism using the real-time polymerase chain reaction. The association between the rs1437396 polymorphism and increased risk of AUD and AUD+MDD was tested with logistic regression. Our results show significantly higher frequency of the T risk allele in the AUD group (p=0.027) and even higher in the AUD+MDD group (p=0.016). In conclusion, this is the first study that has validated the association between the rs1437396 polymorphism of the CCDC88A gene and AUD with or without MDD. Studies on larger samples of patients are needed to further investigate the mechanism of this association.

Alcohol Use Disorder Among Textile Workers: Evidence from Ethiopia

Little is known about its prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and its work-based etiology among employed adults in developing countries. To address this knowledge gap, we surveyed a total of 423 Ethiopian textile workers (of whom 313 were non-abstaining) assessing AUD. Using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test or “AUDIT” and categorizing an AUD as any AUDIT score of 16 or greater, the prevalence of AUD was estimated at 4.3% among overall participants and 5.8% among non-abstainers. Logistic regression analysis identified younger age, work-related disability, and stress as significantly associated with AUD. Given the link between these potential work-related risk factors and AUD, the findings suggest that alcohol use prevention programs such as peer-led counseling and/or Employment Assistance Programs, along with brief interventions, may be useful in addressing potential AUD risk factors, reducing AUD prevalence and associated sequaelae, and treating workers with AUD in developing countries.

RNA alternative splicing impacts the risk for alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex genetic disorder characterized by problems arising from excessive alcohol consumption. Identifying functional genetic variations that contribute to risk for AUD is a major goal. Alternative splicing of RNA mediates the flow of genetic information from DNA to gene expression and expands proteome diversity. We asked whether alternative splicing could be a risk factor for AUD. Herein, we used a Mendelian randomization (MR)-based approach to identify skipped exons (the predominant splicing event in brain) that contribute to AUD risk. Genotypes and RNA-seq data from the CommonMind Consortium were used as the training dataset to develop predictive models linking individual genotypes to exon skipping in the prefrontal cortex. We applied these models to data from the Collaborative Studies on Genetics of Alcoholism to examine the association between the imputed cis-regulated splicing outcome and the AUD-related traits. We identified 27 exon skipping events that were predicted to affect AUD risk; six of these were replicated in the Australian Twin-family Study of Alcohol Use Disorder. Their host genes are DRC1, ELOVL7, LINC00665, NSUN4, SRRM2 and TBC1D5. The genes downstream of these splicing events are enriched in neuroimmune pathways. The MR-inferred impacts of the ELOVL7 skipped exon on AUD risk was further supported in four additional large-scale genome-wide association studies. Additionally, this exon contributed to changes of gray matter volumes in multiple brain regions, including the visual cortex known to be involved in AUD. In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that RNA alternative splicing impacts the susceptibility to AUD and adds new information on AUD-relevant genes and pathways. Our framework is also applicable to other types of splicing events and to other complex genetic disorders.

Contagious Transmission in a Swedish National Sample of Alcohol Use Disorders as a Function of Geographical Proximity Among Siblings and Propinquity-of-Rearing Defined Acquaintances.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether alcohol use disorder (AUD) can be transmitted contagiously in siblings and likely acquaintances growing up close to one another (Propinquity-of-Rearing Defined Acquaintances [PRDAs]). PRDAs were pairs of same-age subjects growing up within 1 km of each other and sharing the same school class, where one of whom (PRDA1) was first registered for AUD at age 15 or older. Using adult residential location, we predicted proximity-dependent risk for an AUD first registration in a second PRDA within 3 years of PRDA1's registration. In 150,195 informative siblings, cohabitation status (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.08, 1.37]), but not proximity, predicted risk for AUD onset. In 114,375 informative PRDA pairs, a log model fit best, predicting lower risk the greater the distance (HR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.84, 0.92]) with risks for AUD at 10, 50, and 100 km from affected PRDA1 cases equaling, respectively: 0.73 [0.66, 0.82], 0.60 [0.51, 0.72], and 0.55 [0.45, 0.68]. Within PRDA acquaintanceships, results resembled those found among PRDA pairs. The proximity-dependent contagious risk for AUD among PRDA pairs was attenuated by increasing age, lower genetic risk, and higher educational attainment. Cohabitation but not distance predicted transmission of AUD between siblings. However, contagious transmission of AUD among acquaintances growing up and attending school together was present and attenuated by increasing distance in adulthood. The impact of adult proximity on transmission was moderated by age, educational attainment, and genetic risk for AUD. Our results provide support for the validity of contagion models for AUD.

Effect of PDYN and OPRK1 polymorphisms on the risk of alcohol use disorder and the intensity of depressive symptoms.

The dynorphin (DYN)/Kappa Opioid Receptor (KOR) system has been suggested to be involved in both negative affective states and the action of alcohol. The present study was undertaken to explore whether the DYN/KOR system genes, PDYN and OPRK1, influence on individual differences in the intensity of depressive symptoms at admission as well as the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD) risk in a sample of 101 individuals with AUD and 100 controls. PDYN (rs2281285, rs2225749 and rs910080) and OPRK1 (rs6473797, rs963549 and rs997917) polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-RFLP. The intensity of depressive and anxiety symptoms and craving were measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, respectively. A significant association between the risk of AUD and OPRK1 rs6473797 (P < 0.05) at the gene level. OPRK1 rs6473797 CC genotype was found to lead to a 3.11 times greater alcohol dependence risk. In addition, the BDI-II score of the OPRK1 rs963549 CC genotype was found to be significantly lower (20.9 ± 11.2, min: 1.0, max: 48.0) than that of the CT + TT genotypes (27.04 ± 12.7, min: 0.0, max: 49.0) (t: -2.332, P = 0.022). None of the PDYN polymorphisms were associated with BDI-II score. Variations in the KOR are associated with the risk of AUD and the intensity of depressive symptoms at admission at the gene level in Turkish males. On the other hand, PDYN gene seemed not to be associated with AUD, depression, anxiety, and craving.

Impacts of Public Health Status and Life Disruptions on Alcohol Consumption in Young Adults Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Using data from a national online sample, the current study examined factors impacting changes in alcohol use immediately following the WHO pandemic declaration (March 2020), including pre-COVID risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants with pre-COVID AUD risk, who experienced at least one COVID-related problem (e.g. housing, finances), demonstrated the greatest increase in weekly drinking. However, college students at-risk for AUD pre-COVID, with academic disruptions, showed the greatest consumption increases. The findings provide insight into the complex relationships between COVID-19 related disruptions, preexisting AUD risk, and their impact on risky drinking during a critical period in the pandemic. Implications for future public health prevention and intervention responses are discussed.

Sexual minority stress and substance use: An investigation of when and under what circumstances minority stress predicts alcohol and cannabis use at the event-level.

Sexual minority women and gender diverse (SMWGD) individuals are at elevated risk for alcohol and cannabis use disorders compared with cisgender, heterosexual women. This has been attributed to the unique stressors that SMWGD experience (i.e., sexual minority stress); however, recent studies have found mixed evidence for a link between sexual minority stress and substance use. The current manuscript introduces and tests a novel theoretical model derived from integrating minority stress theory and the multistage model of drug addiction to explain these mixed findings. We used data from a 30-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study of substance use among SMWGD to determine whether event-level associations between enacted stigma (bias from others) and same-/next-day alcohol and cannabis use are dependent on an individual's typical pattern of substance use (e.g., frequency, quantity, motives, and substance use disorder [SUD] symptoms). Findings indicate that enacted stigma predicted an increased likelihood of alcohol and cannabis use among those who used frequently and those who had a probable alcohol or cannabis use disorder and predicted a decreased likelihood of use among those who used less frequently. Enacted stigma also predicted cannabis (but not alcohol) use among those who reported high coping motives for use. Findings provide initial evidence in support of an integrated model of minority stress theory and the multistage model of drug addiction. Findings suggest that alcohol and cannabis use disorder interventions for SMWGD would benefit from addressing sexual minority stress and coping skill-building. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).