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Alcohol family history moderates the association between evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems.

ABSTRACT: Behavioral economic theories of substance abuse posit that deficits in substance-free reward increase risk for substance misuse, but little research has examined potential moderators of this relationship, including dispositional risk factors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that young adult heavy drinkers with family histories of alcohol misuse would show a stronger association specifically between low evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems compared to those without a family history of alcohol misuse. Participants were 317 college students reporting heavy episodic drinking (Mage = 18.8, SD = 1.1, 61% female, 79% White) who completed a questionnaire about engagement and enjoyment in rewarding activities not involving substance use after 7 p.m., along with measures of personal and parental alcohol use/problems. Evening substance-free reinforcement was negatively associated with typical drinking level for women, but not for men. Family history status did not show a significant association with typical alcohol consumption or evening substance-free reinforcement (operationalized as activity participation × enjoyment), but did show a significant association with alcohol problems. Evening substance-free reinforcement was significantly negatively related to alcohol problems for both men and women. However, the presence of a family history of alcohol misuse moderated this relationship, such that only individuals with familial risk for alcohol misuse who reported lower evening substance-free reinforcement evidenced greater alcohol-related problems. These findings suggest that lower evening substance-free reinforcement is associated with alcohol misuse among young adults, and that this association is exacerbated among individuals with familial risk for developing alcohol problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

SUBMITTER: Joyner KJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6283687 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alcohol family history moderates the association between evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems.

Joyner Keanan J KJ Acuff Samuel F SF Meshesha Lidia Z LZ Patrick Christopher J CJ Murphy James G JG

Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology 20180827 6

Behavioral economic theories of substance abuse posit that deficits in substance-free reward increase risk for substance misuse, but little research has examined potential moderators of this relationship, including dispositional risk factors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that young adult heavy drinkers with family histories of alcohol misuse would show a stronger association specifically between low evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems compared to those without a family hi ...[more]

PMID: 30148404

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Low sensitivity to alcohol in persons with a family history of alcoholism (FH+), compared to those without (FH-), contributes to risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, sensitivity of FH+ cardiovascular response to alcohol is not well understood. This gap is significant because cardiovascular processes contribute to emotional regulation and stress response problems theorized to be central to the development and persistence of AUD. This study compared changes in heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) between FH groups after consuming alcohol and control beverages and examined how these changes were moderated by emotional and alcohol-related contexts. METHODS:Young adults (N = 165) with FH+ (n = 110) or FH- (n = 55) each completed 2 sessions, separated by 1 week. They received one of 3 different beverages (alcohol, placebo, and told-no-alcohol) in each session. Electrocardiogram data were recorded during pre-beverage consumption and post-beverage consumption baselines, and then during 4 picture cue tasks (neutral, positive, negative, and alcohol-related). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine differences in cardiovascular reactivity (changes in HR and HRV power at ~ 0.1 Hz) across FH groups, beverage conditions, and picture cue tasks. RESULTS:A significant beverage condition × cue task × FH interaction effect on HRV was observed. The FH+ group, compared to the FH- group, showed (a) significantly less HRV suppression in specific cue contexts following alcohol, (b) a mixed pattern of more and less HRV suppression across cue contexts following placebo, and (c) a similar HRV reactivity pattern in the told-no-alcohol condition across cue tasks. For HR, there were no significant effects involving FH. CONCLUSIONS:Diminished cardiovascular sensitivity to oral alcohol in FH+ persons varied within a given drinking episode depending on emotional and alcohol-related features of the context, suggesting that environmental characteristics play a role in the expression of low sensitivity to alcohol among FH+ individuals.

Project description:BackgroundExtensive research indicates that having a positive family history of alcohol use disorder (FHP) and impulsivity are 2 risk factors for problem drinking. To our knowledge, no study has investigated which facets of impulsivity interact with family history to increase risk for problem drinking. The goal of this study was to: (i) examine whether FHP individuals with higher levels of impulsivity are more likely to engage in problematic drinking, and (ii) identify which facets of impulsivity interact with FHP to increase risk for problems.MethodsThe data consisted of a combined sample of 757 participants (50% female, 73% White, mean age = 32.85, SD = 11.31) drawn from the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center and the Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcohol. Analyses of covariance and cumulative logistic regression models investigated the association of family history and impulsivity-related traits with drinking quantity, frequency, and alcohol-related problems. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnic group, education level, and data source.ResultsSignificant interactions between impulsivity and family history were found for measures of alcohol-related problems. Specifically, there was a stronger positive association of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) poor self-regulation with interpersonal, F(1, 504) = 6.27, p = 0.01, and impulse control alcohol-related problems, F(1, 504) = 6.00, p = 0.01, among FHP compared to FHN individuals. Main effects of family history and impulsivity on alcohol quantity and frequency of use and problems were also found.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that having both a family history of AUD and high BIS poor self-regulation is more strongly associated with alcohol-related consequences in the interpersonal and impulse control domains. Given the heterogeneity of impulsivity, these findings highlight the need for additional research to examine which facets of impulsivity are associated with which alcohol outcomes to narrow phenotypic risk for alcohol misuse.

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Alcohol family history moderates the association between evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems.

Publications

Alcohol family history moderates the association between evening substance-free reinforcement and alcohol problems.

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