Do alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use mediate the relationship between impulsivity and drinking behaviour in adolescence?

PubMed

Barnow, Sven; Schultz, Gabriele; Lucht, Michael; Ulrich, Ines; Preuss, Ulrich-W; Freyberger, Harald-J

2004-01-01

To investigate (1). whether aggressive and delinquent behaviour problems predict subsequent adolescent drinking behaviour; and (2). to what extent this association is mediated by alcohol expectancies and/or peer delinquency/substance use. 147 adolescents (approximately 15 years old) were interviewed with regard to their drinking behaviour. In addition, several self-rating questionnaires were given to gather information regarding the peers of these children. As proposed by the Acquired Preparedness Model (APM), we found that behavioural problems were related to quantity and frequency of alcohol consumed, and that this relationship was mediated by alcohol expectancies. Regarding peer relations, we found positive correlations between drinking behaviour and peer delinquency/substance use, aggression/delinquency and alcohol expectancies. Furthermore, the association between behavioural problems and drinking decreased dramatically if peer delinquency/substance use was accounted for. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that both alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use predicted alcohol consumption of adolescents at the 1-year follow-up above and beyond the effects of age, sex, family history of alcoholism and aggression/delinquency of respondents. Alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use are both crucial to the amount and frequency of adolescent alcohol use. They should be considered in designing prevention and intervention strategies in this age group.

The effects of alcohol, emotion regulation, and emotional arousal on the dating aggression intentions of men and women.

PubMed

Stappenbeck, Cynthia A; Fromme, Kim

2014-03-01

Verbal and physical dating aggression is prevalent among college-aged men and women, especially a pattern of mutual aggression in which both partners engage in aggression. Alcohol intoxication and anger arousal have been implicated in the occurrence of aggression, and the ability to regulate one's emotions may interact with both alcohol intoxication and emotional arousal to predict dating aggression. The current study is the first known experimental investigation to examine the effects of alcohol intoxication, alcohol expectancies, emotion regulation, and emotional arousal on dating aggression. Participants were randomized to receive alcohol (n = 48), placebo (n = 48), or no alcohol (n = 48). Intoxicated men and women expressed more verbal and physical aggression intentions than those in the no-alcohol condition, and individuals in the placebo condition did not significantly differ from those in the alcohol and no-alcohol conditions. These results suggest that the pharmacological effects of alcohol were important to the occurrence of dating aggression, whereas the effects of expectancy are less clear. Among those less able to engage in cognitive reappraisal, individuals who consumed or believed they consumed alcohol expressed more verbal and physical aggression intentions than those who received no alcohol. Those with higher arousal who were better able to suppress their emotions expressed fewer verbal and physical aggression intentions than those with lower arousal. In addition to reducing alcohol consumption, interventions for dating aggression might incorporate emotion regulation skills, with a focus on understanding the circumstances in which cognitive reappraisal and emotion suppression are relatively more effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

A Self-Awareness Intervention Manipulation for Heavy Drinking Men’s Alcohol-Related Aggression Toward Women

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Kathryn E.; Parrott, Dominic J.

2016-01-01

Objective The primary aim of the present investigation was to directly examine a theoretically-based, self-awareness intervention manipulation for at-risk men’s alcohol-related aggression toward women. This study was developed in response to a call in the literature for research to (1) empirically investigate specific intervention techniques that reduce aggression, and (2) identify in whom such interventions will have the greatest impact. Method A community sample (77% African-American) of 94 heavy drinking males age 21 years and older (M = 35.61) completed a battery of questionnaires that assessed alcohol consumption and perpetration of aggression toward women during the past year as well as dispositional masculine gender role stress. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention manipulation designed to focus attention onto inhibitory, self-awareness cues or a control group. Following beverage consumption, participants were provoked with a gender-relevant provocation from a female confederate and participants’ physical aggression was measured using a shock-based aggression task. Results Men who received the intervention manipulation, relative to control, enacted significantly less alcohol-related physical aggression toward the female confederate. This finding held for men who reported lower, but not higher, levels of masculine gender role stress. Conclusions Findings support the development of interventions that aim to redirect intoxicated men’s attention toward stimuli that is non-aggressive, non-provocative, and/or prohibitive of aggressive behavior. However, caution is warranted that en masse dissemination of such interventions may not impact the most at-risk men for alcohol-related violence toward women. PMID:27176660

Developmental Relations Between Alcohol and Aggressive Behavior Among Adolescents: Neighborhood and Sociodemographic Correlates

PubMed Central

Bright, Charlotte Lyn; Jun, Hyun-Jin; Stapleton, Laura M.

2015-01-01

Throughout adolescence, alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviors are associated with multiple problematic outcomes. Few studies have examined neighborhood-level predictors and individual and family-level sociodemographic variables to describe longitudinal trajectories of these problem behaviors. Therefore, this study investigated the unique contributions of neighborhood and sociodemographic factors in the shared development of aggressive behaviors and drinking in adolescents. We analyzed alcohol consumption frequency and frequency of aggressive behaviors using parallel process latent growth curve models with demographic indicators and neighborhood constructs as predictors. At all ages, alcohol use and aggression positively covaried. Male gender was associated with both aggressive episodes and alcohol use at age 12. African American ethnicity was associated with higher levels of early aggression. Higher neighborhood income was associated with lower levels of early aggression. Findings lend support to current efforts to curb early initiation of alcohol use and aggression. PMID:26413037

Developmental Associations Between Adolescent Alcohol Use and Dating Aggression

PubMed Central

Reyes, H. Luz McNaughton; Foshee, Vangie A.; Bauer, Daniel J.; Ennett, Susan T.

2012-01-01

While numerous studies have established a link between alcohol use and partner violence in adulthood, little research has examined this relation during adolescence. The current study used multivariate growth models to examine relations between alcohol use and dating aggression across grades 8 through 12 controlling for shared risk factors (common causes) that predict both behaviors. Associations between trajectories of alcohol use and dating aggression were reduced substantially when common causes were controlled. Concurrent associations between the two behaviors were significant across nearly all grades but no evidence was found for prospective connections from prior alcohol use to subsequent dating aggression or vice versa. Findings suggest that prevention efforts should target common causes of alcohol use and dating aggression. PMID:23589667

Alcohol expectancies longitudinally predict drinking and the alcohol myopia effects of relief, self-inflation, and excess.

PubMed

Lac, Andrew; Brack, Nathaniel

2018-02-01

Alcohol myopia theory posits that alcohol consumption attenuates information processing capacity, and that expectancy beliefs together with intake level are responsible for experiences in myopic effects (relief, self-inflation, and excess). Adults (N=413) averaging 36.39 (SD=13.02) years of age completed the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol questionnaire at baseline, followed by alcohol use measures (frequency and quantity) and the Alcohol Myopia Scale one month later. Three structural equation models based on differing construct manifestations of alcohol expectancies served to longitudinally forecast alcohol use and myopia. In Model 1, overall expectancy predicted greater alcohol use and higher levels of all three myopic effects. In Model 2, specifying separate positive and negative expectancy factors, positive but not negative expectancy predicted greater use. Furthermore, positive expectancy and use explained higher myopic relief and higher self-inflation, whereas positive expectancy, negative expectancy, and use explained higher myopic excess. In Model 3, the seven specific expectancy subscales (sociability, tension reduction, liquid courage, sexuality, cognitive and behavioral impairment, risk and aggression, and self-perception) were simultaneously specified as predictors. Tension reduction expectancy, sexuality expectancy, and use contributed to higher myopic relief; sexuality expectancy and use explained higher myopic self-inflation; and risk and aggression expectancy and use accounted for higher myopic excess. Across all three predictive models, the total variance explained ranged from 12 to 19% for alcohol use, 50 to 51% for relief, 29 to 34% for self-inflation, and 32 to 35% for excess. Findings support that the type of alcohol myopia experienced is a concurrent function of self-fulfilling alcohol prophecies and drinking levels. The interpreted measurement manifestation of expectancy yielded different prevention implications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier

Alcohol Expectancies Mediate and Moderate the Associations between Big Five Personality Traits and Adolescent Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems.

PubMed

Ibáñez, Manuel I; Camacho, Laura; Mezquita, Laura; Villa, Helena; Moya-Higueras, Jorge; Ortet, Generós

2015-01-01

Personality and expectancies are relevant psychological factors for the development of adolescent alcohol use and misuse. The present study examined their direct, mediated and moderated effects on different drinking behaviors in adolescence. Personality domains of the five-factor model, positive and negative alcohol expectancies (AEs), alcohol use during the week and the weekend, and alcohol-related problems were assessed in a sample of 361 adolescents. Different personality dimensions were directly associated with specific alcohol outcomes: Extraversion, low Conscientiousness and low Openness were associated with weekend alcohol use; low Agreeableness was related to weekday use; whereas low Agreeableness, low Conscientiousness and Extraversion were associated with alcohol-related problems. In addition, positive AEs mediated the relationship between Extraversion and alcohol use, whereas both positive and negative expectancies mediated the association between Neuroticism and alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Finally, both types of expectancies interacted with Extraversion to predict alcohol problems. Our results highlight the importance of examining the complex interplay of comprehensive personality models and AEs to gain a better understanding of the development of different alcohol use and misuse patterns in adolescence.

Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Alcohol-Induced Aggression Under Provocation

PubMed Central

Gan, Gabriela; Sterzer, Philipp; Marxen, Michael; Zimmermann, Ulrich S; Smolka, Michael N

2015-01-01

Although alcohol consumption is linked to increased aggression, its neural correlates have not directly been studied in humans so far. Based on a comprehensive neurobiological model of alcohol-induced aggression, we hypothesized that alcohol-induced aggression would go along with increased amygdala and ventral striatum reactivity and impaired functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) under alcohol. We measured neural and behavioral correlates of alcohol-induced aggression in a provoking vs non-provoking condition with a variant of the Taylor aggression paradigm (TAP) allowing to differentiate between reactive (provoked) and proactive (unprovoked) aggression. In a placebo-controlled cross-over design with moderate alcohol intoxication (~0.6 g/kg), 35 young healthy adults performed the TAP during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Analyses revealed that provoking vs non-provoking conditions and alcohol vs placebo increased aggression and decreased brain responses in the anterior cingulate cortex/dorso-medial PFC (provokingalcoholalcohol specifically increased proactive (unprovoked) but not reactive (provoked) aggression (alcohol × provocation interaction). However, investigation of inter-individual differences revealed (1) that pronounced alcohol-induced proactive aggression was linked to higher levels of aggression under placebo, and (2) that pronounced alcohol-induced reactive aggression was related to increased amygdala and ventral striatum reactivity under alcohol, providing evidence for their role in human alcohol-induced reactive aggression. Our findings suggest that in healthy young adults a liability for alcohol-induced aggression in a non-provoking context might depend on overall high levels of aggression, but on alcohol-induced increased striatal and amygdala reactivity when triggered by provocation. PMID:25971590

Perceived sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies and behavior predict substance-related sexual revictimization.

PubMed

Walsh, Kate; Messman-Moore, Terri; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B; Denardi, Kathleen A; Walker, Dave P

2013-05-01

Although numerous studies have documented linkages between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and later sexual revictimization, mechanisms underlying revictimization, particularly assaults occurring in the context of substance use, are not well-understood. Consistent with Traumagenic Dynamics theory, the present study tested a path model positing that lowered perceptions of sexual control resulting from CSA may be associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and heightened likelihood of risky sexual behavior, which in turn, may predict adult substance-related rape. Participants were 546 female college students who completed anonymous surveys regarding CSA and adult rape, perceptions of sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. The data fit the hypothesized model well and all hypothesized path coefficients were significant and in the expected directions. As expected, sex-related alcohol expectancies and likelihood of risky sexual behavior only predicted substance-related rape, not forcible rape. Findings suggested that low perceived sexual control stemming from CSA is associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and a higher likelihood of engaging in sexual behavior in the context of alcohol use. In turn these proximal risk factors heighten vulnerability to substance-related rape. Programs which aim to reduce risk for substance-related rape could be improved by addressing expectancies and motivations for risky sexual behavior in the context of substance use. Implications and future directions are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived Sexual Control, Sex-Related Alcohol Expectancies and Behavior Predict Substance-Related Sexual Revictimization

PubMed Central

Walsh, Kate; Messman-Moore, Terri; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B.; DeNardi, Kathleen A.; Walker, Dave P.

2013-01-01

Objectives Although numerous studies have documented linkages between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and later sexual revictimization, mechanisms underlying revictimization, particularly assaults occurring in the context of substance use, are not well-understood. Consistent with Traumagenic Dynamics theory, the present study tested a path model positing that lowered perceptions of sexual control resulting from CSA may be associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and heightened likelihood of risky sexual behavior, which in turn, may predict adult substance-related rape. Methods Participants were 546 female college students who completed anonymous surveys regarding CSA and adult rape, perceptions of sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. Results The data fit the hypothesized model well and all hypothesized path coefficients were significant and in the expected directions. As expected, sex-related alcohol expectancies and likelihood of risky sexual behavior only predicted substance-related rape, not forcible rape. Conclusions Findings suggested that low perceived sexual control stemming from CSA is associated with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and a higher likelihood of engaging in sexual behavior in the context of alcohol use. In turn these proximal risk factors heighten vulnerability to substance-related rape. Programs which aim to reduce risk for substance-related rape could be improved by addressing expectancies and motivations for risky sexual behavior in the context of substance use. Implications and future directions are discussed. PMID:23312991

The relationship of sex-related alcohol expectancies to alcohol consumption and sexual behavior.

PubMed

Leigh, B C

1990-07-01

Recent psychosocial research on alcohol expectancies--beliefs about the effects of alcohol on behavior, moods and emotions--has suggested that these expectancies mediate not only decisions about drinking but the alcohol effects displayed by those who have been drinking. Results of a study of drinking and sexual behavior showed that individuals of different gender and sexual orientation differed in their beliefs about the effects of alcohol on sexual responding. In addition, expectations of sexual enhancement and disinhibition were related to the initiation of sexual activity and to the proportion of sexual encounters that took place while drinking, and interacted with sex guilt to predict the amount drunk in the most recent sexual encounter. These results suggest that beliefs about the effects of alcohol on sex may affect the characteristics of sexual encounters that involve drinking.

Alcohol Outcome Expectancies and Regrettable Drinking-Related Social Behaviors

PubMed Central

Dunne, Eugene M.; Katz, Elizabeth C.

2015-01-01

Aims Research has shown that alcohol outcome expectancies are predictive of heavy alcohol consumption, which can lead to risky behavior. The purpose of the present study was to assess the incidence of various low-risk social behaviors while drinking among college students. Such social behaviors may later be regretted (referred to as regrettable social behaviors) and include electronic and in-person communications. Methods College students (N = 236) completed measures of alcohol outcome expectancies and regrettable social behaviors. Results Regrettable social behaviors were reported by 66.1% of participants, suggesting that they may occur at a much higher rate than more serious drinking-related consequences (e.g. drinking and driving, violence, etc.). Expectancies for social facilitation predicted regrettable social behavior. Further, this relationship was mediated by amount of alcohol consumed. Conclusion Given the high incidence, regrettable social behaviors may be effective targets in alcohol prevention programming. PMID:25820611

Linking masculinity to negative drinking consequences: the mediating roles of heavy episodic drinking and alcohol expectancies.

PubMed

Wells, Samantha; Flynn, Andrea; Tremblay, Paul F; Dumas, Tara; Miller, Peter; Graham, Kathryn

2014-05-01

This study extends previous research on masculinity and negative drinking consequences among young men by considering mediating effects of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol expectancies. We hypothesized that masculinity would have a direct relationship with negative consequences from drinking as well as indirect relationships mediated by HED and alcohol expectancies of courage, risk, and aggression. A random sample of 1,436 college and university men ages 19-25 years completed an online survey, including conformity to masculine norms, alcohol-related expectancies, HED, and negative drinking consequences. Regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used. Six of seven dimensions of masculinity and the alcohol expectancy scales were significantly associated with both HED and negative consequences. In multivariate regression models predicting HED and negative consequences, the playboy and violence dimensions of masculinity and the risk/aggression alcohol expectancy remained significant. HED and the risk-taking dimension of masculinity were also significant in the model predicting negative consequences. The structural equation model indicated that masculinity was directly associated with HED and negative consequences but also influenced negative consequences indirectly through HED and alcohol expectancies. The findings suggest that, among young adult male college and university students, masculinity is an important factor related to both HED and drinking consequences, with the latter effect partly mediated by HED and alcohol expectancies. Addressing male norms about masculinity may help to reduce HED and negative consequences from drinking.

Expectancies related to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption in women with bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Bruce, Kenneth; Mansour, Sandra; Steiger, Howard

2009-04-01

To investigate behavior-outcome expectancies relating to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption in women with bulimia nervosa (BN). Women with BN (N = 29), women with BN and a co-morbid lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD; N = 18), and control women (N = 24), completed interviews and questionnaires assessing eating- and alcohol-related symptoms, as well as questionnaires measuring expectancies relating to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption. Compared with the control group, both bulimic groups reported greater positive expectancies relating to thinness, dietary restriction and eating; expectancy endorsements were also predictive of the severity of eating-related symptoms. Compared with the other groups, the bulimic group with comorbid lifetime AUD had elevated positive alcohol-related expectancies, and alcohol expectancy endorsements predicted severity of alcohol-related symptoms. Women with BN endorsed more positive expectancies relating to thinness, dietary restriction, and eating, whereas women with BN and a lifetime comorbid AUD endorsed more positive alcohol expectancies. The results are consistent with expectancy theory in that positive expectancy endorsements were associated with symptom severity in a syndrome-specific manner. Expectancies related to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption in women with BN. (c) 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aggression among male alcohol-dependent inpatients who smoke cigarettes.

PubMed

Saatcioglu, Omer; Erim, Rahsan

2009-12-01

The authors aimed to explore the relation between nicotine dependence and the severity of aggression among Turkish male alcohol-dependent inpatients who smoked cigarettes, as well as the effect of aggression in these groups. Participants were 126 male alcohol-dependent inpatients who were given the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Substance Use Disorder Module (A. Corapcioglu, O. Aydemir, & M. Yildiz, 1999; M. B. First, R. L. Spitzer, & J. B. W. Williams, 1997), the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (K. O. Fagerstrom, 1978), and the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS; S. C. Yudofsky, J. M. Silver, W. Jackson, J. Endicott, & D. Williams, 1986). The authors found differences between male alcohol-dependent inpatients with nicotine dependence (n = 94) and those with nondependence (n = 32) in OAS subtypes. The authors' findings showed that smoking cigarettes-an addiction frequently observed with alcoholism-was positively correlated with aggressive behaviors. The authors suggest that smoking cigarettes may cause aggression or aggression may cause smoking. Observing and evaluating how aggression and smoking cigarettes are associated with alcohol dependence may help relapse prevention and improve effectiveness of treatment interventions in alcoholism.

Normative Beliefs, Expectancies, and Alcohol-Related Problems among College Students; Implications for Theory and Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fearnow-Kenny, Melodie D.; Wyrick, David L.; Hansen, William B.; Dyreg, Doug; Beau, Dan B.

2001-01-01

Investigation (1) examined interrelations among normative beliefs, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol-related problems, and (2) investigated whether alcohol-related expectancies mediate associations between normative beliefs and alcohol-related problems. Analyses revealed that alcohol expectancies mediate the relationship between normative beliefs…

Developmental Relations between Alcohol Expectancies and Social Norms in Predicting Alcohol Onset

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, Tim; Treloar Padovano, Hayley; Merrill, Jennifer E.; Jackson, Kristina M.

2018-01-01

Expectations about alcohol's effects and perceptions of peers' behaviors and beliefs related to alcohol use are each shown to strongly influence the timing of drinking onset during adolescence. The present study builds on prior work by examining the conjoint effects of within-person changes in these social-cognitive factors on age of adolescent…

Effects of Alcohol and Sexual Prejudice on Aggression Toward Sexual Minorities

PubMed Central

Parrott, Dominic J.; Lisco, Claire G.

2014-01-01

Objective This study was the first to test the moderating effect of acute alcohol intoxication on the relation between heterosexual men’s sexual prejudice and perpetration of aggression toward gay men and lesbians. Method Participants were 320 heterosexual men aged 21-30 recruited from a large southeastern United States city. Participants completed a measure of prejudice toward sexual minorities and were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental groups within a 2 (Beverage: Alcohol, No-Alcohol Control) × 2 (Opponent Gender: Male, Female) × 2 (Opponent Sexual Orientation: Homosexual, Heterosexual) design. Following beverage consumption, participants were provoked via reception of electric shocks from a fictitious opponent. Participants’ physical aggression was measured using a shock-based aggression task. Results The association between sexual prejudice and aggression toward the gay male opponent was stronger among intoxicated, relative to sober, participants. This pattern of association was not observed among participants who competed against the heterosexual male, heterosexual female, or lesbian opponent. Conclusions Findings provide the first experimental evidence that alcohol intoxication moderates sexually-prejudiced aggression toward gay men. These data offer a first step toward understanding how alcohol facilitates bias-motivated aggression. Such knowledge contributes to the empirical foundation needed to guide the development of interventions for alcohol-related aggression toward sexual minorities. PMID:26171278

Relationship between alcohol-related expectancies and anterior brain functioning in young men at risk for developing alcoholism.

PubMed

Deckel, A W; Hesselbrock, V; Bauer, L

1995-04-01

This experiment examined the relationship between anterior brain functioning and alcohol-related expectancies. Ninety-one young men at risk for developing alcoholism were assessed on the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) and administered neuropsychological and EEG tests. Three of the scales on the AEQ, including the "Enhanced Sexual Functioning" scale, the "Increased Social Assertiveness" scale, and items from the "Global/Positive Change scale," were used, because each of these scales has been found to discriminate alcohol-based expectancies adequately by at least two separate sets of investigators. Regression analysis found that anterior neuropsychological tests (including the Wisconsin Card Sorting test, the Porteus Maze test, the Controlled Oral Word Fluency test, and the Luria-Nebraska motor functioning tests) were predictive of the AEQ scale scores on regression analysis. One of the AEQ scales, "Enhanced Sexual Functioning," was also predicted by WAIS-R-Verbal scales, whereas the "Global/Positive" AEQ scale was predicted by the WAIS-R Performance scales. Regression analysis using EEG power as predictors found that left versus right hemisphere "difference" scores obtained from frontal EEG leads were predictive of the three AEQ scales. Conversely, parietal EEG power did not significantly predict any of the expectancy scales. It is concluded that anterior brain any of the expectancy scales. It is concluded that anterior brain functioning is associated with alcohol-related expectancies. These findings suggest that alcohol-related expectancy may be, in part, biologically determined by frontal/prefrontal systems, and that dysfunctioning in these systems may serve as a risk factor for the development of alcohol-related behaviors.

Importance of alcohol-related expectations and emotional expressivity for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients.

PubMed

Slavinskienė, Justina; Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, Kristina

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of alcohol-dependent patients' emotional expressivity, alcohol-related expectations and socio-demographic factors for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. The study sample consisted of 136 alcohol-dependent patients (100 men and 36 women) undergoing treatment in Kaunas center for addictive disorders. Only higher expression of negative alcohol-related expectations (std. beta=0.192, P=0.023), higher emotional impulse intensity (std. beta=0.229, P=0.021) and higher expression of positive emotional expressiveness (std. beta=0.021, P=0.020) as well as gender (std. beta=0.180, P=0.049), education (std. beta=-0.137, P=0.038) and alcohol dependency treatment conditions (members of support group after rehabilitation program) (std. beta=0.288, P=0.001; std. beta=0.608, P=0.001) were significant factors for predicting the different level of alcohol-dependent patients motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. Negative alcohol-related expectations, emotional impulse intensity and positive emotional expressiveness were significant even though quite weak triggers for alcohol-dependent patients' different level of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. An assumption could be made that by changing these triggers it is possible to change addictive behavior. Copyright © 2014 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Caffeinated and Non-caffeinated Alcohol Use and Indirect Aggression: The Impact of Self-regulation

PubMed Central

Sheehan, Brynn E.; Linden-Carmichael, Ashley N.; Lau-Barraco, Cathy

2016-01-01

Research shows that heavier alcohol use is associated with physical aggression. Scant research has examined the way in which alcohol relates to other forms of aggression, such as indirect aggression (e.g., malicious humor, social exclusion). Given the possible negative consequences of indirect aggression and the limited evidence suggesting alcohol use can elicit indirectly aggressive responses, research is needed to further investigate the association between drinking behavior and indirect aggression. Additionally, specific alcoholic beverages, such as caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs; e.g., Red Bull and vodka), may potentiate aggression above the influence of typical use, thus warrant examination with regard to indirect aggression. One factor that may impact the strength of the alcohol-indirect aggression and CAB-indirect aggression relationships is one's level of self-regulation. Consequently, our study examined the relationships between (1) alcohol use and indirect aggression, (2) CAB use and indirect aggression, and (3) self-regulation as a moderator. Participants were 733 (67.6% female) undergraduate students who reported their CAB and alcohol use, self-regulation, and aggressive behaviors. Results revealed that heavier alcohol use was associated with more frequent indirect aggression after controlling for dispositional aggression. Heavier CAB use was related to more frequent indirect aggression after accounting for typical use and dispositional aggression. Self-regulation moderated these associations such that for those with lower self-regulation, greater alcohol and CAB consumption was associated with greater indirect aggression. Our findings suggest that heavier alcohol and CAB consumption may be risk factors for engaging in indirect aggression and this risk is impacted by one's regulatory control. PMID:26905765

Alcohol consumption, masculinity, and alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour in sportspeople.

PubMed

O'Brien, Kerry S; Forrest, Walter; Greenlees, Iain; Rhind, Daniel; Jowett, Sophia; Pinsky, Ilana; Espelt, Albert; Bosque-Prous, Marina; Sonderlund, Anders Larrabee; Vergani, Matteo; Iqbal, Muhammad

2018-04-01

There is no research examining alcohol-related aggression and anti-social behaviour in UK or European sportspeople (athletes), and no research has examined relationships between masculinity, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related aggression and antisocial behaviour in sportspeople (athletes). This study addresses this gap. Cross-sectional. A sample (N=2048; women=892, 44%) of in season sportspeople enrolled at UK universities (response 83%), completed measures of masculinity, alcohol consumption, within-sport (on-field) violence, and having been the perpetrator and/or victim of alcohol-related violent/aggressive and antisocial behaviour (e.g., hit/assaulted, vandalism, sexual assault). Logistic regressions examined predictors of alcohol-related violence/aggression and anti-social behaviours. Significant bivariate relationships between masculinity, within-sport violence, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related aggression and anti-social behaviour were found for both men and women (p's<.001). Logistic regression adjusting for all variables showed that higher levels of masculinity and alcohol consumption in men and women were related to an increased odds of having conducted an aggressive, violent and/or anti-social act in the past 12 months when intoxicated. Odds ratios were largest for relationships between masculinity, alcohol consumption, within-sport violence, and interpersonal violence/aggression (p's<.001). A similar pattern of results was found for having been the victim of aggression and anti-social behaviour. Alcohol-related aggression and anti-social behaviour appear to be problematic in UK university sportspeople, and is related to masculinity and excessive drinking. Interventions that reduce excessive alcohol consumption, masculine norms and associated within-sport violence, could be effective in reducing alcohol-related aggression and antisocial behaviour in UK sportspeople. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All

Impact of liking for advertising and brand allegiance on drinking and alcohol-related aggression: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Casswell, S; Zhang, J F

1998-08-01

To test a hypothesized model of the effect of televised alcohol advertising and allegiance to specific brands of beer on subsequent beer consumption and self-reports of aggressive behaviour linked with drinking. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the fit between data collected as part of a longitudinal study of young people's health and development and a hypothesized model based on theoretical perspectives and previous research. A birth cohort has been assessed every few years, most of them in their home city of Dunedin, New Zealand. The questions about alcohol are asked as part of the day-long assessment. Members of a longitudinal survey cohort at ages 18 and 21 years. Data from 630 beer drinking participants were analysed in this study. Responses to questions about beer consumption, liking for advertising, favourite brand of beer and self-reports of alcohol-related aggressive behaviour. Our hypothesized model assumed a positive impact of liking of alcohol advertising and brand allegiance at age 18 on the volume of beer consumed at age 21 and self-reports of alcohol-related aggressive behaviour. This was found to be a good fit to the data from the longitudinal study. This measurable impact of alcohol advertising occurred during a time of decline in aggregate alcohol in New Zealand. While this effect was not large enough to halt the decline in aggregate alcohol consumption it does indicate a measurable, specific impact of broadcast alcohol advertising on alcohol consumption and related behaviour which is of relevance for public health policy.

Role of motivation to respond to provocation, the social environment, and trait aggression in alcohol-related aggression.

PubMed

Tremblay, Paul F; Mihic, Ljiljana; Graham, Kathryn; Jelley, Jennifer

2007-01-01

Little attention has been paid to the motivation to respond to provocation and to the interaction between this motivation, alcohol, the drinking environment, and individual characteristics. Undergraduates at six Canadian universities (N = 1,232) read three vignettes describing conflict situations with social environmental manipulations while imagining themselves as either sober or intoxicated. Self-ratings assessed likelihood of assertive and aggressive responses and motivational indices of anger, offensiveness of the instigator's actions, and importance to respond to the provocation. Respondents also completed a measure of trait aggression. Multi-group structural equation models supported the hypothesis that perceived likelihood of reactive aggression is influenced by perceived alcohol intoxication, gender, trait aggression, social environmental factors, and motivation to respond to the provocation. In addition, a number of interactions were found among the predictors. These results provide insight into the types of factors that may influence aggression in drinking situations. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Alcohol-related expectancies in adults and adolescents: Similarities and disparities.

PubMed

Monk, Rebecca L; Heim, Derek

2016-03-02

This study aimed to contrast student and not student outcome expectancies, and explore the diversity of alcohol-related cognitions within a wider student sample. Participants (n=549) were college students (higher education-typically aged 15-18 years), university students (further education-typically aged 18-22 years) and business people (white collar professionals <50 years) who completed questionnaires in their place of work or education. Overall positive expectancies were higher in the college students than in the business or university samples. However, not all expectancy subcategories followed this pattern. Participant groups of similar age were therefore alike in some aspects of their alcohol-related cognitions but different in others. Similarly, participant groups whom are divergent in age appeared to be alike in some of their alcohol-related cognitions, such as tension reduction expectancies. Research often homogenises students as a specific sub-set of the population, this paper hi-lights that this may be an over-simplification. Furthermore, the largely exclusive focus on student groups within research in this area may also be an oversight, given the diversity of the findings demonstrated between these groups.

Problematic alcohol use as a risk factor for cyber aggression within romantic relationships.

PubMed

Crane, Cory A; Umehira, Nicole; Berbary, Cassandra; Easton, Caroline J

2018-06-06

Cyber aggression has emerged as a modern form of intimate partner violence which has yet to undergo sufficient research necessary to identify risk factors that may increase the likelihood or severity of cyber aggressive behavior toward a relationship partner. Prior research offers contradictory findings pertaining to the relationship between problematic alcohol use and cyber aggression. We recruited 100 (40 female) adult participants through online crowdsourcing to complete a series of questionnaires assessing traditional partner violence, cyber aggression, and problematic alcohol use. Forty-two percent of the sample reported perpetrating cyber relational aggression and 35% reported perpetrating cyber privacy invasion during the year prior to study participation. Traditional partner violence was associated with both forms of cyber aggression. Problematic alcohol use was only associated with privacy invasion after accounting for demographic factors and traditional partner violence. Cyber aggression was prevalent among the current adult sample. Results suggest that problematic alcohol use is a risk factor for cyber privacy invasion but not cyber relational aggression. Findings add to and clarify the nascent, conflicting results that have emerged from prior research on alcohol-related cyber aggression. (Am J Addict 2018;XX:1-7). © 2018 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression.

PubMed

Aviles, Fredy; Earleywine, Mitchell; Pollock, Vicki; Stratton, Joy; Miller, Norman

2005-03-01

The authors examined alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression, the hostile reaction to a second provoking person after provocation from a first. Participants consumed an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage. Subsequently, one individual provoked all of them with moderate intensity. Then, 2 groups were studied: those who received or who failed to receive a second provocation of minimal intensity. Consistent with prior research, participants who received a second, minimal provocation displayed more aggression than those who did not. After participants drank alcohol, the magnitude of this difference was significantly greater, indicating that alcohol increases triggered displaced aggression. Copyright (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

Alcohol industry sponsorship and alcohol-related harms in Australian university sportspeople/athletes.

PubMed

O'Brien, Kerry S; Lynott, Dermot; Miller, Peter G

2013-05-01

Although there is evidence that alcohol sponsorship in sport is related to greater drinking, there is no empirical research on whether alcohol sponsorship is associated with alcohol-related harms. We examined whether there is an association between receipt of alcohol industry sponsorship, and attendance at alcohol sponsor's drinking establishments (e.g. bars), and alcohol-related aggression and antisocial behaviour in university students who play sport. University sportspeople (n = 652) completed surveys (response rate >80%) assessing receipt of alcohol industry sponsorship, attendance at sponsor's establishments and confounders [i.e. age, gender, sport type, location and alcohol consumption measured by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test--alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) scores]. Participants also completed measures assessing displays and receipt of aggressive and antisocial behaviours (e.g. assaults, unwanted sexual advance, vandalism). Logistic regression models including confounders and reported attendance at alcohol sponsor's establishments showed that sportspeople receiving alcohol industry sponsorship were more likely to have been the victim of aggression (adjusted odds ratio 2.62, 95% confidence interval 1.22-5.64). Attending an alcohol sponsor's establishment was not associated with higher rates of other aggressive or antisocial behaviour. However, significant associations where found between AUDIT-C scores and having displayed and received aggression, and having damaged or had property damaged. Male sportspeople were more likely to have displayed and received aggressive and antisocial behaviour. Higher AUDIT-C scores, gender and receipt of alcohol industry sponsorship were associated with alcohol-related aggression/antisocial behaviours in university sportspeople. Sport administrators should consider action to reduce the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol industry sponsorship in sport. © 2012 Australasian Professional

Aggression in war veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder with co-morbid alcoholism.

PubMed

Babić, Dragan; Martinac, Marko; Bjelanović, Vedran; Babić, Romana; Sutović, Alija; Sinanović, Osman

2010-03-01

For thousands of years it has been known that aggression as a symptom appears in numerous psychiatric disorders and diseases. During the last decade the appearance of the aggressive behavior related to the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been frequently investigated, often associated with war trauma. The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of alcoholism on a way war veterans suffering from chronic PTSD express and control aggression. The sample included 240 war veterans with chronic PTSD. The subjects were divided in two groups. PTSD group (n=147) and controlled group composed of those suffering from alcoholism in addition to PTSD (n=93). In this study, the following psychological instruments were used: The Harvard trauma questionnaire for PTSD diagnosis (HTQ); the questionnaire for self-evaluation of aggression (STAXI); The Profile Index Emotion (PIE); questionnaire for auto-diagnosis of alcoholism (CAGE). The obtained results indicate that subjects who have PTSD with co-morbid alcoholism are more deprived, aggressive (p < 0.001) and oppositional (p < 0.05) in comparison to subjects whose PTSD is not combined with alcoholism (PIE). The aggression is statistically more expressed in subjects with PTSD who have also been diagnosed with alcoholism on all subscales in comparison to subjects with PTDS who have not been diagnosed with alcoholism: the current state of aggression, the general state of aggression, aggression towards an unfair treatment, aggression directed inwards and outwards (p < 0.001); aggression towards nonspecific provocation and a general way of expressing aggression (p < 0.05) (STAXI). Subjects that had PTSD combined with alcoholism show a higher degree of aggression in comparison to subjects with PTDS who are not diagnosed with alcoholism.

Power of being present: the role of mindfulness on the relation between men's alcohol use and sexual aggression toward intimate partners.

PubMed

Gallagher, Kathryn E; Hudepohl, Adam D; Parrott, Dominic J

2010-01-01

The primary aim of this investigation was to examine the association between men's level of mindfulness and histories of alcohol consumption and sexual aggression toward intimate partners. Participants were 167 heterosexual drinking males who completed self-report measures of mindfulness, frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption during the past 12 months and sexual aggression against intimate partners during the past 12 months. Results indicated that a history of consuming larger amounts when drinking was associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression among men who reported low, but not high, levels of mindfulness. However, drinking more frequently by itself was not associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression. These results support the attention-allocation model and suggest implications for future intervention research aimed at reducing alcohol-related aggression. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Developmental Associations between Adolescent Alcohol Use and Dating Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Heathe Luz McNaughton; Foshee, Vangie A.; Bauer, Daniel J.; Ennett, Susan T.

2012-01-01

Although numerous studies have established a link between alcohol use and partner violence in adulthood, little research has examined this relation during adolescence. The current study used multivariate growth models to examine relations between alcohol use and dating aggression across Grades 8 through 12, controlling for shared risk factors…

Does alcohol craving mediate the impulsivity-aggression relationship in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients?

PubMed

Roozen, H G; Wetering, B J M van de; Franken, I H A

2013-01-01

The relationship between the use of alcohol and aggression is complex and represents major public health issues. Delving into the nature of this association is vital, since various underlying factors may contribute to the expression of aggression. This study examined trait aggression by assessing correlates and, subsequently, the unique contribution of alcohol craving, and dysfunctional impulsivity, by means of correlational and mediational analyses. Forty inpatient detoxified alcohol-dependent patients were recruited. These participants completed the Desire for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ), Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII), and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). The findings indicated that aggression, dysfunctional impulsivity, and alcohol craving were all positively intercorrelated. The association between dysfunctional impulsivity and aggression was robust. The mediational analyses yielded that craving partially mediated this relationship, although not very substantial. It was shown that impulsivity, as a personality characteristic, is strongly associated with aggressive behaviors, whereby the impact of craving on the relationship between impulsivity and trait aggression in alcohol-dependent inpatients was weak. Since it has been posited that factors such as impulsivity and craving may contribute to the lucid association between substance use and aggression, these findings mirror previous research on stimulant users and, subsequently, substantiates that craving exerts only a minor weight on the strong impulsivity-aggression relationship.

Simultaneous use of alcohol with methamphetamine but not ecstasy linked with aggression among young adult stimulant users.

PubMed

Leslie, Ellen M; Smirnov, Andrew; Cherney, Adrian; Wells, Helene; Legosz, Margot; Kemp, Robert; Najman, Jake M

2017-07-01

Illicit stimulants are often combined with alcohol in nightlife entertainment districts, an environment where aggressive behaviour commonly occurs. While alcohol and methamphetamine use are each associated with aggressive behaviour, relatively little is known about the impact of the combined use of alcohol and amphetamine-type stimulants (i.e., ecstasy [MDMA] and methamphetamine) on aggression. Analysis of longitudinal data from a population-based sample of Australian young adult amphetamine-type stimulant users (n=248) to examine: (a) prevalence and timing of simultaneous alcohol and amphetamine-type stimulant use and (b) predictors of ecstasy- and methamphetamine-related aggression and hostility. Prediction models of ecstasy- and methamphetamine-related aggression and hostility were developed using multivariate logistic regression. Simultaneous alcohol consumption and amphetamine-type stimulant use was prevalent, with drinking generally occurring before consuming amphetamine-type stimulants and while 'high'. Methamphetamine-related aggression and hostility was significantly associated with recurrent risky simultaneous methamphetamine and alcohol use (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 2.74, 95% CI 1.09-6.89), a high frequency and increasing use methamphetamine trajectory (AOR 7.23, 95% CI 1.27-41.03), and high trait aggression (AOR 5.78, 95% CI 2.53-13.20). In contrast, only trait aggression (moderate: AOR 3.01, 95% CI 1.55-5.84; high: AOR 5.02, 95% CI 2.38-10.61) was associated with ecstasy-related aggression and hostility. These findings indicate a link between risky patterns of simultaneous alcohol and methamphetamine use and methamphetamine-related aggression and hostility, independent of separate use of alcohol, methamphetamine and cannabis, trait aggression, psychosis, and gender. The policy challenges of amphetamine-type stimulant and alcohol use require a targeted, multidisciplinary approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychopathy and the prediction of alcohol-related physical aggression: the roles of impulsive antisociality and fearless dominance.

PubMed

Birkley, Erica L; Giancola, Peter R; Lance, Charles E

2013-02-01

It is well established that individual difference factors modulate aggression under the acute effects of alcohol. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that one core dimension of psychopathy, Impulsive Antisociality, would modulate intoxicated aggression, whereas another dimension, Fearless Dominance, would not. Participants were 516 young social drinkers (253 men and 263 women). Psychopathy was measured using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld and Andrews, 1996). Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, aggression was measured with a task in which participants administered and received electric shocks to/from a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task. Hierarchical regression analyses supported our hypothesis: Impulsive Antisociality predicted aggression under alcohol, whereas Fearless Dominance did not. Persons who tend to endorse antisocial and impulsive externalizing behaviors appear to be at greater risk for aggression under the acute influence of alcohol. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychopathy and the Prediction of Alcohol-Related Physical Aggression: The Roles of Impulsive Antisociality and Fearless Dominance

PubMed Central

Birkley, Erica L.; Giancola, Peter R.; Lance, Charles E.

2012-01-01

Background It is well established that individual difference factors modulate aggression under the acute effects of alcohol. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that one core dimension of psychopathy, Impulsive Antisociality, would modulate intoxicated aggression, whereas another dimension, Fearless Dominance, would not. Methods Participants were 516 young social drinkers (253 men and 263 women). Psychopathy was measured using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld and Andrews, 1996). Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, aggression was measured with a task in which participants administered and received electric shocks to/from a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task. Results Hierarchical regression analyses supported our hypothesis: Impulsive Antisociality predicted aggression under alcohol, whereas Fearless Dominance did not. Conclusions Persons who tend to endorse antisocial and impulsive externalizing behaviors appear to be at greater risk for aggression under the acute influence of alcohol. PMID:22959485

A Role for Prefrontal Cortical NMDA Receptors in Murine Alcohol-Heightened Aggression.

PubMed

Newman, Emily L; Terunuma, Miho; Wang, Tiffany L; Hewage, Nishani; Bicakci, Matthew B; Moss, Stephen J; DeBold, Joseph F; Miczek, Klaus A

2018-05-01

-heightened aggression. GluN2D-containing NMDARs are highly expressed on cortical parvalbumin-containing interneurons, suggesting that, in a subset of individuals, alcohol may functionally alter signal integration within cortical microcircuits to dysregulate threat reactivity and promote aggression. This work suggests that targeting GluN2D-NMDARs may be of use in reducing the impact of alcohol-related violence in the human population.

Alcohol Primes, Expectancies, and the Working Self-Concept

PubMed Central

Hicks, Joshua A.; Schlegel, Rebecca J.; Friedman, Ronald S.; McCarthy, Denis M.

2016-01-01

Previous research has shown that alcohol consumption can lead to momentary changes in the self-concept (e.g., Steele & Josephs, 1990). In two studies (n = 150), we examined whether the implicit activation of alcohol expectancies (i.e., sociability-related expectancies) would also lead to changes in self-perception. To test this idea, participants first completed a measure of sociability-related alcohol expectancies. In a subsequent laboratory session, participants were exposed to either alcohol-related primes (i.e., pictures or words associated with alcohol) or neutral primes. After the priming task, participants completed an ostensibly unrelated self-concept survey that contained words related to sociability (e.g., “outgoing”) and non-sociability related words (e.g., “clever”). For both studies, results revealed that sociability-related alcohol expectancies were positively associated with sociability-related self-concept ratings for participants exposed to alcohol primes, but not for participants exposed to the neutral primes. Implications for the role implicit self-concept activation may have on drinking behaviors are discussed. PMID:19769437

Crowdsourcing as a method for collecting data pertaining to the effects of alcohol on perceptions of partner aggression.

PubMed

Crane, Cory A

2018-03-07

Efforts designed to investigate the effects of recent alcohol use on the perception of intimate partner aggression have been stultified by significant financial and logistical barriers that warrant the development of supplemental research methods that may result in more prolific investigation of the phenomenon. The current study explored the viability of using online crowdsourcing to assess the effects of recent alcohol use on the perception of partner aggression. Mechanical Turk was used to recruit a convenience sample of 60 males who were asked to provide information on their own use of partner aggression, their most recent episode of alcohol use, and their perception of the behaviors and characters depicted in a written partner aggression vignette. Data were evaluated using five separate hierarchical multiple regression models predicting participant perception. Analyses revealed that 35% of the sample had used partner aggression in the past year and that 22% of the sample had consumed alcohol in the past day. Nonviolent participants perceived the aggressor and the behavior more negatively than partner violent participants. Some indicators revealed that recent alcohol use was associated with more positive perceptions of partner aggression. Expected associations among prior partner aggression, recent alcohol use, and perception of partner aggression vignettes were observed. Crowdsourcing may represent a source for data evaluating the effects of recent alcohol use on perceptions of aggression. Methodological refinement will benefit research and, ultimately, clinical prevention and intervention.

Alcohol Mixed with Energy Drink Use as an Event-Level Predictor of Physical and Verbal Aggression in Bar Conflicts.

PubMed

Miller, Kathleen E; Quigley, Brian M; Eliseo-Arras, Rebecca K; Ball, Natalie J

2016-01-01

Young adult use of alcohol mixed with caffeinated energy drinks (AmEDs) has been globally linked with increased odds of interpersonal aggression, compared with the use of alcohol alone. However, no prior research has linked these behaviors at the event level in bar drinking situations. The present study assessed whether AmED use is associated with the perpetration of verbal and physical aggression in bar conflicts at the event level. In Fall 2014, a community sample of 175 young adult AmED users (55% female) completed a web survey describing a recent conflict experienced while drinking in a bar. Use of both AmED and non-AmED alcoholic drinks in the incident were assessed, allowing calculation of our main predictor variable, the proportion of AmEDs consumed (AmED/total drinks consumed). To measure perpetration of aggression, participants reported on the occurrence of 6 verbal and 6 physical acts during the bar conflict incident. Linear regression analyses showed that the proportion of AmEDs consumed predicted scores for perpetration of both verbal aggression (β = 0.16, p < 0.05) and physical aggression (β = 0.19, p < 0.01) after controlling for gender, age, sensation-seeking and aggressive personality traits, aggressive alcohol expectancies, aggressogenic physical and social bar environments, and total number of drinks. Results of this study suggest that in alcohol-related bar conflicts, higher levels of young adult AmED use are associated with higher levels of aggression perpetration than alcohol use alone and that the elevated risk is not attributable to individual differences between AmED users and nonusers or to contextual differences in bar drinking settings. While future research is needed to identify motivations, dosages, and sequencing issues associated with AmED use, these beverages should be considered a potential risk factor in the escalation of aggressive bar conflicts. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Cognition, emotion, and the alcohol--aggression relationship: comment on Giancola (2000).

PubMed

Lyvers, M

2000-11-01

P. R. Giancola's (2000) thesis that the alcohol-aggression relationship can be explained by alcohol-induced disruption of executive cognitive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex is critically examined. At moderate doses, alcohol has been reported to increase aggression in animals as diverse as fish, rats, cats, monkeys, and humans. Although alcohol depresses prefrontal cortex activity and disrupts executive cognitive performance in humans, alcohol's anxiolytic actions, and its disinhibiting effects on subcortical structures implicated in anger and aggression, may be at least as important as the higher cognitive functions cited by Giancola in accounting for the alcohol-aggression relationship. Other drugs that alter prefrontal cortex activity have also been reported to influence aggressive responding in humans and other animals, and implications of this are briefly discussed.

College Men and Alcohol Use: Positive Alcohol Expectancies as a Mediator Between Distinct Masculine Norms and Alcohol Use

PubMed Central

Iwamoto, Derek Kenji; Corbin, William; Lejuez, Carl; MacPherson, Laura

2015-01-01

College men are more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors including risky drinking behavior, and experience more alcohol-related problems, including violence and arrest, as compared to women. The study of masculine norms or societal expectations, defined as beliefs and values about what it means to be a man, is one promising area of investigation that may help explain within-group differences and differential rates of alcohol use among men. Using the gender social learning model, we investigated the role of positive alcohol expectancies as an underlying mediator between masculine norms and alcohol use among college men. Data from 804 college adult men (Mean age = 20.43) were collected through a web-based assessment. Participants completed a self-report measure of binge drinking, frequency of drinking, quantity of drinks, conformity to masculine norms, and positive alcohol expectancies measures. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between masculine norms, alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. The masculine norms of “Playboy” and Risk-Taking were positively related to heavy alcohol use, while Emotional Control and Heterosexual Presentation were both negatively associated with alcohol use, after controlling for fraternity Greek status and positive expectancies. Playboy and Winning norms were positively associated with positive expectancies while Power Over Women was inversely related to positive expectancies which, in turn, were associated with heavier alcohol use. This study was a novel exploration into the multiple pathways and mediators through which positive alcohol expectancies may help explain and provide specificity to the masculinity and alcohol use relationship among college men. PMID:25705133

College Men and Alcohol Use: Positive Alcohol Expectancies as a Mediator Between Distinct Masculine Norms and Alcohol Use.

PubMed

Iwamoto, Derek Kenji; Corbin, William; Lejuez, Carl; MacPherson, Laura

2014-01-01

College men are more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors including risky drinking behavior, and experience more alcohol-related problems, including violence and arrest, as compared to women. The study of masculine norms or societal expectations, defined as beliefs and values about what it means to be a man, is one promising area of investigation that may help explain within-group differences and differential rates of alcohol use among men. Using the gender social learning model, we investigated the role of positive alcohol expectancies as an underlying mediator between masculine norms and alcohol use among college men. Data from 804 college adult men ( Mean age = 20.43) were collected through a web-based assessment. Participants completed a self-report measure of binge drinking, frequency of drinking, quantity of drinks, conformity to masculine norms, and positive alcohol expectancies measures. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between masculine norms, alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. The masculine norms of "Playboy" and Risk-Taking were positively related to heavy alcohol use, while Emotional Control and Heterosexual Presentation were both negatively associated with alcohol use, after controlling for fraternity Greek status and positive expectancies. Playboy and Winning norms were positively associated with positive expectancies while Power Over Women was inversely related to positive expectancies which, in turn, were associated with heavier alcohol use. This study was a novel exploration into the multiple pathways and mediators through which positive alcohol expectancies may help explain and provide specificity to the masculinity and alcohol use relationship among college men.

Modeling PTSD Symptom Clusters, Alcohol Misuse, Anger, and Depression as They Relate to Aggression and Suicidality in Returning Veterans

PubMed Central

Hellmuth, Julianne C.; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.; Hoerster, Katherine D.; Jakupcak, Matthew

2014-01-01

Suicidal ideation (SI) and aggression are common correlates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. The existing literature has established a strong link between these factors, but a more nuanced understanding of how PTSD influences them is needed. The current study examined the direct and indirect relationships between PTSD symptom clusters and SI and general aggression (without a specified target) via depression, alcohol misuse, and trait anger. Participants were 359 (92% male) Iraq/Afghanistan War veterans. Path analysis results suggest that the PTSD numbing cluster was directly (β=.28, p<.01.) and indirectly (β=.17, p=.001) related to SI through depression and the PTSD hyperarousal cluster was indirectly related to SI through depression (β=.13, p<.001). The PTSD re-experiencing cluster was directly related to aggression (β=.17, p<.05), whereas the PTSD numbing and hyperarousal clusters were indirectly related to aggression through trait anger (β=.05, p<.05; β=.20, p<.001). These findings suggest that adjunct treatments aimed at stabilizing anger, depression, and alcohol misuse may help clinicians ameliorate the maladaptive patterns often observed in returning Veterans. These results also point to specific manifestations of PTSD and co-occurring conditions that may inform clinicians in their attempts to identify at-risk veterans and facilitate preventative interventions. PMID:23073972

A Moderator Model of Alcohol Use and Dating Aggression among Young Adults.

PubMed

Collibee, Charlene; Furman, Wyndol

2018-03-01

Dating aggression has been identified as a priority public health concern. Although alcohol use is a known robust risk factor for dating aggression involvement, such usage is neither necessary nor sufficient for dating aggression involvement. As such, a growing topic of interest is a better understanding of when, and for whom, alcohol use increases risk. A theoretical moderator model posits that associations between alcohol use and dating aggression involvement vary depending on both background (e.g., psychopathology) and situational (e.g., relationship characteristics) risk factors. Alcohol use is thought to be more strongly associated with dating aggression in the context of these other risk factors. Using an intensive longitudinal design, we collected six waves of data spanning 6 months from 120 participants (60 females; M age W1 = 22.44). Alcohol use and relationship risk were both associated with increases in dating aggression involvement. Consistent with a moderator model, interactions emerged between alcohol use and relationship risk for subsequent dating aggression involvement. The findings underscore the importance of alcohol use and relationship risk for the development of intervention and prevention programs.

Situational and respondent-level motives for drinking and alcohol-related aggression: a multilevel analysis of drinking events in a sample of Canadian university students.

PubMed

Mihic, Ljiljana; Wells, Samantha; Graham, Kathryn; Tremblay, Paul F; Demers, Andrée

2009-03-01

Situational drinking motives (i.e., motives specific to the drinking situation) as well as respondent-level drinking motives (i.e., usual drinking motives across drinking situations) were examined in terms of their relations with aggression experienced by university students. Secondary, multi-level analyses were conducted on the Canadian Campus Survey (CCS), a national survey of 40 Canadian universities conducted between March 1 and April 30, 2004 (N=6,282). For their three most recent drinking events, students reported their motive for drinking (i.e., situational motive) and whether they had an argument/fight. Respondent-level drinking motives were computed by averaging motives across drinking events. Drinking to cope at the situational-level increased the likelihood of aggression. Respondent-level enhancement motives also increased the risk of aggression. Aesthetic motives were important at both situational and respondent levels decreasing the risk for alcohol-related aggression. Gender did not moderate these relations. These results suggest that prevention programming might benefit from a focus on altering drinking motives, or their underlying causes, in order to reduce alcohol-related aggression among young adults.

The impact of husband physical aggression and alcohol use on marital functioning: does alcohol "excuse" the violence?

PubMed

Testa, M; Leonard, K E

2001-10-01

Alcohol has been posited to serve as an "excuse" for deviant behavior, including domestic violence. A recent study suggested that wives hold husbands less responsible for their aggressive behavior when husbands are problem drinkers. To replicate and extend this study, the independent and interactive effects of husband physical aggression and husband alcohol use on wives' marital satisfaction and thoughts of divorce were examined among newlywed couples (n = 387). Husband physical aggression had a significant negative effect on marital satisfaction and a significant positive effect on divorce ideation regardless of the measure of husband alcohol use employed. Alcohol dependence had a negative effect on satisfaction; however, in no case was there an interaction between alcohol and aggression. Results fail to replicate an earlier study supporting an excuse function of alcohol and suggest that alcohol does not mitigate the negative effects of domestic violence on marital functioning.

Distal & Proximal Influences on Men's Intentions to Resist Condoms: Alcohol, Sexual Aggression History, Impulsivity, and Social-Cognitive Factors

PubMed Central

Davis, Kelly Cue; Danube, Cinnamon L.; Neilson, Elizabeth C.; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.; Norris, Jeanette; George, William H.; Kajumulo, Kelly F.

2015-01-01

Recent scientific evidence demonstrates that many young men commonly resist condom use with their female sex partners and that both alcohol intoxication and a history of sexual aggression may increase the risk of condom use resistance (CUR). Using a community sample of heterosexual male non-problem drinkers with elevated sexual risk (N=311), this alcohol administration study examined the direct and indirect effects of intoxication and sexual aggression history on men's CUR intentions through a sexual risk analogue. State impulsivity, CUR-related attitudes, and CUR-related self-efficacy were assessed as mediators. Results demonstrated that alcohol intoxication directly increased CUR intentions, and sexual aggression history both directly and indirectly increased CUR intentions. These findings highlight the importance of addressing both alcohol use and sexual aggression in risky sex prevention programs, as well as indicate the continued worth of research regarding the intersection of men's alcohol use, sexual aggression, and sexual risk behaviors, especially CUR. PMID:26156881

The association between an abusive father-son relationship, quantity of alcohol consumption, and male-to-male alcohol-related aggression.

PubMed

Miller, Peter; Hargreaves, Jessica; Curtis, Ashlee; Zinkiewicz, Lucy

2013-09-01

While alcohol consumption and heavy episodic (binge) drinking are well-established predictors of male-to-male alcohol-related aggression (MMARA), the role of the father-son relationship in MMARA has yet to be explored. This study therefore examined whether fathering by the biological father rather than another father figure, negative fathering, and gender role modeled by the father figure were significant predictors of involvement in MMARA, once drinking frequency and quantity and heavy episodic drinking were controlled for. A total of 121 university students aged 18 to 25 years (M = 20.63, SD = 1.77 years) voluntarily completed the online questionnaire. The only significant predictors of perpetration of MMARA were a more abusive paternal relationship and drinking quantity (number of standard drinks usually consumed when drinking). Negative father-son relationships may play a role in fostering young men's perpetration of MMARA in the barroom context. Copyright © 2013 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Does Distraction Reduce the Alcohol-Aggression Relation? A Cognitive and Behavioral Test of the Attention-Allocation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Kathryn E.; Parrott, Dominic J.

2011-01-01

Objective: This study provided the first direct test of the cognitive underpinnings of the attention-allocation model and attempted to replicate and extend past behavioral findings for this model as an explanation for alcohol-related aggression. Method: A diverse community sample (55% African American) of men (N = 159) between 21 and 35 years of…

Background Predictors and Event-Specific Characteristics of Sexual Aggression Incidents: The Roles of Alcohol and Other Factors.

PubMed

Davis, Kelly Cue; Danube, Cinnamon L; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A; Norris, Jeanette; George, William H

2015-08-01

Sexual assault in the United States is an important public health concern. Using prospective longitudinal methods and responses from 217 community men, we examined whether background characteristics predicted subsequent sexual aggression (SA) perpetration during a 3-month follow-up period. We also examined event-specific characteristics of reported SA occurrences. Consistent with predictions, SA perpetration history, aggressive and impulsive personality traits, rape myth attitudes, and alcohol expectancies predicted SA (both non- and alcohol-involved) at follow-up. In addition, alcohol-involved assaults occurred more often with casual (vs. steady) partners but were more likely to involve condom use with casual (vs. steady) partners. Results suggest important avenues for future research and SA prevention efforts. © The Author(s) 2015.

Measuring Alcohol Expectancies in Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randolph, Karen A.; Gerend, Mary A.; Miller, Brenda A.

2006-01-01

Beliefs about the consequences of using alcohol, alcohol expectancies, are powerful predictors of underage drinking. The Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire-Adolescent form (AEQ-A) has been widely used to measure expectancies in youth. Despite its broad use, the factor structure of the AEQ-A has not been firmly established. It is also not known…

Paradoxical effects of alcohol information on alcohol outcome expectancies.

PubMed

Krank, Marvin D; Ames, Susan L; Grenard, Jerry L; Schoenfeld, Tara; Stacy, Alan W

2010-07-01

Cognitive associations with alcohol predict both current and future use in youth and young adults. Much cognitive and social cognitive research suggests that exposure to information may have unconscious influences on thinking and behavior. The present study assessed the impact of information statements on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. The 2 studies reported here investigated the effects of exposure to alcohol statements typical of informational approaches to prevention on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. High school and university students were presented with information statements about the effects of alcohol and other commercial products. The alcohol statements were taken from expectancy questionnaires. Some of these statements were presented as facts and others as myths. The retention of detailed information about these statements was manipulated by (i) divided attention versus focused attention or (ii) immediate versus delayed testing. Accessibility of personal alcohol outcome expectancies was subsequently measured using an open-ended question about the expected effects of alcohol. Participants reported more alcohol outcomes seen during the information task as personal expectations about the effects of alcohol use than similar unseen items. Paradoxically, myth statements were also more likely to be reported as expectancies than unseen items in all conditions. Additionally, myth statements were generated less often than fact statements only under the condition of immediate testing with strong content processing instructions. These observations are consistent with findings from cognitive research where familiarity in the absence of explicit memory can have an unconscious influence on performance. In particular, the exposure to these items in an informational format increases accessibility of the seen items even when the participants were told that they were myths. The findings have implications for the development of

Paradoxical Effects of Alcohol Information on Alcohol Outcome Expectancies

PubMed Central

Krank, Marvin D.; Ames, Susan L.; Grenard, Jerry L.; Schoenfeld, Tara; Stacy, Alan W.

2014-01-01

Background Cognitive associations with alcohol predict both current and future use in youth and young adults. Much cognitive and social cognitive research suggests that exposure to information may have unconscious influences on thinking and behavior. The present study assessed the impact of information statements on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. Methods The 2 studies reported here investigated the effects of exposure to alcohol statements typical of informational approaches to prevention on the accessibility of alcohol outcome expectancies. High school and university students were presented with information statements about the effects of alcohol and other commercial products. The alcohol statements were taken from expectancy questionnaires. Some of these statements were presented as facts and others as myths. The retention of detailed information about these statements was manipulated by (i) divided attention versus focused attention or (ii) immediate versus delayed testing. Accessibility of personal alcohol outcome expectancies was subsequently measured using an open-ended question about the expected effects of alcohol. Results Participants reported more alcohol outcomes seen during the information task as personal expectations about the effects of alcohol use than similar unseen items. Paradoxically, myth statements were also more likely to be reported as expectancies than unseen items in all conditions. Additionally, myth statements were generated less often than fact statements only under the condition of immediate testing with strong content processing instructions. Conclusions These observations are consistent with findings from cognitive research where familiarity in the absence of explicit memory can have an unconscious influence on performance. In particular, the exposure to these items in an informational format increases accessibility of the seen items even when the participants were told that they were myths. The findings have

Dormant Masculinity: Moderating Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication on the Relation Between Male Role Norms and Antigay Aggression

PubMed Central

Leone, Ruschelle M.; Parrott, Dominic J.

2014-01-01

Acute alcohol intoxication was examined as a moderator of the association between men’s adherence to traditional gender norms and aggression towards a gay male. Participants were 164 heterosexual drinking men between the ages of 21–30. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that included a measure of adherence to male role norms (i.e., status, toughness, antifemininity), were randomly assigned to consume an alcohol or no-alcohol control beverage, and completed the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which electric shocks were administered to, and received from, a fictitious gay or heterosexual male opponent. Results indicated a greater adherence to both the toughness (β = .50, p = .002) and antifeminine (β = .37, p = .023) norms predicted high levels of aggression towards a gay man only among participants who were intoxicated. This interaction effect was not detected for the status norm. Consistent with previous research, findings suggest that adherence to the toughness norm does not increase sober men’s risk of aggression toward gay men. However, this is the first study to demonstrate that alcohol intoxication may activate concepts of toughness, and thus influence men to act in line with this facet of the masculine concept. Importantly, these data support the view that men’s adherence to various dimensions of masculinity may be dormant in some contexts, only to be activated, and subsequently demonstrated, in other contexts. PMID:25750591

Modeling PTSD symptom clusters, alcohol misuse, anger, and depression as they relate to aggression and suicidality in returning U.S. veterans.

PubMed

Hellmuth, Julianne C; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A; Hoerster, Katherine D; Jakupcak, Matthew

2012-10-01

Suicidal ideation and aggression are common correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The existing literature has established a strong link between these factors, but a more nuanced understanding of how PTSD influences them is needed. The current study examined the direct and indirect relationships between PTSD symptom clusters and suicidal ideation in general aggression (without a specified target) regarding depression, alcohol misuse, and trait anger. Participants were 359 (92% male) U.S. Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans. Path analysis results suggested that the PTSD numbing cluster was directly (β = .28, p < .01) and indirectly (β = .17, p = .001) related through depression. The PTSD hyperarousal cluster was indirectly related to suicidal ideation through depression (β = .13, p < .001). The PTSD reexperiencing cluster was directly related to aggression (β = .17, p < .05), whereas the PTSD numbing and hyperarousal clusters were indirectly related to aggression through trait anger (β = .05, p < .05; β = .20, p < .001). These findings indicate that adjunct treatments aimed at stabilizing anger, depression, and alcohol misuse may help clinicians ameliorate the maladaptive patterns often observed in veterans. These results also point to specific manifestations of PTSD and co-occurring conditions that may inform clinicians in their attempts to identify at risk veterans and facilitate preventative interventions. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Parental Alcohol Involvement and Adolescent Alcohol Expectancies Predict Alcohol Involvement in Male Adolescents

PubMed Central

Cranford, James A.; Zucker, Robert A.; Jester, Jennifer M.; Puttler, Leon I.; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.

2010-01-01

Current models of adolescent drinking behavior hypothesize that alcohol expectancies mediate the effects of other proximal and distal risk factors. This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that the effects of parental alcohol involvement on their children’s drinking behavior in mid-adolescence are mediated by the children’s alcohol expectancies in early adolescence. A sample of 148 initially 9–11 year old boys and their parents from a high-risk population and a contrast group of community families completed measures of drinking behavior and alcohol expectancies over a 6-year interval. We analyzed data from middle childhood (M age = 10.4 years), early adolescence (M age = 13.5 years), and mid-adolescence (M age = 16.5 years). The sample was restricted only to adolescents who had begun to drink by mid-adolescence. Results from zero-inflated Poisson regression analyses showed that 1) maternal drinking during their children’s middle childhood predicted number of drinking days in middle adolescence; 2) negative and positive alcohol expectancies in early adolescence predicted odds of any intoxication in middle adolescence; and 3) paternal alcoholism during their children’s middle childhood and adolescents’ alcohol expectancies in early adolescence predicted frequency of intoxication in middle adolescence. Contrary to predictions, child alcohol expectancies did not mediate the effects of parental alcohol involvement in this high-risk sample. Different aspects of parental alcohol involvement, along with early adolescent alcohol expectancies, independently predicted adolescent drinking behavior in middle adolescence. Alternative pathways for the influence of maternal and paternal alcohol involvement and implications for expectancy models of adolescent drinking behavior were discussed. PMID:20853923

Development and validation of the alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire Short Form (EQ-SF).

PubMed

Mezquita, Laura; Camacho, Laura; Suso-Ribera, Carlos; Ortet, Generós; Ibáñez, Manuel I

2018-01-15

Alcohol expectancies are proximal variables to alcohol use and misuse. In recent decades, different measures have been developed to assess this construct. One of the most frequently used and recommended instruments is the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ; Leigh y Stacy, 1993). Our aim is to develop a short version of the EQ (EQ-SF) for suitable use in time-limited administrations. Two samples, adolescents (N = 514, 57.20% females) and adults (N = 548, 61.50% females), completed the EQ together with alcohol-use measures. Different item selection strategies were applied to select the 24 items. The EQ-SF structure was explored using confirmatory factor analysis, and measurement invariance was tested running a multi-group analysis comparing groups by sex and age. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Concurrent validity was investigated with regression analyses. The EQ-SF showed acceptable between-groups measurement invariance. Alphas and omegas ranged from .77 to .93. Positive expectancies predicted both alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Negative expectancies predicted alcohol-related problems. Sex and age moderated these associations. Males with high positive alcohol expectancies showed higher alcohol consumption than females, while adults with high negative alcohol expectancies showed greater alcohol-related problems than adolescents. Different evidence on the validity and reliability of the EQ-SF suggest that it is a suitable instrument to assess alcohol expectancies in the Spanish population.

Alcohol involvement in aggression between intimate partners in New Zealand: a national cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Kypri, Kypros; Bell, Melanie L; Cousins, Kimberly

2011-01-01

Objectives To examine the role of alcohol at the time of aggressive incidents between intimate partners in the general population by gender, by estimating (1) prevalence and severity of aggression, and drinking at the time, (2) associations of drinking at the time of the aggression with reported severity, anger and fear, and (3) association of usual drinking patterns with partner aggression. Design A national survey of 18–70-year-olds using an electoral roll sample obtained self-reported alcohol consumption, partner's alcohol consumption and details of the most severe partner aggression by the respondent and towards the respondent in the past 2 years. The mean scores for associated severity, anger and fear were analysed by gender and alcohol involvement. Multinomial models estimated associations of drinking patterns with aggression to and from the respondent. Results The response rate was 49% (n=1925). Men and women reported similar prevalence of victimisation and perpetration of aggression (11–15%). Alcohol was involved in more than 25% of incidents, and reported more by women than by men, particularly male-only drinking when the respondent was the victim. Women reported greater severity, anger and fear with victimisation than men, and drinking was associated with greater reported severity. Heavy episodic drinking by respondents was associated with a threefold increase in victimisation and doubling of perpetration of aggression involving alcohol. Heavy episodic drinking by either partner was also associated with drinking being involved in reported aggression. Conclusions The experience of intimate-partner aggression in a cross-section of households differs by gender and the involvement of alcohol, and ‘counts’ of aggressive acts in a population-based survey do not reflect the reality of gender differences. Heavy episodic drinking patterns are associated with more aggression involving alcohol within relationships, and alcohol involvement is associated

Do alcohol expectancy outcomes and valuations mediate peer influences and lifetime alcohol use among early adolescents?

PubMed

Zamboanga, Byron L; Schwartz, Seth J; Ham, Lindsay S; Jarvis, Lorna Hernandez; Olthuis, Janine V

2009-12-01

Building on the theory of reasoned action (I. Ajzen & M. Fishbein, 1973, 1980; M. Fishbein & I. Ajzen, 1975) and expectancy theory, the authors examined the mediating role of alcohol expectancies in adolescent drinking behaviors by testing whether alcohol expectancy outcomes and valuations (the extent to which these outcomes are perceived as good or bad) mediate the association between peer influences and lifetime alcohol use. Early adolescents (N = 904) from 2 public middle schools in western Michigan completed a battery of questionnaires. Overall, results showed that alcohol expectancies and valuations partially mediated the relations between peer influences (peer use and peer approval) and lifetime alcohol use. The findings suggest that associating with peers who are perceived as using alcohol and approving of drinking may influence adolescents' alcohol expectancies. The authors briefly discuss future research directions and implications for prevention.

Alcohol use, expectancies and HIV-related sexual risk: a cross-sectional survey of male migrant workers in South India.

PubMed

Steward, Wayne T; Satyanarayana, Veena A; Heylen, Elsa; Srikrishnan, Aylur K; Vasudevan, Canjeevaram K; Krishnan, Gopal; Solomon, Davidson; Ekstrand, Maria L

2018-05-01

Male migrant workers (MMWs) in India are vulnerable to developing alcohol-related problems and engaging in unprotected sex, putting them at risk of HIV. Research has shown that alcohol-related expectancies mediate vulnerability to alcoholism. We examined which expectancies were associated with sexual risk and drinking. We surveyed 1085 heterosexual MMWs in two South Indian municipalities, assessing expectancies, sex under the influence, and unprotected sex with female sex workers (FSW) and casual female partners in the prior 30 days. Men more strongly endorsed positive than negative expectancies (t = 53.59, p < .01). In multivariate logistic regression, the expectancy of having more fun helped drive the combination of alcohol and unprotected sex with FSW partners (OR = 1.22, p < .05), whereas the expectancy of better sex helped drive a similar combination with casual partners (OR = 1.24, p < .01). Men concerned about alcohol-induced deficits were less likely to drink with FSW partners (OR = 0.81, p < .01), but more likely to have unprotected sex with them (OR = 1.78, p < .01). To reduce risk, MMWs would benefit from combination prevention approaches that use behavioral strategies to address drinking norms and awareness of risk, while using biomedical strategies to reduce viral transmission when risk does occur.

Demographic Risk Factors for Alcohol-Related Aggression In and Around Licensed Venues.

PubMed

Zinkiewicz, Lucy; Curtis, Ashlee; Meurer, Hannah; Miller, Peter

2016-03-01

Few studies have examined the role of gender and both area-level and individual socio-economic status (SES) as independent predictors of alcohol-related aggression (ARA) in and around licensed venues. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between gender, area-level SES and individual SES (operationalised as occupational category) and ARA in and around licensed venues. The sample comprised 697 men and 649 women aged 16-47, who completed a patron intercept survey as part of a larger study assessing trends in harm and stakeholders' views surrounding local community level interventions in dealing with alcohol-related problems in the night-time economy. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that age, gender, occupational category, area-level SES and level of intoxication at time of interview were all significant predictors of involvement in ARA. Being male doubled the odds of involvement in ARA, while age was a protective factor. Blue collar workers had more than double the odds of ARA involvement of professionals, while those living in the most socio-economically disadvantaged areas were over twice as likely to report experiencing ARA compared to those living in the most advantaged areas. However, assessment of the predictive model by gender revealed that effects of age, occupational category and area-level SES were restricted to male participants, with greater intoxication no longer predictive. ARA among patrons was significantly more likely to occur among men, those in blue collar occupations, and individuals living in low SES areas, suggesting both individual and area-level disadvantage may play a role in ARA. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Aggression is associated with greater subsequent alcohol consumption: A shared neural basis in the ventral striatum.

PubMed

Chester, David S; DeWall, C Nathan

2018-05-01

Alcohol use and abuse (e.g., binge drinking) are among the most reliable causes of aggressive behavior. Conversely, people with aggressive dispositions (e.g., intermittent explosive disorder) are at greater risk for subsequent substance abuse. Yet it remains unknown why aggression might promote subsequent alcohol use. Both aggressive acts and alcohol use are rewarding and linked to greater activity in neural reward circuitry. Through this shared instantiation of reward, aggression may then increase subsequent alcohol consumption. Supporting this mechanistic hypothesis, participants' aggressive behavior directed at someone who had recently rejected them, was associated with more subsequent beer consumption on an ad-lib drinking task. Using functional MRI, both aggressive behavior and beer consumption were associated with greater activity in the bilateral ventral striatum during acts of retaliatory aggression. These results imply that aggression is linked to subsequent alcohol abuse, and that a mechanism underlying this effect is likely to be the activation of the brain's reward circuitry during aggressive acts. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Moderators of the Dynamic Link between Alcohol Use and Aggressive Behavior among Adolescent Males

PubMed Central

White, Helene Raskin; Fite, Paula; Pardini, Dustin; Mun, Eun-Young; Loeber, Rolf

2012-01-01

Although longitudinal evidence has linked alcohol use with aggressive behavior during adolescence, most studies have failed to adequately control for the numerous between-individual differences that may underlie this association. In addition, few studies of adolescents have examined whether the nature of the within-individual association between alcohol use and aggression depends on individual and contextual factors. To address these limitations, this study examined the association between within-individual changes in alcohol use and aggressive behavior across adolescence and determined whether impulsive behavior, positive attitudes toward violence, violent peers, neighborhood crime, and race moderated this association. Data from 971 adolescent males assessed annually from ages 13 to 18 were analyzed using a within-individual regression panel model that eliminated all stable between-individual factors as potential confounds. Findings indicated that within-individual increases in alcohol use quantity from one’s own typical levels of drinking were concurrently associated with within-individual increases in aggressive behavior, and vice versa. However, increases in alcohol were more strongly linked to increases in aggressive behavior among boys with attitudes favoring violence and those who lived in high-crime neighborhoods. The association between alcohol and aggressive behavior was similar for White and Black young men. Interventions designed to reduce aggressive behaviors should consider targeting not only alcohol use, but also individual and environmental risk factors that contribute to this link. PMID:22911129

Intoxication-Related Alcohol Mixed with Energy Drink Expectancies Scale: Initial Development and Validation.

PubMed

Miller, Kathleen E; Dermen, Kurt H; Lucke, Joseph F

2017-06-01

Young adult use of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmEDs) has been linked with elevated risks of a constellation of problem behaviors. These risks may be conditioned by expectancies regarding the effects of caffeine in conjunction with alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to describe the construction and psychometric evaluation of the Intoxication-Related AmED Expectancies Scale (AmED_EXPI), 15 self-report items measuring beliefs about how the experience of AmED intoxication differs from the experience of noncaffeinated alcohol (NCA) intoxication. Scale development and testing were conducted using data from a U.S. national sample of 3,105 adolescents and emerging adults aged 13 to 25. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the factor structure and establish factor invariance across gender, age, and prior experience with AmED use. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses examining correlates of AmED use were used to assess construct and predictive validity. In confirmatory factor analyses, fit indices for the hypothesized 4-factor structure (i.e., Intoxication Management [IM], Alertness [AL], Sociability [SO], and Jitters [JT]) revealed a moderately good fit to the data. Together, these factors accounted for 75.3% of total variance. The factor structure was stable across male/female, teen/young adult, and AmED experience/no experience subgroups. The resultant unit-weighted subscales showed strong internal consistency and satisfactory convergent validity. Baseline scores on the IM, SO, and JT subscales predicted changes in AmED use over a subsequent 3-month period. The AmED_EXPI appears to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring expectancies about the effects of caffeine during alcohol intoxication. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

The Interactive Effects of Emotion Regulation and Alcohol Intoxication on Lab-Based Intimate Partner Aggression

PubMed Central

Watkins, Laura E.; DiLillo, David; Maldonado, Rosalita C.

2015-01-01

This study draws on Finkel and Eckhardt’s (2013) I3 framework to examine the interactive effects of two emotion regulation strategies, anger rumination (an impellance factor) and reappraisal (an inhibition factor), and alcohol intoxication (a disinhibition factor), on intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration as measured with an analogue aggression task. Participants were 69 couples recruited from a large Midwestern university (total N = 138). Participants’ trait rumination and reappraisal were measured by self-report. Participants were randomized individually to an alcohol or placebo condition, then recalled an anger event while employing one of three randomly assigned emotion regulation conditions (rumination, reappraisal, or uninstructed). Following this, participants completed an analogue aggression task involving ostensibly assigning white noise blasts to their partner. Participants in the alcohol condition displayed greater IPA than participants in the placebo condition for provoked IPA, but not unprovoked IPA. Results also revealed interactions such that for those in the alcohol and rumination group, higher trait reappraisal was related to lower unprovoked IPA. For provoked IPA, higher trait rumination was related to greater IPA among those in the alcohol and rumination condition and those in the placebo and uninstructed condition. In general, results were consistent with I3 theory, suggesting that alcohol disinhibits, rumination impels, and trait reappraisal inhibits IPA. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed in the context of current knowledge about the influence of alcohol intoxication and emotion regulation strategies on IPA perpetration. PMID:25844831

Using the false memory paradigm to test two key elements of alcohol expectancy theory.

PubMed

Reich, Richard R; Goldman, Mark S; Noll, Jane A

2004-05-01

Two key aspects of alcohol expectancy theory--(a) that memories about alcohol effects are stored as relatively cohesive templates of information and (b) that these templates are automatically activated in alcohol-related contexts--were tested using the Deese-Roediger- McDermott false memory paradigm. Alcohol expectancy adjectives were studied, and false memory for expectancy target words was tested in neutral and alcohol contexts. Results indicated that in the alcohol context heavier drinkers showed more false memory for alcohol expectancy words than they did in a neutral context. Differences were not found for lighter drinkers. These results were consistent with alcohol expectancy theory, which was then compared with various forms of association theory in explaining these results and larger issues in the addiction field. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

Interactions between self-reported alcohol outcome expectancies and cognitive functioning in the prediction of alcohol use and associated problems: a further examination.

PubMed

Littlefield, Andrew K; Vergés, Alvaro; McCarthy, Denis M; Sher, Kenneth J

2011-09-01

A recent debate regarding the theoretical distinction between explicit and implicit cognitive processes relevant to alcohol-related behaviors was strongly shaped by empirical findings from dual-process models (Moss & Albery, 2009; Wiers & Stacy, 2010; Moss & Albery, 2010). Specifically, as part of a broader discussion, Wiers & Stacy (2010) contended that alcohol-related behaviors are better predicted by self-reported alcohol expectancies for individuals with good executive control and verbal abilities relative to those without such abilities. The purpose of the current paper is to further test whether self-reported alcohol outcome expectancies are moderated by measures of cognitive functioning. Using multiple indices of alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, self-reported alcohol outcome expectancies, and cognitive functioning, both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted in a prospective sample of 489 individuals at varying risk for alcohol use disorders. Results from a series of regression analyses testing interactions between self-reported alcohol expectancies and cognitive functioning showed minimal support for the hypothesized pattern discussed by Wiers and Stacy, 2010 regarding self-reported alcohol outcome expectancies. The overall rates of significance were consistent with Type I error rates and a substantial proportion of the significant interactions were inconsistent with previous findings. Thus, the conclusion that cognitive measures consistently moderate the relation between self-reported alcohol expectancies and alcohol use and outcomes should be tempered. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Development of alcohol expectancies and early alcohol use in children and adolescents: A systematic review.

PubMed

Smit, Koen; Voogt, Carmen; Hiemstra, Marieke; Kleinjan, Marloes; Otten, Roy; Kuntsche, Emmanuel

2018-03-01

Developmental changes in alcohol expectancies (AE) have been proposed to lead to alcohol use initiation and later alcohol use in adolescence. This systematic review aims to provide longitudinal evidence of the development of AE and the relation of AE to alcohol outcomes from childhood to late adolescence (4-18 years old). A computer-assisted search of relevant articles identified 1602 studies, of which 43 studies (conducted between 1996 and 2016) were selected. First, negative AE decline and positive AE increase in early adolescence. Moreover, alcohol use (initiation) seems to strongly influence changes in AE. Second, AE predict alcohol use initiation and drinking patterns over time. Third, longitudinal predictors of AE could be divided into individual predictors (i.e., alcohol-related cognitions, psychopathology, and genetics) and environmental predictors (i.e., family, peer, and media influences). Lastly, the results indicated that AE function as mediators of the relations between the various individual and environmental predictors and adolescent's alcohol use. Alcohol expectancies form an important framework through which drinking behavior can be explained over time. Due to the diverse findings on the predictors of AE, future longitudinal studies should further clarify the factors that are essential in the development of AE and adolescent's later alcohol use. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Positive alcohol use expectancies moderate the association between anxiety sensitivity and alcohol use across adolescence.

PubMed

Borges, Allison M; Lejuez, Carl W; Felton, Julia W

2018-06-01

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or the fear of anxious symptoms and the belief that these symptoms may have negative physical, social, and cognitive consequences, is one personality trait that emerges in early adolescence and may be linked to alcohol use. However, findings are equivocal as to whether elevated AS during adolescence directly predicts alcohol use. Adolescents do report increases in positive alcohol use expectancies during this developmental period, and these expectancies have been found to be significantly associated with alcohol use. The current study examined whether positive alcohol use expectancies and AS in early adolescence predicted changes in alcohol use throughout adolescence. This aim was examined via secondary data analyses from a longitudinal study examining the development of risk behaviors in adolescents. Results of univariate latent growth curve modeling suggest that AS alone was not a significant predictor of baseline alcohol use or change in use over time after controlling for gender, age, and self-reported anxiety. However, AS in early adolescence was found to be a significant predictor of increases in alcohol use across adolescence for youth who reported greater positive alcohol use expectancies. These results indicate that beliefs regarding the positive effects of alcohol use are an important moderator in the relation between AS and change in alcohol use during adolescence. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peer and cyber aggression in secondary school students: the role of moral disengagement, hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies.

PubMed

Pornari, Chrisa D; Wood, Jane

2010-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between cognitive mechanisms, applied by people to rationalize and justify harmful acts, and engagement in traditional peer and cyber aggression among school children. We examined the contribution of moral disengagement (MD), hostile attribution bias, and outcome expectancies, and we further explored the individual contribution of each MD mechanism. Our aim was to identify shared and unique cognitive factors of the two forms of aggression. Three hundred and thirty-nine secondary school children completed self-report measures that assessed MD, hostile attribution bias, outcome expectancies, and their roles and involvement in traditional and cyber aggression. We found that the MD total score positively related to both forms of peer-directed aggression. Furthermore, traditional peer aggression positively related to children's moral justification, euphemistic language, displacement of responsibility and outcome expectancies, and negatively associated with hostile attribution bias. Moral justification also related positively to cyber aggression. Cyber aggression and cyber victimization were associated with high levels of traditional peer aggression and victimization, respectively. The results suggest that MD is a common feature of both traditional and cyber peer aggression, but it seems that traditional forms of aggression demand a higher level of rationalization or justification. Moreover, the data suggest that the expectation of positive outcomes from harmful behavior facilitates engagement in traditional peer aggression. The differential contribution of specific cognitive mechanisms indicates the need for future research to elaborate on the current findings, in order to advance theory and inform existing and future school interventions tackling aggression and bullying. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prenatal alcohol exposure increases the susceptibility to develop aggressive prolactinomas in the pituitary gland.

PubMed

Jabbar, Shaima; Reuhl, Kenneth; Sarkar, Dipak K

2018-05-16

Excess alcohol use is known to promote development of aggressive tumors in various tissues in human patients, but the cause of alcohol promotion of tumor aggressiveness is not clearly understood. We used an animals model of fetal alcohol exposure that is known to promote tumor development and determined if alcohol programs the pituitary to acquire aggressive prolactin-secreting tumors. Our results show that pituitaries of fetal alcohol-exposed rats produced increased levels of intra-pituitary aromatase protein and plasma estrogen, enhanced pituitary tissue growth, and upon estrogen challenge developed prolactin-secreting tumors (prolactinomas) that were hemorrhagic and often penetrated into the surrounding tissue. Pituitary tumors of fetal alcohol-exposed rats produced higher levels of hemorrhage-associated genes and proteins and multipotency genes and proteins. Cells of pituitary tumor of fetal alcohol exposed rat grew into tumor spheres in ultra-low attachment plate, expressed multipotency genes, formed an increased number of colonies, showed enhanced cell migration, and induced solid tumors following inoculation in immunodeficient mice. These data suggest that fetal alcohol exposure programs the pituitary to develop aggressive prolactinoma after estrogen treatment possibly due to increase in stem cell niche within the tumor microenvironment.

Caffeinated Alcohol Consumption Profiles and Associations with Use Severity and Outcome Expectancies

PubMed Central

Lau-Barraco, Cathy; Milletich, Robert J.; Linden, Ashley N.

2014-01-01

Growing evidence suggests that the consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CAB) may be riskier than alcohol alone. Efforts to identify patterns of CAB use and the correlates of such drinking patterns could further our conceptualization of and intervention for this health issue. Consequently, the current study aimed to (1) identify distinct classes of CAB users, (2) examine differences between classes on measures of alcohol and caffeine problems, and (3) compare distinct classes of CAB users on caffeine and alcohol outcome expectancies. Participants were 583 (31% men) undergraduate students from a psychology research pool. Latent profile analysis models were derived using four indicators: CAB use quantity, CAB use frequency, alcohol use quantity, and alcohol use frequency. Finding revealed four classes of drinkers: High Alcohol/High CAB (6.00%), High Alcohol/Moderate CAB (5.15%), High Alcohol/Low CAB (22.99%), and Low Alcohol/Low CAB (65.87%). The Low Alcohol/Low CAB class reported the lowest relative levels of caffeine dependence symptoms, caffeine withdrawal, alcohol use problems, and heavy episodic drinking frequency. Further, results indicated differential expectancy endorsement based on use profiles. CAB users in the High Alcohol/Low CAB class endorsed more positive alcohol expectancies than the Low Alcohol/Low CAB group. Those in the High Alcohol/High CAB class endorsed stronger withdrawal symptoms caffeine expectancies than all other classes. Inclusion of substance-specific expectancies into larger theoretical frameworks in future work of CAB use may be beneficial. Findings may inform intervention efforts for those at greatest risk related to CAB consumption. PMID:24210683

Caffeinated alcohol consumption profiles and associations with use severity and outcome expectancies.

PubMed

Lau-Barraco, Cathy; Milletich, Robert J; Linden, Ashley N

2014-01-01

Growing evidence suggests that the consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CAB) may be riskier than alcohol alone. Efforts to identify patterns of CAB use and the correlates of such drinking patterns could further our conceptualization of and intervention for this health issue. Consequently, the current study aimed to (1) identify distinct classes of CAB users, (2) examine differences between classes on measures of alcohol and caffeine problems, and (3) compare distinct classes of CAB users on caffeine and alcohol outcome expectancies. Participants were 583 (31% men) undergraduate students from a psychology research pool. Latent profile analysis models were derived using four indicators: CAB use quantity, CAB use frequency, alcohol use quantity, and alcohol use frequency. Finding revealed four classes of drinkers: High Alcohol/High CAB (6.00%), High Alcohol/Moderate CAB (5.15%), High Alcohol/Low CAB (22.99%), and Low Alcohol/Low CAB (65.87%). The Low Alcohol/Low CAB class reported the lowest relative levels of caffeine dependence symptoms, caffeine withdrawal, alcohol use problems, and heavy episodic drinking frequency. Further, results indicated differential expectancy endorsement based on use profiles. CAB users in the High Alcohol/Low CAB class endorsed more positive alcohol expectancies than the Low Alcohol/Low CAB group. Those in the High Alcohol/High CAB class endorsed stronger withdrawal symptom caffeine expectancies than all other classes. Inclusion of substance-specific expectancies into larger theoretical frameworks in future work of CAB use may be beneficial. Findings may inform intervention efforts for those at greatest risk related to CAB consumption. © 2013.

Television viewing and alcohol advertising with alcohol expectancies among school-aged children in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Ying; Chiu, Yu-Chan; Ting, Te-Tien; Liao, Hsin-Yao; Chen, Wei J; Chen, Chuan-Yu

2016-05-01

This study is aimed to examine the strength of association between television watching and potential exposure to alcohol advertising with multidimensional alcohol expectancies in school-aged children. A total of 779 4th (age 10) and 768 6th (age 12) grade students were recruited from 17 public elementary schools in northern Taiwan in 2006, with two waves of follow-up at 6 months apart. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect information concerning individual characteristics, parental attributes, past-week screen time, drinking behaviors, and alcohol expectancies. Data of aired alcohol advertisements at baseline were obtained from the Nielsen Media Research Advertising Information Services; parenting styles were ascertained from the 1st follow-up. Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire-Children version was used to measure alcohol expectancies (AEs) at baseline and the 2nd follow-up. Nearly 27% of students reported watching television for more than two hours per day and 58% watching television after 9 p.m. Dimension-related heterogeneity exists in the relationship between TV viewing and alcohol advertising with AEs. With statistical adjustment for covariates, spending more than two hours watching TV per day was associated with increased levels of positive AEs "Promoting Relaxation or Tension Reduction [PRTR]" (β=1.52, 95% CI=0.92, 2.12; p<0.001); the exposure to alcohol advertising was associated with decline in negative AEs "Deteriorated Cognitive and Behavioral Function" (e.g., >8.0 ads: β=-1.06, 95% CI=-1.66, -0.47, p<0.01). Greater screen time is associated with elevated positive expectancies of PRTR and alcohol advertising exposure is linked with lowered negative expectancies in late childhood. School-based anti-underage drinking programs may consider integrating the media literacy curriculum. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alcohol and aggressive behavior in men--moderating effects of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms.

PubMed

Johansson, A; Bergman, H; Corander, J; Waldman, I D; Karrani, N; Salo, B; Jern, P; Algars, M; Sandnabba, K; Santtila, P; Westberg, L

2012-03-01

We explored if the disposition to react with aggression while alcohol intoxicated was moderated by polymorphic variants of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Twelve OXTR polymorphisms were genotyped in 116 Finnish men [aged 18-30, M = 22.7, standard deviation (SD) = 2.4] who were randomly assigned to an alcohol condition in which they received an alcohol dose of 0.7 g pure ethanol/kg body weight or a placebo condition. Aggressive behavior was measured using a laboratory paradigm in which it was operationalized as the level of aversive noise administered to a fictive opponent. No main effects of the polymorphisms on aggressive behavior were found after controlling for multiple testing. The interactive effects between alcohol and two of the OXTR polymorphisms (rs4564970 and rs1488467) on aggressive behavior were nominally significant and remained significant for the rs4564970 when controlled for multiple tests. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental study suggesting interactive effects of specific genetic variants and alcohol on aggressive behavior in humans. © 2011 The Authors. Genes, Brain and Behavior © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Empirical modeling of an alcohol expectancy memory network using multidimensional scaling.

PubMed

Rather, B C; Goldman, M S; Roehrich, L; Brannick, M

1992-02-01

Risk-related antecedent variables can be linked to later alcohol consumption by memory processes, and alcohol expectancies may be one relevant memory content. To advance research in this area, it would be useful to apply current memory models such as semantic network theory to explain drinking decision processes. We used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to empirically model a preliminary alcohol expectancy semantic network, from which a theoretical account of drinking decision making was generated. Subanalyses (PREFMAP) showed how individuals with differing alcohol consumption histories may have had different association pathways within the expectancy network. These pathways may have, in turn influenced future drinking levels and behaviors while the person was under the influence of alcohol. All individuals associated positive/prosocial effects with drinking, but heavier drinkers indicated arousing effects as their highest probability associates, whereas light drinkers expected sedation. An important early step in this MDS modeling process is the determination of iso-meaning expectancy adjective groups, which correspond to theoretical network nodes.

Avoidance of alcohol-related stimuli in alcohol-dependent inpatients.

PubMed

Townshend, J M; Duka, T

2007-08-01

Previous research has shown an attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli in heavy social drinkers. Attentional orientation to drug-related cues may lead to increased craving and preoccupation with the drug and impaired ability to focus attention on nondrug-related activities, resulting in renewed drug taking or relapse from drug abstinence. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alcohol-dependent inpatients would differ in their selective attention toward alcohol-related stimuli in comparison with a group of social drinking controls. Thirty-five alcohol-dependent inpatients were compared with a group of 39 social drinking controls matched for age, sex, and verbal IQ. Attentional bias was assessed using alcohol-related pictures in a dot probe detection task. Questionnaires were used to examine outcome expectancies after alcohol consumption, anxiety, mood, and craving. The alcoholic inpatients showed a bias away from the alcohol-related stimuli, scored higher on alcohol outcome expectancies, and on anxiety measures (both state and trait). They also presented with more negative mood compared with the control group. Craving was higher in the alcoholic group for the factor "loss of control over drinking." Alcoholic inpatients undergoing treatment based on the 12-step treatment of Alcoholics Anonymous (Minnesota model), which includes counseling, and intensive group, individual, and family psychotherapy, show an avoidance for drug-related stimuli and a perception of loss of control over drinking. We suggest that their increased perception of loss of control over drinking produces the avoidance from the drug-related stimuli.

Identifying Component-Processes of Executive Functioning that Serve as Risk Factors for the Alcohol-Aggression Relation

PubMed Central

Giancola, Peter R.; Godlaski, Aaron J.; Roth, Robert M.

2011-01-01

The present investigation determined how different component-processes of executive functioning (EF) served as risk factors for intoxicated aggression. Participants were 512 (246 men and 266 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning – Adult Version (BRIEF-A; Roth, Isquith, & Gioia, 2005) that assesses nine EF components. Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, participants were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (Taylor, 1967) in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities and durations administered to the opponent. Although a general BRIEF-A EF construct consisting of all nine components predicted intoxicated aggression, the best predictor involved one termed the Behavioral Regulation Index which comprises component processes such as inhibition, emotional control, flexible thinking, and self-monitoring. PMID:21875167

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Acute Alcohol Effects on Men’s Sexual Aggression Intentions

PubMed Central

Davis, Kelly Cue; Schraufnagel, Trevor J.; Jacques-Tiura, Angela J.; Norris, Jeanette; George, William H.; Kiekel, Preston A.

2012-01-01

Objective Although research has established childhood sexual abuse (CSA) as a risk factor for men’s perpetration of sexual aggression, there has been little investigation of the factors undergirding this association. This study represents one of the first to use a laboratory-based sexual aggression analogue coupled with an alcohol administration protocol to investigate the pathways through which CSA and alcohol influence men’s self-reported sexual aggression intentions. Method After completing background questionnaires, male social drinkers (N = 220) were randomly assigned to a control, placebo, low alcohol dose or high alcohol dose condition. Following beverage consumption, participants read a sexual scenario in which the female partner refused to have unprotected sexual intercourse, after which they completed dependent measures. Results Path analysis indicated that men with a CSA history and intoxicated men perceived the female character as more sexually aroused and reported stronger sexual entitlement cognitions, both of which were in turn associated with greater condom use resistance and higher sexual aggression intentions. Exploratory analyses revealed that intoxication moderated the effects of CSA history on sexual entitlement cognitions, such that sexual entitlement cognitions were highest for men who had a CSA history and consumed alcohol. Conclusions Findings suggest that CSA history may facilitate sexual assault perpetration through its effects on in-the-moment cognitions, and that these effects may be exacerbated by alcohol intoxication. PMID:22754720

The development of aggression in 18 to 48 month old children of alcoholic parents.

PubMed

Edwards, Ellen P; Eiden, Rina D; Colder, Craig; Leonard, Kenneth E

2006-06-01

This study examined the development of aggressive and oppositional behavior among alcoholic and nonalcoholic families using latent growth modeling. The sample consisted of 226 families assessed at 18, 24, 36, and 48 months of child age. Results indicated that children in families with nonalcoholic parents had the lowest levels of aggressive behavior at all time points compared to children with one or more alcoholic parents. Children in families with two alcoholic parents did not exhibit normative decreases in aggressive behavior from 3 to 4 years of age compared to nonalcoholic families. However, this association was no longer significant once a cumulative family risk score was added to the model. Children in families with high cumulative risk scores, reflective of high parental depression, antisocial behavior, negative affect during play, difficult child temperament, marital conflict, fathers' education, and hours spent in child care, had higher levels of aggression at 18 months than children in low risk families. These associations were moderated by child gender. Boys had higher levels of aggressive behavior at all ages than girls, regardless of group status. Cumulative risk was predictive of higher levels of initial aggressive behavior in both girls and boys. However, boys with two alcoholic parents had significantly less of a decline in aggression from 36 to 48 months compared to boys in the nonalcoholic group.

Alcohol expectancies pre-and post-alcohol use disorder treatment: Clinical implications.

PubMed

Coates, Jason M; Gullo, Matthew J; Feeney, Gerald F X; Young, Ross McD; Dingle, Genevieve A; Connor, Jason P

2018-05-01

Modification of elevated positive expectations of alcohol consumption (alcohol outcome expectancies; AOEs) is a key feature of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approaches to Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). Despite extensive research supporting the efficacy of CBT for AUD, few studies have examined AOE change. This study aimed to assess AOE change following completion of CBT for AUD and its association with drinking behaviour. One-hundred and seventy-five patients who completed a 12-week CBT program for AUD were administered the Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (DEQ) at pre-treatment assessment and upon completion of treatment. Abstinence was achieved by 108 (61.7%) of completing patients. For patients who lapsed, the mean proportion of abstinent days was 93%. DEQ scales assessing expectations of positive alcohol effects on tension reduction, assertiveness, and cognitive enhancement were significantly lower post-treatment (p<0.001). Expectations of negative effects on mood were higher post-treatment (p<0.001). The largest AOE change occurred on the tension reduction scale. Greater percentage of abstinent days over treatment was associated with lower pre-and post-treatment tension reduction expectancy scores (p<0.05). Drinking during treatment was associated with smaller changes in expectations of negative effects of alcohol on mood (p<0.05). Individuals who completed CBT treatment for AUD showed significant AOE change. Tension reduction and affective change expectancies may be particularly important for abstinence and useful markers of lapse risk. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mood and implicit alcohol expectancy processes: predicting alcohol consumption in the laboratory.

PubMed

Wardell, Jeffrey D; Read, Jennifer P; Curtin, John J; Merrill, Jennifer E

2012-01-01

Implicit positive alcohol expectancy (PAE) processes are thought to respond phasically to external and internal stimuli-including mood states-and so they may exert powerful proximal influences over drinking behavior. Although social learning theory contends that mood states activate mood-congruent implicit PAEs, which in turn lead to alcohol use, there is a dearth of experimental research examining this mediation model relative to observable drinking. Moreover, an expectancy theory perspective might suggest that, rather than influencing PAEs directly, mood may moderate the association between PAEs and drinking. To test these models, this study examined the role of mood in the association between implicitly measured PAE processes (i.e., latency to endorse PAEs) and immediate alcohol consumption in the laboratory. Gender differences in these processes also were examined. College students (N = 146) were exposed to either a positive, negative, or neutral mood induction procedure, completed a computerized PAE reaction time (RT) task, and subsequently consumed alcohol ad libitum. The mood manipulation had no direct effects on drinking in the laboratory, making the mediation hypothesis irrelevant. Instead, gender and mood condition moderated the association between RT to endorse PAEs and drinking in the laboratory. For males, RT to tension reduction PAEs was a stronger predictor of volume of beer consumed and peak blood alcohol concentration in the context of general arousal (i.e., positive and negative mood) relative to neutral mood. RT to PAEs did not predict drinking in the laboratory for females. The results show that PAE processes are important determinants of immediate drinking behavior in men, suggesting that biased attention to mood-relevant PAEs-as indicated by longer RTs-predicts greater alcohol consumption in the appropriate mood context. The findings also highlight the need to consider gender differences in PAE processes. This study underscores the need for

Perceptions of Australasian emergency department staff of the impact of alcohol-related presentations.

PubMed

Egerton-Warburton, Diana; Gosbell, Andrew; Wadsworth, Angela; Moore, Katie; Richardson, Drew B; Fatovich, Daniel M

2016-03-07

To survey emergency department (ED) clinical staff about their perceptions of alcohol-related presentations. A mixed methods online survey of ED clinicians in Australia and New Zealand, conducted from 30 May to 7 July 2014. The frequency of aggression from alcohol-affected patients or their carers experienced by ED staff; the perceived impact of alcohol-related presentations on ED function, waiting times, other patients and staff. In total, 2002 ED clinical staff completed the survey, including 904 ED nurses (45.2%) and 1016 ED doctors (50.7%). Alcohol-related verbal aggression from patients had been experienced in the past 12 months by 97.9% of respondents, and physical aggression by 92.2%. ED nurses were the group most likely to have felt unsafe because of the behaviour of these patients (92% reported such feelings). Alcohol-related presentations were perceived to negatively or very negatively affect waiting times (noted by 85.5% of respondents), other patients in the waiting room (94.4%), and the care of other patients (88.3%). Alcohol-affected patients were perceived to have a negative or very negative impact on staff workload (94.2%), wellbeing (74.1%) and job satisfaction (80.9%). Verbal and physical aggression by alcohol-affected patients is commonly experienced by ED clinical staff. This has a negative impact on the care of other patients, as well as on staff wellbeing. Managers of health services must ensure a safe environment for staff and patients. More importantly, a comprehensive public health approach to changing the prevailing culture that tolerates alcohol-induced unacceptable behaviour is required.

The effects of alcohol expectancy and intake on slot machine gambling behavior.

PubMed

Sagoe, Dominic; Mentzoni, Rune Aune; Leino, Tony; Molde, Helge; Haga, Sondre; Gjernes, Mikjel Fredericson; Hanss, Daniel; Pallesen, Ståle

2017-06-01

Background and aims Although alcohol intake and gambling often co-occur in related venues, there is conflicting evidence regarding the effects of alcohol expectancy and intake on gambling behavior. We therefore conducted an experimental investigation of the effects of alcohol expectancy and intake on slot machine gambling behavior. Methods Participants were 184 (females = 94) individuals [age range: 18-40 (mean = 21.9) years] randomized to four independent conditions differing in information/expectancy about beverage (told they received either alcohol or placebo) and beverage intake [actually ingesting low (target blood alcohol concentration [BAC] < 0.40 mg/L) vs. moderate (target BAC > 0.40 mg/L; ≈0.80 mg/L) amounts of alcohol]. All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing demographic variables, subjective intoxication, alcohol effects (stimulant and sedative), and gambling factors (behavior and problems, evaluation, and beliefs). Participants also gambled on a simulated slot machine. Results A significant main effect of beverage intake on subjective intoxication and alcohol effects was detected as expected. No significant main or interaction effects were detected for number of gambling sessions, bet size and variation, remaining credits at termination, reaction time, and game evaluation. Conclusion Alcohol expectancy and intake do not affect gambling persistence, dissipation of funds, reaction time, or gambling enjoyment.

The Effects of Alcohol Problems, PTSD, and Combat Exposure on Nonphysical and Physical Aggression Among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

PubMed Central

Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.; Hellmuth, Julianne C.; Simpson, Tracy; Jakupcak, Matthew

2014-01-01

Aggression among combat veterans is of great concern. Although some studies have found an association between combat exposure and aggressive behavior following deployment, others conclude that aggression is more strongly associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that alcohol misuse may influence this association. Many of these studies have assessed aggression as a single construct, whereas the current study explored both nonphysical aggression only and physical aggression in a sample of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans (N = 337; 91% male). We found that alcohol problems interacted with PTSD symptom severity to predict nonphysical aggression only. At low levels of PTSD symptoms, veterans with alcohol problems were more likely to perpetrate nonphysical aggression only, as compared with no aggression, than veterans without an alcohol problem. There was no difference in the likelihood of nonphysical aggression only between those with and without alcohol problems at high levels of PTSD symptoms. The likelihood of nonphysical aggression only, as compared with no aggression, was also greater among younger veterans. Greater combat exposure and PTSD symptom severity were associated with an increased likelihood of perpetrating physical aggression, as compared with no aggression. Ethnic minority status and younger age were also associated with physical aggression, as compared with no aggression. Findings suggest that a more detailed assessment of veterans’ aggressive behavior, as well as their alcohol problems and PTSD symptoms, by researchers and clinicians is needed in order to determine how best to intervene. PMID:25225593

Peer Deviance, Alcohol Expectancies, and Adolescent Alcohol Use: Explaining Shared and Nonshared Environmental Effects Using an Adoptive Sibling Pair Design

PubMed Central

Samek, Diana R.; Keyes, Margaret A.; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt

2013-01-01

Previous research suggests adolescent alcohol use is largely influenced by environmental factors, yet little is known about the specific nature of this influence. We hypothesized that peer deviance and alcohol expectancies would be sources of environmental influence because both have been consistently and strongly correlated with adolescent alcohol use. The sample included 206 genetically related and 407 genetically unrelated sibling pairs assessed in mid-to-late adolescence. The heritability of adolescent alcohol use (e.g., frequency, quantity last 12 months) was minimal and not significantly different from zero. The associations among peer deviance, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use were primarily due to shared environmental factors. Of special note, alcohol expectancies also significantly explained nonshared environmental influence on alcohol use. This study is one of few that have identified specific environmental variants of adolescent alcohol use while controlling for genetic influence. PMID:23644917

Peer deviance, alcohol expectancies, and adolescent alcohol use: explaining shared and nonshared environmental effects using an adoptive sibling pair design.

PubMed

Samek, Diana R; Keyes, Margaret A; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2013-07-01

Previous research suggests adolescent alcohol use is largely influenced by environmental factors, yet little is known about the specific nature of this influence. We hypothesized that peer deviance and alcohol expectancies would be sources of environmental influence because both have been consistently and strongly correlated with adolescent alcohol use. The sample included 206 genetically related and 407 genetically unrelated sibling pairs assessed in mid-to-late adolescence. The heritability of adolescent alcohol use (e.g., frequency, quantity last 12 months) was minimal and not significantly different from zero. The associations among peer deviance, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use were primarily due to shared environmental factors. Of special note, alcohol expectancies also significantly explained nonshared environmental influence on alcohol use. This study is one of few that have identified specific environmental variants of adolescent alcohol use while controlling for genetic influence.

Alcohol Outcome Expectancies as Socially Shared and Socialized Beliefs

PubMed Central

Donovan, John E.; Molina, Brooke S. G.; Kelly, Thomas M.

2008-01-01

Alcohol expectancies are important predictors of alcohol involvement in both adolescents and adults, yet little research has examined the social origins and transmission of these beliefs. This paper examined alcohol outcome expectancies collected in a cohort-sequential longitudinal study of 452 families with children followed over seven waves. Children completed interviews every six months, and parents completed interviews annually. Eighteen of 27 alcohol expectancies were highly consensual, being endorsed by significantly more than 67% of the mothers and fathers. These consensual expectancies were also highly stable over a 3-year period. Over the same period, children increased their adoption of both the positive and negative consensual alcohol expectancies. Unconditional latent growth modeling showed that piece-wise growth models with a transition at age 12 fit the data best. Both the positive and negative consensual expectancies were adopted at a faster rate between ages 8.5 and 11.5 than between ages 12 and 13.5. For negative expectancies, there was no further growth between ages 12 and 13.5. Taken together, these findings support the conceptualization of alcohol outcome expectancies as socially-shared and transmitted beliefs. PMID:19586141

Integrating biological and behavioral factors in alcohol use risk: the role of ALDH2 status and alcohol expectancies in a sample of Asian Americans.

PubMed

McCarthy, D M; Wall, T L; Brown, S A; Carr, L G

2000-05-01

Prior studies have shown that the ALDH2*2 genetic variant, most common in individuals of Asian descent, is related to heightened sensitivity to alcohol and can serve as a protective factor against alcohol problems. This study explored the effect of this factor on alcohol expectancies. It was hypothesized that (a) individuals with ALDH2*2 alleles would have lower positive expectancies and higher negative expectancies, (b) expectancies would mediate the ALDH2-drinking relation, and (c) ALDH2 status would moderate the expectancy-drinking relation. Data were collected from 171 Asian American university students. Positive expectancy and ALDH2 status were correlated with alcohol use. Mediation and moderation hypotheses were supported only in the female sample. Results were not significant for negative expectancies. These results indicate that ALDH2 status may protect against drinking by lowering positive expectancies and reducing the expectancy-drinking relationship.

Intoxication-Related AmED (Alcohol Mixed with Energy Drink) Expectancies Scale: Initial Development and Validation

PubMed Central

Miller, Kathleen E.; Dermen, Kurt H.; Lucke, Joseph F.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Young adult use of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmEDs) has been linked with elevated risks for a constellation of problem behaviors. These risks may be conditioned by expectancies regarding the effects of caffeine in conjunction with alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to describe the construction and psychometric evaluation of the Intoxication-Related AmED Expectancies Scale (AmED_EXPI), 15 self-report items measuring beliefs about how the experience of AmED intoxication differs from the experience of noncaffeinated alcohol (NCA) intoxication. METHODS Scale development and testing were conducted using data from a U.S. national sample of 3,105 adolescents and emerging adults aged 13–25. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the factor structure and establish factor invariance across gender, age, and prior experience with AmED use. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses examining correlates of AmED use were used to assess construct and predictive validity. RESULTS In confirmatory factor analyses, fit indices for the hypothesized four-factor structure (i.e., Intoxication Management [IM], Alertness [AL], Sociability [SO], and Jitters [JT]) revealed a moderately good fit to the data. Together, these factors accounted for 75.3% of total variance. The factor structure was stable across male/female, teen/young adult, and AmED experience/no experience subgroups. The resultant unit-weighted subscales showed strong internal consistency and satisfactory convergent validity. Baseline scores on the IM, SO, and JT subscales predicted changes in AmED use over a subsequent three-month period. CONCLUSIONS The AmED_EXPI appears to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring expectancies about the effects of caffeine during alcohol intoxication. PMID:28421613

The Relevance of the Social Information Processing Model for Understanding Relational Aggression in Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crain, Marcelle M.; Finch, Cambra L.; Foster, Sharon L.

2005-01-01

Two studies examined whether social information-processing variables predict relational aggression in girls. In Study 1, fourth- through sixth-grade girls reported their intent attributions, social goals, outcome expectancies for relational aggression, and the likelihood that they would choose a relationally aggressive response in response to…

Evaluating Expectations about Negative Emotional States of Aggressive Boys Using Bayesian Model Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van de Schoot, Rens; Hoijtink, Herbert; Mulder, Joris; Van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Orobio de Castro, Bram; Meeus, Wim; Romeijn, Jan-Willem

2011-01-01

Researchers often have expectations about the research outcomes in regard to inequality constraints between, e.g., group means. Consider the example of researchers who investigated the effects of inducing a negative emotional state in aggressive boys. It was expected that highly aggressive boys would, on average, score higher on aggressive…

Prevention of alcohol-heightened aggression by CRF-R1 antagonists in mice: critical role for DRN-PFC serotonin pathway.

PubMed

Quadros, Isabel M; Hwa, Lara S; Shimamoto, Akiko; Carlson, Julia; DeBold, Joseph F; Miczek, Klaus A

2014-11-01

Alcohol can escalate aggressive behavior in a significant subgroup of rodents, humans, and nonhuman primates. The present study investigated whether blockade of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 (CRF-R1) could prevent the emergence of alcohol-heightened aggression in mice. The serotonin (5-HT) pathway from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) by CRF-R1 was investigated as a possible target for the prevention of alcohol-heightened aggressive behavior. Male CFW mice that reliably exhibited aggressive behaviors after consuming 1 g/kg of alcohol received systemic or intra-DRN administration of CRF-R1 antagonists, CP-154,526 or MTIP, before a confrontation with a male conspecific. Blockade of DRN CRF-R1 receptors with both antagonists significantly reduced only alcohol-heightened aggression, whereas systemic administration reduced both alcohol-heightened and species-typical aggression. Next, a 5-HT1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, was coadministered with CP-154,526 into the DRN to temporarily disrupt 5-HT activity. This manipulation abolished the antiaggressive effects of intra-DRN CP-154,526. In the mPFC, in vivo microdialysis revealed that extracellular 5-HT levels were increased in mice that consumed alcohol and were then injected with CP-154,526, both systemically or intra-DRN. Neither alcohol nor CP-154,526 alone affected 5-HT release in the mPFC. The present results suggest the DRN as a critical site for CRF-R1 to modulate alcohol-heightened aggression via action on the serotonergic DRN-PFC pathway.

Watching and drinking: expectancies, prototypes, and friends' alcohol use mediate the effect of exposure to alcohol use in movies on adolescent drinking.

PubMed

Dal Cin, Sonya; Worth, Keilah A; Gerrard, Meg; Stoolmiller, Mike; Sargent, James D; Wills, Thomas A; Gibbons, Frederick X

2009-07-01

To investigate the psychological processes that underlie the relation between exposure to alcohol use in media and adolescent alcohol use. The design consisted of a structural equation modeling analysis of data from four waves of a longitudinal, nationally representative, random-digit dial telephone survey of adolescents in the United States. The main outcome measures were adolescent alcohol consumption and willingness to use alcohol. Tested mediators were alcohol-related norms, prototypes, expectancies, and friends' use. Alcohol prototypes, expectancies, willingness, and friends' use of alcohol (but not perceived prevalence of alcohol use among peers) were significant mediators of the relation between movie alcohol exposure and alcohol consumption, even after controlling for demographic, child, and family factors associated with both movie exposure and alcohol consumption. Established psychological and interpersonal predictors of alcohol use mediate the effects of exposure to alcohol use in movies on adolescent alcohol consumption. The findings suggest that exposure to movie portrayals may operate through similar processes as other social influences, highlighting the importance of considering these exposures in research on adolescent risk behavior.

Music, substance use, and aggression.

PubMed

Chen, Meng-Jinn; Miller, Brenda A; Grube, Joel W; Waiters, Elizabeth D

2006-05-01

This study investigated whether young people's substance use and aggressive behaviors are related to their listening to music containing messages of substance use and violence. Using self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from a sample of community-college students, ages 15-25 years (N=1056; 57% female). A structural equation model (maximum likelihood method) was used to simultaneously assess the associations between listening to various genres of music and students' alcohol use, illicit-drug use, and aggressive behaviors. Respondents' age, gender, race/ethnicity, and level of sensation seeking were included in the analyses as control variables. Listening to rap music was significantly and positively associated with alcohol use, problematic alcohol use, illicit-drug use, and aggressive behaviors when all other variables were controlled. In addition, alcohol and illicit-drug use were positively associated with listening to musical genres of techno and reggae. Control variables (e.g., sensation seeking, age, gender and race/ethnicity) were significantly related to substance use and aggressive behaviors. The findings suggest that young people's substance use and aggressive behaviors may be related to their frequent exposure to music containing references to substance use and violence. Music listening preference, conversely, may reflect some personal predispositions or lifestyle preferences. There is also the possibility that substance use, aggression, and music preference are independent constructs that share common "third factors".

Music, Substance Use, and Aggression

PubMed Central

Chen, Meng-Jinn; Miller, Brenda A.; Grube, Joel W.; Waiters, Elizabeth D.

2016-01-01

Objective This study investigated whether young people’s substance use and aggressive behaviors are related to their listening to music containing messages of substance use and violence. Method Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and from a sample of community college students aged 15-25 (N = 1056; 43% male). A structural equation modeling method was used to simultaneously assess the associations between listening to various genres of music, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and aggressive behaviors, taking into account respondents’ age, gender, race/ethnicity, and level of sensation seeking. Results Listening to rap music was significantly and positively associated with alcohol use, problematic alcohol use, illicit drug use, and aggressive behaviors when all other variables were controlled. Additionally, alcohol and illicit drug use were positively associated with listening to musical genres of techno and reggae. Control variables such as sensation seeking, age, gender and race/ethnicity were significantly related to substance use and aggressive behaviors. Conclusion The findings suggest that young people’s substance use and aggressive behaviors may be related to their frequent exposure to music containing references to substance use and violence. Conversely, music listening preference may reflect some personal predispositions or lifestyle preferences. Alternatively, substance use, aggression and music preference are independent constructs, but share common “third factors.” PMID:16608146

Are Alcohol Expectancies Associations? Comment on Moss and Albery (2009)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiers, Reinout W.; Stacy, Alan W.

2010-01-01

Moss and Albery (2009) presented a dual-process model of the alcohol-behavior link, integrating alcohol expectancy and alcohol myopia theory. Their integrative theory rests on a number of assumptions including, first, that alcohol expectancies are associations that can be activated automatically by an alcohol-relevant context, and second, that…

Alcohol Expectancies as Potential Mediators of Parent Alcoholism Effects on the Development of Adolescent Heavy Drinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colder, Craig R.; Chassin, Laurie; Stice, Eric M.; Curran, Patrick J.

1997-01-01

Used latent growth curve modeling to examine adolescent alcohol expectancies as mediators of effects of parent alcoholism on escalation in adolescent heavy drinking. Found that parent alcoholism directly affected adolescent heavy drinking. Alcohol expectancies did not mediate parent alcoholism effects. Cross-sectional evidence suggested that…

Racial/ethnic differences in the influence of cultural values, alcohol resistance self-efficacy, and alcohol expectancies on risk for alcohol initiation.

PubMed

Shih, Regina A; Miles, Jeremy N V; Tucker, Joan S; Zhou, Annie J; D'Amico, Elizabeth J

2012-09-01

Prior research has reported racial/ethnic differences in the early initiation of alcohol use, suggesting that cultural values that are central to specific racial/ethnic groups may be influencing these differences. This 1-year longitudinal study examines associations between two types of cultural values, parental respect (honor for one's parents) and familism (connectedness with family), both measured at baseline, and subsequent alcohol initiation in a sample of 6,054 (approximately 49% male, 57% Hispanic, 22% Asian, 18% non-Hispanic White, and 4% non-Hispanic Black) middle school students in Southern California. We tested whether the associations of cultural values with alcohol initiation could be explained by baseline measures of alcohol resistance self-efficacy (RSE) and alcohol expectancies. We also explored whether these pathways differed by race/ethnicity. In the full sample, adolescents with higher parental respect were less likely to initiate alcohol use, an association that was partially explained by higher RSE and fewer positive alcohol expectancies. Familism was not significantly related to alcohol initiation. Comparing racial/ethnic groups, higher parental respect was protective against alcohol initiation for Whites and Asians, but not Blacks or Hispanics. There were no racial/ethnic differences in the association between familism and alcohol initiation. Results suggest that cultural values are important factors in the decision to use alcohol and these values appear to operate in part, by influencing alcohol positive expectancies and RSE. Interventions that focus on maintaining strong cultural values and building strong bonds between adolescents and their families may help reduce the risk of alcohol initiation. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Reinforcement sensitivity theory and alcohol outcome expectancies in early adolescence.

PubMed

Lopez-Vergara, Hector I; Colder, Craig R; Hawk, Larry W; Wieczorek, William F; Eiden, Rina D; Lengua, Liliana J; Read, Jennifer P

2012-03-01

Little research has examined the development of alcohol expectancies in childhood, a notable omission as expectancies are viable targets for prevention programs. Moreover, limited alcohol expectancies research has been conducted from the perspective of psychobiological models of motivation despite the strong conceptual links between such models and cognitive models of alcohol use. To examine if the associations between individual differences from the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (Gray JA, McNaughton N. The Neuropsychology of Anxiety: An Enquiry into the Functions of the Septo-hippocampal System (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2000) and alcohol use is mediated by alcohol expectancies in a large community sample of early adolescents using a prospective design. 378 families (1 caregiver; 1 child) were recruited via random digit phone call using a prospective design. Our findings suggest that both a strong behavioral approach system and fight-flight or freeze system were associated with high levels of positive outcome expectancies, which subsequently predicted an increase in likelihood of alcohol use. There was also some evidence that drive (an aspect of behavioral approach system) was also positively associated with negative expectancies, which subsequently predicted a low probability of alcohol use. Individual differences in reinforcement sensitivity may influence the acquisition of positive and negative outcome expectancies, thereby potentially influencing the likelihood of alcohol use in early adolescence. Thus, reinforcement sensitivity theory is a promising theory to account for the link between neural models of addiction and early acquisition of alcohol use in humans.

TPH2 polymorphisms and alcohol-related suicide.

PubMed

Zupanc, Tomaž; Pregelj, Peter; Tomori, Martina; Komel, Radovan; Paska, Alja Videtič

2011-02-18

Substantial evidence from family, twin, and adoption studies corroborates implication of genetic and environmental factors, as well as their interactions, on suicidal behavior and alcoholism risk. Serotonergic disfunction seems to be involved in the pathophysiology of substance abuse, and has also an important role in suicidal behavior. Recent studies of the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 showed mild or no association with suicide and alcohol-related suicide. We performed SNP and alcohol analysis on 388 suicide victims and 227 controls. The results showed association between suicide (Pχ²=0.043) and alcohol-related suicide (Pχ²=0.021) for SNP Rs1843809. A tendency for association was determined also for polymorphism Rs1386493 (Pχ²=0.055) and alcohol-related suicide. Data acquired from psychological autopsies in a subsample of suicide victims (n=79) determined more impulsive behavior (Pχ²=0.016) and verbal aggressive behavior (Pχ²=0.025) in the subgroup with alcohol misuse or dependency. In conclusion, our results suggest implication of polymorphisms in suicide and alcohol-related suicide, but further studies are needed to clarify the interplay among serotonergic system disfunction, suicide, alcohol dependence, impulsivity and the role of TPH2 enzyme. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Anticipated Effects of Alcohol Scale: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Novel Assessment Tool for Measuring Alcohol Expectancies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morean, Meghan E.; Corbin, William R.; Treat, Teresa A.

2012-01-01

Alcohol expectancy (AEs) research has enhanced our understanding of how anticipated alcohol effects confer risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems. However, extant AE measures have limitations within 1 or more of the following areas: assessing a comprehensive range of effects, specifying the hypothetical number of drinks consumed,…

Gray matter volume correlates of global positive alcohol expectancy in non-dependent adult drinkers

PubMed Central

Ide, Jaime S.; Zhang, Sheng; Hu, Sien; Matuskey, David; Bednarski, Sarah R.; Erdman, Emily; Farr, Olivia M.; Li, Chiang-shan R.

2013-01-01

Alcohol use and misuse is known to involve structural brain changes. Numerous imaging studies have examined changes in gray matter (GM) volumes in dependent drinkers, but there is little information on whether non-dependent drinking is associated with structural changes and whether these changes are related to psychological factors – such as alcohol expectancy – that influence drinking behavior. We used voxel based morphometry (VBM) to examine whether the global positive scale of alcohol expectancy, as measured by the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire AEQ-3, is associated with specific structural markers and whether such markers are associated with drinking behavior in 113 adult non-dependent drinkers (66 women). Alcohol expectancy is positively correlated with GM volume of left precentrral gyrus (PCG) in men and women combined and bilateral superior frontal gyri (SFG) in women, and negatively correlated with GM volume of the right ventral putamen in men. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that the GM volume of PCG mediate the correlation of alcohol expectancy and the average number of drinks consumed per occasion and monthly total number of drinks in the past year. When recent drinking was directly accounted for in multiple regressions, GM volume of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) correlated positively with alcohol expectancy in the combined sample. To our knowledge, these results are the first to identify the structural brain correlates of alcohol expectancy and its mediation of drinking behaviors. These findings suggest that more studies are needed to investigate increased GM volume in the frontal cortices as a neural correlate of alcohol expectancy. PMID:23461484

Deconstructing the associations between executive functioning, problematic alcohol use and intimate partner aggression: A dyadic analysis.

PubMed

Parrott, Dominic J; Swartout, Kevin M; Eckhardt, Christopher I; Subramani, Olivia S

2017-01-01

Problematic drinking and executive functioning deficits are two known risk factors for intimate partner aggression (IPA). However, executive functioning is a multifaceted construct, and it is not clear whether deficits in specific components of executive functioning are differentially associated with IPA perpetration generally and within the context of problematic alcohol use. To address this question, the present study investigated the effects of problematic drinking and components of executive functioning on physical IPA perpetration within a dyadic framework. Participants were 582 heavy drinking couples (total n = 1164) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPA recruited from two metropolitan cities in the USA. Multilevel models were used to examine effects within an actor-partner interdependence framework. The highest levels of physical IPA were observed among actors who reported everyday consequences of executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation whose partners were problematic drinkers. However, the association between executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation and IPA was stronger towards partners who were non-problematic drinkers relative to partners who were problematic drinkers. No such effect was found for executive functioning deficits related to behavioural regulation. Results provide insight into how problematic drinking and specific executive functioning deficits interact dyadically in relation to physical IPA perpetration. [Parrott DJ, Swartout KM, Eckhardt CI, Subramani OS. Deconstructing the associations between executive functioning, problematic alcohol use and intimate partner aggression: A dyadic analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:88-96]. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Drinking Habits and Expectancies About Alcohol's Effects for Self versus Others.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohsenow, Damaris J.

1983-01-01

Administered a questionnaire on expected effects of alcohol to 150 college students. Results showed that subjects expected alcohol to affect other people more than themselves for both positive and negative effects. Moderate and heavy drinkers expected as much pleasure from alcohol as they expected others to receive. (Author/LLL)

The predictive utility of drinking refusal self-efficacy and alcohol expectancy: a diary-based study of tension reduction.

PubMed

Young, R M; Oei, T P

2000-01-01

The potential tension reduction effects of alcohol may be most appropriately tested by examining the role of alcohol related beliefs regarding alcohol's anxiolytic properties. The relationship between affective change drinking refusal self-efficacy, tension reduction alcohol expectancies, and ongoing drinking behavior was examined amongst 57 regular drinkers. Alcohol consumption, antecedent, and consequent mood states were monitored prospectively by diary, Social learning theory hypothesizes that low drinking refusal self-efficacy when experiencing a negative mood state should be associated with more frequent drinking when tense. Strong alcohol expectancies of tension reduction were hypothesized to predict subsequent tension reduction. Contrary to this hypothesis, the present study found that alcohol expectancies were more strongly related to antecedent mood states. Only a weak relationship between drinking refusal self-efficacy and predrinking tension, and between alcohol expectancy and subsequent tension reduction, was evident.

The Combined Effects of Alcohol, Caffeine and Expectancies on Subjective Experience, Impulsivity and Risk-Taking

PubMed Central

Heinz, Adrienne J.; de Wit, Harriet; Lilje, Todd C.; Kassel, Jon D.

2013-01-01

Caffeinated alcoholic beverage (CAB) consumption is a rapidly growing phenomenon among young adults and is associated with a variety of health-risk behaviors. The current study examined whether either caffeinated alcohol or the expectation of receiving caffeinated alcohol altered affective, cognitive and behavioral outcomes hypothesized to contribute to risk behavior. Young adult social drinkers (N=146) participated in a single session where they received alcohol (peak Breath Alcohol Content = .088 g/dL, SD = .019; equivalent to about 4 standard drinks) and were randomly assigned to one of four further conditions 1) no caffeine, no caffeine expectancy, 2) caffeine and caffeine expectancy, 3) no caffeine but caffeine expectancy, 4) caffeine but no caffeine expectancy. Participants’ habitual CAB consumption was positively correlated with measures of impulsivity and risky behavior, independently of study drugs. Administration of caffeine (mean dose = 220 mg, SD = 38; equivalent to about 2.75 Red Bulls) in the study reduced subjective ratings of intoxication and reversed the decrease in desire to continue drinking, regardless of expectancy. Caffeine also reduced the effect of alcohol on inhibitory reaction time (faster incorrect responses). Participants not expecting caffeine were less attentive after alcohol, whereas participants expecting caffeine were not, regardless of caffeine administration. Alcohol decreased response accuracy in all participants except those who both expected and received caffeine. Findings suggest that CABs may elevate risk for continued drinking by reducing perceived intoxication, and by maintaining the desire to continue drinking. Simply expecting to consume caffeine may reduce the effects of alcohol on inattention, and either expecting or consuming caffeine may protect against other alcohol-related performance decrements. Caffeine, when combined with alcohol, has both beneficial and detrimental effects on mechanisms known to contribute to

When Habits Are Dangerous: Alcohol Expectancies and Habitual Decision Making Predict Relapse in Alcohol Dependence.

PubMed

Sebold, Miriam; Nebe, Stephan; Garbusow, Maria; Guggenmos, Matthias; Schad, Daniel J; Beck, Anne; Kuitunen-Paul, Soeren; Sommer, Christian; Frank, Robin; Neu, Peter; Zimmermann, Ulrich S; Rapp, Michael A; Smolka, Michael N; Huys, Quentin J M; Schlagenhauf, Florian; Heinz, Andreas

2017-12-01

Addiction is supposedly characterized by a shift from goal-directed to habitual decision making, thus facilitating automatic drug intake. The two-step task allows distinguishing between these mechanisms by computationally modeling goal-directed and habitual behavior as model-based and model-free control. In addicted patients, decision making may also strongly depend upon drug-associated expectations. Therefore, we investigated model-based versus model-free decision making and its neural correlates as well as alcohol expectancies in alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls and assessed treatment outcome in patients. Ninety detoxified, medication-free, alcohol-dependent patients and 96 age- and gender-matched control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during the two-step task. Alcohol expectancies were measured with the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire. Over a follow-up period of 48 weeks, 37 patients remained abstinent and 53 patients relapsed as indicated by the Alcohol Timeline Followback method. Patients who relapsed displayed reduced medial prefrontal cortex activation during model-based decision making. Furthermore, high alcohol expectancies were associated with low model-based control in relapsers, while the opposite was observed in abstainers and healthy control subjects. However, reduced model-based control per se was not associated with subsequent relapse. These findings suggest that poor treatment outcome in alcohol dependence does not simply result from a shift from model-based to model-free control but is instead dependent on the interaction between high drug expectancies and low model-based decision making. Reduced model-based medial prefrontal cortex signatures in those who relapse point to a neural correlate of relapse risk. These observations suggest that therapeutic interventions should target subjective alcohol expectancies. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

Associations between oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms and self-reported aggressive behavior and anger: Interactions with alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Johansson, Ada; Westberg, Lars; Sandnabba, Kenneth; Jern, Patrick; Salo, Benny; Santtila, Pekka

2012-09-01

Oxytocin has been implicated in the regulation of social as well as aggressive behaviors, and in a recent study we found that the effect of alcohol on aggressive behavior was moderated by the individual's genotype on an oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism (Johansson et al., 2012). In this study we wanted to deepen and expand the analysis by exploring associations between three (rs1488467, rs4564970, rs1042778) OXTR polymorphisms and aggressive behavior, trait anger as well as anger control in a population-based sample of Finnish men and women (N=3577) aged between 18 and 49 years (M=26.45 years, SD=5.02). A specific aim was to investigate if the polymorphisms would show interactive effects with alcohol consumption on aggressive behavior and trait anger, as well as to explore whether these polymorphisms affect differences in anger control between self-reported sober and intoxicated states. The results showed no main effects of the polymorphisms, however, three interactions between the polymorphisms and alcohol consumption were found. The effect of alcohol consumption on aggressive behavior was moderated by the genotype of the individual on the rs4564970 polymorphism, in line with previous results (Johansson et al., 2012). For trait anger, both the rs1488467 and the rs4564970 polymorphisms interacted with alcohol consumption. It appears that the region of the OXTR gene including both the rs4564970 and the rs1488467 polymorphisms may be involved in the regulation of the relationship between alcohol and aggressive behavior as well as between alcohol and the propensity to react to situations with elevated levels of anger. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alcohol expectancy multiaxial assessment: a memory network-based approach.

PubMed

Goldman, Mark S; Darkes, Jack

2004-03-01

Despite several decades of activity, alcohol expectancy research has yet to merge measurement approaches with developing memory theory. This article offers an expectancy assessment approach built on a conceptualization of expectancy as an information processing network. The authors began with multidimensional scaling models of expectancy space, which served as heuristics to suggest confirmatory factor analytic dimensional models for entry into covariance structure predictive models. It is argued that this approach permits a relatively thorough assessment of the broad range of potential expectancy dimensions in a format that is very flexible in terms of instrument length and specificity versus breadth of focus. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

Alcohol expectancies and alcohol outcomes: effects of the use of protective behavioral strategies.

PubMed

Grazioli, Véronique S; Lewis, Melissa A; Garberson, Lisa A; Fossos-Wong, Nicole; Lee, Christine M; Larimer, Mary E

2015-05-01

Alcohol expectancies (AEs) are positively associated with drinking behaviors, whereas the use of protective behavioural strategies (PBS) is negatively related to alcohol outcomes among young adults. PBS have been shown to weaken relationships between some alcohol risk factors and alcohol outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinally the moderating effect of PBS on the relationships between AEs and alcohol outcomes among young adults. Participants (N = 188; 61.7% female) were U.S. young adults participating in a larger longitudinal study. Measures of PBS, AEs, alcohol use, and related consequences were used from the baseline and 12-month follow-up assessments. Negative binomial hurdle models found that PBS (total score) significantly moderated the relationship between positive AEs and consequences, such that among high school seniors endorsing higher positive AEs, those using more PBS in high school reported fewer negative consequences 1 year later. PBS (Manner of Drinking) also moderated the relationship between negative AEs and alcohol use, revealing the use of PBS in high school as having a protective function against later drinking among participants with high positive AEs. Last, PBS (Serious Harm Reduction) significantly moderated the associations between positive AEs and alcohol use and between negative AEs and consequences, such that participants with higher AEs and higher PBS use in high school were at greatest risk for drinking and experiencing negative consequences later. Overall, these findings suggest that PBS use may be protective by weakening relationships between positive AEs and alcohol outcomes. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The relation between alcohol use and psychological, physical, and sexual dating violence perpetration among male college students.

PubMed

Shorey, Ryan C; Brasfield, Hope; Zapor, Heather Zucosky; Zapor, Heather Zuckosky; Febres, Jeniimarie; Stuart, Gregory L

2015-02-01

The prevalence of alcohol use and dating violence are shockingly high among male college students, making this a particularly high-risk group for alcohol-related aggression. Expanding upon previous research, the current study examined the relations between three indicators of alcohol use and three types of dating violence among 204 male college students. We also examined whether hazardous drinkers reported more violence perpetration than non-hazardous drinkers. Results demonstrated that alcohol use was related to all types of aggression, and hazardous drinkers are at greater risk of violence perpetration than non-hazardous drinkers. Implications for dating violence prevention programs and future research are discussed. © The Author(s) 2014.

The effect of rugby match outcome on spectator aggression and intention to drink alcohol.

PubMed

Moore, Simon C; Shepherd, Jonathan P; Eden, Sam; Sivarajasingam, Vaseekaran

2007-01-01

Alcohol, aggression and assault injury are strongly associated with popular sporting events, but mediating factors are not clear. To explore aggression, happiness and plans to consume alcohol among spectators before and spectators after sports matches. Cross-sectional surveys of male rugby football fans at an international stadium generated four groups: a pre-match group of 111 men, and three post-match groups of supporters, 17 whose team had won, 23 whose team had lost and 46 whose team had drawn. Consenting participants were assessed using the assault sub-scale of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, on a self-rating of happiness (Likert scale), for planned alcohol consumption and demographic variables. Pre- and post-match group mean responses were compared. Analyses were performed on 197 male spectators (mean age 42 years). Spectators in 'win' (z = 2.63, p < 0.01) and 'draw' (z = 2.76, p < 0.01) groups rated themselves as more aggressive than those in the pre-game group, but those in the losing group did not (z = -0.03, p > 0.05). No differences, however, were observed between pre-match, 'win', 'draw' or 'lose' groups on the decision to drink after the match. Winning did not increase happiness (t = 0.25, p > 0.05), but losing (t = 2.09, p < 0.05) or drawing (t = 7.64, p < 0.001) decreased it. This study suggests that team success but not failure may increase aggression among supporters, and that aggression, not celebration, drives post-match alcohol consumption. Losing and drawing decreased happiness but winning did not increase it. Better understanding of pathways to violence in these circumstances will pave the way for more effective prevention and management strategies.

Even in early childhood offspring alcohol expectancies correspond to parental drinking.

PubMed

Kuntsche, Emmanuel; Kuntsche, Sandra

2018-02-01

Research has found that children as young as preschoolers have an idea about the valence (positive vs. negative) and activation (arousal vs. sedation) of emotional change when adults drink alcohol. The development of alcohol expectancies at such a young age may be due to observed parental alcohol use. Three measures of alcohol use (frequency, quantity and binge drinking) assessed among 115 fathers and 149 mothers were correlated with four alcohol expectancy factors (crossing valence and activation) of their offspring, aged three to six (70 boys and 82 girls). For both arousal and sedation expectancies and across alcohol use measures of both fathers and mothers, the greater parental alcohol use was, the higher their sons' negative and the lower positive alcohol expectancies were. For negative expectancies (particularly sedation, i.e., drinking when feeling sad or depressed), there was a stronger and more consistent association with paternal than with maternal drinking. For daughters, there was no consistent association between any expectancy factor and any parental drinking behavior. Already among preschoolers, parental drinking was found to be correlated with their sons' alcohol expectancies in the sense that they may observe and associate positive emotional consequences (feeling joyful, happy, calm, relaxed etc.) with moderate parental drinking and negative emotional consequences (feeling angry, nervous, sad, depressed etc.) with excessive drinking. This may be important for prevention, as expectancies have been found to be predominant predictors of early alcohol initiation and development of risky drinking in adolescence and beyond. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Co-occurring aggression and suicide attempt among veterans entering residential treatment for PTSD: The role of PTSD symptom clusters and alcohol misuse.

PubMed

Watkins, Laura E; Sippel, Lauren M; Pietrzak, Robert H; Hoff, Rani; Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan

2017-04-01

Aggression and suicidality are two serious public health concerns among U.S. veterans that can co-occur and share many overlapping risk factors. The current study aims to elucidate the contribution of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters defined by a five-factor model and alcohol misuse in predicting aggression and suicide attempts among veterans entering residential treatment for PTSD. Participants were 2570 U.S. veterans across 35 Veterans Health Administration sites. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to identify correlates of aggression only (n = 1471; 57.2%), suicide attempts only (n = 41; 1.6%), co-occurring aggression and suicide attempts (n = 202; 7.9%), and neither behavior (n = 856; 33.3%) over the past four months. When compared to veterans endorsing neither behavior, greater PTSD re-experiencing symptoms were related to suicide attempts (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.30), aggression (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02-1.26), and co-occurring aggression and suicide (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.13-1.68), and higher PTSD dysphoric arousal symptoms and alcohol misuse symptoms were related to aggression (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.38-1.71; OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.18-1.44, respectively) and co-occurring aggression and suicide (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.35-2.04; OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.28-1.75, respectively). Our findings suggest that assessment of PTSD symptom clusters and alcohol misuse can potentially help to identify veterans who endorse suicide attempts, aggression, or both concurrently. These results have important implications for risk assessment and treatment planning with U.S. veterans seeking care for PTSD. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The impact of sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies and risky behavior on alcohol-involved rape among college women.

PubMed

Messman-Moore, Terri L; Ward, Rose Marie; DeNardi, Kathleen A

2013-04-01

A structural equation model examined sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies, heavy episodic drinking (HED), and risky sexual behavior as correlates of alcohol-involved rape in a sample of 353 college women. Prevalence of alcohol-involved rape was 15.6%. Sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies were indirectly associated with alcohol-involved rape via increased levels of HED, greater likelihood of sex while intoxicated, and number of sex partners. All forms of risky behavior were associated with alcohol-involved rape although HED had the strongest relationship. Findings suggest continued focus on women's positive alcohol expectancies and HED as risk factors for alcohol-involved rape. Implications for intervention will be discussed.

Drinking Motives and Alcohol Outcome Expectancies as Mediators of the Association between Negative Urgency and Alcohol Consumption

PubMed Central

Anthenien, Amber M.; Lembo, Jordanna; Neighbors, Clayton

2017-01-01

Objective To determine whether the effects of negative urgency, a unique facet of impulsivity marked by engaging in potentially unhealthy and rash behaviors in order to cope with anxiety or negative moods, on drinking behavior can be explained by positive and negative alcohol outcome expectancies and specific drinking motives (i.e., coping and enhancement). Methods College students (N = 194) completed web-based surveys in exchange for course credit. Students completed measures of negative urgency, comprehensive effects of alcohol, drinking motives, and alcohol use behaviors. Results Results of path analysis indicated significant indirect effects of negative urgency and alcohol use through both alcohol outcome expectancies and enhancement motives. The effects of enhancement motives on drinking were mediated by positive alcohol outcome expectancies. The effects of coping motives on drinking were not attributable to negative expectancies. Conclusions Individuals high on negative urgency may consume alcohol in order to ameliorate their emotional distress due to strong desires to increase positive and decrease negative experiences associated with drinking. Emotion-focused impulsivity’s influence on drinking outcomes can be ascribed to enhancement motives for drinking as well as positive and negative alcohol outcome expectancies. Prevention efforts should target drinking motives and alcohol outcome expectancies among those higher in negative urgency. PMID:27914226

Drinking motives and alcohol outcome expectancies as mediators of the association between negative urgency and alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Anthenien, Amber M; Lembo, Jordanna; Neighbors, Clayton

2017-03-01

To determine whether the effects of negative urgency, a unique facet of impulsivity marked by engaging in potentially unhealthy and rash behaviors in order to cope with anxiety or negative moods, on drinking behavior can be explained by positive and negative alcohol outcome expectancies and specific drinking motives (i.e., coping and enhancement). College students (N=194) completed web-based surveys in exchange for course credit. Students completed measures of negative urgency, comprehensive effects of alcohol, drinking motives, and alcohol use behaviors. Results of path analysis indicated significant indirect effects of negative urgency and alcohol use through both alcohol outcome expectancies and enhancement motives. The effects of enhancement motives on drinking were mediated by positive alcohol outcome expectancies. The effects of coping motives on drinking were not attributable to negative expectancies. Individuals high on negative urgency may consume alcohol in order to ameliorate their emotional distress due to strong desires to increase positive and decrease negative experiences associated with drinking. Emotion-focused impulsivity's influence on drinking outcomes can be ascribed to enhancement motives for drinking as well as positive and negative alcohol outcome expectancies. Prevention efforts should target drinking motives and alcohol outcome expectancies among those higher in negative urgency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Daily Process Examination of the Temporal Association Between Alcohol Use and Verbal and Physical Aggression in Community Couples

PubMed Central

Testa, Maria; Derrick, Jaye L.

2014-01-01

Alcohol use has been associated with intimate partner aggression perpetration and victimization; however, much of the evidence is based on survey research. Few studies have addressed the proximal effects of drinking episodes on the subsequent occurrence of partner aggression. The current study used daily diary methodology to consider the daily and temporal association between drinking episodes and episodes of partner verbal and physical aggression among a community sample of married and cohabiting couples (N = 118). Male and female partners each provided 56 days of independent daily reports of drinking and partner conflict episodes, including verbal and physical aggression, using interactive voice response technology. Dyadic data analyses, guided by the actor-partner interdependence model, were conducted using hierarchical generalized linear modeling with multivariate outcomes. Daily analyses revealed that alcohol consumption was associated with perpetration of verbal and physical aggression the same day, but not with victimization. Temporal analyses revealed that the likelihood of perpetrating verbal and physical aggression, and the likelihood of being verbally and physically victimized, increased significantly when alcohol was consumed in the previous four hours. Findings did not differ according to gender of perpetrator or victim, and the interaction between perpetrator and victim's alcohol use was not significant in any analysis. The study provides clear evidence that, within a sample of community couples without substance-use disorders or other psychopathology, alcohol consumption by men and women contributes to the occurrence of partner aggression episodes. PMID:24341618

Rigorous tests of gene-environment interactions in a lab study of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), alcohol exposure, and aggression.

PubMed

LoParo, Devon; Johansson, Ada; Walum, Hasse; Westberg, Lars; Santtila, Pekka; Waldman, Irwin

2016-07-01

Naturalistic studies of gene-environment interactions (G X E) have been plagued by several limitations, including difficulty isolating specific environmental risk factors from other correlated aspects of the environment, gene-environment correlation (rGE ), and the use of a single genetic variant to represent the influence of a gene. We present results from 235 Finnish young men in two lab studies of aggression and alcohol challenge that attempt to redress these limitations of the extant G X E literature. Specifically, we use a latent variable modeling approach in an attempt to more fully account for genetic variation across the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and to robustly test its main effects on aggression and its interaction with alcohol exposure. We also modeled aggression as a latent variable comprising various indices, including the average and maximum levels of aggression, the earliest trial on which aggression was expressed, and the proportion of trials on which the minimum and maximum levels of aggression were expressed. The best fitting model for the genetic variation across OXTR included six factors derived from an exploratory factor analysis, roughly corresponding to six haplotype blocks. Aggression levels were higher on trials in which participants were administered alcohol, won, or were provoked. There was a significant main effect of OXTR on aggression across studies after controlling for covariates. The interaction of OXTR and alcohol was also significant across studies, such that OXTR had stronger effects on aggression in the alcohol administration condition. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relations between Alcohol, Violence and Victimization in Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepherd, J. P.; Sutherland, I.; Newcombe, R. G.

2006-01-01

Background: Compared to links between alcohol and aggression, links between alcohol and vulnerability are poorly understood. Objectives: To determine whether there is a significant relationship between vulnerability to physical violence and alcohol consumption in adolescence independent of a relationship between alcohol consumption and violent…

South Korean alcohol free associations: negative expectancy not predicting drinks per occasion.

PubMed

Mahoney, Benjamin J; Graham, Deborah; Cottrell, David; Kim, Kyung-Yong

2012-06-01

Cultural and biological particulars existing in East Asian countries are likely to mediate differences in the alcohol consumption experience. Despite this no research to date has directly explored the alcohol free association or expectancy of any East Asian nations. The current research aims to provide a set of South Korean alcohol expectancies. Two hundred and thirty-seven South Koreans participated in an alcohol free association test and completed a demographic survey. The results both confirmed and contradicted areas of past alcohol expectancy research. There appears to be differences in associates with high probability of recall and alcohol expectancy, where negative, negative sedating and sedating expectancy categories were not found to be predictors of South Korean drinker level. The results suggest that South Koreans have a more even level of negative expectancy across all drinker categories, possibly due to a combination of linguistic, cultural and biological difference found among this population. The results provide a list of South Korean alcohol free association norms for future alcohol research in the region, with the results also underlining the need for alcohol free association tests among East Asian nations. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

“Yes, I Do But Not With You”-Qualitative Analyses of Sexual/Romantic Overture-related Aggression in Bars and Clubs

PubMed Central

Graham, Kathryn; Wells, Samantha; Bernards, Sharon; Dennison, Susan

2010-01-01

Assaultive and aggressive behaviors related to sexual overtures are common in commercial drinking establishments (bars, pubs and clubs). In this paper, we examined the thematic content of 251 incidents of verbal and physical aggression related to sexual/romantic overtures documented by researcher-observers in a study of Toronto bar and clubs. Aggression was examined as it emerged in the following stages of the social interaction process: (a) sexual/romantic overtures that began aggressively; (b) initiators of sexual/romantic overtures who became aggressive later in the social interaction process; (c) aggression by targets of overtures; and (d) aggression by third parties. From these thematic analyses, we identify the distinctions between predatory and genuine overtures and explore the potential role of the effects of alcohol. In these social overtures, aggression occurred as part of the initial overture, during the interaction following the overture (i.e., aggression by the person who made the initial overture, by the target or third parties) and in response to rejection by the target. Targets of overtures responded aggressively to perceived inappropriate overtures; third parties played important aggressive and nonaggressive roles; and alcohol intoxication was identified as contributing to aggression in a number of ways. The theoretical significance and practical implications for prevention of the findings are discussed. PMID:21625360

The Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS): predictors of alcohol attitudes and expectancies in Hispanic national groups.

PubMed

Mills, Britain A; Caetano, Raul

2010-05-01

Multiple theoretical frameworks identify attitudes and expectancies as important predictors of alcohol behavior. Few studies have examined demographic predictors of these evaluative and belief-based cognitive mediators in the general population, and none have examined them in large-scale studies of Hispanics, a group at higher risk for drinking behavior and problems. This study probes the extent to which dimensions of attitudes and expectancies share common demographic predictors in a large sample of Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and South/Central Americans. The 2006 Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS) used a multistage cluster sample design to interview 5,224 individuals randomly selected from households in Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Houston, and Los Angeles. This study focused on 2,773 respondents self-identified as current drinkers. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of positive and negative dimensions of attitudes and expectancies, controlling for various background variables. Religious affiliation selectively predicted alcohol attitudes, with Catholics having more positive and fewer negative attitudes than other religious groups. Hispanic group selectively predicted alcohol expectancies, with Cuban-Americans having less positive and less negative expectancies than other groups. Being U.S.-born or male predicted more positive attitudes and expectancies, but birthplace and gender did not predict negative dimensions of attitudes or expectancies. Higher acculturation and more education were linked to a decreased tendency to agree with any item. Age was positively and negatively associated with negative expectancies and positive attitudes, respectively, and having never been married, higher income, and unemployment were each linked to fewer negative attitudes. Although there is some overlap, attitudes and expectancies are influenced by different sociodemographic variables. Positive and negative

Stressful life events increase aggression and alcohol use in young carriers of the GABRA2 rs279826/rs279858 A-allele.

PubMed

Kiive, Evelyn; Laas, Kariina; Vaht, Mariliis; Veidebaum, Toomas; Harro, Jaanus

2017-08-01

Research of GABRA2 gene in alcohol use and impulse control suggests its role in aggressive behaviour. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of GABRA2 genotype and stressful life events on aggressive behaviour, alcohol use frequency and occurrence of alcohol use disorder in a population representative sample of adolescents followed up from third grade to 25 years of age. The sample consisted of the younger cohort of the longitudinal Estonian Children Personality, Behaviour and Health Study. Aggressive behaviour was rated with the activity scale of af Klinteberg, Illinois Bully Scale and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Stressful life events and alcohol use were self-reported. Life history of aggression and lifetime occurrence of psychiatric disorders were estimated in a structured interview. The sample was genotyped for GABRA2 rs279826 and rs279858 polymorphisms that are in strong linkage disequilibrium and yielded very similar findings: Higher number of stressful life events reported at age 15 was associated with increased fighting in A-allele carriers, but not in GG homozygotes. At age 25, A-allele carriers with more stressful life events scored higher on physical aggression than those with less stress, and this was also observed regarding life history of aggression. A-allele carriers exposed to higher stress had consumed alcoholic beverages more frequently at age 15, and by age 25, they had alcohol use disorder with higher prevalence. The results of the present study suggest that the GABRA2 genotype interacts with stress in young people with impact on the development of alcohol use and aggressive behaviour. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Reliability and Validity of the Alcohol Consequences Expectations Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arriola, Kimberly R. Jacob; Usdan, Stuart; Mays, Darren; Weitzel, Jessica Aungst; Cremeens, Jennifer; Martin, Ryan J.; Borba, Christina; Bernhardt, Jay M.

2009-01-01

Objectives: To examine the reliability and validity of a new measure of alcohol outcome expectations for college students, the Alcohol Consequences Expectations Scale (ACES). Methods: College students (N = 169) completed the ACES and several other measures. Results: Results support the existence of 5 internally consistent subscales. Additionally,…

College Student Employment and Drinking: A Daily Study of Work Stressors, Alcohol Expectancies, and Alcohol Consumption

PubMed Central

Butler, Adam B.; Dodge, Kama D.; Faurote, Eric J.

2010-01-01

We examined the within-person relationships between daily work stressors and alcohol consumption over 14 consecutive days in a sample of 106 employed college students. Using a tension reduction theoretical framework, we predicted that exposure to work stressors would increase alcohol consumption by employed college students, particularly for men and those with stronger daily expectancies about the tension reducing properties of alcohol. After controlling for day of the week, we found that hours worked were positively related to number of drinks consumed. Workload was unrelated to alcohol consumption, and work-school conflict was negatively related to consumption, particularly when students expressed strong beliefs in the tension reducing properties of alcohol. There was no evidence that the effects of work stressors were moderated by gender. The results illustrate that employment during the academic year plays a significant role in college student drinking and suggest that the employment context may be an appropriate intervention site to address the problem of student drinking. PMID:20604635

The effect of life expectancy on aggression and generativity: a life history perspective.

PubMed

Dunkel, Curtis S; Mathes, Eugene; Papini, Dennis R

2010-09-23

Following a model that is inclusive of both dispositional and situational influences on life-history behaviors and attitudes, the effect of life expectancies on aggression and generativity was examined. Consistent with the hypotheses it was found that shorter life expectancies led to an increase in the desire to aggress and a decrease in the desire to engage in generative behaviors. The results are discussed in terms of how life history theory can be used to frame research on person-situation interactions.

The Proximal Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Male-to-Female Aggression: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Experimental Literature

PubMed Central

Crane, Cory A.; Godleski, Stephanie A.; Przybyla, Sarahmona M.; Schlauch, Robert C.; Testa, Maria

2015-01-01

The current meta-analytic review examined the experimental literature to quantify the causal effect of acute alcohol consumption on self-reported and observed indicators of male-to-female general, sexual, and intimate partner aggression. Database and reference list searches yielded 22 studies conducted between 1981 and 2014 that met all criteria for inclusion and that were subjected to full text coding for analysis. Results detected a significant overall effect (d = .36), indicating that male participants who consumed alcohol evidenced greater aggressive behavior toward females while completing a subsequent laboratory aggression paradigm than male participants who received no alcohol. We found homogeneity across all categories of potential moderator variables. Results further indicated that alcohol resulted in comparable increases of male-to-female sexual (d = .32) and intimate partner (d = .45) aggression. Further research is required to draw meaningful conclusions about individual and situational factors that may interact with acute alcohol consumption to produce the highest levels of risk. PMID:26009568

The Proximal Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Male-to-Female Aggression: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Experimental Literature.

PubMed

Crane, Cory A; Godleski, Stephanie A; Przybyla, Sarahmona M; Schlauch, Robert C; Testa, Maria

2016-12-01

The current meta-analytic review examined the experimental literature to quantify the causal effect of acute alcohol consumption on self-reported and observed indicators of male-to-female general, sexual, and intimate partner aggression. Database and reference list searches yielded 22 studies conducted between 1981 and 2014 that met all criteria for inclusion and that were subjected to full text coding for analysis. Results detected a significant overall effect (d = .36), indicating that male participants who consumed alcohol evidenced greater aggressive behavior toward females while completing a subsequent laboratory aggression paradigm than male participants who received no alcohol. We found homogeneity across all categories of potential moderator variables. Results further indicated that alcohol resulted in comparable increases of male-to-female sexual (d = .32) and intimate partner (d = .45) aggression. Further research is required to draw meaningful conclusions about individual and situational factors that may interact with acute alcohol consumption to produce the highest levels of risk. © The Author(s) 2015.

Intimate Partner Aggression Reporting Concordance and Correlates of Agreement among Men with Alcohol Use Disorders and Their Female Partners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panuzio, Jillian; O'Farrell, Timothy J.; Marshall, Amy D.; Murphy, Christopher M.; Murphy, Marie; Taft, Casey T.

2006-01-01

This study examined relationship aggression reporting concordance among 303 men with alcohol use disorders and their female partners enrolled in couples-based alcohol abuse treatment. Agreement for physical and psychological aggression was generally consistent with, or higher than, concordance rates reported among other populations. Men's…

A conceptual model predicting internalizing problems in middle childhood among children of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fathers: the role of marital aggression.

PubMed

Eiden, Rina D; Molnar, Danielle S; Colder, Craig; Edwards, Ellen P; Leonard, Kenneth E

2009-09-01

The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model predicting children's anxiety/depression in middle childhood in a community sample of children with parents who had alcohol problems (n = 112) and those without alcohol problems (n = 101). The conceptual model examined the role of parents' alcohol diagnoses, depression, and antisocial behavior among parents of children ages 12 months to kindergarten age in predicting marital aggression and parental aggravation. Higher levels of marital aggression and parental aggravation were hypothesized to predict children's depression/anxiety within time (18 months to kindergarten age and, prospectively, to age during fourth grade). The sample was recruited from New York State birth records when the children were 12 months old. Assessments were conducted at 12, 18, 24, and 36 months; at kindergarten age; and during fourth grade. Children with alcoholic fathers had higher depression/anxiety scores according to parental reports but not self-reports. Structural equations modeling was largely supportive of the conceptual model. Fathers' alcoholism was associated with higher child anxiety via greater levels of marital aggression among families with alcohol problems. Results also indicated that there was a significant indirect association between parents' depression symptoms and child anxiety via marital aggression. The results highlight the nested nature of risk characteristics in alcoholic families and the important role of marital aggression in predicting children's anxiety/depression. Interventions targeting both parents' alcohol problems and associated marital aggression are likely to provide the dual benefits of improving family interactions and lowering risk of children's internalizing behavior problems.

Gender differences in trait aggression in young adults with drug and alcohol dependence compared to the general population.

PubMed

Bácskai, Erika; Czobor, Pál; Gerevich, József

2011-07-01

Data in gender differences in aggression among alcohol and drug dependent subjects are lacking, and no published data are available about gender differences among various subtypes of substance using populations. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to investigate gender differences with regard to types of trait aggression in substance dependent young populations (age: 20-35 years) compared to the general population. Subjects were selected from two clinical samples with a diagnosis of alcohol and drug dependence as well as from a representative sample of the general population. Trait aggression was measured by the four individual subscales of the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (physical-PA, verbal aggression-VA, hostility-H and anger AN) whereas alcohol and drug use were characterized by the AUDIT and EuroADAD scales, respectively. Alcohol and drug dependent subjects showed higher severity on all four subscales of trait aggression compared to the general population. The male-female difference was the highest in the cannabis group. General Linear Model analysis for PA indicated a significant main effect of gender (higher PA for males, p=0.034) with no interaction between substance dependence and gender. For VA, no main effect or interaction for gender was found. Effect sizes for gender difference indicated that while males and females were similar in the control group in the severity in H and A, the level of H and AN was substantially higher in females than in males in the clinical group. These differences between the two genders reached statistical significance in the marijuana group, where female subjects showed a significantly higher severity in these two domains. Compared to the normal sample chronic substance use is associated with higher scores on certain factors of trait aggression, including hostility and anger, in females than in males. Our data suggest that aggression in substance dependent females is more provocable by chronic use of alcohol and

Do Alcohol Expectancy Outcomes and Valuations Mediate Peer Influences and Lifetime Alcohol Use among Early Adolescents?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamboanga, Byron L.; Schwartz, Seth J.; Ham, Lindsay S.; Jarvis, Lorna Hernandez; Olthuis, Janine V.

2009-01-01

Building on the theory of reasoned action (I. Ajzen & M. Fishbein, 1973, 1980; M. Fishbein & I. Ajzen, 1975) and expectancy theory, the authors examined the mediating role of alcohol expectancies in adolescent drinking behaviors by testing whether alcohol expectancy outcomes and valuations (the extent to which these outcomes are perceived…

Adolescents' Social Reasoning about Relational Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Sara E.; Tisak, Marie S.

2010-01-01

We examined early adolescents' reasoning about relational aggression, and the links that their reasoning has to their own relationally aggressive behavior. Thinking about relational aggression was compared to thinking about physical aggression, conventional violations, and personal behavior. In individual interviews, adolescents (N = 103) rated…

Relational Aggression and Physical Aggression among Adolescent Cook Islands Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Angela; Smith, Lisa F.

2016-01-01

Both physical and relational aggression are characterised by the intent to harm another. Physical aggression includes direct behaviours such as hitting or kicking; relational aggression involves behaviours designed to damage relationships, such as excluding others, spreading rumours, and delivering threats and verbal abuse. This study extended…

Is expectancy reality? Associations between tension reduction beliefs and mood following alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Merrill, Jennifer E; Wardell, Jeffrey D; Read, Jennifer P

2009-12-01

The present study investigated whether tension reduction expectancies were uniquely associated with self-reported mood following in-lab alcohol administration, given that little research has addressed this association. We also tested whether level of experience with alcohol, which may influence the learning of expectancies, moderated expectancy-mood associations. Regularly drinking college students (N = 145) recruited through advertisements completed self-report measures of positive alcohol expectancies, alcohol involvement, demographics, and pre- and post-drinking mood, and then consumed alcohol ad libitum up to four drinks in the laboratory. Regression analyses controlling for pre-consumption mood, blood alcohol concentration, and all other positive expectancies showed tension reduction expectancies to be a marginally significant positive predictor of negative mood post-drinking. This association was significant only for those who achieved lower blood alcohol concentrations in lab and those who reported less involvement with alcohol (i.e., lower typical quantity, heavy episodic drinking frequency, and years of regular drinking). Findings suggest that associations between expectations for mood and actual post-drinking mood outcomes may operate differently for less versus more involved drinkers. Clinical implications pertain to early intervention, when expectancies may be less ingrained and perhaps more readily modified.

The Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS): Predictors of alcohol attitudes and expectancies in Hispanic national groups

PubMed Central

Mills, Britain A.; Caetano, Raul

2012-01-01

Background Multiple theoretical frameworks identify attitudes and expectancies as important predictors of alcohol behavior. Few studies have examined demographic predictors of these evaluative and belief-based cognitive mediators in the general population, and none have examined them in large-scale studies of Hispanics, a group at higher risk for drinking behavior and problems. This study probes the extent to which dimensions of attitudes and expectancies share common demographic predictors in a large sample of Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and South/Central Americans. Methods The 2006 Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS) used a multistage cluster sample design to interview 5,224 individuals randomly selected from households in Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Houston, and Los Angeles. This study focused on 2,773 respondents self-identified as current drinkers. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of positive and negative dimensions of attitudes and expectancies, controlling for various background variables. Results Religious affiliation selectively predicted alcohol attitudes, with Catholics having more positive and fewer negative attitudes than other religious groups. Hispanic group selectively predicted alcohol expectancies, with Cuban-Americans having less positive and less negative expectancies than other groups. Being U.S.-born or male predicted more positive attitudes and expectancies, but birthplace and gender did not predict negative dimensions of attitudes or expectancies. Higher acculturation and more education were linked to a decreased tendency to agree with any item. Age was positively and negatively associated with negative expectancies and positive attitudes, respectively, and having never been married, higher income, and unemployment were each linked to fewer negative attitudes. Conclusions Although there is some overlap, attitudes and expectancies are influenced by different sociodemographic

The gendered trouble with alcohol: young people managing alcohol related violence.

PubMed

Lindsay, Jo

2012-05-01

Alcohol related violence is a troubling backdrop to the social lives and relationships of many young people in post-industrial societies. The development of the night-time economy where young people are encouraged to drink heavily in entertainment precincts has increased the risk of violence. This paper reports on 60 individual structured in-depth interviews about the drinking biographies of young people (aged 20-24) living in Victoria, Australia. Twenty-six males and 34 females participated in the research. The participants discussed their experiences with alcohol over their life course to date. The material on alcohol related violence is analysed in this paper. Just over half of the participants (33/60) recounted negative experiences with alcohol related violence. The findings demonstrate the continuing gendered nature of experiences of perpetration and victimization. Participants reported that aggression and violence perpetrated by some men was fuelled by alcohol consumption and required ongoing management. Experiences of violence were also spatialized. Men were more likely to report managing and avoiding violence in particular public settings whilst more women than men discussed managing violence in domestic settings. The central argument of this paper is that incidents of alcohol related violence and reactions to it are specific gender performances that occur in specific socio-cultural contexts. In contrast to research which has found some young people enjoy the adventure and excitement of alcohol related violence the mainstream participants in this study saw violence as a negative force to be managed and preferably avoided. Understanding violence as a dynamic gender performance complicates the development of policy measures designed to minimize harm but also offers a more holistic approach to developing effective policy in this domain. There is a need for greater acknowledgement that alcohol related violence in public venues and in families is primarily about

A review of expectancy theory and alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Jones, B T; Corbin, W; Fromme, K

2001-01-01

Research is reviewed on the association between alcohol outcome expectancies and consumption which has led many to argue that manipulating expectancies might be a route to manipulating consumption for problem prevention and treatment. Studies indirectly and directly evaluating this latter position are reviewed. Expectancies predicting treatment outcome: two studies have shown that the more positive expectancies held at treatment, the poorer is treatment outcome, but five other studies have failed to find this. Three related studies have shown that the more negative expectancies held at treatment, the better the treatment outcome. This evaluation provides evidence inconsistent with the main position for positive expectancy and limited support for negative. Expectancy manipulations and ad libitum consumption: three studies in the laboratory have shown that increasing positive expectancies through word priming increases subsequent consumption and two studies have shown that increasing negative expectancies decreases it. A single study in the field showed a similar relationship. This evaluation provides evidence consistent with the main position but is limited by measuring consumption changes over only 1-2 hours. Prevention programmes with expectancy components: seven projects are reviewed in which positive expectancies were targeted, but only two report an expectancy change analysis and in both cases the expectancy change did not relate to subsequent consumption. This evaluation provides evidence inconsistent with the main position. Expectancy challenge: two related studies are reviewed in which positive expectancy challenges reduce subsequent consumption but changes in expectancy were not evaluated as predictors of consumption change. Two studies are reviewed which found a reduction in positive expectancy following expectancy challenge but no reduction in consumption. One study is reviewed in which when negative expectancy was increased in treatment there was a

Interactions Between Internalizing Symptoms and Urgency in the Prediction of Alcohol Use and Expectancies Among Low-Income, Minority Early Adolescents

PubMed Central

Marmorstein, Naomi R.

2015-01-01

This study examined whether urgency, a disposition to rash action under conditions of strong emotion, moderates associations between internalizing symptoms and alcohol use and related expectancies. Data from the Camden Youth Development Study, a longitudinal, community-based study of early adolescents (N = 144, mean age at intake = 11.9 years; 65% Hispanic, 30% African-American; 50% male), were used. Self-report questionnaire measures of depressive symptoms, social and generalized anxiety symptoms, urgency, alcohol use, and alcohol expectancies were used. Mixed models were used to examine the effects of internalizing symptoms, urgency, and their interaction on alcohol use and expectancy trajectories over time. Depressive symptoms interacted with urgency such that youth with high levels of both tended to have elevated levels of global positive alcohol expectancies. Social anxiety symptoms interacted with urgency to be associated with increasing levels of social behavior alcohol expectancies such that youth with high levels of both tended to experience particular increases in these expectancies over time. Generalized anxiety was not found to be associated with alcohol-related constructs. Therefore, high levels of urgency combine with depressive and social anxiety symptoms to be associated with particularly increased risk for alcohol expectancies that are associated with later alcohol use and problems, indicating particular risk for youth with these combinations of personality traits and psychopathology symptoms. PMID:27512337

The Expected Personality Characteristics of Alcohol-Dependent Individuals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malouff, John M.; Schutte, Nicola S.

2002-01-01

Uses the Big Five personality factors as a framework for examining the expected personality characteristics of individuals who are alcohol-dependent. Results help explain prior findings about the social handicap of problem drinking with regard to making friends, dating, marriage, and working. Findings have potential use in alcohol-problem…

The Relation Between Trait Mindfulness and Aggression in Men Seeking Residential Substance Use Treatment

PubMed Central

Shorey, Ryan C.; Anderson, Scott; Stuart, Gregory L.

2015-01-01

There has been an abundance of research in recent years on mindfulness, including mindfulness within individuals seeking substance use treatment. However, to date, there has been no research on whether trait mindfulness is associated with increased aggression among individuals seeking substance use treatment. Past research has demonstrated that individuals in substance use treatment evidence higher levels of aggression than non-substance abusers, and preliminary research has shown that trait mindfulness is inversely associated with aggression in non-substance-use treatment-seeking populations. The current study examined whether trait mindfulness was associated with aggression among men seeking residential substance use treatment (N = 116). Results demonstrated that lower trait mindfulness was associated with increased aggression (physical, verbal, and aggressive attitude). Moreover, this relation held for both verbal aggression and aggressive attitude after controlling for alcohol use, drug use, and age, all known predictors of aggression. Findings provide the first evidence that mindfulness is negatively associated with aggression among men in substance use treatment, which could have important implications for intervention. That is, mindfulness-based interventions may prove helpful for the treatment of both substance use and aggression. PMID:25192702

The moderating role of implicit alcohol-related cognitions in hazardous alcohol use

PubMed Central

Cavanagh, Lucia; Obasi, Ezemenari M.

2015-01-01

The present study applied the Go/No-Go Association Test (GNAT; Nosek & Banaji, 2001) to measure alcohol-related implicit cognitions. Additionally, it assessed the role of implicit cognitions as a potential moderator in the relationship between explicit predictors of alcohol use and hazardous drinking behavior. University undergraduate students (N = 214) completed self-report questionnaires assessing reasons for drinking and reported alcohol use. Participants also completed two GNATs assessing implicit-alcohol-related cognitions associated with attitude (good-bad) and perceived safety (safe-dangerous). As expected, participants held implicit appraisals of alcohol as ‘‘bad’’ and ‘‘dangerous’’ in the context of nonalcoholic drinks, and as ‘‘good’’ and ‘‘safe’’ in the context of licit and illicit drugs. Implicit alcohol-related cognitions moderated the relationship between drinking to cope with negative affect and hazardous drinking and drinking due to cues or craving and hazardous drinking. These findings highlight the multidimensional nature of implicit cognitions and the role of negative implicit alcohol-related associations in moderating relationships between explicit processes and subsequent alcohol use behaviors. PMID:26989352

Review of Survey and Experimental Research That Examines the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and Men's Sexual Aggression Perpetration

PubMed Central

Abbey, Antonia; Wegner, Rhiana; Woerner, Jacqueline; Pegram, Sheri E.; Pierce, Jennifer

2015-01-01

This article systematically reviews empirical studies that examine associations between alcohol consumption and men's sexual aggression with the goal of identifying major findings; gaps in current knowledge; and directions for future research, practice, and policy. We identified 25 cross-sectional surveys, 6 prospective studies, and 12 alcohol administration experiments published between 1993 and August 2013 with male college students and young adult (nonincarcerated) samples. Many cross-sectional surveys have demonstrated that distal and proximal measures of men's alcohol consumption are positively associated with sexual assault perpetration, although very few of these studies evaluated how alcohol interacts with other risk and protective factors to exacerbate or inhibit sexual aggression. There are surprisingly few surveys that examine alcohol's effects at the event level and over short-time intervals to identify how changes in alcohol consumption are associated with changes in perpetration status. Alcohol administration studies suggest some important mechanisms that warrant additional investigation. PMID:24776459

The Overlap of Youth Violence Among Aggressive Adolescents with Past-Year Alcohol Use—A Latent Class Analysis: Aggression and Victimization in Peer and Dating Violence in an Inner City Emergency Department Sample

PubMed Central

Whiteside, Lauren K.; Ranney, Megan L.; Chermack, Stephen T.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Cunningham, Rebecca M.; Walton, Maureen A.

2013-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify overlap and violence types between peer and dating aggression and victimization using latent class analysis (LCA) among a sample of aggressive adolescents with a history of alcohol use and to identify risk and protective factors associated with each violence class. Method: From September 2006 to September 2009, a systematic sample of patients (14–18 years old) seeking care in an urban emergency department were approached. Adolescents reporting any past-year alcohol use and aggression completed a survey using validated measures including types of violence (severe and moderate aggression, severe and moderate victimization with both peers and dating partners). Using LCA, violence classes were identified; correlates of membership in each LCA class were determined. Results: Among this sample (n = 694), LCA identified three classes described as (a) peer aggression (PA) (52.2%), (b) peer aggression + peer victimization (PAPV) (18.6%), and (c) multiple domains of violence (MDV) (29.3%). Compared with those in the PA class, those in the PAPV class were more likely to be male, report injury in a fight, and have delinquent peers. Compared with the PA class, those in the MDV class were more likely to be female, African American, report injury in a fight, carry a weapon, experience negative consequences from alcohol use, and have delinquent peers and more family conflict. Compared with the PAPV class, those in the MDV class were likely to be female, African American, receive public assistance, carry a weapon, experience negative consequences from alcohol use, and use marijuana. Conclusions: There is extensive overlap of victimization and aggression in both peer and dating relationships. Also, those with high rates of violence across relationships have increased alcohol misuse and marijuana use. Thus, violence-prevention efforts should consider addressing concomitant substance use. PMID:23200158

Direct and indirect effects of alcohol expectancies through drinking motives on alcohol outcomes among students in Vietnam.

PubMed

Diep, Pham Bich; Schelleman-Offermans, K; Kuntsche, E; De Vries, Nanne; Knibbe, Ronald A

2016-01-01

To investigate whether the links between alcohol expectancies (tension reduction; global positive change; improved cognitive and motor abilities; and change in social behavior) and alcohol outcomes (drinking volume, 6+ drinks, alcohol problems, and symptoms of alcohol dependence) are mediated by drinking motives (social, enhancement, conformity, and coping). A multi-stage sampling strategy was used in four Vietnamese provinces, resulting in a final sample of 4756 students (43.2% females) with mean age 20.6 (SD 1.8) years. Structural equation models, including indirect effects, were estimated for women and men separately. Overall, there were many cases of full mediation (indirect effects range from -0.006 to 0.083 and p-values from <0.05 to <0.001) and little indication of partial mediation (indirect effects range from -0.009 to 0.025 and p-values from <0.05 to <0.001). In both men and women, coping motives most frequently mediated the influence of expectancies on alcohol outcomes. Among men, enhancement motives and, to a lesser extent, social motives also played a role in mediating the effects of expectancies on alcohol outcomes. Among women, full mediation was found far less often and less consistently. By confirming that, in Vietnam, motives mediate the link between expectancies and drinking behavior, this study supports the cultural robustness of a key assumption of the motivational model (i.e. that drinking motives are more closely associated with alcohol use than expectancies). Enhancement, coping and social motives are most frequently found as mediators among male students whereas coping motive only is most frequently found as a mediator among female students. As most of the effects of expectancies were mediated by motives, drinking motives appear to be a promising factor for interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alcohol Expectancies and Drinking Behaviors among College Students with Disordered Eating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rush, Christina C.; Curry, John F.; Looney, John G.

2016-01-01

Objective: The authors investigated binge drinking, alcohol expectancies, and risky and protective drinking behaviors in relation to disordered eating behaviors in male and female college students. Participants: The full sample consisted of 7,720 undergraduate students, 18 to 22 years of age. Drinking behaviors were analyzed in 4,592 recent…

Longitudinal Relations between Beliefs Supporting Aggression,Anger Regulation, and Dating Aggression among Early Adolescents.

PubMed

Sullivan, Terri N; Garthe, Rachel C; Goncy, Elizabeth A; Carlson, Megan M; Behrhorst, Kathryn L

2017-05-01

Dating aggression occurs frequently in early to mid-adolescence and has negative repercussions for psychosocial adjustment and physical health. The patterns of behavior learned during this developmental timeframe may persist in future dating relationships, underscoring the need to identify risk factors for this outcome. The current study examined longitudinal relations between beliefs supporting aggression, anger regulation, and dating aggression. Participants were 176 middle school students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade (50 % female; 82 % African American). No direct effects were found between beliefs supporting reactive or proactive aggression and dating aggression. Beliefs supporting reactive aggression predicted increased rates of anger dysregulation, and beliefs supporting proactive aggression led to subsequent increases in anger inhibition. Anger dysregulation and inhibition were associated with higher frequencies of dating aggression. An indirect effect was found for the relation between beliefs supporting reactive aggression and dating aggression via anger dysregulation. Another indirect effect emerged for the relation between beliefs supporting proactive aggression and dating aggression through anger inhibition. The study's findings suggested that beliefs supporting proactive and reactive aggression were differentially related to emotion regulation processes, and identified anger dysregulation and inhibition as risk factors for dating aggression among adolescents.

Relational Aggression and Academic Performance in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risser, Scott D.

2013-01-01

To investigate the relationship between relational aggression and school performance, this study examined the relative and combined associations among relational aggression, overt aggression, and victimization and children's academic performance. Additionally this study examined the relative associations among relational and overt aggression and…

Relational and Overt Aggression in Urban India: Associations with Peer Relations and Best Friends' Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowker, Julie C.; Ostrov, Jamie M.; Raja, Radhi

2012-01-01

This study explored the associations between relational and overt aggression and social status, and tested whether the peer correlates of aggression vary as a function of best friends' aggression during early adolescence in urban India. One hundred and ninety-four young adolescents from primarily middle-to-upper-class families in Surat, India…

Children's moral emotions, narratives, and aggression: relations with maternal discipline and support.

PubMed

Arsenio, William; Ramos-Marcuse, Fatima

2014-01-01

Children who attribute more positive emotions to hypothetical moral victimizers are typically more aggressive and have more behavior problems. Little is known, however, about when individual differences in these moral emotion attributions first emerge or about maternal correlates of these differences. In this study, 63 4-6-year-olds judged how they would feel after victimizing peers for gain and enacted event conclusions using narrative methods adapted from the MacArthur Story Stem Battery. In addition, children's mothers completed assessments of their disciplinary styles and social support, and children's aggressive tendencies were assessed based on ratings from mothers and a second familiar adult. Results revealed that most preschoolers expected to feel happy after their victimizing acts, but variations in happy victimization were unrelated to children's aggression. Several of children's narrative themes, including making amends (e.g., apologizing, reparations), aggressive acts, and mentions of death/killing, however, were related to children's aggression. Moreover, two maternal disciplinary dimensions, higher warmth and reasoning, as well as greater social support were also related to lower child aggression. Children's emotion attributions and moral narratives, however, were unrelated to maternal disciplinary practices or social support.

Age Differences in Alcohol and Cocaine Expectancies and Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigelman, Carol K.; Weir, Catherine; Davies, Elizabeth; Silk, Alyson

2002-01-01

Positive and negative expectancies regarding the behavioral effects of alcohol and cocaine were assessed and used to predict attitudes toward their use across four age groups. Children and adolescents appeared to overgeneralize their beliefs about alcohol to a less familiar drug, cocaine, perceiving the effects of the two drugs similarly. Only…

Watching and drinking: Expectancies, prototypes, and peer affiliations mediate the effect of exposure to alcohol use in movies on adolescent drinking

PubMed Central

Dal Cin, Sonya; Worth, Keilah A.; Gerrard, Meg; Gibbons, Frederick X.; Stoolmiller, Mike; Wills, Thomas A.; Sargent, James D.

2009-01-01

Objective To investigate the psychological processes that underlie the relation between exposure to alcohol use in media with adolescent alcohol use. Design Structural equation modeling analysis of data from four waves of a longitudinal, nationally-representative, random-digit dial telephone survey of adolescents in the United States. Main Outcome Measures Adolescent alcohol consumption and willingness to use alcohol. Tested mediators were alcohol-related norms, prototypes, expectancies, and friends' use. Results Alcohol prototypes, expectancies, willingness, and friends' use of alcohol (but not perceived prevalence of alcohol use among peers) were significant mediators of the relation between movie alcohol exposure and alcohol consumption, even after controlling for demographic, child, and family factors associated with both movie exposure and alcohol consumption. Conclusion Established psychological and interpersonal predictors of alcohol use mediate the effects of exposure to alcohol use in movies on adolescent alcohol consumption. The findings suggest that exposure movie portrayals may operate through similar processes as other social influences, highlighting the importance of considering these exposures in research on adolescent risk behavior. PMID:19594272

The role of teacher behavior in children's relational aggression development: A five-wave longitudinal study.

PubMed

Weyns, Tessa; Verschueren, Karine; Leflot, Geertje; Onghena, Patrick; Wouters, Sofie; Colpin, Hilde

2017-10-01

The present article examined the development of relational aggression in middle childhood and the effects of observed teacher behavior on this development. Relying on social learning theory, we expected that teacher praise would slow down the increase of relational aggression, whereas teacher reprimands would promote the increase of relational aggression. A sample of 570 children (49% boys, M age =7years and 5months, >95% Belgian) was followed from second to fourth grade. Teacher praise and reprimands were observed at the beginning of second grade. Child relational aggression was assessed using teacher and peer reports, collected at five points in time: at the beginning and end of the second grade, at the beginning and end of the third grade, and at the end of the fourth grade. Multilevel modeling showed that relational aggression generally increased from second to fourth grade. Moreover, when teachers displayed more praise, students' relational aggression increased at a slower rate; when teachers displayed more reprimands, students' relational aggression increased at a faster rate. Overall, the results stress the importance of supporting teachers to reduce reprimands and increase praise when interacting with children. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parent–Child Aggression Risk in Expectant Mothers and Fathers: A Multimethod Theoretical Approach

PubMed Central

Smith, Tamika L.; Silvia, Paul J.

2016-01-01

The current investigation evaluated whether cognitive processes characteristic of the Social Information Processing model predicted parent-child aggression (PCA) risk independent of personal vulnerabilities and resiliencies. This study utilized a multimethod approach, including analog tasks, with a diverse sample of 203 primiparous expectant mothers and 151 of their partners. Factors considered in this study included PCA approval attitudes, empathy, reactivity, negative child attributions, compliance expectations, and knowledge of non-physical discipline alternatives; additionally, vulnerabilities included psychopathology symptoms, domestic violence victimization, and substance use, whereas resiliencies included perceived social support, partner relationship satisfaction, and coping efficacy. For both mothers and fathers, findings supported the role of greater approval of PCA attitudes, lower empathy, more overreactivity, more negative attributions, and higher compliance expectations in relation to elevated risk of PCA. Moreover, personal vulnerabilities and resiliencies related to PCA risk for mothers; however, fathers and mothers differed on the nature of these relationships with respect to vulnerabilities as well as aspects of empathy and PCA approval attitudes. Findings provide evidence for commonalities in many of the factors investigated between mothers and fathers with some notable distinctions. Results are discussed in terms of how findings could inform prevention programs. PMID:28082826

Approach and avoidance towards aggressive stimuli and its relation to reactive and proactive aggression.

PubMed

Lobbestael, Jill; Cousijn, Janna; Brugman, Suzanne; Wiers, Reinout W

2016-06-30

This study assessed the association between indirectly measured behavioural approach- and avoidance-related tendencies on the one hand, and reactive versus proactive aggression on the other hand. Reactive aggression (i.e. the impulsive, anger-driven aggression expressed in response to threatening stimuli) was differentiated from proactive aggression (i.e. the more controlled aggression motivated towards obtaining specific goals). A mixed sample of 118 patients and healthy controls filled out a self-report measure to assess their degree of reactive and proactive aggression, and then performed an Approach Avoidance Task in which they were asked to pull or push a joystick in response to a format-feature of a series of pictures, irrespective of their contents. The pictorial stimuli used in this task included attack-related scenes and angry faces, along with neutral, positive and negative control stimuli. The results were controlled for the level of personality disorder pathology, gender, and age. The findings indicated that reactive but not proactive aggression was related to the relative behavioural tendency to approach attack-related scenes, along with positive stimuli. These findings reflect the hyper-reactivity of the approach-related reward system in reactive aggression, and further our knowledge into the distinct correlates and precursors of reactive and proactive aggression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family Based Prevention of Alcohol and Risky Sex for Older Teens

ClinicalTrials.gov

2018-05-08

Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol Intoxication; Alcohol Poison; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcohol Impairment; Alcohol Withdrawal; Alcohol Abstinence; Alcohol; Harmful Use; Sex Behavior; Sexual Aggression; Sexual Harassment; Relation, Interpersonal

Men's Alcohol Expectancies at Selected Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derby, Dustin C.

2011-01-01

Men's alcohol expectancies are an important cognitive-behavioral component of their consumption; yet, sparse research details such behaviors for men in two-year colleges. Selected for inclusion with the current study were 563 men from seven Illinois community colleges. Logistic regression analysis indicated four significant, positive relationships…

Measured Effect of Sexual Activities, Alcohol Consumption, Smoking and Aggression on Health Risk of Students in Rural Communities in Ikenne, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ezeokoli, Rita; Ofole, Ndidi M.

2015-01-01

This study examined the joint and relative contribution of sexual activities, alcohol consumption, smoking and aggression to the prediction of health risk of students in rural communities in Ogun State. Descriptive research design of correlational type was adopted. Multi-stage sampling Technique was used to draw 300 respondents from an…

Association between oxytocin and receptor genetic polymorphisms and aggression in a northern Chinese Han population with alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Yang, Ling; Wang, Fan; Wang, Meiling; Han, Mei; Hu, Lufeng; Zheng, Minghua; Ma, Ji; Kang, Yimin; Wang, Pengxiang; Sun, Hongqiang; Zuo, Wei; Xie, Longteng; Wang, Aiju; Yu, Dongsheng; Liu, Yanlong

2017-01-01

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a common chronic brain disorder precipitated by complex interactions between biological, genetic, and environmental risk factors. Aggression often occurs in the context of AD. Previous studies have shown that Oxytocin (OXT) and OXT receptor (OXTR) are involved in the regulation of aggression. The present study investigated whether variations and interactions of OXT and OXTR genes were associated with AD-related aggression in a genetically homogeneous northern Chinese Han population. Three hundred and twenty-four male AD patients and 510 male healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. A Chinese version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire was used as a subjective measurement of aggressive behavior. Three variations, rs2254298, rs53576, and rs6133010 were genotyped using TaqMan and ligase detection reaction for all subjects. Generalized Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction was used to detect interactions between genetic attributes and environmental attributes. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of rs6133010 were significantly different between AD patients and HCs (p<0.001). In HCs, the effect of genotype GG of rs53576 on hostility aggression was significantly stronger than that of genotype AA and AG (p=0.001 and p=0.004, respectively), and the subjects with the interaction combination of rs6133010AA×rs2254298GG×rs53576AG exhibited significant effect on physical aggression (p=0.0107). The present study found that rs6133010 in the OXT gene is associated with AD in the northern Chinese Han population. The polymorphisms of OXT/R may play a key role in the susceptibility of AD-related aggression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Positive Alcohol Expectancies in Underage Binge Drinking Among College Students

PubMed Central

McBride, Nicole M.; Barrett, Blake; Moore, Kathleen A.; Schonfeld, Lawrence

2014-01-01

Objective This study explored associations between positive alcohol expectancies, demographics, as well as academic status and binge drinking among underage college students. Participants A sample of 1,553 underage college students at three public universities and one college in the southeast who completed the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey in the spring 2013 semester. Methods A series of bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic and academic status variables as well as positive alcohol expectancies with self-reported binge drinking. Positive alcohol expectancies were examined in multivariable models via two factors derived from principal component analyses. Results Students who endorsed higher agreement of these two emergent factors (Sociability; Sexuality) were more likely to report an occurrence of binge drinking in the past two weeks. Conclusions Study results document associations between positive alcohol expectancies and binge drinking among underage students; implications for prevention and treatment are discussed. PMID:24678848

Effects of viewing relational aggression on television on aggressive behavior in adolescents: A three-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Coyne, Sarah M

2016-02-01

Most researchers on media and aggression have examined the behavioral effects of viewing physical aggression in the media. Conversely, in the current study, I examined longitudinal associations between viewing relational aggression on TV and subsequent aggressive behavior. Participants included 467 adolescents who completed a number of different questionnaires involving media and aggression at 3 different time points. Results revealed that viewing relational aggression on TV was longitudinally associated with future relational aggression. However, early levels of relational aggression did not predict future exposure to televised relational aggression. Conversely, there was a bidirectional relationship between TV violence and physical aggression over time. No longitudinal evidence was found for a general effect of viewing TV, as all significant media effects were specific to the type of aggression viewed. These results support the general aggression model and suggest that viewing relational aggression in the media can have a long-term effect on aggressive behavior during adolescence. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved.

Does drinking lead to sex? Daily alcohol-sex behaviors and expectancies among college students.

PubMed

Patrick, Megan E; Maggs, Jennifer L

2009-09-01

A within-person multilevel approach was used to model the links between alcohol use and sexual behavior among first-year college students, using up to 14 days of data for each person with occasions (Level 1, N = 2879 days) nested within people (Level 2, N = 218 people; 51.4% male). Between-persons (Level 2) effects were gender, relationship status, person means of alcohol use, and alcohol-sex expectancies for sexual affect and sexual drive. Within-person (Level 1) effects were weekend days, number of drinks consumed, and the interaction between drinks consumed and alcohol-sex expectancies. Independent of average alcohol use, consuming more drinks on a given day was associated with a greater likelihood of oral sex and with experiencing more positive consequences of sex that day. Significant Alcohol Use x Alcohol-Sex Expectancies interactions were found for oral sex and total sex behaviors, indicating that individuals with more positive expectancies were more likely to have sex after drinking. The negative association between drinks and condom use was at a trend level of significance. Results support the potential for promoting sexual health by focusing on cross-behavior expectancies among late adolescents. 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Positive and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences: Associations with Past Drinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Christine M.; Maggs, Jennifer L.; Neighbors, Clayton; Patrick, Megan E.

2011-01-01

While recent attention suggests that positive and negative alcohol-related expectancies are important determinants of alcohol use, less is known about what types of consequences young people report actually experiencing when drinking alcohol. The present study (N = 742, 54% women) examined positive (Fun/Social, Relaxation/Coping, Positive Image)…

Understanding the relationship between religiousness, spirituality, and underage drinking: the role of positive alcohol expectancies.

PubMed

Sauer-Zavala, Shannon; Burris, Jessica L; Carlson, Charles R

2014-02-01

Research has consistently found that religiousness and spirituality are negatively associated with underage drinking. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the mechanisms by which these variables influence this important outcome. With 344 underage young adults (ages 18-20; 61 % women), we investigated positive alcohol expectancies as a mediator between religiousness and spirituality (measured separately) and underage alcohol use. Participants completed the Religious Commitment Inventory-10, Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire, and Drinking Styles Questionnaire. Results indicate less positive alcohol expectancies partially mediate the relationship between both religiousness and spirituality and underage alcohol use. This suggests religiousness and spirituality's protective influence on underage drinking is partly due to their influence on expectations about alcohol's positive effects. Since underage drinking predicts problem drinking later in life and places one at risk for serious physical and mental health problems, it is important to identify specific points of intervention, including expectations about alcohol that rise from religious and spiritual factors.

The Role of Heavy Alcohol Use in the Developmental Process of Desistance in Dating Aggression during Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Heathe Luz McNaughton; Foshee, Vangie A.; Bauer, Daniel J.; Ennett, Susan T.

2011-01-01

The current study examined the role of heavy alcohol use in the developmental process of desistance in physical dating aggression during adolescence. Using longitudinal data spanning grades 8 through 12 we tested the hypotheses that (a) higher levels of early heavy alcohol use would be associated with decreased deceleration from dating aggression…

Experimental demonstration of the influence of alcohol advertising on the activation of alcohol expectancies in memory among fourth- and fifth-grade children.

PubMed

Dunn, M E; Yniguez, R M

1999-11-01

Previous work has demonstrated that children's organization and activation of alcohol expectancies in memory vary as a function of alcohol use, even among children as young as in the 3rd grade. To advance the understanding of influences on the development of alcohol expectancies in children, 551 4th- and 5th-grade children were exposed to 5 beer commercials or 5 soft drink commercials. After viewing the advertisements, all children reported their 1st associate to an alcohol prompt and completed a memory model-based measure of children's alcohol expectancies. Multidimensional scaling was used to map expectancies into hypothetical memory network format, and preference mapping was used to derive possible paths of activation. Children who viewed beer commercials were more likely to activate positive and arousing alcohol expectancies. In view of previous findings demonstrating that this pattern of activation corresponded to higher drinking among 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th graders, the present findings suggested that antecedents to drinking like exposure to advertising may promote heavier drinking among children by influencing the activation of expectancies in memory.

Effects of AlcoholEdu for College on Alcohol-Related Problems Among Freshmen: A Randomized Multicampus Trial*

PubMed Central

Paschall, Mallie J.; Antin, Tamar; Ringwalt, Christopher L.; Saltz, Robert F.

2011-01-01

Objective: AlcoholEdu for College is a 2- to 3-hour online course for incoming college freshmen. This study was the first multicampus trial to examine effects of AlcoholEdu for College on alcohol-related problems among freshmen. Method: Thirty universi participated in the study. Fifteen were randomly assigned to receive AlcoholEdu, and the other 15 were assigned to the control condition. AlcoholEdu was implemented by intervention schools during the summer and/or fall semester. Cross-sectional surveys of freshmen were conducted at each university beginning before the intervention in spring 2008/2009; post-intervention surveys were administered in fall 2008/2009 and spring 2009/2010. The surveys included questions about the past-30-day frequency of 28 alcohol-related problems, from which we created indices for the total number of problems and problems in seven domains: physiological, academic, social, driving under the influence/riding with drinking drivers, aggression, sexual risk taking, and victimization. Multilevel Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine intent-to-treat and dosage effects of AlcoholEdu for College on these outcomes. Results: Multilevel intent-to-treat analyses indicated significant reductions in the risk for past-30-day alcohol problems in general and problems in the physiological, social, and victimization domains during the fall semester immediately after completion of the course. However, these effects did not persist in the spring semester. Additional analyses suggested stronger AlcoholEdu effects on these outcomes at colleges with higher rates of student course completion. No AlcoholEdu effects were observed for alcohol-related problems in the other four domains. Conclusions: AlcoholEdu for College appears to have beneficial short-term effects on victimization and the most common types of alcohol-related problems among freshmen. Universities may benefit the most by mandating AlcoholEdu for College for all incoming freshmen and

Relations between parental psychological control and childhood relational aggression: reciprocal in nature?

PubMed

Kuppens, Sofie; Grietens, Hans; Onghena, Patrick; Michiels, Daisy

2009-01-01

Using a cross-lagged panel design, this study examined the directionality of relations between parental psychological control and child relational aggression. Data were collected from a proportionally stratified sample of 600 Flemish 8- to 10-year-old children at 3 measurement points with 1-year intervals. Reciprocal effects were evident in mother-child dyads. Maternal psychological control was positively related to child relational aggression 1 year later, and child relational aggression was positively related to maternal psychological control 1 year later. The father-child dyads were best represented by unidirectional parent effects. Paternal psychological control was positively related to child relational aggression 1 year later. Surprisingly, these effects emerged only for relational aggression as indexed by mother and father reports and not for relational aggression as indexed by teacher and peer measures.

Alcohol advertising exposure and perceptions: links with alcohol expectancies and intentions to drink or drinking in underaged youth and young adults.

PubMed

Fleming, Kenneth; Thorson, Esther; Atkin, Charles K

2004-01-01

This study tests whether the impact of alcohol advertising exposure on intentions to drink and actual consumption is mediated by cognitive responses to advertising messages and positive expectancies about alcohol use. The model was tested using survey data of two important age cohorts, 15 to 20 years (n=608) and 21 to 29 years (n=612). The findings show that alcohol advertising was influential in shaping young people's attitudes and perceptions about alcohol advertising messages. The attitudes and perceptions predicted both positive expectancies and intentions to drink of those under the legal drinking age, but did not affect the young adults' expectancies and consumption. Positive expectancies were powerful predictors of intentions to drink and consumption for both groups. The effects of alcohol advertising on intentions to drink of those aged 15 to 20 years were mediated by cognitive responses to advertising messages and positive expectancies. The mediation effect was not evident among those between 21 and 29 years.

Individual and peer group normative beliefs about relational aggression.

PubMed

Werner, Nicole E; Hill, Laura G

2010-01-01

Studies show that children who use relational aggression process social information in unique ways; however, findings have been inconsistent and limited by methodological weaknesses. This short-term longitudinal study examined developmental changes in 245 (49% female; ages 8-13) 3rd through 8th graders' normative beliefs about relational aggression and tested the hypothesis that individual and classroom-level norms predict relational aggression 1 year later. Results showed that the transition to middle school was marked by increased approval of relational aggression, and individual norms predicted future relational aggression. Importantly, a contextual model showed that students in peer groups highly supportive of relational aggression became increasingly aggressive. Findings extend social information processing theories of relational aggression to focus on the role of peer group cognitions.

Does Humor Explain Why Relationally Aggressive Adolescents Are Popular?

PubMed Central

Bowker, Julie C.; Etkin, Rebecca G.

2013-01-01

The association between relational aggression and popularity during early adolescence is well established. Yet, little is known about why, exactly, relationally aggressive young adolescents are able to achieve and maintain high popular status among peers. The present study investigated the mediating role of humor in the association between relational aggression and popularity during early adolescence. Also considered was whether the association between relational aggression and humor varies according to adolescents’ gender and their friends’ levels of relational aggression. Participants were 265 sixth-grade students (48% female; 41% racial/ethnic minority; Mage = 12.04 years) who completed peer nomination and friendship measures in their classrooms at two time points (Wave 1: February; Wave 2: May). The results indicated that Wave 1 relational aggression was related to Wave 1 and 2 popularity indirectly through Wave 1 humor, after accounting for the effects of Wave 1 physical aggression, ethnicity, and gender. Additional analyses showed that relational aggression and humor were related significantly only for boys and for young adolescents with highly relationally aggressive friends. The results support the need for further research on humor and aggression during early adolescence and other mechanisms by which relationally aggressive youth achieve high popular status. PMID:24136377

On the enhancement of creativity by alcohol: pharmacology or expectation?

PubMed

Lapp, W M; Collins, R L; Izzo, C V

1994-01-01

Creative individuals may use psychoactive drugs to enhance their ability to produce creative works, but it is difficult to differentiate the pharmacological effects from other influences. Part of the problem is that creativity defies any simple definition, making it hard to determine when or how much creativity is evident. The other major obstacle is that life circumstances are confounded with the propensity to use drugs (including alcohol), so the causal relation of drugs to creativity is uncertain. We examined this question by an experiment in which subjects were asked to creatively combine pictures of wildflowers that were implicitly organized around a set of three dimensions: color, shape, and number. Pharmacological and expected effects of alcohol were dissociated in the experiment by using the balanced placebo design (BPD). The results showed no pharmacological effect of alcohol on the creative combinations that subjects produced. However, the novelty and structural recombination of the wildflower arrangements were enhanced when subjects thought they had consumed alcohol, whether or not they had actually done so. Implications for measuring creativity and the possible motivation to use drugs for creative effect are discussed.

Moderators of the Dynamic Link between Alcohol Use and Aggressive Behavior among Adolescent Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Helene Raskin; Fite, Paula; Pardini, Dustin; Mun, Eun-Young; Loeber, Rolf

2013-01-01

Although longitudinal evidence has linked alcohol use with aggressive behavior during adolescence, most studies have failed to adequately control for the numerous between-individual differences that may underlie this association. In addition, few studies of adolescents have examined whether the nature of the within-individual association between…

Normative Beliefs and Relational Aggression: An Investigation of the Cognitive Bases of Adolescent Aggressive Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werner, Nicole E.; Nixon, Charisse L.

2005-01-01

The relations between normative beliefs about different forms of aggression and corresponding aggressive behaviors were investigated in 2 studies of adolescents. In Study 1, we revised an instrument designed to assess normative beliefs about aggression to include beliefs about the acceptability of relational aggression, and we examined the…

Boys’ and Girls’ Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries

PubMed Central

Lansford, Jennifer E.; Skinner, Ann T.; Sorbring, Emma; Di Giunta, Laura; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Malone, Patrick S.; Oburu, Paul; Pastorelli, Concetta; Tapanya, Sombat; Tirado, Liliana Maria Uribe; Zelli, Arnaldo; Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Alampay, Liane Peña; Bacchini, Dario; Bombi, Anna Silvia; Bornstein, Marc H.; Chang, Lei

2012-01-01

Distinguishing between relational and physical aggression has become a key feature of many developmental studies in North America and Western Europe, but very little information is available on relational aggression in more diverse cultural contexts. This study examined the factor structure of, gender differences in, and associations between relational and physical aggression in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Children ages 7 to 10 years (N = 1410) reported on their relationally and physically aggressive behavior. Relational and physical aggression shared a common factor structure across countries. Unsurprisingly, boys reported being more physically aggressive than girls across all nine countries; surprisingly, there were no significant gender differences in relational aggression. In all nine countries, relational and physical aggression were significantly correlated (average r = .49). The countries differed significantly in the mean levels of both relational and physical aggression that children reported using and with respect to whether children reported using more physical than relational aggression or more relational than physical aggression. Despite mean level differences in relational and physical aggression across countries, the findings provided support for cross-country similarities in associations between relational and physical aggression, as well as links between gender and aggression. PMID:23935227

An experimental examination of alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancy, and self‐blame on willingness to report a hypothetical rape

PubMed Central

Maltby, John

2017-01-01

This study experimentally examined the role of victim alcohol intoxication, and self‐blame in perceiving and reporting rape to the police using a hypothetical interactive rape scenario. Participants (N = 79) were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (mean BAC = 0.07%) or tonic water before they engaged in the scenario. Alcohol expectancy was manipulated, and participant beliefs about the beverage they thought they had consumed and their feelings of intoxication were measured. Alcohol consumption and expectancy did not affect the likelihood that the nonconsensual intercourse depicted in the scenario was perceived and would be reported as rape. Participants with higher levels of self‐blame were less likely to say they would report the hypothetical rape. Self‐blame levels were higher for participants who believed they had consumed alcohol, and were associated with increased feelings of intoxication. The implications are discussed. PMID:29243270

Game Day Alcohol Expectancies among College Students from a University in the Southeast

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassman, Tavis; Miller, Jeff; Miller, E. Maureen; Wohlwend, Jennifer; Reindl, Diana

2012-01-01

Background: The alcohol consumption associated with college sporting events depicts a public health challenge. Purpose: The aim of this investigation involved assessing the alcohol expectancies among college students associated with home football games and which of these expectancies was most predictive of high-risk drinking. Methods: Researchers…

Harm from others' drinking-related aggression, violence and misconduct in five Asian countries and the implications.

PubMed

Waleewong, Orratai; Laslett, Anne-Marie; Chenhall, Richard; Room, Robin

2018-06-01

Harm from alcohol-attributable aggression and violence is linked to diminished personal safety and reduced physical and mental health and wellbeing in many countries. But there has been limited evidence on these harms in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study measured harm from others' drinking-related aggression, violence and misconduct in five Asian LMICs (Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, and Lao PDR), aiming to compare the magnitude and pattern of harm across countries by gender, age group, educational level, rurality, and country-level indicators. Data from 9832 respondents from the WHO/Thai Health International Collaborative Research Project on the Harm from Others' Drinking undertaken between 2012 and 2014 were analysed. 50-73% of respondents from five countries reported being harmed at least once in the past year. Public disorder and feeling unsafe due to someone else's drinking was frequently reported, followed by harassment, assaults and threats, traffic harm, and property damage. In most countries, men were more likely than women to report traffic harms, property harm, and assaults, whereas women were more likely to report feeling unsafe in public. Being young, less educated, living in urban areas, and one's own drinking were significant predictors of more harm from others' drinking for both genders. This study revealed a consistently high prevalence of alcohol-related aggression and violence in the five Asian countries. Patterns of harm within countries and populations at most risk for different forms of harms were identified. Alongside services for those affected, efforts to strengthen alcohol policies are needed in each society. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of physical and verbal aggression, depression, and anxiety on drinking behavior of married partners: a prospective and retrospective longitudinal examination.

PubMed

Keiley, Margaret K; Keller, Peggy S; El-Sheikh, Mona

2009-01-01

In an ethnically diverse sample of 195 married couples, we conducted a latent factor growth analysis to investigate the longitudinal link (4 time points over 4 1/2 years) between marital aggression (physical and verbal aggression self- and partner-reports) and individual internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety) as they relate to trajectories of alcohol use among husbands and wives. Alcohol use was operationalized as a latent factor with self- and partner reports of problem drinking as measured by the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and the Alcohol Dependence Scale. Verbal aggression by husbands or wives, by itself, has no effect on their alcohol use over time. In conjunction with depression, however, verbally aggressive husbands do have elevated drinking levels. The effects of husbands' and wives' physical aggression on their own and their partners' drinking behavior were also significant. This study is one of the first to examine the change over time in alcohol use for marital partners as related to marital aggression and internalizing symptoms. Our results shed light on areas of marital functioning (aggression, internalizing, alcohol use) that have not been investigated in conjunction with each other in a longitudinal design. Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Development and Preliminary Validation of the Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire (DESV-Q): A Purpose-Specific Instrument for Rape-Perception Research.

PubMed

Starfelt, Louise Charlotte; Young, Ross McD; White, Katherine M; Palk, Gavan

2016-01-01

Alcohol expectancies likely play a role in people's perceptions of alcohol-involved sexual violence. However, no appropriate measure exists to examine this link comprehensively. The aim of this research was to develop an alcohol expectancy measure which captures young adults' beliefs about alcohol's role in sexual aggression and victimization. Two cross-sectional samples of young Australian adults (18-25 years) were recruited for scale development (Phase 1) and scale validation (Phase 2). In Phase 1, participants (N = 201; 38.3% males) completed an online survey with an initial pool of alcohol expectancy items stated in terms of three targets (self, men, women) to identify the scale's factor structure and most effective items. A revised alcohol expectancy scale was then administered online to 322 young adults (39.6% males) in Phase 2. To assess the predictive, convergent, and discriminant validity of the scale, participants also completed established measures of personality, social desirability, alcohol use, general and context-specific alcohol expectancies, and impulsiveness. Principal axis factoring (Phase 1) and confirmatory factor analysis (Phase 2) resulted in a target-equivalent five-factor structure for the final 66-item Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire (DESV-Q). The factors were labeled (1) Sexual Coercion, (2) Sexual Vulnerability, (3) Confidence, (4) Self-Centeredness, and (5) Negative Cognitive and Behavioral Changes. The measure demonstrated effective items, high internal consistency, and satisfactory predictive, convergent, and discriminant validity. The DESV-Q is a purpose-specific instrument that could be used in future research to elucidate people's attributions for alcohol-involved sexual aggression and victimization.

Relational Aggression in Middle Childhood: Predictors and Adolescent Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spieker, Susan J.; Campbell, Susan B.; Vandergrift, Nathan; Pierce, Kim M.; Cauffman, Elizabeth; Susman, Elizabeth J.; Roisman, Glenn I.

2012-01-01

This study examined gender differences in the level and developmental course of relational aggression in middle childhood, as well as early predictors and outcomes of relational aggression, after controlling for concurrent physical aggression. Relational (RAgg) and Physical aggression (PAgg) scores for 558 boys and 545 girls at the ages of eight…

[Evidence-based obstetric conduct. Severe preeclampsia: aggressive or expectant management?].

PubMed

Briceño Pérez, Carlos; Briceño Sanabria, Liliana

2007-02-01

In severe preeclampsia, delivery is assisted immediately without thinking in fetal conditions. Some decades ago, there is agreement to hospitalize, but there is no agreement between expectant or aggressive management. Here are revised these two management evidence based medicine. Fifteen non randomized non controlled trials in English and 4 in Latin American literature highlight 10-14 days pregnancy prolongation without increase maternal morbidity with conservative management; but there were criticized by non random patient selection and non controlled. Two randomized controlled trials showed improvement in neonatal results with no change in maternal, with expectant management. One systematic review of these two trials concluded there is not sufficient data to any reliable recommendation and proposes longer trials are necessary. In United States, National Working Group in the High Blood Pressure Educational Program believes expectant management is only possible in selective women group between 23-32 weeks. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist recommends this management in a tertiary care setting or in consultation with an obstetrician-gynecologist with training in high risk pregnancies. Expectant management present proposal in severe preeclampsia remote from term is summarized.

Relational Aggression and Victimization in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahlen, Eric R.; Czar, Katherine A.; Prather, Emily; Dyess, Christy

2013-01-01

For this study we explored relational aggression and victimization in a college sample (N = 307), examining potential gender and race differences, correlates, and the link between relational aggression and common emotional and behavioral problems, independent of relational victimization. Gender and race differences were observed on relational…

Explicating the role of sexual coercion and vulnerability alcohol expectancies in rape attributions.

PubMed

Starfelt, Louise C; Young, Ross McD; White, Katherine M; Palk, Gavan R M

2015-07-01

Despite evidence suggesting that alcohol expectancies may influence people's rape perceptions, no study to date has measured context-specific expectancies comprehensively. This study represents an initial investigation of the role of sexual coercion and vulnerability alcohol expectancies in young Australian adults' rape blame attributions. Using a vignette method, it was hypothesized that participants' stronger expectancy endorsement would predict lesser perpetrator blame and greater victim blame. Participants (n = 210; 34.9% males; 18-25 years) read a hypothetical rape scenario and rated dimensions of blameworthiness attributed to the intoxicated sexual perpetrator and victim. Participants completed the Sexual Coercion and Sexual Vulnerability subscales of the Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire for the targets self, men, and women in addition to measures of traditional gender role attitudes and rape myth acceptance. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that, as expected, stronger sexual coercion expectancy predicted lower perpetrator blame and greater victim blame. Self-oriented expectancy predicted evaluations of the perpetrator whereas other-oriented expectancy predicted victim evaluations. These effects were robust after controlling for gender role attitudes and rape myth acceptance. Alcohol expectancies appear to be part of a network of beliefs and attitudes which perpetuate biased rape attributions and may be useful to challenge in altering rape perceptions. © The Author(s) 2014.

Attentional Processes in Children's Overt and Relational Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arsenault, Darin J.; Foster, Sharon L.

2012-01-01

This study examined attention and memory processes assumed by the social information-processing model to be biased in aggressive children. We also explored whether similar biases were associated with overt and relational aggression. A total of 96 fourth through sixth graders saw videos of overtly and relationally aggressive child actors and…

Alcohol expectancies and social self-efficacy as mediators of differential intervention outcomes for college hazardous drinkers with social anxiety.

PubMed

Black, Jessica J; Tran, Giao Q; Goldsmith, Abigail A; Thompson, Rachel D; Smith, Joshua P; Welge, Jeffrey A

2012-03-01

The current pilot study examined the roles of two cognitive factors - positive alcohol expectancies of social anxiety reduction and drink refusal self-efficacy relevant to social situations - in mediating greater reduction in alcohol behaviors by the Brief Intervention for Socially Anxious Drinkers (BISAD; n=21) compared to an alcohol psychoeducation (n=20) in a sample of college hazardous drinkers with social anxiety. Mediation analysis results indicated that decreased positive alcohol expectancies and increased drink refusal self-efficacy relevant to social situations accounted for an average of 67% of the variance in treatment outcomes as measured by total quantity of alcohol consumption, heavy drinking days and problems related to alcohol use in the past month. Study results may enhance the understanding of cognitive factors' role in alcohol treatment outcomes, which could in turn improve the efficacy of interventions aimed to reduce hazardous drinking and comorbid social anxiety. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aggression in toddlers: associations with parenting and marital relations.

PubMed

Brook, J S; Zheng, L; Whiteman, M; Brook, D W

2001-06-01

This study examined the relation among parenting factors, marital relations, and toddler aggression. A structured questionnaire was administered to both parents of 254 2-year-olds. The authors used correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses to assess the extent to which certain personality traits, drug use, parenting style, and marital conflicts were related to the toddlers' aggressive behavior. Results showed that the maternal child-rearing and parental aggression domains had a direct effect on toddler aggression. The domain of maternal child rearing also served as a mediator for the domains of marital relations, paternal child rearing, parental aggression, and parental drug use. The findings indicated that maternal child-rearing practices, personality attributes, and drug use were more important than paternal attributes in relation to toddler aggression. Implications for prevention among families at risk are discussed.

Effectiveness of policies restricting hours of alcohol sales in preventing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms.

PubMed

Hahn, Robert A; Kuzara, Jennifer L; Elder, Randy; Brewer, Robert; Chattopadhyay, Sajal; Fielding, Jonathan; Naimi, Timothy S; Toomey, Traci; Middleton, Jennifer Cook; Lawrence, Briana

2010-12-01

Local, state, and national policies that limit the hours that alcoholic beverages may be available for sale might be a means of reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. The methods of the Guide to Community Preventive Services were used to synthesize scientific evidence on the effectiveness of such policies. All of the studies included in this review assessed the effects of increasing hours of sale in on-premises settings (in which alcoholic beverages are consumed where purchased) in high-income nations. None of the studies was conducted in the U.S. The review team's initial assessment of this evidence suggested that changes of less than 2 hours were unlikely to significantly affect excessive alcohol consumption and related harms; to explore this hypothesis, studies assessing the effects of changing hours of sale by less than 2 hours and by 2 or more hours were assessed separately. There was sufficient evidence in ten qualifying studies to conclude that increasing hours of sale by 2 or more hours increases alcohol-related harms. Thus, disallowing extensions of hours of alcohol sales by 2 or more should be expected to prevent alcohol-related harms, while policies decreasing hours of sale by 2 hours or more at on-premises alcohol outlets may be an effective strategy for preventing alcohol-related harms. The evidence from six qualifying studies was insufficient to determine whether increasing hours of sale by less than 2 hours increases excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Unexpected aggressive behaviour: interaction of bupropion and alcohol.

PubMed

Chandler, Percy; Herxheimer, Andrew

2011-01-01

A healthy policeman was prescribed bupropion in 2002 to help him stop smoking. It worked but after 18 months he relapsed. Though it had given him headaches and insomnia he tried using it again in 2009, [corrected] taking 150 mg/day. Three days after starting the tablets he took his wife out for dinner. They shared a bottle of wine and he also had other drinks. After walking home they quarrelled, he slapped her, she slapped him. He threw the phone at her saying 'call the police!'. They came and charged him with assault; he was suspended. An expert report attributed the aggressive outburst to an interaction between bupropion and alcohol; the accused was a social drinker and had never been violent. An expert advising the police agreed, and 14 months after the event the court dismissed the case.

Distraction sneakers decrease the expected level of aggression within groups: a game-theoretic model.

PubMed

Dubois, Frédérique; Giraldeau, Luc-Alain; Hamilton, Ian M; Grant, James W A; Lefebvre, Louis

2004-08-01

Hawk-dove games have been extensively used to predict the conditions under which group-living animals should defend their resources against potential usurpers. Typically, game-theoretic models on aggression consider that resource defense may entail energetic and injury costs. However, intruders may also take advantage of owners who are busy fighting to sneak access to unguarded resources, imposing thereby an additional cost on the use of the escalated hawk strategy. In this article we modify the two-strategy hawk-dove game into a three-strategy hawk-dove-sneaker game that incorporates a distraction-sneaking tactic, allowing us to explore its consequences on the expected level of aggression within groups. Our model predicts a lower proportion of hawks and hence lower frequencies of aggressive interactions within groups than do previous two-strategy hawk-dove games. The extent to which distraction sneakers decrease the frequency of aggression within groups, however, depends on whether they search only for opportunities to join resources uncovered by other group members or for both unchallenged resources and opportunities to usurp.

A cross-lagged structural equation model of relational aggression, physical aggression, and peer status in a Chinese culture.

PubMed

Tseng, Wan-Ling; Banny, Adrienne M; Kawabata, Yoshito; Crick, Nicki R; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2013-01-01

This short-term longitudinal study examined the associations among relational aggression, physical aggression, and peer status (i.e., acceptance, rejection, and perceived popularity) across three time points, six months apart, in a Taiwanese sample. Participants were 198 fifth grade students (94 girls and 104 boys; Mean age = 10.35 years) from Taipei, Taiwan. Study variables were assessed using peer nomination procedure. Results from the cross-lagged structural equation models demonstrated that there were longitudinal associations between relational aggression and each of the peer status constructs while only one longitudinal association was found for physical aggression such that physical aggression positively predicted subsequent peer rejection. The longitudinal associations did not vary with gender. Results also showed high stabilities of relational aggression, physical aggression, and the three peer status constructs over 1 year as well as high concurrent association between relational and physical aggression. In addition, relational aggression and physical aggression were concurrently related to less acceptance, more rejection, and less perceived popularity, especially at the outset of the study. Findings of this study demonstrated both similarities and differences in relation to previous literature in primarily Western cultures. This study also highlights the bidirectional and complex nature of the association between aggression and peer status, which appears to depend on the form of aggression and on the particular indicator of peer status under study. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Borderline but not Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms are Related to Self-Reported Partner Aggression in Late Middle-Age

PubMed Central

Weinstein, Yana; Gleason, Marci E. J.; Oltmanns, Thomas F.

2012-01-01

We examined the relationship between personality pathology and the frequency of self-reported psychological and physical partner aggression in a community sample of 872 adults aged 55–64. Previous research suggests that antisocial and borderline personality disorder (PD) symptoms are associated with partner aggression. Controlling for gender, education, alcohol dependence, and other personality pathology, we found that borderline PD symptoms, which include abandonment fears, unstable identity, and affective instability, were significantly related to the frequency of self-reported aggression towards one’s partner. This relationship was observed regardless of whether the participant’s personality was described by a clinical interviewer, the participant themselves, or an informant chosen by the participant. Further, the relationship between borderline PD symptoms and self-reported partner aggression was moderated by gender such that women were driving the association. Conversely, antisocial PD symptoms, which include deceitfulness, irresponsibility, disregard for rules, and lack of remorse did not significantly account for variance in self-reported partner aggression. PMID:22732005

Borderline but not antisocial personality disorder symptoms are related to self-reported partner aggression in late middle-age.

PubMed

Weinstein, Yana; Gleason, Marci E J; Oltmanns, Thomas F

2012-08-01

We examined the relationship between personality pathology and the frequency of self-reported psychological and physical partner aggression in a community sample of 872 adults aged 55-64. Previous research suggests that antisocial and borderline personality disorder (PD) symptoms are associated with partner aggression. Controlling for gender, education, alcohol dependence, and other personality pathology, we found that borderline PD symptoms, which include abandonment fears, unstable identity, and affective instability, were significantly related to the frequency of self-reported aggression toward one's partner. This relationship was observed regardless of whether the participant's personality was described by a clinical interviewer, the participant themselves, or an informant chosen by the participant. Further, the relationship between borderline PD symptoms and self-reported partner aggression was moderated by gender such that women were driving the association. Conversely, antisocial PD symptoms, which include deceitfulness, irresponsibility, disregard for rules, and lack of remorse did not significantly account for variance in self-reported partner aggression. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Mortality and life expectancy of people with alcohol use disorder in Denmark, Finland and Sweden

PubMed Central

Westman, J; Wahlbeck, K; Laursen, T M; Gissler, M; Nordentoft, M; Hällgren, J; Arffman, M; Ösby, U

2015-01-01

Objective To analyse mortality and life expectancy in people with alcohol use disorder in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Method A population-based register study including all patients admitted to hospital diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (1 158 486 person-years) from 1987 to 2006 in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Results Life expectancy was 24–28 years shorter in people with alcohol use disorder than in the general population. From 1987 to 2006, the difference in life expectancy between patients with alcohol use disorder and the general population increased in men (Denmark, 1.8 years; Finland, 2.6 years; Sweden, 1.0 years); in women, the difference in life expectancy increased in Denmark (0.3 years) but decreased in Finland (−0.8 years) and Sweden (−1.8 years). People with alcohol use disorder had higher mortality from all causes of death (mortality rate ratio, 3.0–5.2), all diseases and medical conditions (2.3–4.8), and suicide (9.3–35.9). Conclusion People hospitalized with alcohol use disorder have an average life expectancy of 47–53 years (men) and 50–58 years (women) and die 24–28 years earlier than people in the general population. PMID:25243359

Relational Aggression among Boys: Blind Spots and Hidden Dramas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eriksen, Ingunn Marie; Lyng, Selma Therese

2018-01-01

Although boys too are involved in relational aggression, their experiences are overshadowed by the focus on relational aggression among girls. This paradox mirrors the empirical puzzle that forms the starting point for this article: while teachers saw relational aggression as a 'girl problem', we found a vast undercurrent of relational aggression…

The Barrier within: Relational Aggression among Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Barbara L.

2010-01-01

Relational aggression among women presents an overlooked barrier to women's quest for advancement in the workplace. Although research on women's leadership extols their ability to collaborate and form lasting, supportive relationships, one cannot assume that all women are supportive of other women. Research reveals that relational aggression,…

Discrimination and alcohol-related problems among college students: a prospective examination of mediating effects.

PubMed

Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Corbin, William R; Fromme, Kim

2011-06-01

Discrimination is a risk factor for health-risk behaviors, including alcohol abuse. Far less is known about the mechanisms through which discrimination leads to alcohol-related problems, particularly during high-risk developmental periods such as young adulthood. The present study tested a mediation model using prospective data from a large, diverse sample of 1539 college students. This model hypothesized that discrimination would be associated with established cognitive (positive alcohol expectancies) and affective (negative affect and coping motives) risk factors for alcohol-related problems, which would account for the prospective association between discrimination and alcohol problems. Structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination was associated cross-sectionally with negative affect and more coping motives for drinking, but not with greater alcohol expectancies. Coping motives mediated the prospective relationship between discrimination and alcohol-related problems. Additionally, results indicated significant indirect effects from discrimination to alcohol-related problems through negative affect and coping motives. These associations were evident for multiple groups confronting status-based discrimination, including women, racial/ethnic minorities, and lesbian/gay/bisexual individuals. This study identified potential affective mechanisms linking discrimination to alcohol-related problems. Results suggest several avenues for prevention and intervention efforts with individuals from socially disadvantaged groups. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do emotions related to alcohol consumption differ by alcohol type? An international cross-sectional survey of emotions associated with alcohol consumption and influence on drink choice in different settings

PubMed Central

Ashton, Kathryn; Bellis, Mark A; Davies, Alisha R; Hughes, Karen; Winstock, Adam

2017-01-01

Objectives To examine the emotions associated with drinking different types of alcohol, explore whether these emotions differ by sociodemographics and alcohol dependency and whether the emotions associated with different drink types influence people’s choice of drinks in different settings. Design International cross-sectional opportunistic survey (Global Drug Survey) using an online anonymous questionnaire in 11 languages promoted through newspapers, magazines and social media from November 2015 to January 2016. Study population Individuals aged 18–34 years who reported consumption of beer, spirits, red and white wine in the previous 12 months and were resident in countries with more than 200 respondents (n=21 countries; 29 836 respondents). Main outcome measures Positive and negative emotions associated with consumption of different alcoholic beverages (energised, relaxed, sexy, confident, tired, aggressive, ill, restless and tearful) over the past 12 months in different settings. Results Alcoholic beverages vary in the types of emotions individuals report they elicit, with spirits more frequently eliciting emotional changes of all types. Overall 29.8% of respondents reported feeling aggressive when drinking spirits, compared with only 7.1% when drinking red wine (p<0.001). Women more frequently reported feeling all emotions when drinking alcohol, apart from feelings of aggression. Respondents’ level of alcohol dependency was strongly associated with feeling all emotions, with the likelihood of aggression being significantly higher in possible dependent versus low risk drinkers (adjusted OR 6.4; 95% CI 5.79 to 7.09; p<0.001). The odds of feeling the majority of positive and negative emotions also remained highest among dependent drinkers irrespective of setting. Conclusion Understanding emotions associated with alcohol consumption is imperative to addressing alcohol misuse, providing insight into what emotions influence drink choice between different groups

Do emotions related to alcohol consumption differ by alcohol type? An international cross-sectional survey of emotions associated with alcohol consumption and influence on drink choice in different settings.

PubMed

Ashton, Kathryn; Bellis, Mark A; Davies, Alisha R; Hughes, Karen; Winstock, Adam

2017-11-20

To examine the emotions associated with drinking different types of alcohol, explore whether these emotions differ by sociodemographics and alcohol dependency and whether the emotions associated with different drink types influence people's choice of drinks in different settings. International cross-sectional opportunistic survey (Global Drug Survey) using an online anonymous questionnaire in 11 languages promoted through newspapers, magazines and social media from November 2015 to January 2016. Individuals aged 18-34 years who reported consumption of beer, spirits, red and white wine in the previous 12 months and were resident in countries with more than 200 respondents (n=21 countries; 29 836 respondents). Positive and negative emotions associated with consumption of different alcoholic beverages (energised, relaxed, sexy, confident, tired, aggressive, ill, restless and tearful) over the past 12 months in different settings. Alcoholic beverages vary in the types of emotions individuals report they elicit, with spirits more frequently eliciting emotional changes of all types. Overall 29.8% of respondents reported feeling aggressive when drinking spirits, compared with only 7.1% when drinking red wine (p<0.001). Women more frequently reported feeling all emotions when drinking alcohol, apart from feelings of aggression. Respondents' level of alcohol dependency was strongly associated with feeling all emotions, with the likelihood of aggression being significantly higher in possible dependent versus low risk drinkers (adjusted OR 6.4; 95% CI 5.79 to 7.09; p<0.001). The odds of feeling the majority of positive and negative emotions also remained highest among dependent drinkers irrespective of setting. Understanding emotions associated with alcohol consumption is imperative to addressing alcohol misuse, providing insight into what emotions influence drink choice between different groups in the population. The differences identified between sociodemographic groups and

The impact of policies regulating alcohol trading hours and days on specific alcohol-related harms: a systematic review.

PubMed

Sanchez-Ramirez, Diana C; Voaklander, Donald

2018-02-01

Evidence supports the expectation that changes in time of alcohol sales associate with changes in alcohol-related harm in both directions. However, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive systematic reviews had examined the effect of policies restricting time of alcohol trading on specific alcohol-related harms. To compile existing evidence related to the impact of policies regulating alcohol trading hours/days of on specific harm outcomes such as: assault/violence, motor vehicle crashes/fatalities, injury, visits to the emergency department/hospital, murder/homicides and crime. Systematic review of literature studying the impact of policies regulation alcohol trading times in alcohol-related harm, published between January 2000 and October 2016 in English language. Results support the premise that policies regulating times of alcohol trading and consumption can contribute to reduce injuries, alcohol-related hospitalisations/emergency department visits, homicides and crime. Although the impact of alcohol trading policies in assault/violence and motor vehicle crashes/fatalities is also positive, these associations seem to be more complex and require further study. Evidence suggests a potential direct effect of policies that regulate alcohol trading times in the prevention of injuries, alcohol-related hospitalisations, homicides and crime. The impact of these alcohol trading policies in assault/violence and motor vehicle crashes/fatalities is less compelling. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Bicultural stress, identity formation, and alcohol expectancies and misuse in Hispanic adolescents: a developmental approach.

PubMed

Oshri, Assaf; Schwartz, Seth J; Unger, Jennifer B; Kwon, Josephine A; Des Rosiers, Sabrina E; Baezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes; Lorenzo-Blanco, Elma I; Córdova, David; Soto, Daniel W; Lizzi, Karina M; Villamar, Juan A; Szapocznik, José

2014-12-01

Hispanic immigrant youth engage in increased health risk behaviors, such as alcohol misuse, due in part to being confronted with acculturative stress in addition to facing major normative developmental challenges, such as identity consolidation (Berry et al. in Appl Psychol 55:303-332, 2006). Using a developmental psychopathology framework, in the present study we examined the effect of bicultural stress on alcohol misuse among immigrated Hispanic adolescents, indirectly through trajectories of identity formation and alcohol expectancies. Our sample consisted of 302 recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents (53 % male; Mage = 14.5 at baseline) who were interviewed every 6 months for 3 years. Bivariate growth curve modeling was used to examine the influence of initial early bicultural stress on later alcohol misuse via change in identity development (i.e., coherence and confusion) and subsequent growth in cognitive alcohol expectancies. Findings revealed that initial levels and growth of identity coherence were not significantly associated with either bicultural stress or tension reduction (TR) alcohol expectancies. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that the effect of bicultural stress at time 1 on the frequency of being drunk at time 6 was mediated via high initial levels of identity confusion, followed by growth in risky TR expectancies (T4-T6). A developmental approach to the genesis of alcohol use problems in immigrant youth is discussed.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and alcohol-related phenotypes.

PubMed

Nedic, Gordana; Perkovic, Matea Nikolac; Sviglin, Korona Nenadic; Muck-Seler, Dorotea; Borovecki, Fran; Pivac, Nela

2013-01-10

Alcoholism is a chronic psychiatric disorder affecting neural pathways that regulate motivation, stress, reward and arousal. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates mood, response to stress and interacts with neurotransmitters and stress systems involved in reward pathways and addiction. Aim of the study was to evaluate the association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (BDNF Val66Met or rs6265) and alcohol related phenotypes in Caucasian patients. In ethnically homogenous Caucasian subjects of the Croatian origin, the BDNF Val66Met genotype distribution was determined in 549 male and 126 female patients with alcohol dependence and in 655 male and 259 female healthy non-alcoholic control subjects. Based on the structured clinical interview, additional detailed clinical interview, the Brown-Goodwin Scale, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Clinical Global Impression scores, alcoholic patients were subdivided into those with or without comorbid depression, aggression, delirium tremens, withdrawal syndrome, early/late onset of alcohol abuse, prior suicidal attempt during lifetime, current suicidal behavior, and severity of alcohol dependence. The results showed no significant association between BDNF Val66Met variants and alcohol dependence and/or any of the alcohol related phenotypes in either Caucasian women, or men, with alcohol dependence. There are few limitations of the study. The overall study sample size was large (N=1589) but not well-powered to detect differences in BDNF Val66Met genotype distribution between studied groups. Healthy control women were older than female alcoholic patients. Only one BDNF polymorphism (rs6265) was studied. In conclusion, these data do not support the view that BDNF Val66Met polymorphism correlates with the specific alcohol related phenotypes in ethnically homogenous medication-free Caucasian subjects with alcohol dependence. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alcohol expectancies and inhibition conflict as moderators of the alcohol-unprotected sex relationship: Event-level findings from a daily diary study among individuals living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa

PubMed Central

Kiene, Susan M.; Simbayi, Leickness C.; Abrams, Amber; Cloete, Allanise

2015-01-01

Literature from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere supports a global association between alcohol and HIV risk. However, more rigorous studies using multiple event-level methods find mixed support for this association, suggesting the importance of examining potential moderators of this relationship. The present study explores the assumptions of alcohol expectancy theory and alcohol myopia theory as possible moderators that help elucidate the circumstances under which alcohol may affect individuals’ ability to use a condom. Participants were 82 individuals (58 women, 24 men) living with HIV who completed daily phone interviews for 42 days which assessed daily sexual behavior and alcohol consumption. Logistic generalized estimating equation models were used to examine the potential moderating effects of inhibition conflict and sex-related alcohol outcome expectancies. The data provided some support for both theories and in some cases the moderation effects were stronger when both partners consumed alcohol. PMID:26280530

Alcohol Expectancies and Inhibition Conflict as Moderators of the Alcohol-Unprotected Sex Relationship: Event-Level Findings from a Daily Diary Study Among Individuals Living with HIV in Cape Town, South Africa.

PubMed

Kiene, Susan M; Simbayi, Leickness C; Abrams, Amber; Cloete, Allanise

2016-01-01

Literature from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere supports a global association between alcohol and HIV risk. However, more rigorous studies using multiple event-level methods find mixed support for this association, suggesting the importance of examining potential moderators of this relationship. The present study explores the assumptions of alcohol expectancy theory and alcohol myopia theory as possible moderators that help elucidate the circumstances under which alcohol may affect individuals' ability to use a condom. Participants were 82 individuals (58 women, 24 men) living with HIV who completed daily phone interviews for 42 days which assessed daily sexual behavior and alcohol consumption. Logistic generalized estimating equation models were used to examine the potential moderating effects of inhibition conflict and sex-related alcohol outcome expectancies. The data provided some support for both theories and in some cases the moderation effects were stronger when both partners consumed alcohol.

Should Relational Aggression Be Included in DSM-V?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keenan, Kate; Coyne, Claire; Lahey, Benjamin B.

2008-01-01

The study examines whether relational aggression should be included in DSM-V disruptive behavior disorders. The results conclude that some additional information is gathered from assessing relational aggression but not enough to be included in DSM-V.

College men's and women's respective perceptions of risk to perpetrate or experience sexual assault: the role of alcohol use and expectancies.

PubMed

Untied, Amy S; Orchowski, Lindsay M; Lazar, Vanessa

2013-07-01

The present study examines alcohol use, expectancies (i.e., beliefs about the outcomes of alcohol consumption), and college men's (n = 127) and women's (n = 191) respective perceptions of risk to perpetrate/experience sexual violence. Interactions between alcohol consumption and expectancies were examined. Alcohol expectancies regarding assertiveness increased women's perceived risk for sexual intercourse via alcohol/drugs. Among women reporting high alcohol use, global expectancies were positively associated with perceived risk for sexual intercourse via alcohol/drugs. Furthermore, among women reporting low alcohol use, expectancies regarding assertiveness were positively associated with perceived risk for coerced sexual contact. Implications are discussed.

Relationship Functioning Among Adult Children of Alcoholics*

PubMed Central

Kearns-Bodkin, Jill N.; Leonard, Kenneth E.

2008-01-01

Objective: The purpose of the current research was to examine the impact of both maternal and paternal alcoholism on the relationship functioning of husbands and wives over the early years of marriage. Method: Couples (N = 634) were assessed at the time of marriage, and again at their first, second, and fourth anniversaries. Husbands and wives completed separate, self-administered questionnaires at home. Results: Results of separate repeated measures analyses of covariance revealed that, for both husbands and wives, the appraisal of their marital relationship was associated with alcoholism in the opposite gender parent. That is, for husbands, alcoholism in the mother was associated with lower marital satisfaction across the 4 years of marriage. For wives, alcoholism in the father was related to lower marital intimacy. Husbands' physical aggression was influenced by mother's and father's alcoholism; high levels of physical aggression were present among men with alcoholic mothers and nonalcoholic fathers. Interestingly, wives' experience of husband's aggression was also highest among women with alcoholic mothers and nonalcoholic fathers. Wives also reported engaging in high levels of physical aggression when they had an alcoholic mother and a nonalcoholic father, but this effect was restricted to the early part of the marriage. Finally, parental alcoholism was associated with both husbands' and wives' attachment representations. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that children raised in alcoholic families may carry the problematic effects of their early family environment into their adult romantic relationships. PMID:18925353

Spatial analysis of alcohol-related motor vehicle crash injuries in southeastern Michigan.

PubMed

Meliker, Jaymie R; Maio, Ronald F; Zimmerman, Marc A; Kim, Hyungjin Myra; Smith, Sarah C; Wilson, Mark L

2004-11-01

Temporal, behavioral and social risk factors that affect injuries resulting from alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes have been characterized in previous research. Much less is known about spatial patterns and environmental associations of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. The aim of this study was to evaluate geographic patterns of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and to determine if locations of alcohol outlets are associated with those crashes. In addition, we sought to demonstrate the value of integrating spatial and traditional statistical techniques in the analysis of this preventable public health risk. The study design was a cross-sectional analysis of individual-level blood alcohol content, traffic report information, census block group data, and alcohol distribution outlets. Besag and Newell's spatial analysis and traditional logistic regression both indicated that areas of low population density had more alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes than expected (P < 0.05). There was no significant association between alcohol outlets and alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes using distance analyses, logistic regression, and Chi-square. Differences in environmental or behavioral factors characteristic of areas of low population density may be responsible for the higher proportion of alcohol-related crashes occurring in these areas.

Televised relational and physical aggression and children's hostile intent attributions.

PubMed

Martins, Nicole

2013-12-01

An experiment was conducted with 150 children (mean age=10.1years) in third to fifth grades to test whether exposure to different forms of aggression in the media affected hostile attributional biases in response to different forms of provocation scenarios. Children were randomly assigned to watch a clip containing physical aggression, relational aggression, or no aggression. After exposure, children were asked to respond to a series of written provocation scenarios where a character caused some form of harm (instrumental or relational) to a target person, but the intent of the provocateur was ambiguous. Results revealed that exposure to relationally aggressive portrayals resulted in a hostile attributional bias in response to relational scenarios, whereas exposure to portrayals of physical aggression was associated with a hostile attributional bias in response to instrumental scenarios. Moreover, these biases were shown to be specific to the exposure condition (physical or relational) and not simply associated with exposure to aggression in general. The findings are discussed in terms of the general aggression model and children's social information processing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coping Expectancies, Not Enhancement Expectancies, Mediate Trauma Experience Effects on Problem Alcohol Use: A Prospective Study From Early Childhood to Adolescence.

PubMed

Jester, Jennifer M; Steinberg, Davia B; Heitzeg, Mary M; Zucker, Robert A

2015-09-01

The relationship between experiencing trauma and increased alcohol consumption has been well established. Exposure to childhood trauma has been linked to both early onset of drinking and problematic substance use. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. The results of early work suggested that drinking to relieve negative affect (i.e., drinking to cope) was driving this connection. However, the findings of more recent work suggest that drinking might be used to enhance positive affect as a way of addressing the aftereffects of early trauma. The current study looked at these two drinking expectancies as indirect pathways between the experience in early childhood of living in a home with parental violence and peak alcohol use in emerging adulthood. Participants were 1,064 children and their parents involved in a longitudinal community study of children at high risk for the development of alcoholism and a community contrast group of those at lower risk. Baseline assessment was at age 3-5 years, self-reports of internalizing behavior and drinking expectancies were obtained at age 12-14, and drinking measures were assessed at age 18-20. Results indicated that coping expectancy was a mediator of the relationship between early childhood trauma and later peak alcohol use, whereas enhancement expectancy was not. Children living in homes with parental violence were more likely to develop ineffective coping strategies, such as using alcohol to decrease negative affect. These results support the self-medication theory. They also demonstrate the long-term effects of early life experience on drinking behavior in early adulthood.

Expectant versus aggressive management in severe preeclampsia remote from term.

PubMed

Sarsam, D S; Shamden, M; Al Wazan, R

2008-09-01

Our study aims to compare neonatal and maternal outcomes between expectant (or conservative) and aggressive (or immediate) management in cases with severe preclampsia remote from term. This is a comparative study conducted at Al-Batool Teaching Hospital in Mosul City, Iraq, from April 2003 to August 2004. A total of 74 singleton pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia with gestational age of 24-34 weeks were studied during this period. The criteria used for the diagnosis of severe preeclampsia were in accordance with the guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. All the patients were counselled for expectant management. 39 patients were delivered immediately due to refusal of expectant management either by the patient or the attending physician. The other 35 patients were managed expectantly; this group was followed-up and carefully monitored for a period ranging from 72 hours to 18 days. Neonatal parameters, neonatal outcome and maternal outcome were compared between the two groups. The mean value of pregnancy prolongation was 9.2 days. Median gestational age for the first group was 29 weeks, and for the second group, it was 30 weeks. Regarding neonatal parameters, the expectantly-managed group had a higher Apgar score at one minute (3.56 +/- 1.72 vs. 5.05 +/- 1.77, p-value equals 0.001), lower mean days of hospitalisation in the neonatal intensive care unit (6.83 +/- 5.38 vs. 4.50 +/- 3.46, p-value equals 0.03), with a lower incidence of neonatal and maternal complications. Expectant management is recommended in patients with severe preeclampsia remote from term, after proper selection of patients and careful monitoring.

Viewing relational aggression through multiple lenses: temperament, personality, and personality pathology.

PubMed

Tackett, Jennifer L; Kushner, Shauna C; Herzhoff, Kathrin; Smack, Avante J; Reardon, Kathleen W

2014-08-01

Dispositional trait frameworks offer great potential to elucidate the nature and development of psychopathology, including the construct of relational aggression. The present study sought to explore the dispositional context of relational aggression across three dispositional frameworks: temperament, personality, and personality pathology. Participants comprised a large community sample of youth, aged 6 to 18 years (N = 1,188; 51.2% female). Ratings of children's relational aggression, temperament, personality, and personality pathology traits were obtained through parent report (86.3% mothers). Results showed convergence and divergence across these three dispositional frameworks. Like other antisocial behavior subtypes, relational aggression generally showed connections with traits reflecting negative emotionality and poor self-regulation. Relational aggression showed stronger connections with temperament traits than with personality traits, suggesting that temperament frameworks may capture more relationally aggressive content. Findings at the lower order trait level help differentiate relational aggression from other externalizing problems by providing a more nuanced perspective (e.g., both sociability and shyness positively predicted relational aggression). In addition, there was little evidence of moderation of these associations by gender, age, or age2, and findings remained robust even after controlling for physical aggression. Results are discussed in the broader context of conceptualizing relational aggression in an overarching personality-psychopathology framework.

Girls Just Being Girls? Mediating Relational Aggression and Victimization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radliff, Kisha M.; Joseph, Laurice M.

2011-01-01

Although physical aggression has received much attention in the literature, relational aggression has only been explored in the past decade or so. This is problematic given that relational aggression is increasingly prevalent among middle school girls and has become a cause for alarm, as this phenomenon leads to several negative psychological,…

Spin, Unit Climate, and Aggression: Near Term, Long Term, and Reciprocal Predictors of Violence Among Workers in Military Settings

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

exposure to aggression (e.g., drug / alcohol use, burnout , suicidal ideation). The proposed effort includes both individual level variables (e.g...aggression (e.g., drug / alcohol use, burnout , suicidal ideation). The proposed effort includes both individual level variables (e.g., differences in...anger / rage, bullying, harassment, intimate partner violence) and related physical health and mental health concerns (e.g., drug / alcohol use, burnout

The Implications of Relational Aggression toward Females Pursuing Educational Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dryier, Kimberly J.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the existence and implications of relational aggression toward female educational administrators. This qualitative study examined the impacts of relational aggression toward ten female superintendents, their observations of relational aggression in the workplace, strategies to overcome relational…

Does aggressive and expectant management of severe preeclampsia affect the neurologic development of the infant?

PubMed Central

Ertekin, Arif Aktuğ; Kapudere, Bilge; Eken, Meryem Kurek; İlhan, Gülşah; Dırman, Şükriye; Sargın, Mehmet Akif; Deniz, Engin; Karatekin, Güner; Çöğendez, Ebru; Api, Murat

2015-01-01

Objective: To compare and evaluate the influences of expectant and aggressive management of severe preeclampsia on the first year neurologic development of the infants in pregnancies between 27 and 34 weeks of pregnancy. Methods: Seventy women with severe preeclampsia between 27 and 34 weeks of gestation were included in the study. 37 patients were managed aggressively (Group 1) and 33 patients were managed expectantly (Group 2). Glucocorticoids, magnesium sulfate infusion and antihypertensive drugs were administered to each group. After glucocorticoid administration was completed Group 1 was delivered either by cesarean section or vaginal delivery. In Group 2 magnesium sulfate infusion was stopped after glucocorticoid administration was completed. Antihypertensive drugs were given, bed rest and intensive fetal monitorization were continued in this group. Results: The average weeks of gestation, one minute and five minute apgar scores and hospitalization time in intensive care unit were similar in both groups (P > 0.05). Three neonatal complications in Group 2 and five in Group 1 were detected according to the Denver Developmental Screening Test-II and one pathologic case was detected in both groups following neurologic examination. Neonatal mortality was seen in seven patients in Group 1 and one in Group 2. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of neonatal mortality and morbidity and maternal morbidity (P > 0.05). The average latency period was 3.45 ± 5.48 days in Group 2 and none in Group 1. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the first year neurological development of infants whose mothers underwent either expectant and aggressive management for severe preeclampsia. PMID:26770571

[Study review of biological, social and environmental factors associated with aggressive behavior].

PubMed

Mendes, Deise Daniela; Mari, Jair de Jesus; Singer, Marina; Barros, Gustavo Machado; Mello, Andréa F

2009-10-01

To study the risk factors related to the development of aggressive behavior. A search was carried out in two electronic databases, Medline and SciElo by retrospective studies, longitudinal and review that assessed risk factors for the development of aggressive behavior. There were selected 11 longitudinal studies (8 prospective and 3 case-control studies) and a cross sectional study that evaluated the risk factors and socio-biological related to aggressive behavior. Five studies have evaluated gene expression, five evaluated exposure to tobacco, alcohol and cocaine in the prenatal period, one evaluated the effect of early malnutrition on the development of aggressive behavior and one assessed the impact of child maltreatment. The main biological factors were: genetic (low expression of the monoamine oxidase gene and serotonin transporter gene, variations in transporter and dopamine receptor genes), exposure to substances during intrauterine development (tobacco, alcohol and cocaine) and nutrition (malnutrition). The main environmental factors were: child abuse, poverty, crime and antisocial behavior in childhood, while the highest level of evidence was related to early neglect. The interaction between biological and environmental factors can be catalyzed by a hostile environment, increasing the risk for the development of aggressive behavior.

Why are alcohol-related emergency department presentations under-detected? An exploratory study using nursing triage text.

PubMed

Indig, Devon; Copeland, Jan; Conigrave, K M; Rotenko, Irene

2008-11-01

This study examined two methods of detecting alcohol-related emergency department (ED) presentations, provisional medical diagnosis and nursing triage text, and compared patient and service delivery characteristics to determine which patients are being missed from formal diagnosis in order to explore why alcohol-related ED presentations are under-detected. Data were reviewed for all ED presentations from 2004 to 2006 (n = 118,881) for a major teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Each record included two nursing triage free-text fields, which were searched for over 60 alcohol-related terms and coded for a range of issues. Adjusted odds ratios were used to compare diagnostically coded alcohol-related presentations to those detected using triage text. Approximately 4.5% of ED presentations were identified as alcohol-related, with 24% of these identified through diagnostic codes and the remainder identified by triage text. Diagnostic coding was more likely if the patient arrived by ambulance [odds ratio (OR) = 2.35] or showed signs of aggression (OR = 1.86). Failure to code alcohol-related issues was more than three times (OR = 3.23) more likely for patients with injuries. Alcohol-related presentations place a high demand on ED staff and less than one-quarter have an alcohol-related diagnosis recorded by their treating doctor. In order for routine ED data to be more effective for detecting alcohol-related ED presentations, it is recommended that additional resources such as an alcohol health worker be employed in Australian hospitals. These workers can educate and support ED staff to identify more clearly and record the clinical signs of alcohol and directly provide brief interventions.

Effects of Viewing Relational Aggression on Television on Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyne, Sarah M.

2016-01-01

Most researchers on media and aggression have examined the behavioral effects of viewing physical aggression in the media. Conversely, in the current study, I examined longitudinal associations between viewing "relational aggression" on TV and subsequent aggressive behavior. Participants included 467 adolescents who completed a number of…

Aggression and increased glutamate in the mPFC during withdrawal from intermittent alcohol in outbred mice

PubMed Central

Hwa, Lara S.; Nathanson, Anna J.; Shimamoto, Akiko; Tayeh, Jillian K.; Wilens, Allison R.; Holly, Elizabeth N.; Newman, Emily L.; DeBold, Joseph F.; Miczek, Klaus A.

2015-01-01

Rationale Disrupted social behavior, including occasional aggressive outbursts, is characteristic of withdrawal from long-term alcohol (EtOH) use. Heavy EtOH use and exaggerated responses during withdrawal may be treated using glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists. Objectives The current experiments explore aggression and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamate as consequences of withdrawal from intermittent access to EtOH, and changes in aggression and mPFC glutamate caused by NMDAR antagonists memantine and ketamine. Methods Swiss male mice underwent withdrawal following 1-8 weeks of intermittent access to 20% EtOH. Aggressive and non-aggressive behaviors with a conspecific were measured 6-8 h into EtOH withdrawal after memantine or ketamine (0-30 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. In separate mice, extracellular mPFC glutamate after memantine was measured during withdrawal using in vivo microdialysis. Results At 6-8 h withdrawal from EtOH, mice exhibited more convulsions and aggression, and decreased social contact compared to age-matched water controls. Memantine, but not ketamine, increased withdrawal aggression at the 5 mg/kg dose in mice with a history of 8 weeks EtOH but not 1 or 4 weeks of EtOH or in water drinkers. Tonic mPFC glutamate was higher during withdrawal after 8 weeks EtOH compared to 1 week EtOH or 8 weeks water. Five mg/kg memantine increased glutamate in 8 week EtOH mice, but also in 1 week EtOH and water drinkers. Conclusions These studies reveal aggressive behavior as a novel symptom of EtOH withdrawal in outbred mice and confirm a role of NMDARs during withdrawal aggression and for disrupted social behavior. PMID:25899790

An Exploration of the Associations of Alcohol-Related Social Media Use and Message Interpretation Outcomes to Problem Drinking Among College Students.

PubMed

Hoffman, Eric W; Austin, Erica Weintraub; Pinkleton, Bruce E; Austin, Bruce W

2017-07-01

College students' use of digital communication technology has led to a rapid expansion of digital alcohol marketing efforts. Two surveys (total usable n = 637) were conducted to explore college students' experiences with alcohol-related social media, their decision making related to alcohol use, and their problematic drinking behaviors. Study results indicated that students' use of alcohol-related social media predicted their problem drinking behaviors. In addition, students' wishful identification, perceived desirability, perceived similarity, and normative beliefs predicted their expectancies for drinking alcohol. Finally, students' expectancies for drinking alcohol predicted their problematic drinking behaviors.

"It's A Girl Thing!" Do Boys Engage in Relational Aggression? Exploration of Whether Strategies to Educate Young People about Relational Aggression Are Relevant for Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Deborah; Lawlor, Maria; Murphy, Niamh; Flynn, Ann

2013-01-01

Relational aggression is often perceived as a female issue. Less is known about relational aggression in adolescent boys. This study examines whether the issues associated with relational aggression in girls are similar for boys to determine whether an intervention designed for girls would be relevant for boys. Focus group discussions illustrate…

Relational Aggression: The Voices of Primary School Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botha, Johan

2014-01-01

The aim of this research was to explore and describe primary school learners' experiences of relational aggression at school. This was done within a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach. In order to give a voice to primary school learners' lived experiences of relational aggression, 25 individual interviews were conducted…

Relational Aggression and Burnout: Fight, Hide, or Run?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culver, Mary K.

2007-01-01

This study looks at female relational aggression in an effort to illustrate factors involved in selecting appropriate responses for the situation. This ethnographic case study analyzes a principal's interview, personal journal, and artifact file to describe the situations and reactions present in a severe case of female relational aggression.…

Alcohol craving and demand mediate the relation between posttraumatic stress symptoms and alcohol-related consequences.

PubMed

Tripp, Jessica C; Meshesha, Lidia Z; Teeters, Jenni B; Pickover, Alison M; McDevitt-Murphy, Meghan E; Murphy, James G

2015-10-01

Posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms are associated with alcohol-related consequences, but there is a need to understand mediators that may help explain the reasons for this relationship. Individuals with PTS may experience elevated craving and alcohol reward value (demand), which may contribute to risk for alcohol-related consequences. We examined relationships between PTS status, craving, alcohol demand, and alcohol-related consequences in PTS-positive (n = 64) and PTS-negative (n = 200) college students (M age = 21.7; 77% women; 54% Caucasian; 34% African American) who endorsed past-month alcohol use. We tested craving and alcohol demand as mediators of the relation between PTS status and alcohol-related consequences. Craving (B = .04, SE = .02, 95% CI [.01, .10]), demand intensity (B = .02, SE = .02, 95% CI [.001, .07]), and demand elasticity (B = .05, SE = .03, 95% CI [.006, .12]) significantly mediated the association between PTS symptoms and alcohol-related consequences. Craving remained a significant mediator in a multiple mediators model (B = .08, SE = .04, 95% CI [.03, .19]). Craving and alcohol demand may partially explain the relation between PTS status and alcohol-related consequences. Craving may be especially salient for individuals with PTS symptoms, as it may lead to more severe alcohol-related consequences even in the absence of elevated alcohol consumption. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Alcohol and public health in Africa: can we prevent alcohol-related harm from increasing?

PubMed

Ferreira-Borges, Carina; Dias, Sonia; Babor, Thomas; Esser, Marissa B; Parry, Charles D H

2015-09-01

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total amount of alcohol consumed in the African region is expected to increase due to the growth of new alcohol consumers, especially young people and women. With the changing alcohol environment, increases in the alcohol-attributable burden of disease are inevitable. To our knowledge, there has not been a comprehensive analysis of the factors that could be driving those increases. The objective of this study was to examine the evidence from peer reviewed literature regarding the factors that could be instrumental in this process, in order to inform strategic policy-related decisions. A narrative review was conducted using a thematic analysis approach. We searched papers published between January 2000 and July 2014 in PubMed, the WHO's Global Health Library and African Journals Online. Our analysis identified seven factors (demographics, rapid urbanization, economic development, increased availability, corporate targeting, weak policy infrastructure and trade agreements) which are potentially tied to changes in alcohol consumption in Africa. Driven largely by globalization, a potential convergence of these various factors is likely to be associated with continued growth in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. To address the emerging risk factors associated with increased alcohol consumption, African governments need to take a more active role in protecting the public's health. In particular, important strategic shifts are needed to increase implementation of intersectoral strategies, community involvement in the policy dialogue, health services re-orientation and better regulation of the alcohol beverage industry. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Do Drinking Episodes Contribute to Sexual Aggression Perpetration in College Men?

PubMed

Testa, Maria; Parks, Kathleen A; Hoffman, Joseph H; Crane, Cory A; Leonard, Kenneth E; Shyhalla, Kathleen

2015-07-01

Survey and experimental analog studies suggest that alcohol consumption contributes to perpetration of sexual aggression. However, few studies have considered the temporal association between naturally occurring episodes of drinking and subsequent sexual aggression. This daily report study was designed to examine whether alcohol consumption increases the odds of aggressive sexual activity within the next 4 hours. First-year male college students (N = 427) completed daily online reports of drinking and sexual activity for up to 56 days. Multilevel modeling was used to determine whether drinking episodes increased the odds of the following outcomes occurring within 4 hours: (a) aggressive sex with a new partner, (b) non-aggressive sex with a new partner, (c) aggressive sex with a previous partner, and (d) non-aggressive sex with a previous partner. Drinking episodes increased the odds of both aggressive and non-aggressive sex with a new partner. In contrast, drinking episodes did not predict aggression involving previous partners and decreased the odds of non-aggressive sex with a previous partner. Contrary to hypotheses, individual difference variables associated with propensity toward sexual aggression (sexual misperception, antisocial behavior, hostility toward women) did not interact with daily alcohol. The complex pattern of results is more consistent with situational as opposed to pharmacological effects of alcohol on sexual aggression and suggests that prevention efforts focus on drinking contexts known to facilitate sexual activity.

Relational Aggression among Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Ellie L.; Nelson, David A.; Hottle, America B.; Warburton, Brittney; Young, Bryan K.

2011-01-01

"Relational aggression" refers to harm within relationships caused by covert bullying or manipulative behavior. Examples include isolating a youth from his or her group of friends (social exclusion), threatening to stop talking to a friend (the silent treatment), or spreading gossip and rumors by email. This type of bullying tends to be…

Influence of Motivational Interviewing on Explicit and Implicit Alcohol-Related Cognition and Alcohol Use in At-Risk Adolescents

PubMed Central

Thush, Carolien; Wiers, Reinout W.; Moerbeek, Mirjam; Ames, Susan L.; Grenard, Jerry L.; Sussman, Steve; Stacy, Alan W.

2011-01-01

Both implicit and explicit cognitions play an important role in the development of addictive behavior. This study investigated the influence of a single-session motivational interview (MI) on implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognition and whether this intervention was successful in consequently decreasing alcohol use in at-risk adolescents. Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions were assessed at pretest and one month posttest in 125 Dutch at-risk adolescents ranging in age from 15 to 23 (51 males) with adapted versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and an expectancy questionnaire. Motivation to change, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems were measured with self-report questionnaires, at pretest, at posttest after one month, and at the six-month follow-up. Although the quality of the intervention was rated positively, the results did not yield support for any differential effects of the intervention on drinking behavior or readiness to change at posttest and six-month follow-up. There were indications of changes in implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions between pretest and posttest. Our findings raise questions regarding the use of MI in this particular at-risk adolescent population and the mechanisms through which MI is effective. PMID:19290699

The temporal relationship between alcohol, marijuana, angry affect, and dating violence perpetration: A daily diary study with female college students.

PubMed

Shorey, Ryan C; Stuart, Gregory L; Moore, Todd M; McNulty, James K

2014-06-01

Although a robust literature documents a positive association between alcohol and intimate partner violence (IPV), there is limited temporal research on this relation. Moreover, the role of marijuana in influencing IPV has been mixed. Thus, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the temporal relationship between alcohol and marijuana use and dating violence perpetration. A secondary aim was to examine whether angry affect moderated the temporal relation between alcohol and marijuana use and IPV perpetration. Participants were college women who had consumed alcohol in the previous month and were in a dating relationship (N = 173). For up to 90 consecutive days, women completed daily surveys that assessed their alcohol use, marijuana use, angry affect (anger, hostility, and irritation), and violence perpetration (psychological and physical). On alcohol use days, marijuana use days, and with increases in angry affect, the odds of psychological aggression increased. Only alcohol use days and increases in angry affect increased the odds of physical aggression. Moreover, the main effects of alcohol and marijuana use on aggression were moderated by angry affect. Alcohol was positively associated with psychological and physical aggression when angry affect was high, but was unrelated to aggression when angry affect was low. Marijuana use was associated with psychological aggression when angry affect was high. Findings advance our understanding of the proximal effect of alcohol and marijuana use on dating violence, including the potential moderating effect of angry affect on this relation.

Alcohol Craving and Demand Mediate the Relation between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Alcohol-Related Consequences

PubMed Central

Tripp, Jessica C.; Meshesha, Lidia Z.; Teeters, Jenni B.; Pickover, Alison; McDevitt-Murphy, Meghan E.; Murphy, James G.

2015-01-01

Objective Posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms are associated with alcohol-related consequences, but there is a need to understand mediators that may help explain the reasons for this relationship. Individuals with PTS may experience elevated craving and alcohol reward value (demand), which may contribute to risk for alcohol-related consequences. Method We examined relationships between PTS status, craving, alcohol demand, and alcohol-related consequences in PTS-positive (n = 64) and PTS-negative (n = 200) college students (M age = 21.7; 77% women; 54% Caucasian; 34% African American) who endorsed past-month alcohol use. We tested craving and alcohol demand as mediators of the relation between PTS status and alcohol problems. Results Craving (B = .04, SE = .02, 95% CI = .01 – .10), demand intensity (B = .05, SE = .03, 95% CI = .0009 – .17), and demand elasticity (B = .05, SE = .03, 95% CI = .006 – .03) significantly mediated the association between PTS symptoms and alcohol problems. Craving remained a significant mediator in a multiple mediators model (B = .08, SE = .04, 95% CI = .03 – .19). Conclusions Craving and alcohol demand may partially explain the relation between PTS status and alcohol-related consequences. Craving may be especially salient for individuals with PTS symptoms, as it may lead to more severe alcohol-related consequences even in the absence of elevated alcohol consumption. PMID:26375513

A Link between Mothers' Disciplinary Strategies and Children's Relational Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandstrom, Marlene J.

2007-01-01

This study examines the association between maternal disciplinary strategies and children's level of relational aggression, and then compares these associations with those found with overt aggression. Eighty-two 4th graders (aged 9-11 years) completed peer nomination measures of relational and overt aggression, and their mothers completed a…

Aggression and increased glutamate in the mPFC during withdrawal from intermittent alcohol in outbred mice.

PubMed

Hwa, Lara S; Nathanson, Anna J; Shimamoto, Akiko; Tayeh, Jillian K; Wilens, Allison R; Holly, Elizabeth N; Newman, Emily L; DeBold, Joseph F; Miczek, Klaus A

2015-08-01

Disrupted social behavior, including occasional aggressive outbursts, is characteristic of withdrawal from long-term alcohol (EtOH) use. Heavy EtOH use and exaggerated responses during withdrawal may be treated using glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists. The current experiments explore aggression and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamate as consequences of withdrawal from intermittent access to EtOH and changes in aggression and mPFC glutamate caused by NMDAR antagonists memantine and ketamine. Swiss male mice underwent withdrawal following 1-8 weeks of intermittent access to 20 % EtOH. Aggressive and nonaggressive behaviors with a conspecific were measured 6-8 h into EtOH withdrawal after memantine or ketamine (0-30 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. In separate mice, extracellular mPFC glutamate after memantine was measured during withdrawal using in vivo microdialysis. At 6-8 h withdrawal from EtOH, mice exhibited more convulsions and aggression and decreased social contact compared to age-matched water controls. Memantine, but not ketamine, increased withdrawal aggression at the 5-mg/kg dose in mice with a history of 8 weeks of EtOH but not 1 or 4 weeks of EtOH or in water drinkers. Tonic mPFC glutamate was higher during withdrawal after 8 weeks of EtOH compared to 1 week of EtOH or 8 weeks of water. Five milligrams per kilogram of memantine increased glutamate in 8-week EtOH mice, but also in 1-week EtOH and water drinkers. These studies reveal aggressive behavior as a novel symptom of EtOH withdrawal in outbred mice and confirm a role of NMDARs during withdrawal aggression and for disrupted social behavior.

The Socioeconomic Differences in Alcohol-Related Harm and the Effects of Alcohol Prices on Them: A Summary of Evidence from Finland.

PubMed

Mäkelä, Pia; Herttua, Kimmo; Martikainen, Pekka

2015-11-01

We make a case study of Finland to study the connections between socioeconomic status, alcohol use, related harm and possibilities for intervention by means of alcohol pricing. A review of Finnish studies on the topic. The socioeconomic differences in severe alcohol-related harm were great, and in the past two decades, these differences have widened. Alcohol-related mortality has also strongly contributed to both the level and widening of socioeconomic differences in life expectancy. Both in 2004, when alcohol prices were abruptly cut, and in the longer term with more gradual changes in lowest prices of alcohol, the lowest socioeconomic groups were most affected in absolute-but not so clearly in relative-terms, particularly among men. However, these effects are sometimes weak, not fully consistent by gender and across different measures of harm. The large and increasing socioeconomic differences in alcohol-related harm in Finland underline the importance of reducing these differences. The finding that particularly among men the impact of reduced alcohol prices on health has often in absolute terms been the greatest in the lower socioeconomic groups suggests that policies aimed at keeping the price of alcoholic beverages high may help to both minimize the overall level of alcohol-related health problems and to reduce absolute inequalities. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Relational Aggression in Children with Preschool Onset (PO) Psychiatric Disorders

PubMed Central

Belden, Andy C.; Gaffrey, Michael S.; Luby, Joan L.

2012-01-01

Objective The role of preschool onset (PO) psychiatric disorders as correlates and/or risk factors for relational aggression during kindergarten or 1st grade was tested in a sample of N = 146 preschool-age children (3 to 5.11). Method Axis-I diagnoses and symptom scores were derived using the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment. Children’s roles in relational aggression as aggressor, victim, aggressive-victim, or non-aggressor/non-victim were determined at preschool and again 24 months later at elementary school entry. Results Preschoolers diagnosed with PO-psychiatric disorders were 3 times as likely as the healthy preschoolers to be classified aggressors, victims, or aggressive-victims. Children diagnosed with PO-disruptive, depressive, and/or anxiety disorders were at least 6 times as likely as children without PO-psychiatric disorders to become aggressive-victims during elementary school after covarying for other key risk factors. Conclusions Findings suggested that PO-psychiatric disorders differentiated preschool and school-age children’s roles in relational aggression based on teacher-report. Recommendations for future research and preventative intervention aimed at minimizing the development of relational aggression in early childhood by identifying and targeting PO-psychiatric disorders are made. PMID:22917202

The Role of Positive Alcohol Expectancies in Underage Binge Drinking among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride, Nicole M.; Barrett, Blake; Moore, Kathleen A.; Schonfeld, Lawrence

2014-01-01

Objective: This study explored associations between positive alcohol expectancies, and demographics, as well as academic status and binge drinking among underage college students. Participants: A sample of 1,553 underage college students at 3 public universities and 1 college in the Southeast who completed the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey in the…

Do Drinking Episodes Contribute to Sexual Aggression Perpetration in College Men?

PubMed Central

Testa, Maria; Parks, Kathleen A.; Hoffman, Joseph H.; Crane, Cory A.; Leonard, Kenneth E.; Shyhalla, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Objective: Survey and experimental analog studies suggest that alcohol consumption contributes to perpetration of sexual aggression. However, few studies have considered the temporal association between naturally occurring episodes of drinking and subsequent sexual aggression. This daily report study was designed to examine whether alcohol consumption increases the odds of aggressive sexual activity within the next 4 hours. Method: First-year male college students (N = 427) completed daily online reports of drinking and sexual activity for up to 56 days. Multilevel modeling was used to determine whether drinking episodes increased the odds of the following outcomes occurring within 4 hours: (a) aggressive sex with a new partner, (b) non-aggressive sex with a new partner, (c) aggressive sex with a previous partner, and (d) non-aggressive sex with a previous partner. Results: Drinking episodes increased the odds of both aggressive and non-aggressive sex with a new partner. In contrast, drinking episodes did not predict aggression involving previous partners and decreased the odds of non-aggressive sex with a previous partner. Contrary to hypotheses, individual difference variables associated with propensity toward sexual aggression (sexual misperception, antisocial behavior, hostility toward women) did not interact with daily alcohol. Conclusions: The complex pattern of results is more consistent with situational as opposed to pharmacological effects of alcohol on sexual aggression and suggests that prevention efforts focus on drinking contexts known to facilitate sexual activity. PMID:26098025

College Men’s and Women’s Respective Perceptions of Risk to Perpetrate or Experience Sexual Assault: The Role of Alcohol Use and Expectancies

PubMed Central

Untied, Amy S.; Orchowski, Lindsay M.; Lazar, Vanessa

2015-01-01

The present study examines alcohol use, expectancies (i.e., beliefs about the outcomes of alcohol consumption), and college men’s (n = 127) and women’s (n = 191) respective perceptions of risk to perpetrate/experience sexual violence. Interactions between alcohol consumption and expectancies were examined. Alcohol expectancies regarding assertiveness increased women’s perceived risk for sexual intercourse via alcohol/drugs. Among women reporting high alcohol use, global expectancies were positively associated with perceived risk for sexual intercourse via alcohol/drugs. Furthermore, among women reporting low alcohol use, expectancies regarding assertiveness were positively associated with perceived risk for coerced sexual contact. Implications are discussed. PMID:23955932

[The types of matrimonial relations and personal characteristics of married couples in the families of men suffering from alcoholism].

PubMed

Rozhnova, T M

2007-02-01

The family of patient suffering from alcoholism was investigated form the standpoints of systemic analysis, that allowed revealing the leading personal characteristics of married couples. The men suffering from alcoholism are characterized by weak will, inclination to dependence, disregard of behavioral social norms, increased excitability and tendency to frustration in combination with high level of aggressiveness against the background of decreased masculine and prevailing feminine characteristics. Co-dependent wives of men suffering from alcoholism are characterized by predominance, observance of social norms, pronounced autoagression and orientation to masculine characteristics against the background of high indices of both femininity and masculinity. Such combination of married couples' personal characteristics forms the basis for development of dysfunctional relations in a family of man suffering from alcoholism. The families where husband and wife had no alcohol dependence, with harmonic functional relations served as the control group.

The role of expectation in the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction treatments.

PubMed

Spagnolo, Primavera A; Colloca, Luana; Heilig, Markus

2015-05-01

Throughout history, patient-physician relationships have been acknowledged as an important component of the therapeutic effects of any pharmacological treatment. Here, we discuss the role of physicians' expectations in influencing the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction pharmacological treatments. As largely demonstrated, such expectations and attitudes may contribute to produce placebo and nocebo effects that in turn affect the course of the disease and the response to the therapy. This article is aimed at discussing the current insights into expectations, placebo and nocebo mechanisms and their impact on the therapeutic outcomes of alcohol and drug addiction treatments; with the goal of informing physicians and other health care providers about the potentially widespread implications for clinical practice and for a successful treatment regimen. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Medical Council on Alcohol 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Aggressiveness in king penguins in relation to reproductive status and territory location.

PubMed

CôTé

2000-04-01

King penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus, vigorously defend small territories in very dense colonies. The egg-laying season lasts approximately 4 months, but only pairs that reproduce during the first half of the period succeed in fledging a chick. I examined various factors affecting aggressiveness of king penguins during the breeding season and focused on the differences between central and peripheral territories. Pairs on peripheral territories experienced twice as many encounters with avian predators as did central birds. The vast majority of peripheral birds were late breeders, indicating that reproductive success was very low among penguins defending a territory on the edge of the colony. Time invested in territory defence and rate of agonistic encounters between breeding neighbours increased from the incubation to the brooding period. Parents gave most threat displays to territorial neighbours when the chick was very young and just before crèche formation. Distance to colony edge was not related to aggressiveness in incubating birds, however, the rate of pecking and flipper blows increased from the edge to the centre during brooding. In addition, aggressiveness of breeding penguins towards travelling birds trespassing into their territory increased with distance to edge. Early breeders were not more aggressive than late breeders but the proportion of time spent in territory defence increased with the number of days a bird had spent incubating. As expected, I did not detect any sex difference in aggressive behaviour. Birds occupying territories on the beach were generally more aggressive during the incubation period than those located on the valley sides. Reproductive status (incubating versus brooding) and territory location were the main factors explaining the various levels of aggressiveness observed in breeding king penguins. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Relational Aggressive Behaviour: The Contributions of Status Stress and Status Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flack, Tove

2017-01-01

Relational aggression is a destructive behaviour that increases during adolescence. In order to develop effective interventions aimed to combat relational aggression, there is an urgent need to study what motivates this behaviour. This study investigates the association between status stress, status goals, and relational aggressive behaviour in a…

Influence of motivational interviewing on explicit and implicit alcohol-related cognition and alcohol use in at-risk adolescents.

PubMed

Thush, Carolien; Wiers, Reinout W; Moerbeek, Mirjam; Ames, Susan L; Grenard, Jerry L; Sussman, Steve; Stacy, Alan W

2009-03-01

Both implicit and explicit cognitions play an important role in the development of addictive behavior. This study investigated the influence of a single-session motivational interview (MI) on implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognition and whether this intervention was successful in consequently decreasing alcohol use in at-risk adolescents. Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions were assessed at pretest and one month posttest in 125 Dutch at-risk adolescents ranging in age from 15 to 23 (51 males) with adapted versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and an expectancy questionnaire. Motivation to change, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems were measured with self-report questionnaires, at pretest, at posttest after one month, and at the six-month follow-up. Although the quality of the intervention was rated positively, the results did not yield support for any differential effects of the intervention on drinking behavior or readiness to change at posttest and six-month follow-up. There were indications of changes in implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions between pretest and posttest. Our findings raise questions regarding the use of MI in this particular at-risk adolescent population and the mechanisms through which MI is effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Sexual coercion, verbal aggression, and condom use consistency among college students.

PubMed

Fair, Cynthia D; Vanyur, Jennifer

2011-01-01

The relationship between condom use and 2 less visible categories of intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual coercion and verbal aggression, was examined among college students. In March 2007 a random cross-sectional sample of undergraduates from the southeast region of the United States was taken to collect information about sexual coercion and verbal aggression, in addition to condom use consistency. Alcohol use was also assessed. Of the 142 participants, 31.7% reported being victims of sexual coercion, and 78% reported having verbally aggressive partners. Participants who reported experiencing sexual coercion in their relationship were significantly less likely to consistently use condoms. Additionally, alcohol use before or during episodes of verbal aggression was negatively associated with condom use. Alcohol use was also significantly associated with heightened incidents of coercion and aggression. Results indicate that among college students, the presence of sexual coercion adversely affects condom use, as does alcohol use.

The influence of alcohol-specific communication on adolescent alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences.

PubMed

Reimuller, Alison; Hussong, Andrea; Ennett, Susan T

2011-12-01

Alcohol-specific communication, a direct conversation between an adult and an adolescent regarding alcohol use, contains messages about alcohol relayed from the adult to the child. The current study examined the construct of alcohol-specific communication and the effect of messages on adolescent alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Parent-adolescent dyads were assessed biannually for 3 years (grades 9-11 at wave 6) to examine these relations in a large longitudinal study of adolescents initially in grades 6 through 8. An exploratory factor analysis identified two factors among alcohol-specific communication items, permissive messages and negative alcohol messages. Results showed previous level of adolescent alcohol use moderated the relation between permissive messages and alcohol use outcomes. Plotting of these interactions showed greater alcohol use and consequences with increasing permissive messages in adolescents with higher versus lower levels of previous alcohol use. Results suggest that parental messages regarding alcohol use may impact adolescent alcohol use beyond the effect of general parenting style and parental alcohol use.

Is local alcohol outlet density related to alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in Scottish cities?

PubMed Central

Richardson, E.A.; Hill, S.E.; Mitchell, R.; Pearce, J.; Shortt, N.K.

2015-01-01

Alcohol consumption may be influenced by the local alcohol retailing environment. This study is the first to examine neighbourhood alcohol outlet availability (on- and off-sales outlets) and alcohol-related health outcomes in Scotland. Alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths were significantly higher in neighbourhoods with higher outlet densities, and off-sales outlets were more important than on-sales outlets. The relationships held for most age groups, including those under the legal minimum drinking age, although were not significant for the youngest legal drinkers (18–25 years). Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations were higher in more income-deprived neighbourhoods, and the gradient in deaths (but not hospitalisations) was marginally larger in neighbourhoods with higher off-sales outlet densities. Efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm should consider the potentially important role of the alcohol retail environment. PMID:25840352

GRIK1 genotype and daily expectations of alcohol's positive effects moderate the reduction of heavy drinking by topiramate.

PubMed

Kranzler, Henry R; Armeli, Stephen; Tennen, Howard; Gelernter, Joel; Covault, Jonathan

2014-12-01

Using retrospective reports obtained during treatment visits in 138 heavy drinkers, we found that topiramate's reduction of heavy drinking was moderated by a polymorphism (rs2832407) in GRIK1, which encodes the GluK1 kainate subunit (Kranzler et al., 2014a). A subsequent analysis of that 12-week topiramate treatment trial showed similar effects of medication and genotype on daily drinking reports obtained via interactive voice response technology (IVR; Kranzler et al., 2014b). Specifically, rs2832407*C-allele homozygotes treated with topiramate reported lower levels of drinking than those receiving placebo. This group also had the largest decreases in the expected positive effects of drinking (i.e., expectancies) and desire to drink. To extend that analysis, which focused on how mean levels of desire and expectancies changed over time with treatment, we used a within-person approach to examine whether daily variation in expectancies and desire to drink interact with topiramate treatment and genotype to predict nighttime drinking levels. In contrast to the previous analysis (Kranzler et al., 2014b), here we focus on whether alcohol expectancies and desire to drink moderate the effects of topiramate on drinking. Results showed a 3-way interaction of daily expectancies with genotype and medication, such that the protective effect of topiramate on nighttime drinking among rs2832407*C-allele homozygotes was decreased on days characterized by relatively high levels of anticipated positive effects of alcohol. There was no moderating effect of desire to drink or negative alcohol expectancies. Thus, there is specific moderation of the effects of topiramate by both genotype and cognitive process. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Parenting Practices and the Early Socialisation of Relational Aggression among Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Sara E.; Boxer, Paul

2010-01-01

The present study examines parents' responses to their young children's relationally aggressive behaviour and compares these with the responses regarding children's overtly aggressive behaviour. Parents' beliefs about discipline strategies for addressing relational versus overt aggression at home and at school are also examined. Additionally,…

Is local alcohol outlet density related to alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in Scottish cities?

PubMed

Richardson, E A; Hill, S E; Mitchell, R; Pearce, J; Shortt, N K

2015-05-01

Alcohol consumption may be influenced by the local alcohol retailing environment. This study is the first to examine neighbourhood alcohol outlet availability (on- and off-sales outlets) and alcohol-related health outcomes in Scotland. Alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths were significantly higher in neighbourhoods with higher outlet densities, and off-sales outlets were more important than on-sales outlets. The relationships held for most age groups, including those under the legal minimum drinking age, although were not significant for the youngest legal drinkers (18-25 years). Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations were higher in more income-deprived neighbourhoods, and the gradient in deaths (but not hospitalisations) was marginally larger in neighbourhoods with higher off-sales outlet densities. Efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm should consider the potentially important role of the alcohol retail environment. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Alcohol-specific Communication on Adolescent Alcohol Use and Alcohol-related Consequences

PubMed Central

Reimuller, Alison; Hussong, Andrea; Ennett, Susan T.

2013-01-01

Alcohol-specific communication, a direct conversation between an adult and an adolescent regarding alcohol use, contains messages about alcohol relayed from the adult to the child. The current study examined the construct of alcohol-specific communication and the effect of messages on adolescent alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Parent-adolescent dyads were assessed biannually for 3 years (grades 9-11 at wave 6) to examine these relations in a large longitudinal study of adolescents initially in grades 6 through 8. An exploratory factor analysis identified two factors among alcohol-specific communication items, permissive messages and negative alcohol messages. Results showed previous level of adolescent alcohol use moderated the relation between permissive messages and alcohol use outcomes. Plotting of these interactions showed greater alcohol use and consequences with increasing permissive messages in adolescents with higher versus lower levels of previous alcohol use. Results suggest that parental messages regarding alcohol use may impact adolescent alcohol use beyond the effect of general parenting style and parental alcohol use. PMID:21667141

Descriptive Norms and Expectancies as Mediators of a Brief Motivational Intervention for Mandated College Students Receiving Stepped Care for Alcohol Use

PubMed Central

Yurasek, Ali M.; Borsari, Brian; Magill, Molly; Mastroleo, Nadine R.; Hustad, John T.P.; Tevyaw, Tracy O'Leary; Barnett, Nancy P.; Kahler, Christopher W.; Monti, Peter M.

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Stepped care approaches for mandated college students provide individual Brief Motivational Interventions (BMI) only for individuals who do not respond to an initial, low-intensity level of treatment such as Brief Advice (BA). However, how BMIs facilitate change in this higher-risk group of mandated students remains unclear. Perceived descriptive norms and alcohol-related expectancies are the most commonly examined mediators of BMI efficacy, but have yet to be examined in the context of stepped care. Methods Participants were mandated college students (N = 598) participating in a stepped care trial in which mandated students first received BA. Those who reported continued risky drinking 6 weeks following a BA session were randomized to either a single-session BMI (N=163) or an Assessment-only comparison condition (AO; N = 165). BMI participants reduced alcohol-related problems at the 9 month follow up significantly more than AO participants. Multiple mediation analyses using bootstrapping techniques examined whether perceived descriptive norms and alcohol-related expectancies mediated the observed outcomes. Results Reductions in perceptions of average student drinking (B = -.24; CI = -.61 to -.04) and negative expectancies (B = -.13; CI = -.38 to -.01) mediated the BMI effects. Furthermore, perceived average student norms were reduced after the BMI to levels approximating those of students who had exhibited lower risk drinking following the BA session. Conclusions Findings highlight the utility of addressing perceived norms and expectancies in BMIs, especially for students who have not responded to less intensive prevention efforts. PMID:26098125

Temporal Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Road Accidents in Young Swiss Men: Seasonal, Weekday and Public Holiday Effects.

PubMed

Foster, Simon; Gmel, Gerhard; Estévez, Natalia; Bähler, Caroline; Mohler-Kuo, Meichun

2015-09-01

To assess seasonal, weekday, and public holiday effects on alcohol-related road accidents and drinking diaries among young Swiss men. Federal road accident data (35,485 accidents) from Switzerland and drinking diary data from a large cohort of young Swiss men (11,930 subjects) were analysed for temporal effects by calendar week, weekday and public holiday (Christmas, New Years, National Day). Alcohol-related accidents were analysed using rate ratios for observed versus expected numbers of accidents and proportions of alcohol-related accidents relative to the total number. Drinking diaries were analysed for the proportion of drinkers, median number of drinks consumed, and the 90th percentile's number of drinks consumed. Several parallel peaks were identified in alcohol-related accidents and drinking diaries. These included increases on Fridays and Saturdays, with Saturday drinking extending until early Sunday morning, an increase during the summer on workdays but not weekends, an increase at the end of the year, and increases on public holidays and the evening before. Our results suggest specific time-windows that are associated with increases in drinking and alcohol-related harm. Established prevention measures should be enforced during these time-windows to reduce associated peaks. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

The Relation Between Death Attitude and Distress: Tolerance, Aggression, and Anger.

PubMed

Esnaashari, Fatemeh; Kargar, Flor Rezaei

2018-06-01

The aim of this research was to determine the relation between death attitude and distress tolerance and aggression and anger. For this, 135 subjects among 7,535 professional and specialist members of the Iran National Library were selected using convenience sampling method. They replied to Death Attitudes Profile-Revised, distress tolerance questionnaire, and aggression questionnaire. The results showed that the attitudes of approach acceptance, neutral acceptance, and escape acceptance had positive relation to distress tolerance and negative relation to aggression and anger while the attitudes of fear of death and death avoidance had negative relation to distress tolerance and positive relation to aggression and anger. Furthermore, all death attitudes predicted distress tolerance. But only the attitudes of approach acceptance, escape acceptance, fear of death, and death avoidance predicted aggression, and only approach acceptance, neutral acceptance, fear of death, and death avoidance predicted anger.

Does worry moderate the relation between aggression and depression in adolescent girls?

PubMed

Blain-Arcaro, Christine; Vaillancourt, Tracy

2016-06-01

Aggressive girls, more so than aggressive boys, are at an increased risk for depression. Despite disconcerting outcomes, few researchers have examined factors that may attenuate or exacerbate the relation between aggression and depression. Competing hypotheses for explaining the role of worry in the relation between aggressive behaviour and depressive symptoms, commonly co-occurring problems in girls, have been proposed. In the present study, we examined worry as a possible moderator in the relation between girls nominated as aggressive by their peers and self-reported depressive symptoms in a sample of 226 girls aged 13 (M = 12.92, SD = 1.28) at Time 1. We found that worry exacerbated the risk of depressive symptoms concurrently and one year later for physically aggressive girls, but not relationally aggressive girls. These results suggest that worry plays an important role in the prediction of depression for aggressive girls, which varies by the form aggression takes. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differentiating the contribution of pharmacological from alcohol expectancy effects to changes in subjective response and priming over successive drinks.

PubMed

Rose, Abigail K; Hobbs, Malcolm; Drummond, Colin

2013-04-01

Alcohol consumption can prime motivation to continue drinking and may contribute to excessive drinking. Most alcohol administration research assesses the effect of a single alcohol dose on outcome measures; however, this differs from typical drinking occasions in which several drinks are consumed over time. This research tracks priming measures (alcohol urge, latency to first sip, and consumption time) and subjective effects (intoxication, stimulation, and sedation) across consumption of 5 drinks, over a period of 2.5 hours. Alcohol, placebo, and no-alcohol (i.e., soft drink) conditions are compared with isolate the effects of alcohol expectancies and differentiate these from alcohol's pharmacological effects. Alcohol urge and subjective state were measured before and after an initial drink was consumed (preload: alcohol, placebo, or no-alcohol). Four additional drinking phases followed whereby participants had access to 2 drinks (alcohol/no-alcohol, or placebo/no-alcohol). Experimental priming (urge, latency to first sip, consumption time) and subjective effect (intoxication, stimulation, and sedation) outcomes were recorded after each drink. The pattern of alcohol urge following placebo drinks differed compared with alcohol and no-alcohol consumption, Fs(1, 90) > 4.10, ps < 0.003. There was a linear decrease in urge in the no-alcohol condition, while in the alcohol condition urge increased after the first few drinks before decreasing. Urge ratings showed the opposite pattern in the placebo condition (a decrease followed by an increase). Alcohol produced the highest ratings of lightheadedness, F(5, 440) = 2.8, p < 0.02, but both alcohol and placebo produced increased sedated feelings, Fs ≥ 19.05, ps ≤ 0.001. After placebo, urge was positively related to liking and enjoying the "alcoholic" drinks and feeling more stimulated (rs ≥ 0.31, ps ≤ 0.01). In social drinkers, different factors may affect priming during different stages of a drinking

Human alcohol-related neuropathology

PubMed Central

Kril, Jillian J.

2015-01-01

Alcohol-related diseases of the nervous system are caused by excessive exposures to alcohol, with or without co-existing nutritional or vitamin deficiencies. Toxic and metabolic effects of alcohol (ethanol) vary with brain region, age/developmental stage, dose, and duration of exposures. In the mature brain, heavy chronic or binge alcohol exposures can cause severe debilitating diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and skeletal muscle. Most commonly, long-standing heavy alcohol abuse leads to disproportionate loss of cerebral white matter and impairments in executive function. The cerebellum (especially the vermis), cortical-limbic circuits, skeletal muscle, and peripheral nerves are also important targets of chronic alcohol-related metabolic injury and degeneration. Although all cell types within the nervous system are vulnerable to the toxic, metabolic, and degenerative effects of alcohol, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and synaptic terminals are major targets, accounting for the white matter atrophy, neural inflammation and toxicity, and impairments in synaptogenesis. Besides chronic degenerative neuropathology, alcoholics are predisposed to develop severe potentially life-threatening acute or subacute symmetrical hemorrhagic injury in the diencephalon and brainstem due to thiamine deficiency, which exerts toxic/metabolic effects on glia, myelin, and the microvasculature. Alcohol also has devastating neurotoxic and teratogenic effects on the developing brain in association with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder/fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol impairs function of neurons and glia, disrupting a broad array of functions including neuronal survival, cell migration, and glial cell (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) differentiation. Further progress is needed to better understand the pathophysiology of this exposure-related constellation of nervous system diseases and better correlate the underlying pathology with in vivo imaging and biochemical lesions

Associations between Expectancies of Alcohol and Drug Use, Severity of Partner Violence, and Posttraumatic Stress among Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Erica N.; Khondkaryan, Enna; Sullivan, Tami P.

2012-01-01

Women who experience recurrent intimate partner violence (IPV) may use alcohol or drugs because they expect that these substances will help them cope with the negative physical and psychological sequelae of IPV. However, expectancies for alcohol and drug use have not been explored among this population of women. We used the Relaxation and…

The effectiveness of tax policy interventions for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms.

PubMed

Elder, Randy W; Lawrence, Briana; Ferguson, Aneeqah; Naimi, Timothy S; Brewer, Robert D; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K; Toomey, Traci L; Fielding, Jonathan E

2010-02-01

A systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness of alcohol tax policy interventions for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms was conducted for the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). Seventy-two papers or technical reports, which were published prior to July 2005, met specified quality criteria, and included evaluation outcomes relevant to public health (e.g., binge drinking, alcohol-related crash fatalities), were included in the final review. Nearly all studies, including those with different study designs, found that there was an inverse relationship between the tax or price of alcohol and indices of excessive drinking or alcohol-related health outcomes. Among studies restricted to underage populations, most found that increased taxes were also significantly associated with reduced consumption and alcohol-related harms. According to Community Guide rules of evidence, these results constitute strong evidence that raising alcohol excise taxes is an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. The impact of a potential tax increase is expected to be proportional to its magnitude and to be modified by such factors as disposable income and the demand elasticity for alcohol among various population groups. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Exposure to alcohol advertisements and teenage alcohol-related problems.

PubMed

Grenard, Jerry L; Dent, Clyde W; Stacy, Alan W

2013-02-01

This study used prospective data to test the hypothesis that exposure to alcohol advertising contributes to an increase in underage drinking and that an increase in underage drinking then leads to problems associated with drinking alcohol. A total of 3890 students were surveyed once per year across 4 years from the 7th through the 10th grades. Assessments included several measures of exposure to alcohol advertising, alcohol use, problems related to alcohol use, and a range of covariates, such as age, drinking by peers, drinking by close adults, playing sports, general TV watching, acculturation, parents' jobs, and parents' education. Structural equation modeling of alcohol consumption showed that exposure to alcohol ads and/or liking of those ads in seventh grade were predictive of the latent growth factors for alcohol use (past 30 days and past 6 months) after controlling for covariates. In addition, there was a significant total effect for boys and a significant mediated effect for girls of exposure to alcohol ads and liking of those ads in 7th grade through latent growth factors for alcohol use on alcohol-related problems in 10th grade. Younger adolescents appear to be susceptible to the persuasive messages contained in alcohol commercials broadcast on TV, which sometimes results in a positive affective reaction to the ads. Alcohol ad exposure and the affective reaction to those ads influence some youth to drink more and experience drinking-related problems later in adolescence.

Exposure to Alcohol Advertisements and Teenage Alcohol-Related Problems

PubMed Central

Dent, Clyde W.; Stacy, Alan W.

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: This study used prospective data to test the hypothesis that exposure to alcohol advertising contributes to an increase in underage drinking and that an increase in underage drinking then leads to problems associated with drinking alcohol. METHODS: A total of 3890 students were surveyed once per year across 4 years from the 7th through the 10th grades. Assessments included several measures of exposure to alcohol advertising, alcohol use, problems related to alcohol use, and a range of covariates, such as age, drinking by peers, drinking by close adults, playing sports, general TV watching, acculturation, parents’ jobs, and parents’ education. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling of alcohol consumption showed that exposure to alcohol ads and/or liking of those ads in seventh grade were predictive of the latent growth factors for alcohol use (past 30 days and past 6 months) after controlling for covariates. In addition, there was a significant total effect for boys and a significant mediated effect for girls of exposure to alcohol ads and liking of those ads in 7th grade through latent growth factors for alcohol use on alcohol-related problems in 10th grade. CONCLUSIONS: Younger adolescents appear to be susceptible to the persuasive messages contained in alcohol commercials broadcast on TV, which sometimes results in a positive affective reaction to the ads. Alcohol ad exposure and the affective reaction to those ads influence some youth to drink more and experience drinking-related problems later in adolescence. PMID:23359585

Sex differences in the interacting roles of impulsivity and positive alcohol expectancy in problem drinking: A structural brain imaging study.

PubMed

Ide, Jaime S; Zhornitsky, Simon; Hu, Sien; Zhang, Sheng; Krystal, John H; Li, Chiang-Shan R

2017-01-01

Alcohol expectancy and impulsivity are implicated in alcohol misuse. However, how these two risk factors interact to determine problem drinking and whether men and women differ in these risk processes remain unclear. In 158 social drinkers (86 women) assessed for Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), positive alcohol expectancy, and Barratt impulsivity, we examined sex differences in these risk processes. Further, with structural brain imaging, we examined the neural bases underlying the relationship between these risk factors and problem drinking. The results of general linear modeling showed that alcohol expectancy best predicted problem drinking in women, whereas in men as well as in the combined group alcohol expectancy and impulsivity interacted to best predict problem drinking. Alcohol expectancy was associated with decreased gray matter volume (GMV) of the right posterior insula in women and the interaction of alcohol expectancy and impulsivity was associated with decreased GMV of the left thalamus in women and men combined and in men alone, albeit less significantly. These risk factors mediated the correlation between GMV and problem drinking. Conversely, models where GMV resulted from problem drinking were not supported. These new findings reveal distinct psychological factors that dispose men and women to problem drinking. Although mediation analyses did not determine a causal link, GMV reduction in the insula and thalamus may represent neural phenotype of these risk processes rather than the consequence of alcohol consumption in non-dependent social drinkers. The results add to the alcohol imaging literature which has largely focused on dependent individuals and help elucidate alterations in brain structures that may contribute to the transition from social to habitual drinking.

Alcohol on campus: alcohol-related emergencies in undergraduate college students.

PubMed

Wright, S W; Norton, V C; Dake, A D; Pinkston, J R; Slovis, C M

1998-10-01

We reviewed demographic factors associated with alcohol-related disorders in undergraduates seen in the emergency department (ED) and determined the incidence of alcohol-related ED visits among undergraduates. This prospective, observational study was done in a university-affiliated emergency department. Demographic variables and incidence of students with alcohol-related disorders were analyzed. Of the 616 students seen in the ED during 1 academic year, 101 (16%) had an alcohol-related disorder. White students and freshmen were overrepresented. There were equal numbers of male and female students. The overall annual incidence for an alcohol-related visit among undergraduates was 1.7% per academic year. The incidence for freshmen was 2.9%. Four students were admitted; one died of a severe head injury. We estimate that 1 of every 15 undergraduates at our college comes to our ED with an alcohol-related problem during their 4-year college career. Younger and nonminority students were more commonly seen; there was no difference by sex. Serious outcomes included one death. This study probably underestimates the true incidence of alcohol-related disorders among students on campus.

Alcohol and violence: neuropeptidergic modulation of monoamine systems

PubMed Central

Miczek, Klaus A.; DeBold, Joseph F.; Hwa, Lara S.; Newman, Emily L.; de Almeida, Rosa M. M.

2015-01-01

Neurobiological processes underlying the epidemiologically-established link between alcohol and several types of social, aggressive, and violent behavior remain poorly understood. Acute low doses of alcohol, as well as withdrawal from long-term alcohol use, may lead to escalated aggressive behavior in a subset of individuals. An urgent task will be to disentangle the host of interacting genetic and environmental risk factors in individuals that are predisposed to engage in escalated aggressive behavior. The modulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine impulse flow by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate, acting via distinct ionotropic and metabotropic receptor subtypes in the dorsal raphe nucleus during alcohol consumption, is of critical significance in the suppression and escalation of aggressive behavior. In anticipation and reaction to aggressive behavior, neuropeptides such as corticotropin-releasing factor, neuropeptide Y, opioid peptides, and vasopressin interact with monoamines, GABA, and glutamate to attenuate and amplify aggressive behavior in alcohol-consuming individuals. These neuromodulators represent novel molecular targets for intervention that await clinical validation. Intermittent episodes of brief social defeat during aggressive confrontations are sufficient to cause long-lasting neuroadaptations that can lead to the escalation of alcohol consumption. PMID:26285061

The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the Relationship Between Substance Misuse and Weapons Aggression in Urban Adolescents Seeking ED Care

PubMed Central

Goldstick, Jason Elliott; Lipton, Robert I.; Carter, Patrick; Stoddard, Sarah A.; Newton, Manya F.; Reischl, Thomas; Walton, Maureen; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Cunningham, Rebecca M.

2015-01-01

Background Frameworks for studying the ecology of human behavior suggest that multiple levels of the environment influence behavior and that these levels interact. Applied to studies of weapons aggression, this suggests proximal risk factor (e.g., substance use) effects may differ across neighborhoods. Objectives To estimate how the association between weapons aggression and substance use varies as a function of several community-level variables. Methods Individual-level measures (demographics, behavioral measures) were obtained from a survey of youth aged 14–24 years old seeking care at a Level-1 ED in Flint, Michigan. Community-level variables were obtained from public sources. Logistic generalized additive models were used to test whether community-level variables (crime rates, alcohol outlets, demographics) modify the link between individual-level substance use variables and the primary outcome measure: self-reported past 6-month weapon (firearm/knife) related aggression. Results The effect of marijuana misuse on weapons aggression varied significantly as a function of five community-level variables: racial composition, vacant housing rates, female headed household rates, density of package alcohol outlets, and nearby drug crime rates. The effect of high-risk alcohol use did not depend on any of the eight community variables tested. Conclusions The relationship between marijuana misuse and weapons aggression differed across neighborhoods with generally less association in more disadvantaged neighborhoods, while high-risk alcohol use showed a consistently high association with weapons aggression that did not vary across neighborhoods. The results aid in understanding the contributions of alcohol and marijuana use to the etiology of weapon-related aggression among urban youth, but further study in the general population is required. PMID:25607807

The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the Relationship Between Substance Misuse and Weapons Aggression in Urban Adolescents Seeking ED Care.

PubMed

Goldstick, Jason Elliott; Lipton, Robert I; Carter, Patrick; Stoddard, Sarah A; Newton, Manya F; Reischl, Thomas; Walton, Maureen; Zimmerman, Marc A; Cunningham, Rebecca M

2015-04-01

Frameworks for studying the ecology of human behavior suggest that multiple levels of the environment influence behavior and that these levels interact. Applied to studies of weapons aggression, this suggests proximal risk factor (e.g., substance use) effects may differ across neighborhoods. To estimate how the association between weapons aggression and substance use varies as a function of several community-level variables. Individual-level measures (demographics, behavioral measures) were obtained from a survey of youth aged 14-24 years old seeking care at a Level-1 ED in Flint, Michigan. Community-level variables were obtained from public sources. Logistic generalized additive models were used to test whether community-level variables (crime rates, alcohol outlets, demographics) modify the link between individual-level substance use variables and the primary outcome measure: self-reported past 6-month weapon (firearm/knife) related aggression. The effect of marijuana misuse on weapons aggression varied significantly as a function of five community-level variables: racial composition, vacant housing rates, female headed household rates, density of package alcohol outlets, and nearby drug crime rates. The effect of high-risk alcohol use did not depend on any of the eight community variables tested. The relationship between marijuana misuse and weapons aggression differed across neighborhoods with generally less association in more disadvantaged neighborhoods, while high-risk alcohol use showed a consistently high association with weapons aggression that did not vary across neighborhoods. The results aid in understanding the contributions of alcohol and marijuana use to the etiology of weapon-related aggression among urban youth, but further study in the general population is required.

[Alcohol consumption and positive alcohol expectancies in young adults: a typological approach using TwoStep cluster].

PubMed

Vautier, S; Jmel, S; Fourio, C; Moncany, D

2007-09-01

The present study investigates the heterogeneity of the population of young adult drinkers with respect to alcohol consumption and Positive Alcohol Expectancies (PAEs). Based on the positive relationship between both kinds of variables, PAE is commonly viewed as a potential motivational factor of alcoholic addiction. Empirical analyses based on the regression of alcohol consumption on PAEs suppose that the observations are statistically homogeneous with respect to the level of alcohol consumption, however. We explored the existence of moderate drinkers with a high PAE profile, and abusive drinkers with a low PAE profile. 1,017 young adult drinkers, mean age=23 +/- 2.84, with various educational levels, comprising 506 males and 511 females, were recruited as voluntary participants in a survey by undergraduate psychology students from the University of Toulouse Le Mirail. They completed a French version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identifiction Test (AUDIT) and a French adaptation of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ). Three levels of alcohol consumption were defined using the AUDIT score, and six composite scores were obtained by averaging the relevant item-scores from the AEQ. The AEQ scores were interpreted as measurement of six kinds of PAEs, namely Global positive change, Sexual enhancement, Social and physical pleasure, Social assertiveness, Relaxation, and Arousal/Power. The TwoStep cluster methodology was used to explore the data. This methodology is convenient to deal with a mix of quantitative and qualitative variables, and it provides a classification model which is optimized through the use of an information criterion as Schwarz's Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The automatic clustering suggested five clusters, whose stability was ascertained until 75% of the sample size. Low drinkers (n=527) were split into one cluster of low PAEs (I1) and, interestingly, one cluster of high PAEs (I3, 46%). High drinkers (n=344) were split into one cluster

Meta-Analysis of the Association of Alcohol-Related Social Media Use with Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults.

PubMed

Curtis, Brenda L; Lookatch, Samantha J; Ramo, Danielle E; McKay, James R; Feinn, Richard S; Kranzler, Henry R

2018-06-01

Despite the pervasive use of social media by young adults, there is comparatively little known about whether, and how, engagement in social media influences this group's drinking patterns and risk of alcohol-related problems. We examined the relations between young adults' alcohol-related social media engagement (defined as the posting, liking, commenting, and viewing of alcohol-related social media content) and their drinking behavior and problems. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating the association of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems with alcohol-related social media engagement. Summary baseline variables regarding the social media platform used (e.g., Facebook and Twitter), social media measures assessed (e.g., number of alcohol photographs posted), alcohol measures (e.g., Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Timeline Follow back Interview), and the number of time points at which data were collected were extracted from each published study. We used the Q statistic to examine heterogeneity in the correlations between alcohol-related social media engagement and both drinking behavior and alcohol-related problems. Because there was significant heterogeneity, we used a random-effects model to evaluate the difference from zero of the weighted aggregate correlations. We used metaregression with study characteristics as moderators to test for moderators of the observed heterogeneity. Following screening, 19 articles met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The primary findings indicated a statistically significant relationship and moderate effect sizes between alcohol-related social media engagement and both alcohol consumption (r = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.44, p < 0.001) and alcohol-related problems (r = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.51, p < 0.001). There was significant heterogeneity among studies. Two significant predictors of heterogeneity were (i) whether there was joint measurement of alcohol-related

Relations between Childraising Styles and Aggressiveness in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De la Torre-Cruz, M. J.; García-Linares, M. C.; Casanova-Arias, P. F.

2014-01-01

Introduction: Physical and aggressive behavior which children and adolescents show toward peers is associated to parenting styles. The aim of this research was to examine the relation between perceived parenting styles (from mothers and fathers) and the level of physical and verbal aggressive behavior, anger and hostility showed towards the peers.…

Genes and gene networks implicated in aggression related behaviour.

PubMed

Malki, Karim; Pain, Oliver; Du Rietz, Ebba; Tosto, Maria Grazia; Paya-Cano, Jose; Sandnabba, Kenneth N; de Boer, Sietse; Schalkwyk, Leonard C; Sluyter, Frans

2014-10-01

Aggressive behaviour is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Despite of moderate heritability estimates, progress in identifying the genetic factors underlying aggressive behaviour has been limited. There are currently three genetic mouse models of high and low aggression created using selective breeding. This is the first study to offer a global transcriptomic characterization of the prefrontal cortex across all three genetic mouse models of aggression. A systems biology approach has been applied to transcriptomic data across the three pairs of selected inbred mouse strains (Turku Aggressive (TA) and Turku Non-Aggressive (TNA), Short Attack Latency (SAL) and Long Attack Latency (LAL) mice and North Carolina Aggressive (NC900) and North Carolina Non-Aggressive (NC100)), providing novel insight into the neurobiological mechanisms and genetics underlying aggression. First, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify modules of highly correlated genes associated with aggression. Probe sets belonging to gene modules uncovered by WGCNA were carried forward for network analysis using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). The RankProd non-parametric algorithm was then used to statistically evaluate expression differences across the genes belonging to modules significantly associated with aggression. IPA uncovered two pathways, involving NF-kB and MAPKs. The secondary RankProd analysis yielded 14 differentially expressed genes, some of which have previously been implicated in pathways associated with aggressive behaviour, such as Adrbk2. The results highlighted plausible candidate genes and gene networks implicated in aggression-related behaviour.

Marital Aggression and Child Peer Competence: A Comparison of Three Conceptual Models

PubMed Central

Finger, Brent; Eiden, Rina D.; Edwards, Ellen P.; Leonard, Kenneth E.; Kachadourian, Lorig

2013-01-01

This study examined longitudinal data linking marital aggression with child peer competence in kindergarten. The study compared three conceptual models for understanding the relation between marital aggression and child peer competence. Model 1 examines the direct effects of marital aggression, parental alcoholism, and parenting on child peer competence, model 2 posits that this relation is mediated by child social problem solving abilities (social information processing theory), while model 3 proposes that the relation is mediated by parental warmth/sensitivity (spillover theory). Structural Equation Modeling was most supportive of models 1 and 3 indicating that parenting behavior, but not social problem solving, partially mediates the relation between marital conflict and child peer competence. PMID:24009468

"Blurred lines?" Sexual aggression and barroom culture.

PubMed

Graham, Kathryn; Bernards, Sharon; Wayne Osgood, D; Abbey, Antonia; Parks, Michael; Flynn, Andrea; Dumas, Tara; Wells, Samantha

2014-05-01

Meeting potential sexual/romantic partners for mutual pleasure is one of the main reasons young adults go to bars. However, not all sexual contacts are positive and consensual, and aggression related to sexual advances is a common experience. Sometimes such aggression is related to misperceptions in making and receiving sexual advances while other times aggression reflects intentional harassment or other sexually aggressive acts. This study uses objective observational research to assess quantitatively gender of initiators and targets and the extent that sexual aggression involves intentional aggression by the initiator, the nature of responses by targets, and the role of third parties and intoxication. We analyzed 258 aggressive incidents involving sexual advances observed as part of a larger study on aggression in large capacity bars and clubs, using variables collected as part of the original research (gender, intoxication, intent) and variables coded from narrative descriptions (invasiveness, persistence, targets' responses, role of third parties). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were used to account for nesting of incidents in evening and bars. Ninety percent of incidents involved male initiators and female targets, with almost all incidents involving intentional or probably intentional aggression. Targets mostly responded nonaggressively, usually using evasion. Staff rarely intervened; patron third parties intervened in 21% of incidents, usually to help the target but sometimes to encourage the initiator. initiators' level of invasiveness was related to intoxication of the targets, but not their own intoxication, suggesting intoxicated women were being targeted. Sexual aggression is a major problem in bars often reflecting intentional sexual invasiveness and unwanted persistence rather than misperceptions in sexual advances. Prevention needs to focus on addressing masculinity norms of male patrons and staff who support sexual aggression and better

Aggression in Women: Behavior, Brain and Hormones.

PubMed

Denson, Thomas F; O'Dean, Siobhan M; Blake, Khandis R; Beames, Joanne R

2018-01-01

We review the literature on aggression in women with an emphasis on laboratory experimentation and hormonal and brain mechanisms. Women tend to engage in more indirect forms of aggression (e.g., spreading rumors) than other types of aggression. In laboratory studies, women are less aggressive than men, but provocation attenuates this difference. In the real world, women are just as likely to aggress against their romantic partner as men are, but men cause more serious physical and psychological harm. A very small minority of women are also sexually violent. Women are susceptible to alcohol-related aggression, but this type of aggression may be limited to women high in trait aggression. Fear of being harmed is a robust inhibitor of direct aggression in women. There are too few studies and most are underpowered to detect unique neural mechanisms associated with aggression in women. Testosterone shows the same small, positive relationship with aggression in women as in men. The role of cortisol is unclear, although some evidence suggests that women who are high in testosterone and low in cortisol show heightened aggression. Under some circumstances, oxytocin may increase aggression by enhancing reactivity to provocation and simultaneously lowering perceptions of danger that normally inhibit many women from retaliating. There is some evidence that high levels of estradiol and progesterone are associated with low levels of aggression. We highlight that more gender-specific theory-driven hypothesis testing is needed with larger samples of women and aggression paradigms relevant to women.

Empathy-related Responding: Associations with Prosocial Behavior, Aggression, and Intergroup Relations

PubMed Central

Eisenberg, Nancy; Eggum, Natalie D.; Di Giunta, Laura

2010-01-01

Empathy-related responding, including empathy, sympathy, and personal distress, has been implicated in conceptual models and theories about prosocial behavior and altruism, aggression and antisocial behavior, and intergroup relationships. Conceptual arguments and empirical findings related to each of these topics are reviewed. In general, there is evidence that empathy and/or sympathy are important correlates of, and likely contributors to, other-oriented prosocial behavior, the inhibition of aggression and antisocial behavior, and the quality of intergroup relationships. Applied implications of these findings, including preventative studies, are discussed, as are possible future directions. PMID:21221410

Overt and Relational Aggression and Victimization: Multiple Perspectives within the School Setting

PubMed Central

Putallaz, Martha; Grimes, Christina L.; Foster, Kristen J.; Kupersmidt, Janis B.; Coie, John D.; Dearing, Karen

2007-01-01

The current study involved a comprehensive comparative examination of overt and relational aggression and victimization across multiple perspectives in the school setting (peers, teachers, observers in the lunchroom, self-report). Patterns of results involving sociometic status, ethnicity and gender were explored among 4th graders, with particular emphasis on girls. Controversial and rejected children were perceived as higher on both forms of aggression than other status groups, but only rejected children were reported as victims. Both European American and African American girls showed a greater tendency toward relational aggression and victimization than overt aggression or victimization. Results indicated negative outcomes associated with both relational and overt victimization and especially overt aggression for the target girl sample. Poorer adjustment and a socially unskillful behavioral profile were found to be associated with these three behaviors. However, relational aggression did not evidence a similar negative relation to adjustment nor was it related to many of the behaviors examined in the current study. Implications of these results are discussed. PMID:18836518

Are Alcohol Expectancies Associations, Propositions, or Elephants? A Reply to Wiers and Stacy (2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Antony C.; Albery, Ian P.

2010-01-01

We provide a response to a commentary by Wiers and Stacy (2010) on our model of the alcohol-behavior link (Moss & Albery, 2009). Whereas Wiers and Stacy generally supported our model, they took issue with our conceptualization of the alcohol expectancy construct. We address the major concerns of Wiers and Stacy by demonstrating that our own view…

The relationship of parental reinforcement of media messages to college students' alcohol-related behaviors.

PubMed

Weintraub Austin, Erica; Chen, Yin Ju

2003-01-01

Although alcohol consumption is a problem on the college campus, beliefs and behaviors predictive of alcohol use are in development in children as young as third grade. Because they develop partially in response to interpretations of media messages, for which parents can have an influence, this study examined how college students' (N=300) recollections of parental reinforcement of media messages associated with alcohol-related beliefs and behaviors. Structural equation modeling showed that recalled positive mediation negatively predicted skepticism, and positively predicted desirability and expectancies. Desirability of media messages predicted more positive norms perceptions, and a lack of skepticism predicted more positive expectancies. With age of first experimentation controlled, expectancies predicted heavier current drinking behavior. Norms did not predict behavior, and positive mediation did not predict norms. The study concludes that to the extent parental communication leads adolescents to interpret media messages less skeptically, they encourage adolescents to find alcohol portrayals appealing. This in turn appears to lead toward more risky behaviors. The results suggest that college-based anti-alcohol campaigns can benefit by acknowledging the appeal of competing messages and by including parents as a campaign target.

Do community characteristics predict alcohol-related crime?

PubMed

Breen, Courtney; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Slade, Tim; Love, Stephanie; D'Este, Catherine; Mattick, Richard P

2011-01-01

Alcohol-related crime is a substantial community problem. There is evidence to suggest that certain geographic areas experience higher rates of alcohol-related crime and that both individual and community factors are associated with alcohol-related crime. There is limited research at the community level despite communities being the target of interventions designed to reduce alcohol-related harm. This study aims to determine whether there are differences in alcohol-related crime at the community level and examines whether certain community characteristics are associated with increased alcohol-related crime. Routinely collected police data from 20 rural communities in New South Wales, Australia were analysed. The ratio of alcohol to non-alcohol-related criminal incidents was used as a proxy for alcohol-related crime. Predictor variables were population-adjusted community characteristics, including demographic and resource variables. Regression analyses suggest that there are differences between communities in alcohol-related crime. Less socioeconomic disadvantage and more GPs and licensed premises (pubs and clubs) are associated with greater alcohol-related crime at the community level. Decreasing the socioeconomic well-being of a community is not appropriate; however, introducing additional taxes to increase the cost of alcohol may decrease consumption and therefore alcohol-related crime. Reducing or capping the number of licensed premises, specifically the number of pubs and clubs, may be an appropriate strategy to reduce alcohol-related crime in rural communities.

Violent comic books and judgments of relational aggression.

PubMed

Kirsh, Steven J; Olczak, Paul V

2002-06-01

This study investigated the effects of reading extremely violent versus mildly violent comic books on the interpretation of relational provocation situations. One hundred and seventeen introductory psychology students read either an extremely violent comic book or a mildly violent comic book. After reading the comic books, participants read five hypothetical stories in which a child, caused a relationally aggressive event to occur to another child, but the intent of the provocateur was ambiguous. After each story, participants were asked a series of questions about the provocateur's intent; potential retaliation toward the provocateur; and the provocateur's emotional state. Responses were coded in terms of amount of negative and violent content. Results indicated that participants reading the extremely violent comic books ascribed more hostile intent to the provocateur, suggested more retaliation toward the provocateur, and attributed a more negative emotional state to the provocateur than participants reading the mildly violent comic book. These data suggest that social information processing of relationally aggressive situations is influenced by violent comic books, even if the comic books do not contain themes of relational aggression.

The Effectiveness of Tax Policy Interventions for Reducing Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms

PubMed Central

Elder, Randy W.; Lawrence, Briana; Ferguson, Aneeqah; Naimi, Timothy S.; Brewer, Robert D.; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K.; Toomey, Traci L.; Fielding, Jonathan E.

2013-01-01

A systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness of alcohol tax policy interventions for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms was conducted for the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). Seventy-two papers or technical reports, which were published prior to July 2005, met specifıed quality criteria, and included evaluation outcomes relevant to public health (e.g., binge drinking, alcohol-related crash fatalities), were included in the fınal review. Nearly all studies, including those with different study designs, found that there was an inverse relationship between the tax or price of alcohol and indices of excessive drinking or alcohol-related health outcomes. Among studies restricted to underage populations, most found that increased taxes were also signifıcantly associated with reduced consumption and alcohol-related harms. According to Community Guide rules of evidence, these results constitute strong evidence that raising alcohol excise taxes is an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. The impact of a potential tax increase is expected to be proportional to its magnitude and to be modifıed by such factors as disposable income and the demand elasticity for alcohol among various population groups. PMID:20117579

What do you mean "drunk"? Convergent validation of multiple methods of mapping alcohol expectancy memory networks.

PubMed

Reich, Richard R; Ariel, Idan; Darkes, Jack; Goldman, Mark S

2012-09-01

The configuration and activation of memory networks have been theorized as mechanisms that underlie the often observed link between alcohol expectancies and drinking. A key component of this network is the expectancy "drunk." The memory network configuration of "drunk" was mapped by using cluster analysis of data gathered from the paired-similarities task (PST) and the Alcohol Expectancy Multi-Axial Assessment (AEMAX). A third task, the free associates task (FA), assessed participants' strongest alcohol expectancy associates and was used as a validity check for the cluster analyses. Six hundred forty-seven 18-19-year-olds completed these measures and a measure of alcohol consumption at baseline assessment for a 5-year longitudinal study. For both the PST and AEMAX, "drunk" clustered with mainly negative and sedating effects (e.g., "sick," "dizzy," "sleepy") in lighter drinkers and with more positive and arousing effects (e.g., "happy," "horny," "outgoing") in heavier drinkers, showing that the cognitive organization of expectancies reflected drinker type (and might influence the choice to drink). Consistent with the cluster analyses, in participants who gave "drunk" as an FA response, heavier drinkers rated the word as more positive and arousing than lighter drinkers. Additionally, gender did not account for the observed drinker-type differences. These results support the notion that for some emerging adults, drinking may be linked to what they mean by the word "drunk." PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Relational Aggression in School Settings: Definition, Development, Strategies, and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dailey, Alicia L.; Frey, Andy J.; Walker, Hill M.

2015-01-01

Relational aggression (RA) is a nonphysical form of aggression whereby the perpetrator's goal is to inflict or threaten damage to relationships, including harm to the target child's social standing or reputation. This form of aggression may result in long-term psychological harm to victims. This article defines RA, summarizes its development, and…

The Relation of Conceptual Tempo to Aggression and Its Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messer, Stanley B.; Brodzinsky, David M.

1979-01-01

Fifth-grade boys and girls were administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test and a projective measure of fantasy aggression and its control. They were also rated sociometrically by peers and teachers on physical, verbal, and indirect forms of overt aggression. Results indicated that conceptual tempo was related to aggression and its control.…

Ability emotional intelligence and its relation to aggression across time and age groups.

PubMed

García-Sancho, Esperanza; Salguero, José M; Fernández-Berrocal, Pablo

2017-02-01

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been associated with several indicators of psychosocial adjustment, including aggressive behavior, but the relevant research has been mostly cross-sectional, focused on adults, and limited to trait EI measures (García-Sancho, Salguero & Fernández-Berrocal, 2014; Mayer, Roberts & Barsade, ). The present work explored the relationship between Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI) and aggression in both adults and adolescents using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. We conducted two studies. Study 1 aimed to provide preliminary evidence about the relationship between AEI and aggression in adults. As literature has shown personality traits act as a strong predictor of aggression, study 1 also examined the potential incremental validity of AEI beyond personality traits in 474 undergraduate students (M = 22.76, SD = 5.13). The results indicated AEI explains a significant amount of unique variance for physical aggression, but not for verbal aggression after controlling personality traits. Study 2 aimed a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between EI and aggression in 151 adolescents (M = 14.74, SD = 0.84). AEI predicted physical aggression over time, but it did not predict verbal aggression. Results from both studies suggest a negative and significant relationship between AEI and physical aggression, however contrary our expectations, it did not for verbal aggression. These results highlight the important explanatory role of emotional abilities in physical aggressive conducts and the implications of these findings are discussed. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The relationship between drug use and sexual aggression in men across time.

PubMed

Swartout, Kevin M; White, Jacquelyn W

2010-09-01

The relationship between drug use and sexual aggression in a sample of men was examined at five time points from adolescence through the 4th year of college. Hierarchical linear modeling explored the relationship between proximal drug use and severity of sexual aggression after controlling for proximal alcohol use at each time period. Results revealed that proximal drug use was associated with sexual aggression severity: Increased drug use predicted increased severity of sexual aggression across time. A second set of analyses explored the relationship between distal marijuana use and severity of sexual aggression after controlling for distal alcohol use. Results indicated that increased marijuana use predicted increased severity of sexual aggression across time. A third set of analyses explored the relationship between distal use of other illicit drugs and severity of sexual aggression after controlling for distal alcohol use. Results mirrored those of the second set of analyses and are discussed in terms of drug use as a component of deviant lifestyles that may include sexually aggressive behavior, including implications for applied settings.

The Influence of Time Attitudes on Alcohol-Related Attitudes, Behaviors and Subjective Life Expectancy in Early Adolescence: A Longitudinal Examination Using Mover-Stayer Latent Transition Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Kevin Eugene; Morgan, Grant; Worrell, Frank C.; Sumnall, Harry; McKay, Michael Thomas

2018-01-01

The goal of the present study is to examine the stability of time attitudes profiles across a one-year period as well as the association between time attitudes profiles and several variables. These variables include attitudes towards alcohol, context of alcohol use, consumption of a full drink, and subjective life expectancy. We assessed the…

The Multifaceted Impact of Peer Relations on Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in Early Elementary School

PubMed Central

Powers, Christopher J.; Bierman, Karen L.

2013-01-01

Following a large, diverse sample of 4096 children in 27 schools, this study evaluated the impact of three aspects of peer relations, measured concurrently, on subsequent child aggressive-disruptive behavior during early elementary school – peer-dislike, reciprocated friends' aggressiveness, and classroom levels of aggressive-disruptive behavior. Teachers rated child aggressive-disruptive behavior in first and third grade, and peer relations were assessed during second grade. Results indicated that heightened classroom aggressive-disruptive behavior levels were related to proximal peer relations, including an increased likelihood of having aggressive friends and lower levels of peer-dislike of aggressive-disruptive children. Controlling for first grade aggressive-disruptive behavior, the three second grade peer experiences each made unique contributions to third grade child aggressive-disruptive behavior. These findings replicate and extend a growing body of research documenting the multifaceted nature of peer influence on aggressive-disruptive behavior in early elementary school. They highlight the importance of the classroom ecology and proximal peer relations in the socialization of aggressive-disruptive behavior. PMID:22545840

Genetic Contribution to Alcohol Dependence: Investigation of a Heterogeneous German Sample of Individuals with Alcohol Dependence, Chronic Alcoholic Pancreatitis, and Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis

PubMed Central

Treutlein, Jens; Streit, Fabian; Juraeva, Dilafruz; Degenhardt, Franziska; Rietschel, Liz; Forstner, Andreas J.; Ridinger, Monika; Dukal, Helene; Foo, Jerome C.; Soyka, Michael; Maier, Wolfgang; Gaebel, Wolfgang; Dahmen, Norbert; Scherbaum, Norbert; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Lucae, Susanne; Ising, Marcus; Stickel, Felix; Berg, Thomas; Roggenbuck, Ulla; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Scholz, Henrike; Zimmermann, Ulrich S.; Buch, Stephan; Sommer, Wolfgang H.; Spanagel, Rainer; Brors, Benedikt; Cichon, Sven; Mann, Karl; Kiefer, Falk; Hampe, Jochen; Rosendahl, Jonas; Nöthen, Markus M.; Rietschel, Marcella

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the genetic contribution to alcohol dependence (AD) using genome-wide association data from three German samples. These comprised patients with: (i) AD; (ii) chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (ACP); and (iii) alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (ALC). Single marker, gene-based, and pathway analyses were conducted. A significant association was detected for the ADH1B locus in a gene-based approach (puncorrected = 1.2 × 10−6; pcorrected = 0.020). This was driven by the AD subsample. No association with ADH1B was found in the combined ACP + ALC sample. On first inspection, this seems surprising, since ADH1B is a robustly replicated risk gene for AD and may therefore be expected to be associated also with subgroups of AD patients. The negative finding in the ACP + ALC sample, however, may reflect genetic stratification as well as random fluctuation of allele frequencies in the cases and controls, demonstrating the importance of large samples in which the phenotype is well assessed. PMID:28714907

Genetic Contribution to Alcohol Dependence: Investigation of a Heterogeneous German Sample of Individuals with Alcohol Dependence, Chronic Alcoholic Pancreatitis, and Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis.

PubMed

Treutlein, Jens; Frank, Josef; Streit, Fabian; Reinbold, Céline S; Juraeva, Dilafruz; Degenhardt, Franziska; Rietschel, Liz; Witt, Stephanie H; Forstner, Andreas J; Ridinger, Monika; Strohmaier, Jana; Wodarz, Norbert; Dukal, Helene; Foo, Jerome C; Hoffmann, Per; Herms, Stefan; Heilmann-Heimbach, Stefanie; Soyka, Michael; Maier, Wolfgang; Gaebel, Wolfgang; Dahmen, Norbert; Scherbaum, Norbert; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Lucae, Susanne; Ising, Marcus; Stickel, Felix; Berg, Thomas; Roggenbuck, Ulla; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Scholz, Henrike; Zimmermann, Ulrich S; Buch, Stephan; Sommer, Wolfgang H; Spanagel, Rainer; Brors, Benedikt; Cichon, Sven; Mann, Karl; Kiefer, Falk; Hampe, Jochen; Rosendahl, Jonas; Nöthen, Markus M; Rietschel, Marcella

2017-07-17

The present study investigated the genetic contribution to alcohol dependence (AD) using genome-wide association data from three German samples. These comprised patients with: (i) AD; (ii) chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (ACP); and (iii) alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (ALC). Single marker, gene-based, and pathway analyses were conducted. A significant association was detected for the ADH1B locus in a gene-based approach ( p uncorrected = 1.2 × 10 -6 ; p corrected = 0.020). This was driven by the AD subsample. No association with ADH1B was found in the combined ACP + ALC sample. On first inspection, this seems surprising, since ADH1B is a robustly replicated risk gene for AD and may therefore be expected to be associated also with subgroups of AD patients. The negative finding in the ACP + ALC sample, however, may reflect genetic stratification as well as random fluctuation of allele frequencies in the cases and controls, demonstrating the importance of large samples in which the phenotype is well assessed.

Perceptions of School and Family Climates and Experiences of Relational Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pernice-Duca, Francesca; Taiariol, Jennifer; Yoon, Jina

2010-01-01

The role of family and school-level variables on relational aggression and relational victimization was investigated among 158 fourth- and fifth-grade children. Family cohesion, maternal and paternal responsiveness, and school climate were hypothesized to be significant predictors of relational aggression and relational victimization. The results…

Gender differences in sex-related alcohol expectancies in young adults from a peri-urban area in Lima, Peru.

PubMed

Gálvez-Buccollini, Juan A; Paz-Soldán, Valerie A; Herrera, Phabiola M; DeLea, Suzanne; Gilman, Robert H

2009-06-01

To estimate the effect of sex-related alcohol expectancies (SRAE) on hazardous drinking prevalence and examine gender differences in reporting SRAE. Trained research assistants administered part of a questionnaire to 393 men and 400 women between 18 and 30 years old from a peri-urban shantytown in Lima, Peru. The remaining questions were self-administered. Two measuring instruments-one testing for hazardous drinking and one for SRAE-were used. Multivariate data analysis was performed using logistic regression. Based on odds ratios adjusted for socio-demographic variables (age, marital status, education, and employment status) (n = 793), men with one or two SRAE and men with three or more SRAE were 2.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-3.8; p = 0.001) and 3.9 (95% CI = 2.1-7.3; p < 0.001) times more likely than men with no SRAE, respectively, to be hazardous drinkers. Reporting of SRAE was significantly higher in men versus women. In a shantytown in Lima, SRAE is associated with hazardous drinking among men, but not among women, and reporting of SRAE differs by gender.

Relational Aggression in Sibling and Peer Relationships during Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostrov, Jamie M.; Crick, Nicki R.; Stauffacher, Kirstin

2006-01-01

The role of siblings ("N" = 50) in the display of physical and relational aggression among peers during early childhood was explored. Specifically, sibling pairs' rates of physical and relational aggression were assessed in their independent social contexts. Findings indicated low to moderate levels of intercorrelation between physical and…

Aggression in Women: Behavior, Brain and Hormones

PubMed Central

Denson, Thomas F.; O’Dean, Siobhan M.; Blake, Khandis R.; Beames, Joanne R.

2018-01-01

We review the literature on aggression in women with an emphasis on laboratory experimentation and hormonal and brain mechanisms. Women tend to engage in more indirect forms of aggression (e.g., spreading rumors) than other types of aggression. In laboratory studies, women are less aggressive than men, but provocation attenuates this difference. In the real world, women are just as likely to aggress against their romantic partner as men are, but men cause more serious physical and psychological harm. A very small minority of women are also sexually violent. Women are susceptible to alcohol-related aggression, but this type of aggression may be limited to women high in trait aggression. Fear of being harmed is a robust inhibitor of direct aggression in women. There are too few studies and most are underpowered to detect unique neural mechanisms associated with aggression in women. Testosterone shows the same small, positive relationship with aggression in women as in men. The role of cortisol is unclear, although some evidence suggests that women who are high in testosterone and low in cortisol show heightened aggression. Under some circumstances, oxytocin may increase aggression by enhancing reactivity to provocation and simultaneously lowering perceptions of danger that normally inhibit many women from retaliating. There is some evidence that high levels of estradiol and progesterone are associated with low levels of aggression. We highlight that more gender-specific theory-driven hypothesis testing is needed with larger samples of women and aggression paradigms relevant to women. PMID:29770113

Relationally Aggressive Media Exposure and Children's Normative Beliefs: Does Parental Mediation Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linder, Jennifer Ruh; Werner, Nicole E.

2012-01-01

Research indicates that relationally aggressive media exposure is positively associated with relational aggression in children. Theories of media effects suggest that these associations may be mediated by aggressive cognitions. Although parental mediation can attenuate the effects of violent media, it is unknown whether there are similar benefits…

Effects of the Campus Watch intervention on alcohol consumption and related harm in a university population.

PubMed

Cousins, Kimberly; Connor, Jennie L; Kypri, Kypros

2014-10-01

High levels of drinking and alcohol-related problems are pervasive among university students in New Zealand and other high-income countries, where controls on alcohol availability and promotion are typically weak. Environmental interventions to reduce hazardous drinking and harm have shown promise in general populations, but require further evidence of effectiveness in university settings. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of a community liaison and security program, Campus Watch, on drinking patterns and alcohol-related harm among university students. The study used a quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control sites using before (2005) and after (2009) observations. Participants were full-time students aged 17-25 years selected randomly from the enrolment lists of six New Zealand universities. Changes in scores on the alcohol use disorders identification consumption scale (AUDIT-C) and alcohol-related harms at the intervention campus were compared with those at control campuses using linear and logistic regression models. Compared to control campuses, AUDIT-C scores decreased in students at the intervention campus (β=-0.5, 95% CI: -0.6 to -0.3). Campus Watch was associated with reductions in some harms (independent of its effect on drinking), such as aggression (aOR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.94), but not other harms, e.g., blackouts (aOR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.27). While not being focused on alcohol per se, Campus Watch reduced alcohol consumption and some related harms. Such programs may be useful in similar environments where controls on alcohol availability and promotion cannot be affected and where informal controls are weak. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Minimum prices for alcohol and educational disparities in alcohol-related mortality.

PubMed

Herttua, Kimmo; Mäkelä, Pia; Martikainen, Pekka

2015-05-01

Minimum price of alcohol is one of the proposed set of alcohol policies in many high-income countries. However, the extent to which alcohol-related harm is associated with minimum prices across socioeconomic groups is not known. Using Finnish national registers in 1988-2007, we investigated, by means of time-series analysis, the association between minimum prices for alcohol overall, as well as for various types of alcoholic beverages, and alcohol-related mortality, among men and women ages 30-79 years across three educational groups. We defined quarterly aggregations of alcohol-related deaths, based on a sample including 80% of all deaths, in accordance with information on both underlying and contributory causes of death. About 62,500 persons died from alcohol-related causes during the 20-year follow-up. The alcohol-related mortality rate was more than threefold higher among those with a basic education than among those with a tertiary education. Among men with a basic education, an increase of 1% in the minimum price of alcohol was associated with a decrease of 0.03% (95% confidence interval = 0.01, 0.04%) in deaths per 100,000 person-years. Changes in the minimum prices of distilled spirits, intermediate products, and strong beer were also associated with changes in the opposite direction among men with a basic education and among women with a secondary education, whereas among the most highly educated there were no associations between the minimum prices of any beverages and mortality. Moreover, we found no evidence of an association between lower minimum prices for wine and higher rates of alcohol-related mortality in any of the population sub-groups. The results reveal associations between higher minimum prices and lower alcohol-related mortality among men with a basic education and women with a secondary education for all beverage types except wine.