The Amygdala - Where Emotions Shape Perception, Learning and Memories, 2017
Over the past 20 years, the reactivity of amygdala to emotive stimuli has been explored by emergi... more Over the past 20 years, the reactivity of amygdala to emotive stimuli has been explored by emerging neuroimaging techniques in an effort to understand the role of amygdala in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A fear neurocircuitry model, whereby the amygdala is hyperactive due to poor top-down control from the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices, has been supported by numerous experimental studies and meta-analyses. However, this model has not always been upheld by experimental data and clinical observations. In particular, many neuroimaging studies find that the amygdala fails to activate in response to negative stimuli in individuals with PTSD. Several technical and design issues may explain disparate results regarding amygdala reactivity in PTSD. However, biological and symptom-based factors emerge as possible mediators of amygdala function in PTSD, leading to the conclusion that symptoms of emotional disengagement and dissociation are associated with amygdala hyporeactivity, and symptoms of hypervigilance/hyperarousal and problems with fear conditioning and extinction are reflected by amygdala hyperactivity. Therefore, treatment of PTSD should take into account the nature of amygdala dysfunction in the individual to optimize treatment outcomes.
Sexual assault history, secondary cognitive appraisals, and a dual-process model of self-regulati... more Sexual assault history, secondary cognitive appraisals, and a dual-process model of self-regulation were examined as predictors of women's intended behavioral responses to hypothetical sexual aggression. College women (N = 435) read a sexually aggressive scenario and rated their intentions to engage in assertive, polite, and passive behavioral responses. Results indicated secondary cognitive appraisals predicted less assertive, more polite, and more passive responses. Good self-control predicted assertive and polite responses, while sexual assault history and poor regulation predicted passive responses. Poor regulation significantly moderated the relationship between secondary cognitive appraisals and passive behavioral responses. Implications for the prevention of sexual assault are discussed.
The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the ... more The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the associations between types of childhood maltreatment and adulthood proneness to shame and guilt. A path analysis was tested to examine the direct and indirect effects of neglect, sexual abuse, and punishment on shame and guilt via EMSs of incompetence, failure, social isolation, emotional inhibition, and unrelenting standards, over and above gender. Data were collected from 415 university students (73% female) aged 18–26. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, EMSs, and shame and guilt. Neglect was indirectly associated with increased shame-withdraw via incompetence. Sexual abuse was directly associated with decreased guilt-repair. Punishment was indirectly associated with increased guilt-repair via unrelenting standards. Results identified different developmental pathways of proneness to shame and guilt and supported the mediating role of EMSs of incompetence and unrelenting standards. Findings provide support for treatments of shame that target childhood neglect and maladaptive schemas.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
OBJECTIVE Affective and emotional dysregulation are consistently linked to greater alcohol use an... more OBJECTIVE Affective and emotional dysregulation are consistently linked to greater alcohol use and related consequences, including risky sexual behavior. Moreover, these associations are even stronger among women with experiences of sexual assault. The current study tested affect, alexithymia, positive urgency, and negative urgency as predictors of alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, and risky sexual behavior and the moderating impact of rape history on these associations among a sample of college women. METHOD Participants were 1,005 college women between the ages of 18 and 25. Approximately 20% of the sample (n = 204) reported a history of rape since age 14. RESULTS Positive and negative urgency statistically mediated the associations between negative affect and alexithymia and the alcohol and risky sex outcomes. Positive urgency was directly associated with alcohol use, while negative urgency was directly associated with alcohol-related consequences. Moreover, rape history moderated these associations, indicating that positive affect may be an important protective factor among women who have experienced rape. CONCLUSIONS The current study identified important unique risk and protective pathways that may increase or reduce women's risk for alcohol-related consequences and risky sexual behavior. Importantly, these pathways are comprised of constructs that are malleable and modifiable and can be targeted and changed through intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
We tested within-and between-person effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on c... more We tested within-and between-person effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on conduct problems and alcohol intoxication via self-control demands using multilevel structural equation modeling in a longitudinal burst-design study of 251 U.S. veterans who participated in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We theorized that experiencing PTSD symptoms engenders efforts to regulate mood, control thoughts, and inhibit or control behavior that is taxing to the individual (i.e., it places demands on self-control) and hypothesized that this process results in subsequent deficits in regulatory control that manifest in heightened intoxication and conduct problems associated with PTSD. At the within-person level, daytime PTSD symptoms, IRR = 1.09, and self-control demands, IRR = 1.12, exhibited within-person associations with nighttime conduct problems over and above nighttime intoxication. Consistent with our hypothesis, daytime increases in self-control demands mediated the associations between daytime PTSD symptoms and subsequent nighttime conduct problems. The indirect effect between daytime PTSD symptoms and nighttime intoxication via self-control demands was nonsignificant. At the between-person level, self-control demands mediated the associations between PTSD symptoms and conduct problems; however, the expected between-person associations with intoxication were nonsignificant. Drinking behavior is related to but cannot fully account for various difficulties in psychosocial functioning associated with PTSD. The present results suggest that dysregulated behavior may, ironically, stem from individuals' concerted efforts to control and manage overwhelming symptoms. Self-control demands may be a common factor that accounts for a broad range of functional impairments associated with PTSD.
Sexual abuse prior to age 18 may put some women at risk for engaging in sexual risk taking. This ... more Sexual abuse prior to age 18 may put some women at risk for engaging in sexual risk taking. This association could exist, in part, as a result of the impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms on behavioral regulation. The current study utilized a path analysis to investigate the association between severity of sexual abuse before age 18, posttraumatic stress symptoms, poor behavioral regulation, and expected engagement in sexual risk taking among college women. The sample consisted of 88 college women with experiences of sexual abuse prior to the age of 18. Severity of sexual abuse predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, posttraumatic stress symptoms predicted poor behavioral regulation, which in turn predicted expected engagement in sexual risk taking. These findings indicate functional mechanisms involved in sexual decision making of women who have had past sexual abuse and experience posttraumatic stress symptoms.
The current study tested the role of distress tolerance between cognitive schemas (emotional inhi... more The current study tested the role of distress tolerance between cognitive schemas (emotional inhibition, defectiveness/shame, social isolation, and insufficient self-control) and eating disorder (ED) risk in a sample of 469 college students via structural equation analysis. While research indicates maladaptive cognitive schemas are positively associated with dysregulated eating, mechanisms of this relationship are not well established. Distress tolerance has been consistently associated with bulimia behaviors and body dissatisfaction; however, few studies have evaluated the role of distress tolerance in relation to cognitive schemas. In the current study, distress tolerance mediated associations between specific schemas of social isolation and insufficient self-control and eating disorder risk. These findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting specific cognitive schemas may contribute to low distress tolerance, which increases risk of ED-related behaviors and cognitions.
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019
This study tested a multiple group path model in a sample of young adults (n = 402; 233 universit... more This study tested a multiple group path model in a sample of young adults (n = 402; 233 university participant pool/169 Amazon MTurk) linking positive and negative affect to alcohol consumption and problems via enhancement and coping motives, respectively. Motivational models of alcohol use suggest that individuals drink in order to alleviate negative affective states or to enhance positive moods or feelings. Deficits in modulating attention toward emotional experience (i.e., involuntary attention to emotion [IAE]); and poor distress tolerance may contribute to maladaptive patterns of substance use (i.e., negative reinforcement). As negative affect increases, those with deficits in the ability to efficiently attend to emotions as well as the inability to withstand distress may seek more external means of regulating unwanted or intrusive emotional experiences via alcohol. It was hypothesized that involuntarily attending to one's emotions would contribute to negative reinforcement drinking and problems. Coping motives were directly associated with alcohol-related problems, while enhancement motives were directly associated with problems both directly and indirectly via alcohol consumption. The hypothesized interaction between negative affect and IAE to coping motives was conditional upon levels of distress tolerance, with the moderating effect of involuntary attention being significant at high but not low levels of distress tolerance. Distress tolerance exhibited direct, inverse associations with alcohol-related problems. This pathway was significant over and above the direct effects of both coping motives and alcohol consumption. This suggests that while tolerance for emotional distress may reduce negative reinforcement drinking, it also fosters adaptive regulation when intoxicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019
This study tested a structural equation model linking reinforcement sensitivity to subsequent emo... more This study tested a structural equation model linking reinforcement sensitivity to subsequent emotion-based impulsivity (i.e., positive and negative urgency), alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior among a sample of 753 undergraduate drinkers. A hypothesized Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) × Sensitivity to Reward (SR) interaction significantly predicted both positive and negative urgency. At low levels of SR, SP had a significant negative effect on positive urgency and a significant positive effect on negative urgency. However, at high levels of SR, SP had significant positive effects on both types of urgency. Results indicated that positive and negative urgency mediate the associations between reinforcement sensitivity and both alcohol use and risky sexual behavior. Moreover, results demonstrated that at low levels of SR, SP is indirectly associated with decreased alcohol use. However, as SR increases, SP is indirectly associated with increased alcohol use and risky sexual behavior, due to the joint effect of high SP and SR on emotion-based impulsivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
The purpose of this study was to examine associations between inhibitory (sensitivity to punishme... more The purpose of this study was to examine associations between inhibitory (sensitivity to punishment [SP], adaptive metacognition) and facilitatory (sensitivity to reward [SR], maladaptive metacognition) factors of alcohol consumption and problems among young adults. Methods: Three hundred fifty-five young adults (ages 18-25, 61% female) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and a large public midwestern university in the United States self-administered a Web survey. Two multiple regression models were tested. Results: SR significantly moderated the effects of SP and the maladaptive metacognition (MC) subscale Uncontrollability/Danger on alcohol consumption. Alcohol problems were also significantly predicted by SR and Uncontrollability/Danger. The interaction between SR and SP on alcohol problems was conditional upon levels of the maladaptive MC subscale Lack of Cognitive Confidence, with a significant moderating effect only at high levels of Lack of Cognitive Confidence. Conclusions: Consistent with the literature, individuals with high levels of SR coupled with low SP are at risk for increased alcohol consumption. This effect on drinking behaviors is further influenced by maladaptive MC, such that individuals characterized by high SR and low SP are significantly more likely to report more alcohol-related problems if they believe that worrying is dangerous and uncontrollable or lack cognitive confidence; however as SP increases, this effect significantly diminishes. 1.1. Reward and punishment sensitivity: theory and alcohol outcomes Gray's revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000), a prominent neuroscience theory of personality, provides a valuable framework for understanding problematic alcohol use etiology (Keough & O'Connor, 2014). The rRST postulates three motivational systems of emotion and behavior, the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS), the Behavioral Activation System (BAS), and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) to underlie responses to reward (SR) and punishment sensitivity (SP; Gray & McNaughton, 2000). The BAS is a multidimensional construct encompassing reward interest and reactivity, goal planning and persistence, and impulsivity (Corr & Cooper, 2016) and is associated with an increased SR (Corr & Cooper, 2016; Gray, 1975). Alternatively, the BIS functions to resolve conflict between
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 2019
Purpose Risk factors of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, and negative u... more Purpose Risk factors of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, and negative urgency are independently associated with bulimia symptoms and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, relationships of these risk factors within comorbid presentations are not fully understood. The current study examined specific roles of these risk factors within this relationship. Methods An at-risk community sample of young adults (N = 429) completed an online survey of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, negative urgency, bulimia symptoms, and NSSI. Results A hypothesized path model was a good fit to the data. Results indicated direct paths from body dissatisfaction, negative urgency, and distress tolerance to bulimia symptoms. Negative urgency, distress tolerance, and bulimia symptoms were directly associated with NSSI. Consistent with hypotheses, distress tolerance and negative urgency acted as vulnerability factors, increasing the strength of associations between bulimia symptoms and NSSI. Distress tolerance also strengthened associations between negative urgency and NSSI. In addition to the direct effect, negative urgency was indirectly associated with NSSI via body dissatisfaction bulimia. Hypothesized indirect effects through distress tolerance were not supported. Conclusions Results support etiological models of bulimia and NSSI, and suggest deficits in emotion regulation strengthen risk of comorbid presentations. Furthermore, individuals with greater impulsivity and difficulty tolerating distress are at increased risk of engaging in both bulimia behaviors and NSSI, providing targets for clinical intervention. Level of evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
This study tested the effectiveness of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention to simult... more This study tested the effectiveness of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention to simultaneously reduce approach biases toward alcohol and increase approach biases toward condoms among high-risk young adults. Participants ( N = 102) were randomly assigned to either a training condition or a sham-training condition. Participants in the training condition were trained to make avoidance movements away from alcohol stimuli and approach movements toward condom stimuli over four training sessions. Approach biases and behavior were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Approach biases changed for both stimulus categories in accordance with training condition. Condom behavior and attitudes also changed as a function of training condition such that participants in the training condition reported fewer instances of condom nonuse and more positive attitudes toward condoms at a 3-month follow-up. Participants in both conditions had significant reductions in alcohol cons...
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2018
We tested within-person effects of alcohol on sexual behavior among young adults in a longitudina... more We tested within-person effects of alcohol on sexual behavior among young adults in a longitudinal burst design (N=213, 6487 person-days) using data collected from a previously published parent study. We differentiated effects of alcohol on likelihood of sexual activity versus use of protection against STDs or pregnancy on intercourse occasions by testing a multilevel multinomial model with four outcomes (no sex, oral sex without intercourse, protected intercourse, and unprotected intercourse). At the within-person level, effects of alcohol were hypothesized to be conditional upon level of intoxication (i.e., curvilinear effect). We also tested effects of four between-person moderators: gender, typical length of relationship with sexual partners, and two facets of self-control (effortful control and reactivity). Consistent with our hypothesis, low-level intoxication was associated with increased likelihood of engaging in oral sex or protected intercourse (relative to no sex) but was not related to likelihood of unprotected intercourse. The effect of intoxication on unprotected versus protected intercourse was an accelerating curve, significantly increasing likelihood of unprotected intercourse at high levels of intoxication. Between-person factors moderated associations between intoxication and sexual behavior. Effects of intoxication on both protected and unprotected intercourse were diminished for individuals with more familiar sexual partners. Effortful control exhibited a protective effect, reducing the effects of intoxication on likelihood of unprotected intercourse. Hypothesized effects of reactivity were not supported. Intoxication was a stronger predictor of oral sex and protected intercourse (but not unprotected intercourse) for women relative to men. Results highlight the inherent complexities of the alcohol-sexual behavior nexus.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with elevated risk of both alcohol use disorder (AUD)... more Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with elevated risk of both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related conduct problems, which are associated with behavioral and emotional dysregulation. We conducted an intensive longitudinal burst design study with 10 weeks of experience sampling over the course of 1.5 years with 250 veterans of recent conflicts. We tested time-series models of daily associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), alcohol dependence syndrome, and conduct problems. Exacerbations of PTSS predicted higher dependence syndrome and conduct problems the next day. This effect was significant after controlling for both concurrent (i.e., same-day) associations between drinking and the outcomes as well as the strength of associations between the outcomes from one day to the next (i.e., autoregression). Affect lability and disinhibition were hypothesized vulnerability factors increasing the strength of within-person predictors of dependence syndrome and conduct problems. Lability and disinhibition were
Distress tolerance is defined as the individual’s capacity to experience and withstand nega... more Distress tolerance is defined as the individual’s capacity to experience and withstand negative psychological states. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and to test its relationship with psychopathological symptoms and personality. A sample of 650 participants completed the DTS, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised–Abbreviated) (EPQR-A), and the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire (SA-45). The DTS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and adequate temporal stability (7-month test-retest). Results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized 4-factor structure (tolerance, appraisal, absorption, and regulation) that load onto a higher-order general factor. A structural equation model (SEM) was tested to provide evidence of construct validity. Neuroticism was inversely associated with distress tolerance, and distre...
The Amygdala - Where Emotions Shape Perception, Learning and Memories, 2017
Over the past 20 years, the reactivity of amygdala to emotive stimuli has been explored by emergi... more Over the past 20 years, the reactivity of amygdala to emotive stimuli has been explored by emerging neuroimaging techniques in an effort to understand the role of amygdala in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A fear neurocircuitry model, whereby the amygdala is hyperactive due to poor top-down control from the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices, has been supported by numerous experimental studies and meta-analyses. However, this model has not always been upheld by experimental data and clinical observations. In particular, many neuroimaging studies find that the amygdala fails to activate in response to negative stimuli in individuals with PTSD. Several technical and design issues may explain disparate results regarding amygdala reactivity in PTSD. However, biological and symptom-based factors emerge as possible mediators of amygdala function in PTSD, leading to the conclusion that symptoms of emotional disengagement and dissociation are associated with amygdala hyporeactivity, and symptoms of hypervigilance/hyperarousal and problems with fear conditioning and extinction are reflected by amygdala hyperactivity. Therefore, treatment of PTSD should take into account the nature of amygdala dysfunction in the individual to optimize treatment outcomes.
Sexual assault history, secondary cognitive appraisals, and a dual-process model of self-regulati... more Sexual assault history, secondary cognitive appraisals, and a dual-process model of self-regulation were examined as predictors of women's intended behavioral responses to hypothetical sexual aggression. College women (N = 435) read a sexually aggressive scenario and rated their intentions to engage in assertive, polite, and passive behavioral responses. Results indicated secondary cognitive appraisals predicted less assertive, more polite, and more passive responses. Good self-control predicted assertive and polite responses, while sexual assault history and poor regulation predicted passive responses. Poor regulation significantly moderated the relationship between secondary cognitive appraisals and passive behavioral responses. Implications for the prevention of sexual assault are discussed.
The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the ... more The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the associations between types of childhood maltreatment and adulthood proneness to shame and guilt. A path analysis was tested to examine the direct and indirect effects of neglect, sexual abuse, and punishment on shame and guilt via EMSs of incompetence, failure, social isolation, emotional inhibition, and unrelenting standards, over and above gender. Data were collected from 415 university students (73% female) aged 18–26. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, EMSs, and shame and guilt. Neglect was indirectly associated with increased shame-withdraw via incompetence. Sexual abuse was directly associated with decreased guilt-repair. Punishment was indirectly associated with increased guilt-repair via unrelenting standards. Results identified different developmental pathways of proneness to shame and guilt and supported the mediating role of EMSs of incompetence and unrelenting standards. Findings provide support for treatments of shame that target childhood neglect and maladaptive schemas.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
OBJECTIVE Affective and emotional dysregulation are consistently linked to greater alcohol use an... more OBJECTIVE Affective and emotional dysregulation are consistently linked to greater alcohol use and related consequences, including risky sexual behavior. Moreover, these associations are even stronger among women with experiences of sexual assault. The current study tested affect, alexithymia, positive urgency, and negative urgency as predictors of alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, and risky sexual behavior and the moderating impact of rape history on these associations among a sample of college women. METHOD Participants were 1,005 college women between the ages of 18 and 25. Approximately 20% of the sample (n = 204) reported a history of rape since age 14. RESULTS Positive and negative urgency statistically mediated the associations between negative affect and alexithymia and the alcohol and risky sex outcomes. Positive urgency was directly associated with alcohol use, while negative urgency was directly associated with alcohol-related consequences. Moreover, rape history moderated these associations, indicating that positive affect may be an important protective factor among women who have experienced rape. CONCLUSIONS The current study identified important unique risk and protective pathways that may increase or reduce women's risk for alcohol-related consequences and risky sexual behavior. Importantly, these pathways are comprised of constructs that are malleable and modifiable and can be targeted and changed through intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
We tested within-and between-person effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on c... more We tested within-and between-person effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on conduct problems and alcohol intoxication via self-control demands using multilevel structural equation modeling in a longitudinal burst-design study of 251 U.S. veterans who participated in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We theorized that experiencing PTSD symptoms engenders efforts to regulate mood, control thoughts, and inhibit or control behavior that is taxing to the individual (i.e., it places demands on self-control) and hypothesized that this process results in subsequent deficits in regulatory control that manifest in heightened intoxication and conduct problems associated with PTSD. At the within-person level, daytime PTSD symptoms, IRR = 1.09, and self-control demands, IRR = 1.12, exhibited within-person associations with nighttime conduct problems over and above nighttime intoxication. Consistent with our hypothesis, daytime increases in self-control demands mediated the associations between daytime PTSD symptoms and subsequent nighttime conduct problems. The indirect effect between daytime PTSD symptoms and nighttime intoxication via self-control demands was nonsignificant. At the between-person level, self-control demands mediated the associations between PTSD symptoms and conduct problems; however, the expected between-person associations with intoxication were nonsignificant. Drinking behavior is related to but cannot fully account for various difficulties in psychosocial functioning associated with PTSD. The present results suggest that dysregulated behavior may, ironically, stem from individuals' concerted efforts to control and manage overwhelming symptoms. Self-control demands may be a common factor that accounts for a broad range of functional impairments associated with PTSD.
Sexual abuse prior to age 18 may put some women at risk for engaging in sexual risk taking. This ... more Sexual abuse prior to age 18 may put some women at risk for engaging in sexual risk taking. This association could exist, in part, as a result of the impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms on behavioral regulation. The current study utilized a path analysis to investigate the association between severity of sexual abuse before age 18, posttraumatic stress symptoms, poor behavioral regulation, and expected engagement in sexual risk taking among college women. The sample consisted of 88 college women with experiences of sexual abuse prior to the age of 18. Severity of sexual abuse predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, posttraumatic stress symptoms predicted poor behavioral regulation, which in turn predicted expected engagement in sexual risk taking. These findings indicate functional mechanisms involved in sexual decision making of women who have had past sexual abuse and experience posttraumatic stress symptoms.
The current study tested the role of distress tolerance between cognitive schemas (emotional inhi... more The current study tested the role of distress tolerance between cognitive schemas (emotional inhibition, defectiveness/shame, social isolation, and insufficient self-control) and eating disorder (ED) risk in a sample of 469 college students via structural equation analysis. While research indicates maladaptive cognitive schemas are positively associated with dysregulated eating, mechanisms of this relationship are not well established. Distress tolerance has been consistently associated with bulimia behaviors and body dissatisfaction; however, few studies have evaluated the role of distress tolerance in relation to cognitive schemas. In the current study, distress tolerance mediated associations between specific schemas of social isolation and insufficient self-control and eating disorder risk. These findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting specific cognitive schemas may contribute to low distress tolerance, which increases risk of ED-related behaviors and cognitions.
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019
This study tested a multiple group path model in a sample of young adults (n = 402; 233 universit... more This study tested a multiple group path model in a sample of young adults (n = 402; 233 university participant pool/169 Amazon MTurk) linking positive and negative affect to alcohol consumption and problems via enhancement and coping motives, respectively. Motivational models of alcohol use suggest that individuals drink in order to alleviate negative affective states or to enhance positive moods or feelings. Deficits in modulating attention toward emotional experience (i.e., involuntary attention to emotion [IAE]); and poor distress tolerance may contribute to maladaptive patterns of substance use (i.e., negative reinforcement). As negative affect increases, those with deficits in the ability to efficiently attend to emotions as well as the inability to withstand distress may seek more external means of regulating unwanted or intrusive emotional experiences via alcohol. It was hypothesized that involuntarily attending to one's emotions would contribute to negative reinforcement drinking and problems. Coping motives were directly associated with alcohol-related problems, while enhancement motives were directly associated with problems both directly and indirectly via alcohol consumption. The hypothesized interaction between negative affect and IAE to coping motives was conditional upon levels of distress tolerance, with the moderating effect of involuntary attention being significant at high but not low levels of distress tolerance. Distress tolerance exhibited direct, inverse associations with alcohol-related problems. This pathway was significant over and above the direct effects of both coping motives and alcohol consumption. This suggests that while tolerance for emotional distress may reduce negative reinforcement drinking, it also fosters adaptive regulation when intoxicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019
This study tested a structural equation model linking reinforcement sensitivity to subsequent emo... more This study tested a structural equation model linking reinforcement sensitivity to subsequent emotion-based impulsivity (i.e., positive and negative urgency), alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior among a sample of 753 undergraduate drinkers. A hypothesized Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) × Sensitivity to Reward (SR) interaction significantly predicted both positive and negative urgency. At low levels of SR, SP had a significant negative effect on positive urgency and a significant positive effect on negative urgency. However, at high levels of SR, SP had significant positive effects on both types of urgency. Results indicated that positive and negative urgency mediate the associations between reinforcement sensitivity and both alcohol use and risky sexual behavior. Moreover, results demonstrated that at low levels of SR, SP is indirectly associated with decreased alcohol use. However, as SR increases, SP is indirectly associated with increased alcohol use and risky sexual behavior, due to the joint effect of high SP and SR on emotion-based impulsivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
The purpose of this study was to examine associations between inhibitory (sensitivity to punishme... more The purpose of this study was to examine associations between inhibitory (sensitivity to punishment [SP], adaptive metacognition) and facilitatory (sensitivity to reward [SR], maladaptive metacognition) factors of alcohol consumption and problems among young adults. Methods: Three hundred fifty-five young adults (ages 18-25, 61% female) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and a large public midwestern university in the United States self-administered a Web survey. Two multiple regression models were tested. Results: SR significantly moderated the effects of SP and the maladaptive metacognition (MC) subscale Uncontrollability/Danger on alcohol consumption. Alcohol problems were also significantly predicted by SR and Uncontrollability/Danger. The interaction between SR and SP on alcohol problems was conditional upon levels of the maladaptive MC subscale Lack of Cognitive Confidence, with a significant moderating effect only at high levels of Lack of Cognitive Confidence. Conclusions: Consistent with the literature, individuals with high levels of SR coupled with low SP are at risk for increased alcohol consumption. This effect on drinking behaviors is further influenced by maladaptive MC, such that individuals characterized by high SR and low SP are significantly more likely to report more alcohol-related problems if they believe that worrying is dangerous and uncontrollable or lack cognitive confidence; however as SP increases, this effect significantly diminishes. 1.1. Reward and punishment sensitivity: theory and alcohol outcomes Gray's revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000), a prominent neuroscience theory of personality, provides a valuable framework for understanding problematic alcohol use etiology (Keough & O'Connor, 2014). The rRST postulates three motivational systems of emotion and behavior, the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS), the Behavioral Activation System (BAS), and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) to underlie responses to reward (SR) and punishment sensitivity (SP; Gray & McNaughton, 2000). The BAS is a multidimensional construct encompassing reward interest and reactivity, goal planning and persistence, and impulsivity (Corr & Cooper, 2016) and is associated with an increased SR (Corr & Cooper, 2016; Gray, 1975). Alternatively, the BIS functions to resolve conflict between
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 2019
Purpose Risk factors of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, and negative u... more Purpose Risk factors of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, and negative urgency are independently associated with bulimia symptoms and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, relationships of these risk factors within comorbid presentations are not fully understood. The current study examined specific roles of these risk factors within this relationship. Methods An at-risk community sample of young adults (N = 429) completed an online survey of negative affect, body dissatisfaction, distress tolerance, negative urgency, bulimia symptoms, and NSSI. Results A hypothesized path model was a good fit to the data. Results indicated direct paths from body dissatisfaction, negative urgency, and distress tolerance to bulimia symptoms. Negative urgency, distress tolerance, and bulimia symptoms were directly associated with NSSI. Consistent with hypotheses, distress tolerance and negative urgency acted as vulnerability factors, increasing the strength of associations between bulimia symptoms and NSSI. Distress tolerance also strengthened associations between negative urgency and NSSI. In addition to the direct effect, negative urgency was indirectly associated with NSSI via body dissatisfaction bulimia. Hypothesized indirect effects through distress tolerance were not supported. Conclusions Results support etiological models of bulimia and NSSI, and suggest deficits in emotion regulation strengthen risk of comorbid presentations. Furthermore, individuals with greater impulsivity and difficulty tolerating distress are at increased risk of engaging in both bulimia behaviors and NSSI, providing targets for clinical intervention. Level of evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
This study tested the effectiveness of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention to simult... more This study tested the effectiveness of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention to simultaneously reduce approach biases toward alcohol and increase approach biases toward condoms among high-risk young adults. Participants ( N = 102) were randomly assigned to either a training condition or a sham-training condition. Participants in the training condition were trained to make avoidance movements away from alcohol stimuli and approach movements toward condom stimuli over four training sessions. Approach biases and behavior were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Approach biases changed for both stimulus categories in accordance with training condition. Condom behavior and attitudes also changed as a function of training condition such that participants in the training condition reported fewer instances of condom nonuse and more positive attitudes toward condoms at a 3-month follow-up. Participants in both conditions had significant reductions in alcohol cons...
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2018
We tested within-person effects of alcohol on sexual behavior among young adults in a longitudina... more We tested within-person effects of alcohol on sexual behavior among young adults in a longitudinal burst design (N=213, 6487 person-days) using data collected from a previously published parent study. We differentiated effects of alcohol on likelihood of sexual activity versus use of protection against STDs or pregnancy on intercourse occasions by testing a multilevel multinomial model with four outcomes (no sex, oral sex without intercourse, protected intercourse, and unprotected intercourse). At the within-person level, effects of alcohol were hypothesized to be conditional upon level of intoxication (i.e., curvilinear effect). We also tested effects of four between-person moderators: gender, typical length of relationship with sexual partners, and two facets of self-control (effortful control and reactivity). Consistent with our hypothesis, low-level intoxication was associated with increased likelihood of engaging in oral sex or protected intercourse (relative to no sex) but was not related to likelihood of unprotected intercourse. The effect of intoxication on unprotected versus protected intercourse was an accelerating curve, significantly increasing likelihood of unprotected intercourse at high levels of intoxication. Between-person factors moderated associations between intoxication and sexual behavior. Effects of intoxication on both protected and unprotected intercourse were diminished for individuals with more familiar sexual partners. Effortful control exhibited a protective effect, reducing the effects of intoxication on likelihood of unprotected intercourse. Hypothesized effects of reactivity were not supported. Intoxication was a stronger predictor of oral sex and protected intercourse (but not unprotected intercourse) for women relative to men. Results highlight the inherent complexities of the alcohol-sexual behavior nexus.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with elevated risk of both alcohol use disorder (AUD)... more Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with elevated risk of both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related conduct problems, which are associated with behavioral and emotional dysregulation. We conducted an intensive longitudinal burst design study with 10 weeks of experience sampling over the course of 1.5 years with 250 veterans of recent conflicts. We tested time-series models of daily associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), alcohol dependence syndrome, and conduct problems. Exacerbations of PTSS predicted higher dependence syndrome and conduct problems the next day. This effect was significant after controlling for both concurrent (i.e., same-day) associations between drinking and the outcomes as well as the strength of associations between the outcomes from one day to the next (i.e., autoregression). Affect lability and disinhibition were hypothesized vulnerability factors increasing the strength of within-person predictors of dependence syndrome and conduct problems. Lability and disinhibition were
Distress tolerance is defined as the individual’s capacity to experience and withstand nega... more Distress tolerance is defined as the individual’s capacity to experience and withstand negative psychological states. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and to test its relationship with psychopathological symptoms and personality. A sample of 650 participants completed the DTS, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised–Abbreviated) (EPQR-A), and the Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire (SA-45). The DTS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and adequate temporal stability (7-month test-retest). Results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized 4-factor structure (tolerance, appraisal, absorption, and regulation) that load onto a higher-order general factor. A structural equation model (SEM) was tested to provide evidence of construct validity. Neuroticism was inversely associated with distress tolerance, and distre...
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Papers by Raluca Simons