Evaluation of a single-session expectancy challenge intervention to reduce alcohol use among college students

In this study, the authors developed and evaluated a single-session experiential expectancy challenge (EC) intervention, seeking to reduce alcohol use by changing key positive expectancies among moderate to heavy drinking male and female college students. Participants (N=217) were randomly assigned to attend a 90- to 120-min EC session, CD-ROM alcohol education, or assessment only. Participants were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 1-month follow-up. Exposure to the EC intervention led to significant decreases in alcohol expectancies and subsequent alcohol consumption in both genders at follow-up. No significant changes were evident in either control condition. This study is the first to effectively decrease expectancies and drinking in college students with a single-session EC intervention. Further, although several studies have demonstrated the utility of the intervention with men, it is the first to do so with women. This study represents a critical step in the process of translating an innovative, theory-based intervention into a more practical format that makes it more accessible to those who seek effective drinking-reduction strategies for college campuses.     

Adaptation of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ-A): A short version for use among 13-year-olds in Norway

An adaptation of a Norwegian modified short version of Christiansen & Goldman's Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire for Adolescents (AEQ-A) was examined in this survey. Subjects were 924 Norwegian seventh graders, with an average age of 13.3 years. From the original 90 items, 27 items representing all seven original scales were used in this study. Factor analysis did not create any preferred new factor solution compared to Christiansen & Goldman's original factors. Internal consistency of the seven AEQ-A scales ranged from 0.37 to 0.72 on Cronbach's alpha. All seven AEQ-A scales correlated significantly with self-reported alcohol use as was expected, and this study also replicated the relative importance of the social enhancement scale. This was the first study using AEQ-A in a non-English-speaking culture. The generalizability of alcohol outcome expectancies was strongly supported.
The present study indicates that the Norwegian version of AEQ-A possesses a level of concurrent validity and internal reliability that is acceptable compared to the original scales, and can serve as a useful instrument in behavioral research on alcohol use among Norwegian adolescents in the years to come.     

Alcohol use among partner violent adults: Reviewing recent literature to inform intervention

Intimate partner violence is widely recognized as a public health problem. Although intervention programs exist for partner violent persons, there are discrepancies in the literature regarding the effectiveness of such programs. Current standards of treatment have been depicted as “one-size-fits-all,” lending credence to the notion that program goals are admirable, but incongruent with the heterogeneous needs, such as substance abuse treatment, of their clientele. This review of recent literature describes the role of alcohol in adult IPV commission. The author used two databases (Web of Science and PsycInfo), which retrieved 50 unduplicated articles published between January 2009 and April 2012. Eight articles were ultimately identified for further examination. The prevalence of alcohol within partner violence commission is presented in detail as well as future research and practice implications.     

The community alcohol use scale: A scale for use in prevention programs

The Community Alcohol Use Scale (CAUS) was developed as a continuous, reliable, valid, and acceptable measure for primary prevention studies. Items were written following a comprehensive review of the literature on alcohol dependence and alcoholism. Based upon the responses of 315 respondents to the 100-item initial version of the scale, the 45-item CAUS was developed. The CAUS was then cross-validated on a local sample (n = 274) and a provincial sample (n = 745). Estimates of internal consistency were .91, .96, and .94, respectively, for the initial and cross-validation samples. Correlations of .48 and .69 were obtained between the CAUS and the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test for the initial and local cross-validation samples. In the provincial cross-validation sample a correlation of .62 was obtained between the CAUS and the Usual Weekly Alcohol Index. Preliminary cutting scores were developed to identify those at risk for alcoholism, and alcoholics. The CAUS has potential use as an evaluative and predictive instrument in a variety of primary prevention programs.     

Protective factors and young adolescent tendency to abstain from alcohol use: A model using two waves of intervention study data

Two waves of data from a family-focused preventive intervention project were used to test a model of the influence of protective factors on young adolescents’ tendency toward alcohol abstinence. Prior theoretical and empirical work guided the specification of hypothesized effects of the protective factors affectional relationship with parents, affiliation with prosocial peers, and mastery-esteem on tendency toward alcohol abstinence. The tested model controlled for preintervention measures and included specified interrelations of protective factors across time. Structural equation analysis indicated that the model fit the data. Two of the hypothesized cross-time effects, however, were not supported. Work on this paper was supported by research grant DA 070 29-01A1 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and by grant MH 49217-01A1 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors gratefully acknowledge analytic assistance from Chungyeol Shin, evaluative comments from Rick Kosterman, and editorial assistance from Melissa Reyes.     

The development of children's intentions to use alcohol: direct and indirect effects of parent alcohol use and parenting behaviors

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of parent alcohol use and parenting behavior on the development of children's intentions to use alcohol in Grades 1 through 8. The authors hypothesized that the effect of parent alcohol use on children's intention to use alcohol would be mediated through parenting behavior, specifically monitoring/supervision, positive parenting, and inconsistent discipline. Using cohort-sequential latent growth modeling (LGM), the authors tested 3 models examining the effect of the development of parent alcohol use on the development of children's intentions to use alcohol, as mediated by the development of each of the 3 parenting behaviors. Multiple group analyses were used to explore gender differences. The effect of growth in parent alcohol use on growth in children's intentions was mediated only by parent monitoring/supervision and was significant only for girls. The effect of inconsistent discipline was directly related to growth in intentions for both boys and girls. Although parent alcohol use was related to less positive parenting, positive parenting was unrelated to children's intentions to use alcohol.     

Alcohol, sexual arousal, and intentions to use condoms in young men: applying alcohol myopia theory to risky sexual behavior.

Data from 7 studies were aggregated to examine how reported sexual arousal and alcohol intoxication interact to affect attitudes and intentions toward engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse in college-age men (N = 358). When participants were in a sober or placebo condition, their self-reports of sexual arousal had no effect on their responses. When participants were intoxicated, however, those who felt sexually aroused reported more favorable attitudes, thoughts, and intentions toward having unprotected sex than did those who did not feel aroused. These findings support alcohol myopia theory (C. M. Steele & R. A. Josephs, 1990), which states that alcohol intoxication restricts attentional capacity so that people are highly influenced by the most salient cues in their environment. It is suggested that sexual arousal is a powerful internal cue that interacts with alcohol intoxication to enhance attitudes and intentions toward risky sexual behaviors.     

模糊痕迹理论:对经典认知发展理论的挑战

近几十年来,推理和记忆的发展涌现出来的大量的实验结果对经典认知发展理论构成了挑战。对此,Reyna和Bminerd提出模糊痕迹理论试图解释以上研究成果。本文对该理论的核心内容和主要应用领域作了介绍。文末,对该理论作了简评。     

The use of multitreatment modalities in early intervention: A quantitative case study

A quantitative single case study is presented to illustrate how an early intervention program used two therapeutic modalities to treat a depressed mother and her 2-month-old son. Drawing upon an ecological, transactional model of development, the case study utilized a multimethod, longitudinal approach to assess the infant's developmental competence and attachment status, the mother's history and current psychosocial functioning, patterns of mother-infant interaction, and components of the family's social ecology. Measures were administered during a baseline period to assess pre-intervention functioning and were systematically repeated throughout the 2-year period of intervention. The treatment modalities included psychodynamically oriented individual therapy and Parent-Infant Relationship Treatment (PIRT) in which the dyad was also seen by a second therapist to foster more adaptive mother-infant transactional patterns. The findings indicated increased infant developmental competence and a shift from an insecure to a secure attachment classification, improved maternal psychosocial functioning, and a decline in the dyadic interactional pattern of maternal intrusiveness and infant withdrawal. The advantages of using two treatment modalities and a single case approach to evaluation are discussed.     

The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and event-specific drinking: The relationship between FoMO and alcohol use,harm, and breath alcohol concentration during orientation week

Current Psychology - The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is the feeling that one is missing out on rewarding experiences. FoMO research has largely focused on the link between FoMO and unhealthy social...     

Police intervention in riots: The role of accountability and group norms. A field experiment

This study explores the role of perceived accountability in riot police action. The basic hypothesis is that accountability, provided that non-violent norms are made salient, will lessen the chances of escalation of a conflict between police and demonstrators. Four platoons participated in a field experiment conducted at the Dutch Riot Police Academy, in which they played a riot simulation. In a 2 × 2 design, the effects of accountability and Department on attitudes and norms concerning the action of ‘police’ and ‘demonstrators’ were tested. Measurements were made before and after the simulation. Internal analysis, involving redefined accountability categories, provided support for our hypothesis. That is, perceived accountability proved to be related to a heightened public self-awareness, a less extremely positive evaluation of fellow group members, and less intergroup differentiation. The limitations of an internal analysis are discussed, as well as the importance of the nature of organizational norms and of the accountability forum in predicting the effect of accountability.     

The use of (symmetry) group theory as a predictive tool for studying bimanual coordination

Symmetry groups-rules that connect different configurations of a given set of components-represent a compact means of coding for effects, a feature that is desirable in both model- and theory-building. The present study was designed to compare the effects of spatial orientation differences with the various other asymmetries (e.g., timing differences, handedness preferences, the direction of attention) that are accommodated by current models of bimanual coordination. The authors used symmetry groups to predict specific patterns of results. In 2 experiments, participants (N = 13, Experiment 1; N = 9, Experiment 2) coordinated the movements of differently oriented (1 downward and 1 upward) pendulum pairs at a low (0.62 Hz) or high (0.82 Hz) movement frequency to establish an in-phase or antiphase pattern. Consistent with previous results (P. G. Amazeen, E. L. Amazeen, & M. T. Turvey, 1998a), the downward-oriented pendulum tended to lead slightly. In contrast to the effects of other bimanual asymmetries, the downward-oriented pendulum lead was amplified at low frequencies. Although the results contradicted the predictions of existing models of bimanual coordination, they were consistent with predictions from symmetry group theory. In the discussion, the authors focus on the application of symmetry groups to both bimanual coordination and other phenomena with more complex symmetric structures.     

Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (CaffEQ): construction, psychometric properties, and associations with caffeine use, caffeine dependence, and other related variables

Expectancies for drug effects predict drug initiation, use, cessation, and relapse, and may play a causal role in drug effects (i.e., placebo effects). Surprisingly little is known about expectancies for caffeine even though it is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. In a series of independent studies, the nature and scope of caffeine expectancies among caffeine consumers and nonconsumers were assessed, and a comprehensive and psychometrically sound Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (CaffEQ) was developed. After 2 preliminary studies, the CaffEQ was administered to 1,046 individuals from the general population along with other measures of interest (e.g., caffeine use history, anxiety). Exploratory factor analysis of the CaffEQ yielded a 7-factor solution. Subsequently, an independent sample of 665 individuals completed the CaffEQ and other measures, and a subset (n = 440) completed the CaffEQ again approximately 2 weeks later. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good model fit, and test-retest reliability was very good. The frequency and quantity of caffeine use were associated with greater expectancies for withdrawal/dependence, energy/work enhancement, appetite suppression, social/mood enhancement, and physical performance enhancement and lower expectancies for anxiety/negative physical effects and sleep disturbance. Caffeine expectancies predicted various caffeine- associated features of substance dependence (e.g., use despite harm, withdrawal incidence and severity, perceived difficulty stopping use, tolerance). Expectancies for caffeine consumed via coffee were stronger than for caffeine consumed via soft drinks or tea. The CaffEQ should facilitate the advancement of our knowledge of caffeine and drug use in general.     

Senior citizens group: The supervisory process (A case of parallel processes in multiple systems)

As cost-effective treatment becomes mandatory, preventive psychiatry support groups in community settings offer one solution. The authors describe their experience establishing a group at a Senior Citizens Center. They focus on the supervision of the PGY III psychiatry resident who led the group and how the supervisory process reflected the conflicts in multiple systems: the group, the Senior Citizens Center, the hospital, and supervision. Guidelines are offered for establishing such groups.     

A family-focused randomized controlled trial to prevent adolescent alcohol and tobacco use: The moderating roles of positive parenting and adolescent gender

Four years of longitudinal data from 2,153 families with a 5th- or 6th-grade preadolescent participating in a family-focused pediatric primary-care-based prevention program were used to examine whether prevention effects were moderated by positive parenting and/or adolescent gender. Alcohol and tobacco use, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems were examined. Although findings revealed no main effect of the prevention program, positive parenting and adolescent gender were moderators of internalizing problems and adolescent gender was a moderator of externalizing problems. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed.     

The analytic group: A multifaceted approach to the treatment of adolescents

During adolescence the peer group plays a major role in facilitating developmental processes, since it not only serves as a replacement for childhood love-objects and attachments, but offers the adolescent allies in the struggle to separate and become emancipated from parents. For those adolescents who, because of interpersonal and intrapsychic difficulties, have no peer group or have chosen an inappropriate peer group, providing a therapeutic group can make it possible for development to proceed. This paper presents not only a theoretical basis for the utilization of groups of peers in the treatment of adolescents, but also an elaboration on the dynamic processes which make possible improvement of ego-functioning and resolution of core conflicts related to the past, as well as to this particular developmental phase.