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Background: Individuals with a minority sexual orientation have consistently been found to face a greater risk of mental health problems and problematic substance use than heterosexual individuals. The present study examined whether differences in alcohol use or alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms across the spectrum of sexual orientations could be explained by drinking motives (i.e., enhancement, social, coping and conformity motives). Method: A non-self-selective sample of non-abstinent, young Swiss men (N = 5,139; mean age = 25.4, SD = 1.25) completed a self-reporting questionnaire on sexual orientation (on a five-point attraction scale: heterosexual, mostly-heterosexual, bisexual, mostly-homosexual, homosexual), drinking motives, alcohol use indicators (e.g., heavy episodic drinking, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption [AUDIT-C]), and AUD symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether drinking motives mediated the associations between dummy-coded sexual orientation (with heterosexual men as the reference) and alcohol use indicators or AUD symptoms. Results: Mostly-heterosexual men exhibited higher scores on alcohol use indicators than heterosexual men, with almost full mediation through their drinking motives, specifically higher enhancement motives. They also reported more AUD symptoms, partially mediated through drinking motives, with comparable contributions from enhancement and coping motives. Homosexual men, however, displayed similar or lower scores for alcohol use indicators and AUD symptoms than heterosexual men, but these differences were not mediated by drinking motives. Indeed, homosexual men exhibited greater coping motives than heterosexual men. No significant results or discernible patterns emerged for bisexual or mostly-homosexual men. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of considering the full spectrum of sexual orientations in healthcare and of broadening the focus on drinking motives beyond coping. Understanding the varied motives for alcohol use across the spectrum of sexual orientations facilitates tailored prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Investigate the effect of change talk (CT) within successive brief motivational interventions (BMIs) as a mechanism of change for alcohol use. Method: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in which 344 young adults (18-35 years old) admitted to a Swiss emergency department with alcohol intoxication received either BMI (N = 171) or brief advice (N = 173). Participants with a baseline audio-recorded BMI were included (N = 140; median age 23 [Q1-Q3: 20-27], 72.9% men). Up to three booster sessions by phone were offered at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. Percent CT and CT Average Strength were used as predictor variables. The outcome was the number of heavy drinking days (HDD) over the 30 days prior to research assessments at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. A latent growth curve modeling framework was first used to estimate predictor and outcome variable growth parameters (i.e., intercept and slope) over time, and then to regress HDD growth parameters on CT growth parameters. Results: CT increased specifically from baseline to the 1-week booster session and thereafter remained stable. Higher baseline CT was associated with lower HDD at 1 month (Percent CT: b = -0.04, 95% confidence interval [-0.06, -0.01]; Average Strength: b = -0.99 [-1.67, -0.31]). An increase in CT from baseline to the 1-week booster session was related to a decrease in HDD from 1 month to 12 months (Percent CT: b = -0.08 [-0.14, -0.03]; Average Strength: b = -2.29 [-3.52, -1.07]). Conclusions: Both baseline CT and CT trajectory over the first week are meaningful predictors of HDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Social behaviour and network therapy involves an active participation of the practitioner in recruiting a supportive network to change the client's alcohol use. Despite achieving beneficial effects on alcohol consumption, its possible mechanisms of change are a relatively under-studied topic compared to those of other alcohol treatment interventions. This study aimed to explore therapist skills through which social behaviour and network therapy may achieve effects on alcohol consumption in comparison with motivational enhancement therapy. Methods: This study was secondary analysis of data from the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial, a multicentre, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial. The sample comprised 376 participants randomized to motivational enhancement therapy or social behaviour and network therapy. We used the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial Process Rating Scale to assess therapist skills. Outcomes drinks per drinking day and percentage of days abstinent were assessed 12 months after treatment initiation. Analyses were conducted in a simple mediation framework. Results: Therapist skills score (combining frequency and quality) for involving others in behaviour change mediated social behaviour and network therapy effects on percentage of days abstinent (b = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02; 0.10, p = 0.01). The frequency with which therapists acted as an active agent for change also mediated the effects of social behaviour and network therapy on percentage of days abstinent (b = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.003; 0.05, p = 0.03). The frequency with which the therapist stressed social support as a key factor in achieving change unexpectedly mediated an increase in drinks per drinking day (b = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01; 0.18, p = 0.02). The two latter mediation effects were not sustained when quality was considered. All other indirect effects tested were non-significant. Discussion/Conclusions: How social behaviour and network therapy exerts effects on alcohol outcomes is not yet well understood and in this study was not attributable to observed ratings of therapist treatment-specific skills. Therapist skill in planning the involvement of others during treatment, however, warrants further study. We suggest that the present findings should be regarded as hypothesis generating as it identifies specific targets for further investigation in alcohol treatment process studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated normative beliefs about personality development. Young, middle-aged, and older adults indicated the age-relevance of 835 French adjectives by specifying person characteristics as typical for any age decade from 0 to 99 years. With this paradigm, the authors determined age-relevance (How typical is a characteristic for a given age decade?). Most characteristics were ascribed to young adulthood. The pattern differed across the lifespan, however, for positive and negative person characteristics as well as for physical, cognitive, and personal/expressive characteristics. Whereas the total number of ascribed positive characteristics peaked in young adulthood and declined thereafter, the number of ascribed negative person characteristics peaked during adolescence, remained fairly low during middle adulthood, and increased slightly in old age (70+ years). As a consequence, the most positive profile was ascribed to young olds (60 to 69 years), whereas the most negative personality profiles were ascribed to the oldest age groups (70+ years) and to adolescence (10 to 19 years). The negative profiles are primarily due to more negative physical characteristics ascribed to older adults and more negative cognitive characteristics ascribed to adolescence. (Contains 4 figures, 3 tables, and 4 footnotes.)

Single-measurement-point data collection to assess change has increased with studies assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and of its containment, despite evidence of its lack of validity. Retrospective change is not equivalent to change in repeated self-reported measures giving raise to questions about the validity of the former. This paper purports to investigate inconsistencies between change measures by confronting retrospective change to information from longitudinally self-reported measures from the C-SURF cohort study. The study sample consists of 2,279 young men who participated in C-SURF between 2020 and 2021, and completed between May and June 2021 a survey covering change in alcohol, cigarette, cannabis and other addictive behaviors related to the pandemic. The aforementioned behaviors were assessed longitudinally at two time points using self-reports, and retrospective change since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis was also assessed at the second measurement time. Information from both prospective and retrospective change measures were confronted to identify inconsistent information for each behavior. Additionally, multiple logistic regressions were performed to assess associations between socioeconomic status, impulsivity, depression, and different indicators of motivation to complete the study and inconsistency between both measures for each behavior of interest. Importantly, inconsistent information in at least one of the investigated behaviors was found in about 90% of the participants. Small associations were found between inconsistency and different factors with a consistent effect of impulsivity. In the absence of evidence of the validity of retrospective change measures, studies relying on retrospective change should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Video gaming is a popular activity among young people. Time spent with gaming was found to be only moderately associated with gaming disorder. However, patterns of binge gaming (playing more than = h consecutively) were rarely considered in research on gaming. This study explores how binge gaming frequency is related with gaming disorder and mental health. Methods: The sample came from the Cohort study on substance use risk factors (C-SURF) and comprised 5,358 young men aged 28.26 years (SD = 1.27). ANCOVA was conducted to estimate the association between binge gaming frequency (gaming at least = h consecutively) and gaming disorder (measured with the Game Addiction Scale) as well as indicators of mental health. Results: A total of 33.3% of the sample engaged in binge gaming at least once in the previous year, and 6.1% at least weekly. Frequency of binge gaming was associated with gaming disorder score in a linear dose-response relationship (linear trend = 2.30 [2.14, 2.46]) even if adjusted for time spent gaming (linear trend = 1.24 [1.03, 1.45). More frequent binge gaming was associated with lower life satisfaction and sleep quality, and with more major depression and social anxiety disorder symptoms. Conclusions: Binge gaming patterns, especially daily or almost daily binge gaming, are important to consider with regard to gaming disorder and mental health. Asking about binge gaming may be a promising screening question for gaming related problems. Encouraging regular breaks from gaming may be a valuable prevention strategy to reduce negative outcomes of gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance-induced consciousness alterations (CA) have mainly been studied among users of psychedelics but not among people using street drugs. Aims: Explore occurrences of three different types of substance-induced CA [ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH), anxiety/paranoia (A/P)] and their perceived influences on life, together with their associations with substance use and personality correlates in a general population sample of 25-year-old men. Methods: 2,796 young Swiss men lifetime substance users completed a self-report questionnaire including history of use (never, former, and current) of different substances categories (psychedelics, cocaine, psychostimulants, ecstasy, MDMA, and other drugs), substance-induced ego dissolution (ED), visual pseudo-hallucinations (VPH) and anxiety/paranoia (A/P), the influence of these CA experiences on life, and personality traits (sensation seeking, sociability, anxiety-neuroticism, and aggression-hostility). Results: 32.2% reported at least one CA (i.e., ED, VPH or A/P), with 20.5% reporting ED, 16.7% VPH, and 14.6% A/P. Former and current use of psychedelics and ketamine was significantly associated with occurrences of all three types of CAs and with a positive influence of CA on life. Associations between the former and current use of other substances and the different types of CA were less consistent, and perceived influences on life were not statistically significant. Sociability was negatively associated with occurrences of all three types of CA. Positive associations were found between anxiety-neuroticism and ED and A/P, between aggression-hostility and A/P, and between sensation seeking and ED and VPH. Conclusion: This study supports the potential for psychedelics to induce CAs perceived as beneficial to life among people using street drugs, possibly reflecting themechanismunderlying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The alcohol purchase task (APT), which presents a scenario and asks participants how many drinks they would purchase and consume at different prices, generates indices of alcohol reward value that have shown robust associations with alcohol‐related outcomes in numerous studies. The aim was to test its prospective validity at 4‐year follow‐up. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: General population sample of young Swiss men. Participants: A total of 4594 Swiss young men (median age = 21, 25th ‐ 75th quartiles = 20.5 ‐ 21.5) completed baseline questionnaires; among those, 4214 (91.7%) were successfully followed‐up 4 years later. Measurements Alcohol reward value parameters (i.e. intensity, the planned consumption when drinks are free; breakpoint, the price at which consumption would be suppressed; Omax, the maximum alcohol expenditure; Pmax, the price associated with Omax; and elasticity, the relative change in alcohol consumption as a function of the relative change in price) were derived from the APT at baseline and used to predict self‐reported weekly drinking amount, monthly binge drinking, alcohol‐related consequences and DSM‐5 alcohol use disorder criteria. Findings Regression analyses, adjusting for the baseline alcohol measure, age, linguistic region and socio‐economic indicators showed that intensity, breakpoint, Omax and elasticity significantly predicted all tested outcomes in the expected direction (e.g. standardized incidence rate ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.11 [1.07–1.15], 1.07 [1.03–1.10], 1.08 [1.04–1.11], and 0.92 [0.89–0.95], respectively, for weekly drinking amount, all P < 0.001). Pmax did not significantly predict any outcomes. Non‐adjusted correlations, baseline adjusted regression and ancillary analyses using (1) latent alcohol variables, (2) multiple imputation for missing data and (3) replications in training and testing subsamples to evaluate predictive accuracy provided consistent findings. Conclusions: The alcohol purchase task demand curve measures of alcohol reward value are useful in characterizing alcohol‐related risk in young men and have long‐term predictive utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]