Search

Objectives: Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) have consistently shown to be effective in reducing alcohol use and its associated consequences. We aimed to examine the explanatory value of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) for using five PBS, studying the role of habit, and its potential variation across genders., Methods: Targeted sampling was used to recruit 339 young adults in the community (women = 50.7%; mean age = 2.21[ SD  = 2.21]), who completed baseline and 2-month follow-up questionnaires., Results: The explained variance of the TPB ranged from 58-68% for intention to use PBS, and 18-50% for behavior. The inclusion of habit produced increases of 17-26% in explained variance in intention, while explained variance in behavior remained similar. Habit was the strongest predictor of intention to use PBS, followed by attitude. Except for one behavior (drinking slowly), habits did not moderate the intention-behavior relationship, and the explanatory value of the TPB did not differ across genders., Conclusions: Our findings support the utility of the TPB as an explanatory model of alcohol PBS, along with the need to include habits within the framework of dual-process models. Interventions aimed at promoting alcohol PBS could be optimized by targeting attitudes towards PBS and habits.

Background: Alcohol use and the use of social media and other forms of digital communications is characteristic of young adults. The present study prospectively examined the relationship between social drinking motives and positive urgency and the engagement in regretted online social risk behaviors while drunk (having posted on social media, called or texted someone, or been visibly drunk in a photo) among a community sample of young adults. Methods : Using a targeted sampling procedure, we accessed a baseline sample of 360 young adults aged 18-25 years old from the community. Of these, 339 (mean age: 21.1 [ SD  = 2.21]; female = 50.7%) completed 2-month follow-up measures. Results : Social drinking motives and the tendency to act impulsively under conditions of positive affect (i.e. positive urgency) were measured at baseline, and frequency of regretted online social risk behaviors were measured at follow-up. Results showed that baseline social drinking motives were positively associated with all three regretted online social risk behaviors examined at follow-up. Higher baseline positive urgency scores were associated with a higher frequency of regretted posting on social media and calling or texting someone while drunk at follow-up. Conclusions : Our findings support the inclusion of positive urgency and social drinking motives as key components of preventive interventions aimed at reducing potential negative consequences of using social media and other forms of digital communications while under the effects of alcohol.

This systematic review identifies the psychological variables associated with the use of harm reduction strategies (HRS) among university students who use alcohol or cannabis. The reviewed studies are categorized according to the psychological variables studied and the different analytic approaches used (direct effects, mediation, and moderation). Among the empirical peer-reviewed studies identified (n = 76), most (94.7%) were cross-sectional studies conducted in the US (90.8%) with samples of alcohol-using university students (86.8%). Five categories were identified: mental health, motives/expectancies, personality, social cognition, and self-efficacy. The most studied constructs were motives, anxiety and depression, impulsivity, and social norms. Most studies conducted mediation or moderation analyses including psychological variables, HRS and alcohol outcomes. Social, enhancement and coping motives, impulsivity, and social norms of alcohol use were associated with lower use of HRS, which, in turn, was associated with a higher number of alcohol/cannabis outcomes. The results of moderation studies consistently suggest that HRS use was more protective for students with poor mental health, high impulsivity, and low self-regulation. The synthesis of evidence provided in this review could be useful for guiding future research and informing the design of interventions aimed at promoting the use of HRS among university students who use alcohol and/or cannabis.

Background: Health care provision during the COVID-19 pandemic and confinement has led to significant changes in the activity of addiction centers. These changes in healthcare activity may have had a greater impact on patients with dual pathology. The aim of this study is to compare the treatment indicators of patients with dual pathology in addiction centers during the pre-confinement, confinement, and post-confinement periods., Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted for the period between 1 February 2019 and 30 June 2021. A total of 2785 patients treated in specialized addiction services were divided into three periods according to their time of admission: pre-confinement, confinement, and post-confinement., Results: During the pre-pandemic period, the addiction centers attended to an average of 121.3 (SD = 23.58) patients, decreasing to 53 patients during confinement (SD = 19.47), and 80.69 during the post-confinement period (SD = 15.33). The number of appointments scheduled monthly for each patient decreased during the confinement period, although this number increased after confinement. There was a reduction in the number of toxicological tests carried out both during and after confinement (except for alcohol)., Conclusions: The results show a reduction in the number of patients seen and the care activity delivered to dual diagnosis patients. These results, which were caused by the COVID-preventive measures, may affect the progress and recovery of dual patients. A greater investment is needed to bring the care activity up to the standards of the years prior to confinement., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Personality disorders show strong comorbidities with alcohol-use disorder (AUD), and several personality traits have been found to be more frequent in people with AUD. This study analyzes which personality facets of those proposed in the Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) of DSM-5 are associated with the diagnostic criteria of AUD., Methods: The sample was composed of 742 participants randomly selected from the Spanish population, and 243 patients attending mental health services. All participants were of legal age and signed an informed consent form. The instruments were administered to the community sample in an online format, and a psychologist conducted individual face-to-face interviews with the patients. AMPD facets were assessed through the Personality Inventory of DSM-5 Short-Form, and the AUD criteria through the Substance Dependence Severity Scale. A network analysis was applied to identify the personality facets mostly associated with the AUD criteria., Results: The network analysis showed the existence of three communities, grouping the AUD criteria, externalizing spectrum facets, and internalizing spectrum facets, respectively. Risk taking, callousness, and irresponsibility facets showed the strongest association with the AUD criteria, bridging externalizing personality traits with AUD criteria., Conclusions: The facets of risk taking, callousness, and irresponsibility should be accurately assessed in patients with AUD to differentiate between a possible primary personality disorder and a syndrome induced by alcohol addiction.

Health measures instantiated to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have imposed significant constraints for the population and impacted on drinking habits and mental health. This study longitudinally compared changes in alcohol consumption before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and the impact of sociodemographic and mental health variables on such changes among a community sample of young adults. Data were collected in the context of a larger, ongoing longitudinal study. The sample consisted of 305 young adults from Spain aged between 18 and 26 years (mean age = 21.27, ( SD = 2.21), female = 53.4%; college students = 61.6%) who completed first (November-2019 and February-2020; i.e., before the outbreak of COVID-19) and second follow-up questionnaires (March 2021, a year after the COVID-19 outbreak). Alcohol use (quantity and drinking frequency), depression and anxiety symptoms were measured. Quantity and frequency of alcohol use decreased from the pre- to post-COVID-19 period. A decrease in drinking frequency was observed among college students, but not in noncollege peers. Although we found no effect of pre-COVID-19 anxiety on alcohol use changes, those with more depressive symptoms at the pre-COVID assessment were more resistant to decreasing their drinking quantity and frequency after the COVID-19 outbreak. This information will be of value when designing interventions aimed at reducing harmful alcohol use and highlights the role of mental health status when identifying high risk populations of young-adults during this, and future, public health crises.

Objective: Although previous studies have shown that protective behavioral strategies (PBS) predict alcohol use and its related consequences in college students, it is not known whether a broader population of young adults also benefit from PBS use. We longitudinally examined the relationship between PBS use and alcohol-related outcomes in a community sample of young adults composed of college students and noncollege individuals., Method: Targeted sampling was used to access 339 young adults in the community (mean age = 21.1 [SD = 2.21], 50.7% female; 59.0% college students) who completed baseline and 2-month follow-up measures. Three types of PBS were examined: manner of drinking, stopping/limiting drinking, and serious harm reduction. Regression analyses were conducted to test the predictive utility of PBS use on alcohol-related consequences, frequency and quantity of alcohol used, and binge drinking., Results: Manner of drinking strategies were the strongest predictors of decreased alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences. Baseline manner of drinking scores were negatively associated with quantity of alcohol used, binge drinking, and alcohol-related consequences at follow-up. Serious harm reduction was longitudinally related to a lower frequency of alcohol consumption, stopping/limiting drinking was not associated with any outcome, and total PBS score was associated with all study outcomes., Conclusions: Our findings could benefit health promotion by informing the design of preventive interventions for reducing alcohol use and attendant health-related negative consequences in the young adult community. These results may also be of value in extending the applicability of PBS findings to a broader alcohol-using population of young adults beyond those exclusively composed of college students.

Background: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) have shown utility in reducing alcohol-related negative consequences. The Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS) is one of the most widely used and well-validated instruments for evaluating these strategies. However, a Spanish adaptation of this or any other measure of PBS is not available. We aimed to provide a Spanish version of PBSS-20 and examine its psychometric properties., Method: We recruited 538 undergraduate students from three Spanish universities (mean age = 21.2; females = 78%). Measures included the Spanish-PBSS-20 (S-PBSS-20), Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ), Daily Drinking Questionnaire, and frequency of alcohol use, drunkenness, and binge drinking., Results: Our results support the use of the original 3-factor structure of the PBSS-20. Internal consistency reliability ranged between 0.71-0.77, and evidence of validity was provided according to the expected relationships with other variables. Exploratory factor analyses provided evidence of convergent/discriminant validity of S-PBSS-20., Conclusions: The results suggest that PBSS-20 is a useful instrument for assessing protective behavioral strategies in alcohol users. The S-PBSS-20 could be useful for research on alcohol-related protective behavioral strategies and consequences, and could also inform the design of educational interventions for promoting the use of protective strategies and reducing alcohol-related negative consequences.

This study identifies patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) in partygoers, their associated characteristics, and their differences in terms of acute effects experienced. We used a web-based survey with 1345 partygoers who reported using at least one substance during the past year, collecting information on drug use and drug-related acute effects experienced at the last party attended. Latent class analysis identified three SPU profiles according to the use of nine substances: low polysubstance use (67.7%), moderate polysubstance use/hallucinogens (11.6%), and extensive polysubstance use/stimulants (20.7%). These profiles differed in their sociodemographic characteristics and were associated with different odds of experiencing adverse drug-related effects. Compared with participants with a profile of low polysubstance use or moderate polysubstance use/hallucinogens , those in the extensive polysubstance use/stimulants group were at higher odds of experiencing memory impairment, tachycardia, and bad mood after drug use. The only differences between the low polysubstance use and moderate polysubstance use/hallucinogens groups were in terms of hangover and headache experiences, which were less likely in the latter group (who consume less alcohol). Knowledge regarding the acute adverse drug-related effects experienced by partygoers who use multiple drugs can help to develop interventions for reducing drug-related risks in this population.

Objective: World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0 is currently one of the most used instruments in disability assessment. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinically reliable change of WHODAS 2.0 by applying both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and the Item Response Theory (IRT)., Study Design and Setting: The sample consisted of 179 patients with dual pathology. The standard error of measurement (SEM) was estimated using the CTT and the rating testlet model., Results: Reliability estimated by Cronbach's alpha provided acceptable values for all domains. The Rasch analysis revealed an adequate capacity to discriminate between people with high and low disability in terms of total scores but not in terms of domains. The SEM varies according to the baseline scores, failing to detect clinically reliable change in patients with lower scores. Kappa coefficients are low for the most of dimensions (except participation) and adequate for total scores., Conclusion: The use of total WHODAS 2.0 scores may be useful from a clinical perspective; however, more evidence is required for domain scores to support its usefulness. The decision to use the CTT or the IRT impacts in terms of calculating clinically reliable change., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The identification of different personality risk profiles for substance misuse is useful in preventing substance-related problems. This study aims to test the psychometric properties of a new version of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) for Spanish college students. Cross-sectional study with 455 undergraduate students from four Spanish universities. A new version of the SURPS, adapted to the Spanish population, was administered with the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Internal consistency reliability ranged between 0.652 and 0.806 for the four SURPS subscales, while reliability estimated by split-half coefficients varied from 0.686 to 0.829. The estimated test-retest reliability ranged between 0.733 and 0.868. The expected four-factor structure of the original scale was replicated. As evidence of convergent validity, we found that the SURPS subscales were significantly associated with other conceptually-relevant personality scales and significantly associated with alcohol use measures in theoretically-expected ways. This SURPS version may be a useful instrument for measuring personality traits related to vulnerability to substance use and misuse when targeting personality with preventive interventions.

Background and Aims: There is a lack of instruments for measuring ketamine substance use disorders. The aims were (i) to estimate the reliability and provide evidence of validity of the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) in a sample of recreational users, and (ii) propose a cut-off point to determine the presence of dependence., Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey with recreational users who accessed webs related to recreational drug use and harm reduction. 264 recreational ketamine users who had taken it in the past month participated in the study. The Spanish version of the SDS was used. Information on ketamine use-related problems and ketamine use patterns was also collected., Results: The reliability estimation calculated by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.776. SDS showed evidence of convergent validity based on relationships with other variables. Two comparisons were made in this study to analyze the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve. For frequency of use in the last month the area under curve (AUC) was 0.835 (CI=0.775-0.895) with optimal discrimination at an SDS score of 3. For having been in treatment for decreasing or quitting ketamine use the AUC was 0.902 (CI=0.840-0.963) and the cut-off point was 4. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a one-dimensional structure when Items 3 and 4 were correlated., Conclusions: This study has provided evidence of reliability and validity of the ketamine version of the SDS for recreational users. Considering that ketamine use is linked to young people and its strong potential for causing serious impairment, a cut-off of 3 is proposed as indicative of dependence., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The high drug use that occurs at raves and the specific characteristics of these parties make them a high risk recreational context the health of participants. The aim of this paper is to establish a categorization of research on drug use and raves according to their objectives and main results. Knowledge and research needs identified as a result of this review are discussed. To this end, a systematic review of scientific literature through Medline, Psycinfo and Psicodoc was conducted. After applying the inclusion criteria, 36 papers were obtained, classified into six categories. The results show that 23 studies aim psychosocial profile analysis, and the prevalence and patterns of drug use. Nine studies focus on risks related to drug use, and nine in the drug effects. Given the high risk associated with raves and the scarcity of empirical studies identified, the need to develop further empirical studies is addressed. There is still insufficient evidence to guide intervention strategies to prevent risks and harms among ravers. There is also a need to explore: polydrug use, harm reduction strategies, positive effects and motivations.

Introduction: The purpose of this work is to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric cases in a sample of opiate-dependent patients treated with sublingual buprenorphine in a therapeutic community regime, and to describe their progress during the first month of treatment., Methods: An observational, longitudinal, prospective study was conducted. Of the 119 opiate-dependent patients selected, 46 agreed to start treatment with buprenorphine. For organisational reasons, the psychopathological assessment was carried out on 36 of these patients. The measurement tools used were the MINI, GHQ-28, IPDE and Assessment of the Quality of Life in Psychoactive Substance Addicts (TEQLASP)., Results: The prevalence rate of any psychiatric disorder was 78%. The prevalence of Axis I diagnoses was 69.4%. The prevalence of cases in Axis II was 58.3%, and 50% of patients had concomitant Axis I and Axis II disorders. The patients with Axis I psychiatric disorders showed a significant reduction in the mean scores of the GHQ-28 scale, and in the B (anxiety/unease), C (social dysfunction), and D (depression) subscales of the GHQ-28. The differences observed between the patients with no psychiatric disorders after one month of treatment were not significant. An improvement in the quality of life wad observed in both groups, although these changes were of a lower magnitude in the group with psychiatric disorders., Discussion: The results of this study show a very high frequency of psychiatric disorders. For this reason, psychiatric illness must be actively looked for whenever we assess a drug-dependent patient., (Copyright © 2010 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

In-group favouritism has become a variable of enormous importance in the study of inter-ethnic relations. According to current approaches, it can be understood as a tendency among the members of one group to favour or value the behaviour, attitudes, preferences or perceptions of their own group over those of another group to which they do not belong. The aim of this work is to study the psychometric properties of a new test for measuring inter-ethnic in-group bias, in majority (native) and minority (immigrant) groups. The test is based on the acculturation areas of the Relative Acculturation Extended Model (RAEM). Participants were 992 Spaniards and 975 immigrants (500 Romanians and 475 Ecuadorians). The reliability estimate and validity evidence for these samples show that the psychometric properties of the In-group Bias Test are appropriate for use in multi-ethnic contexts, as it can be used in majority (native) and minority (Romanian and Ecuadorian immigrants) groups.