Day-level associations among alcohol use, simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use, and both regretted and positive romantic/sexual experiences.

Background: Young adults who drink heavily, including those who simultaneously use cannabis, experience both positive and regretted romantic/sexual experiences. Both gender and past sexual assault severity may also play a role in the valence of romantic/sexual experiences. The current study focuses on day-level correlates of romantic/sexual experiences, assessing whether: (1) number of drinks or simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (vs.

Insomnia treatment effects on negative emotionality among veterans in treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Background: Insomnia symptoms are pervasive and persistent in alcohol use disorder (AUD), though little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this association. We previously found that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) reduced alcohol-related problems among veterans by improving insomnia severity (NCT03806491). In this planned secondary analysis of the same clinical trial data, we tested negative emotionality as one potential mechanism to explain this effect.

Bidirectional associations between sleep and cannabis and alcohol (co-)use in daily life.

Background: Poor sleep is common in the context of cannabis use, but experimental and daily-life studies provide mixed evidence for whether cannabis use helps or disturbs same-night sleep. Despite a high prevalence of co-use of alcohol and cannabis, most studies of cannabis use and sleep do not consider alcohol use. We sought to add to this literature by examining associations between cannabis and sleep in the context of alcohol co-use and to examine these associations bidirectionally using ecological momentary assessment.

Mid-to-Late-Life Anxiety and Sleep during Initial Phase of COVID-19: Age- and Sex-Specific Insights to Inform Future Pandemic Healthcare.

This study examined associations between COVID-19-related anxiety and sleep in middle-aged and older adults and tested whether these varied by age or sex. In June/July 2020, middle-aged/older adults aged 50+ ( = 277, 45% women, M = 64.68 ± 7.

Sleep and circadian influences on blood alcohol concentration.

Study Objectives: Anecdotally, adults reach higher levels of subjective intoxication on days they are fatigued or sleep-deprived, but sleep is not typically discussed as a predictor of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in clinical settings. To inform clinical work and future research, this perspective reviews data examining the impact of sleep (process S) and circadian (process C) factors on indicators of BAC in humans and animal models.

Methods: Literature searches of medical and psychological databases were conducted to identify articles that manipulated sleep/circadian factors and reported effects on indicators of alcohol pharmacology (e.

Translating Discovery Science. Fostering relationships: Service provider perspectives on community building among veteran families.

Objective: We sought to identify the social process through which communal support can be established among veteran couples and families.

Background: On the basis of the social organization theory of action and change, a sense of community is crucial for military veterans' well-being and may serve as a resource for intervention.

Method: We interviewed service providers ( = 8) and corroborated their perspectives by triangulating evaluations from veteran family participants ( = 143).

Comparative feasibility and preliminary efficacy of CBT for insomnia among adults seeking and not seeking addiction treatment.

Two out of three adults seeking treatment for alcohol or other substance use disorders report co-occurring symptoms of insomnia. This study compared the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) among adults seeking and not seeking treatment for substance use. Adults with alcohol or other substance use disorders (n = 22, 32% female, 82% White; M  = 39.

Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Alcohol Treatment Outcomes Among US Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Three of 4 adults in treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) report symptoms of insomnia. Yet the first-line treatment for insomnia (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, CBT-I) is often delayed until abstinence is established.

Objective: To test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of CBT-I among veterans early in their AUD treatment and to examine improvement in insomnia as a mechanism for improvement in alcohol use outcomes.

Sex-Specific Contributions of Alcohol and Hypertension on Everyday Cognition in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

Separate lines of research have linked hypertension and alcohol use disorder to cognition among adults. Despite known sex differences in both of these conditions, studies examining associations on cognition are limited. We aimed to determine whether hypertension impacts the relationship between alcohol use and everyday subjective cognition and whether sex moderates this relationship in middle-aged and older adults.

Examining Attitude, Norms, and Intentions as Predictors of Prospective Change in Alcohol-Induced Blackouts.

Objective: Alcohol-induced blackouts are a marker of risk such that they are strong independent predictors of experiencing other adverse alcohol-related social and health effects. Existing work informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior suggests that several of the constructs contained within it, such as perceived norms, personal attitudes toward consumption, and drinking intentions, are reliable predictors of alcohol use, related problems, and blackout experiences. However, research to date has not examined these theoretical antecedents as predictors of change in the occurrence of alcohol-induced blackout.

Sex as a moderator of the sleep and cognition relationship in middle-aged and older adults: A preliminary investigation.

Objectives: Despite known sex differences in the prevalence of sleep disturbance and cognitive impairment, research investigating sex differences in sleep/cognition associations is limited. We examined sex as a moderator of associations between self-reported sleep and objective cognition in middle-aged/older adults.

Methods: Adults aged 50+ (32 men/31 women, = 63.

Sex differences in associations between alcohol use and sleep in mid-to-late life.

Objectives: To examine associations between alcohol use and sleep in middled-aged/older adults and to test sex as a moderator of this relationship.

Methods: Participants were 183 adults (46% female) ages 50 and above who consumed alcohol in the past year. Linear regressions tested sex as a moderator of associations between alcohol use and sleep parameters.

Who Opts In to Alcohol Feedback and How Does That Impact Behavior? A Pilot Trial.

Objective: Personalized feedback interventions are effective in reducing alcohol consumption and related problems. However, little is known about the role of choice in outcomes. The current study sought to (a) characterize individuals who opt in for brief alcohol-related feedback, (b) assess participants' consistency in that choice over two time points, and (c) evaluate changes in peak alcohol consumption among those who did and did not receive feedback.

Impact of discrimination and coping on Veterans' willingness to seek treatment for physical and mental health problems.

Objective: This study aimed to provide insight into health disparities among Veterans by (a) documenting the prevalence of physical and mental health problems in a racially diverse sample of Veterans, (b) comparing Veterans' willingness to seek treatment for various physical and mental health conditions, and (c) examining the impact of discrimination and coping on willingness to seek treatment.

Method: Veterans reported on current physical and mental health symptoms and the importance of treatment for various health conditions. Patterns were examined in the full sample ( = 334, 32% female) and the subsample who reported hazardous alcohol use in the past year ( = 116, 33% female).

A mixed-methods approach to improve the measurement of alcohol-induced blackouts: ABOM-2.

Background: Alcohol-induced blackouts describe memory loss resulting from alcohol consumption. Approximately half of college students report experiencing a blackout in their lifetime. Blackouts are associated with an increased risk for negative consequences, including serious injury.

Insomnia as a moderator of alcohol use and blackout: Potential role in acute physiological consequences.

Background: Alcohol-induced blackout is associated concurrently and prospectively with alcohol-related harm, including emergency room visits and sexual coercion. Although sleep has not been linked empirically to blackout, symptoms of insomnia have also been linked to memory impairment, in which case insomnia symptoms may compound alcohol's negative effects on memory. This study tested insomnia symptoms as a moderator of the association between heavy drinking and alcohol-induced blackout.

Attitude toward heavy drinking as a key longitudinal predictor of alcohol consumption and problems.

Background: Little research has considered the importance of a person's attitude toward heavy drinking when evaluated against other well-known predictors of alcohol use and related harm including drinking motives and drinker identity. The current study aimed to evaluate whether one's favorable attitude toward heavy drinking is a unique predictor of prospectively assessed drinking-related outcomes when considered against descriptive and injunctive norms, drinking intentions, drinking motives, and drinker identity.

Methods: Participants in the current study comprised mandated students (n = 374; 54% male) who violated a campus alcohol policy and received a brief intervention (eCHECKUP TO GO).

Assessing alcohol use in situ: Correlates of self-report vs. objective alcohol consumption.

Associations between self-report and objective measurement of young adult alcohol use are weakened by excessive consumption levels; therefore, associations between correlates of alcohol use and consumption likely also differ by alcohol measurement. This study examined the extent to which correlates of heavy drinking measured via self-report are also indicators of heavy drinking measured objectively. Data were collected from 164 bar patrons (54% male; 73% White, 12% Black, 15% Other; 15% Hispanic) as they exited the bar.

COVID-19-Related Anxiety and Cognition in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Examining Sex as a Moderator.

Aging populations experience disproportionate risk for cognitive decline, which may be exacerbated by coronavirus (COVID-19) illness, particularly among women. This study tested sex as a moderator of associations between COVID-19 state anxiety and cognition in middle-aged/older adults. Adults aged 50+ ( = 275; 151 men/124 women) completed the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and Cognitive Failures Questionnaire online from remote locations in July/August 2020.

Cannabis use as a moderator of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

Study Objectives: Cannabis use is common among young adults and has been proposed as a potential treatment for insomnia. However, controlled studies examining the impact of cannabis use on insomnia symptoms are rare. This secondary analysis of published trial data tested cannabis use during cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I) as a moderator of treatment efficacy.