Expectancies about the Effects of Cannabis Use on Eating Disorder Symptoms.

Substance use, specifically cannabis use, is common among individuals with eating disorder (ED) symptoms; however, few studies have specifically explored the relation between EDs and cannabis use. The present study examined expectancies about the impact of cannabis on cognitive, affective and behavioral ED symptoms. Additionally, this study explored associations between cannabis-related expectancies, cannabis use and cannabis-related problems.

Enhancing neuropsychological performance in chronic cannabis users: the role of motivation.

This study sought to determine whether cannabis users demonstrate differential effort during neuropsychological assessment compared to nonusers, and whether better performance can be induced in participants with a motivational statement prior to testing. For two groups of participants, cannabis users and nonusers, either a motivational or a neutral statement was administered prior to neuropsychological testing. The motivational statement resulted in better performance on a test of verbal learning and memory for users than did the neutral statement, while nonusers in the motivational and neutral conditions did not differ in performance.

Cannabis in palliative medicine: improving care and reducing opioid-related morbidity.

Unlike hospice, long-term drug safety is an important issue in palliative medicine. Opioids may produce significant morbidity. Cannabis is a safer alternative with broad applicability for palliative care.

Effect of response format on endorsement of eating disordered attitudes and behaviors.

Objective: The present study was designed to compare response rates on a standard self-report questionnaire that was nominally anonymous to an unmatched count questionnaire that allowed for true anonymity in responding.

Method: Four hundred and fifty-four college students were asked about several topics, including attitudes towards weight and shape, dieting, and eating disordered behavior using one of two response formats; either a standard questionnaire in true-false format or an unmatched count questionnaire that did not require participants to directly answer sensitive questions.

Results: Both males and females had significantly different rates of endorsement between the two methods of assessment on the majority of the eating-related questions.

A group-administered Timeline Followback assessment of alcohol use.

Objective: The current study compares retrospective self-reports of quantity and frequency of drinking with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method administered in groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods.

Method: Two hundred and eleven male college students who reported drinking at least two times per week participated; 118 completed the TLFB in a group setting, and 93 completed it individually. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks and total drinks during a 30-day period.

Decreased depression in marijuana users.

Over 4400 adult internet users completed The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and measures of marijuana use. We employed an internet survey in an effort to recruit the most depressed and marijuana-involved participants, including those who might prove unwilling to travel to the laboratory or discuss drug use on the phone or in person. We compared those who consumed marijuana daily, once a week or less, or never in their lives.

Symptoms of schizotypy precede cannabis use.

The current investigation uses a large non-clinical sample of undergraduate college students (N=189) to investigate schizotypal traits among cannabis and non-cannabis users, as well as the temporal order of the onset of these traits and cannabis use. Findings suggest that regular cannabis users are significantly more prone to cognitive and perceptual distortions as well as disorganization, but not interpersonal deficits, than non-regular users and those who have never used. Additionally, the onset of schizotypal symptoms generally precedes the onset of cannabis use.

Performance of alcohol and safer sex change rulers compared with readiness to change questionnaires.

As part of a larger intervention study, the authors hypothesized that change rulers created for alcohol and safer sex would be equivalent to longer questionnaires. Ninety-six male college students completed rulers and questionnaires for assessing behavior change readiness. Participants' scores on the rulers significantly correlated with their scores on the questionnaires (r=.

Alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression.

The authors examined alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression, the hostile reaction to a second provoking person after provocation from a first. Participants consumed an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage. Subsequently, one individual provoked all of them with moderate intensity.

Exploring peers as a mediator of the association between depression and smoking in young adolescents.

Recent research has suggested that depression causes teens to begin smoking to elevate their mood. Other studies, however, have suggested the reverse causal direction: smoking causes depression. To gain a more complete understanding of the relationship between smoking and depression, potential mediators should be explored.

Predicting problem behaviors with multiple expectancies: expanding expectancy-value theory.

Expectancy-value theory emphasizes the importance of outcome expectancies for behavioral decisions, but most tests of the theory focus on a single behavior and a single expectancy. However, the matching law suggests that individuals consider expected outcomes for both the target behavior and alternative behaviors when making decisions. In this study, we expanded expectancy-value theory to evaluate the contributions of two competing expectancies to adolescent behavior problems.

The motivation, skills, and decision-making model of "drug abuse" prevention.

This article summarizes the theoretical basis for targeted prevention programs as they apply to different high-risk groups. We explain the advantages and disadvantages of different definitions of risk and discuss strategies for preventing drug use related problems in high-risk youth. Productive prevention programs for many at-risk groups share similar components, including those that address motivation, skills, and decision making.

Cognitive functioning moderates the relation between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms and alcohol use in women.

Previous work revealed that cognitive functioning moderated the relation between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms and alcohol use [Alcohol., Clin. Exp.

Discriminating reinforcement expectancies for studying from future time perspective in the prediction of drinking problems.

In recent work, Levy and Earleywine [Addict. Behav. (2003)] have proposed an expectancy framework of choice for the study of alcohol abuse.

Base rates of hate crime victimization among college students.

This study uses the unmatched count technique (UCT) to estimate base rates for hate crime victimization in college students and compares the results with estimates found using conventional methods. Hate crimes, criminal acts perpetrated against individuals or members of specific stigmatized groups, intend to express condemnation, hate, disapproval, dislike, or distrust for a group. The UCT is a promising tool in the investigation of hate crime because it does not require participants to directly answer sensitive questions.

Biphasic stimulant and sedative effects of ethanol: are children of alcoholics really different?

Children of alcoholics (COAs) have an increased risk of developing alcoholism themselves. The mechanisms responsible are not yet known. One compelling theory postulates that COAs may have an increased sensitivity to the stimulant effects of alcohol during the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve combined with a decreased sensitivity to the putatively undesirable sedative effects of the drug during the descending limb, providing a particularly strong motivation to drink.

Measuring alcohol expectancies with the implicit association test.

Researchers have relied primarily on self-report questionnaires to measure alcohol expectancies. These questionnaires assess explicit expectancies about alcohol but donot provide any measure of the implicit processes that might also play an important role in determining drinking. The implicit association test (IAT; A.

Reinforcement expectancies for studying predict drinking problems among college students: approaching problem drinking from an expectancies choice perspective.

Molar behavioral choice theories point to the important role reinforcement for alternative behaviors may play in reducing problem drinking [Psychol. Addict. Behav.

Artificial a theoretical model of triggered displaced aggression.

A tit-for-tat matching rule (Axelrod, 1984) describes much interpersonal behavior. Yet, in daily life a retaliatory aggressive response to a trivially mild provocation often inappropriately exceeds that expected from the matching rule. The concept of triggered displaced aggression can explain these exceptions to the matching principle.

Behavioral undercontrol and subjective stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol intoxication: independent predictors of drinking habits?

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated relations between behavioral undercontrol (e.g., sensation seeking) and higher levels of alcohol use.

Expectancies specific to condom use mediate the alcohol and sexual risk relationship.

The present study tested the role of alcohol expectancies for condom use in mediating the alcohol and risky sex relationship. Expectancies for condom use are specific anticipations for alcohol's effect on one's ability to use a condom. College students (N = 563) reported on beliefs, intentions and actual sexual and drinking behavior.