Reports the notice of retraction of "Preventing tobacco and alcohol use among high school students through a hybrid online and in-class intervention: A randomized controlled trial" by Christopher Williams, Kenneth W. Griffin, Sandra M. Sousa and Gilbert J. Botvin (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2025[Sep], Vol 39[6], 528-540; see record 2025-86677-001). The published paper reported an incorrect registration number for https://clinicaltrials.gov/. When comparing the correct https://clinicaltrials.gov/ trial registration (NCT03219190) and the published article, there were several discrepancies between the protocol as reported in the published paper and the appropriate https://clinicaltrials.gov/ registry, which deviated from accepted standards for the reporting of RCTs. The outcomes reported in the published article were not specified as primary or secondary outcomes of the trial. The Allocation (randomized) sample size (n = 1804) was markedly less than the registered Anticipated sample size of n = 3000. The age range for the population listed in the https://clinicaltrials.gov/ registration (11-14 years old) was younger than the average age of participants in the published paper (mean age = 15.2). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2025-86677-001.) Objective: School-based health promotion programs can have a positive effect on behavioral and social outcomes among adolescents. Yet, limited classroom time and suboptimal program implementation can reduce the potential impact of these interventions. In the present randomized trial, we tested the effectiveness of a classroom-based substance use prevention program that was adapted for hybrid implementation. The hybrid adaptation included eight asynchronous e-learning modules that presented didactic content and eight classroom sessions designed to facilitate discussion and practice of refusal, personal self-management, and general social skills. Nineteen high schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Students (N = 1,235) completed confidential online pretest and posttest surveys to assess the effects of the intervention on tobacco and alcohol use and life skills. The sample was 50.7% female and 35.5% non-White with a mean age of 15.2 years. Analyses revealed significant program effects on current cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drunkenness, and intentions for future use. There were also program effects for communication, media resistance, anxiety management, and refusal skills. Taken together, these findings suggest that hybrid approaches can produce robust prevention effects and may help reduce barriers to the widespread adoption and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
The affect regulation hypothesis, meaning that substances are used with intention to change affect, shows empirically the greatest relevance for people with substance use disorders (SUDs). However, less is known about the lived experience of affect regulation throughout the trajectory of an SUD. This study seeks to examine how affect regulation is experienced, understood, and described across different phases of an SUD by patients, next of kin, and clinicians. We triangulated the perspectives of 39 informants (13 patients, 12 next of kin, and 14 clinicians) connected to a clinic for SUD treatment in Norway and used the window of tolerance and core affect models as a basis for the interviews. The interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis through a temporal frame (before using substances, developing an SUD, maintaining an SUD, and in recovery). The analysis resulted in four main themes with accompanying subthemes: a dysregulated starting point, substances as preferred regulation, reaching a dead end, and hard in practice. Findings of difficulties with affect regulation were consistent across the different phases of an SUD. Using the theoretical framework of the process model of affect regulation, the most evident difficulties can be described as impairments of metaregulation of affect. This study nuances the affect regulation hypothesis and encourages further research on the hypothesis of metaregulation of affect in the population with SUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
The Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale (CEBRACS) is a commonly used measure to assess food and alcohol disturbance (FAD; i.e., use of compensatory behaviors before, during, or after a drinking episode to offset alcohol-related calories and/or enhance alcohol effects). However, its cross-national utility remains largely unexamined. This study evaluated the psychometric properties, frequency, and concurrent utility of the CEBRACS in a cross-national sample. Participants were 2,886 college students (United States [n = 1,155], Argentina [n = 537], Spain [n = 597], South Africa [n = 287], England [n = 170], Canada [n = 137]) reporting past-month FAD (Mage = 20.81; 70.4% female) who completed an online survey assessing FAD and alcohol-related behaviors. Confirmatory factor analyses of the CEBRACS's original and alternative structures indicated persistent model estimation warnings, though some models showed seemingly acceptable fit in select countries. Despite these limitations, item-level analyses demonstrated consistent endorsement of FAD behaviors, with items relating to engaging in exercise behaviors to compensate for alcohol-related calories, as well as disordered eating behaviors to enhance the effects of alcohol, being the most frequently endorsed. Endorsement rates were generally highest among participants from England and lowest in Argentina and Spain. Across all six countries, CEBRACS items were positively associated with alcohol-related outcomes (i.e., frequency, quantity, and/or consequences). Our findings highlight several psychometric limitations of the CEBRACS in a cross-national sample but suggest that examining individual items may still provide valuable insights into FAD-related behaviors. The results underscore the need for continued cross-national research on FAD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
This article introduces the common and unique latent transition analysis (CULTA), a novel approach to studying alcohol intoxication dynamics in young adults engaged in heavy episodic drinking. CULTA merges the common and unique trait-state model with latent transition analysis to separate stable, traitlike intoxication components from transient fluctuations while modeling transitions between distinct drinking profiles. A sample of 222 young adults wore transdermal alcohol concentration sensors for 6 days, capturing real-time alcohol levels. The CULTA model decomposed intoxication variability into common and unique influences across four transdermal alcohol concentration features-peak, rise rate, fall rate, and duration. Latent intoxication profiles were identified, and transition probabilities between profiles were estimated with a focus on the influence of alcohol use disorder risk measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Two latent intoxication profiles emerged. The first, chronic heavy episodic drinking, was characterized by persistently high intoxication without significant inertia, while the second, inertia-driven drinking, featured moderate episodic intoxication with a strong autoregressive effect, reflecting lingering intoxication that dissipates over time. Individuals with higher Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores were more likely to remain in or transition to the chronic heavy episodic drinking profile. Although peak intoxication and rise rate showed limited individual variability, fall rate and duration varied substantially, marking them as potential targets for intervention. CULTA advances our understanding of alcohol intoxication by distinguishing stable from transient influences and modeling transitions between drinking states. These findings suggest that interventions should address both persistent and situational aspects of intoxication-especially by reducing duration and fall rate-and encourage research across longer periods and populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Having upcoming, proximal responsibilities is associated with less use of (and demand for) alcohol. However, research has yet to underscore how and for whom proximal responsibilities predict intended and actual drinking behavior in real time when decision making occurs in daily life. This study tested hypotheses that (a) proximal responsibilities endorsed at the beginning of a drinking episode predict lower intoxication intentions, lower drinking quantity, and more protective behavioral strategy use and (b) these relations are dampened for individuals who lack premeditation (a facet of impulsivity). Young adults (N = 203) reporting past-month high-intensity drinking (8+ drinks in a sitting for females, 10+ for males) completed 28 days of morning/evening reports, event-contingent "drink start" reports, and real-time drink reports every 45 min thereafter while drinking. Having proximal responsibilities was associated with lower intoxication intentions and fewer drinks consumed but was not associated with protective strategies used during naturalistic drinking episodes. The impact of proximal responsibilities on lower intoxication intentions was weakened for individuals higher (vs. lower) in lack of premeditation. However, proximal responsibilities were associated with more protective strategy use for individuals higher (vs. lower) in lack of premeditation. Sensitivity analyses indicated that (a) the impact of responsibilities on fewer drinks consumed and lower intoxication intentions was strongest when responsibilities were "tomorrow morning" versus "after tomorrow" and (b) interactions predicting intended intoxication (but not protective strategies) were robust across modeling specifications and covariates added. Proximal responsibilities reduced one's intended (and actual) drinking, but reductions were smaller for individuals lacking premeditation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Objectively verified reductions in cocaine use may be a more viable treatment target compared to complete abstinence. However, few studies have examined the associated health benefits of this change. This study assessed how quality-of-life outcomes (psychological functioning, social functioning, sleep) change with reductions in cocaine-positive urine drug screens. Participants (n = 107) with cocaine use disorder enrolled in a 12-week contingency management trial and were randomly assigned to high-value, low-value, or noncontingent control groups. Quality of life was measured at predetermined intervals over the course of the trial. Linear mixed models disaggregated the proportion of cocaine-negative urine screens into between-subject (i.e., a participant's average use across the trial) and within-subject (i.e., a participant's deviation from their average) components to separately estimate their associations with quality-of-life outcomes. Overall, higher proportions of cocaine-negative urine test results were associated with statistically significant, although modest, between- and within-subject changes in several quality-of-life measures, including psychosocial functioning, mental health, and sleep. Participants who reached at least 75% cocaine-negative urine test results during treatment demonstrated improvements in all Short Inventory of Problems-Cocaine outcomes, excluding Total Score. These findings indicate that reducing cocaine use improves quality-of-life outcomes in people with cocaine use disorder. These results also extend prior research on more robust health improvements that emerge when participants attain 75% negative urine test results over a trial. Future research should explore the extent to which these beneficial outcomes apply to other cocaine use disorder samples, including those with more severe comorbid psychosocial challenges at baseline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Extensive research supports the conclusion that alcohol expectancies could be a causal variable influencing drinking behavior. Expectancies have been conceptualized as information stored in memory in relation to a specific concept, like alcohol. Successful methods have been developed to change expectancy processes to reduce drinking and related problems in adults. Development of effective expectancy-based prevention programming for children, however, would benefit from identification of expectancy activation patterns in memory preceding drinking initiation. We analyzed data collected from children over the course of 4 years (fifth grade-ninth grade) to assess changes in expectancy activation before drinking initiation. Participants were grouped based on initiation of drinking in ninth grade (n = 309) or maintenance of abstinence through ninth grade (n = 507). We used Individual Differences Scaling, to map expectancies into memory network format and Preference Mapping was used to model likely patterns of expectancy activation. A two-dimensional Individual Differences Scaling solution was optimal with bipolar dimensions representing positive-negative and arousing-sedating aspects of alcohol use. Abstainers showed little change from fifth grade through ninth grade. In contrast, dimension emphasis and activation patterns changed substantially preceding drinking initiation for those who started drinking in ninth grade. Results suggest changes in expectancy activation patterns precede onset of alcohol use in children. Implementation of prevention programming focused on preventing this shift in expectancies could further reduce early onset of drinking and associated negative consequences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Prenatal cannabis use is increasing in the United States, despite evidence of potential harms to pregnant individuals and their offspring. Elevated rates of anxiety and depression among those who use cannabis during pregnancy suggest that mental health difficulties may contribute to prenatal cannabis use. In line with the affect regulation hypothesis, many pregnant individuals endorse using cannabis to manage mood. However, no studies have examined this relationship in real time. Moreover, the acute effects of cannabis on mood during pregnancy remain understudied, limiting knowledge of whether negative affect (NA) relief reinforces continued use. Addressing these gaps, the present study examines the relationship between momentary NA and cannabis use in pregnant adults and explores the effect of cannabis on NA. Participants (N = 20, Mage = 30.15, Mgestationalage = 22.5 weeks, 60% White) completed a baseline session followed by a 14-day ecological momentary assessment burst (average of 14.95 cannabis use events per burst). Generalized linear mixed-effects models tested whether momentary ratings of depression, anxiety, and irritability predicted subsequent cannabis use (Aim 1), and linear mixed-effects models tested whether cannabis use predicted subsequent changes in NA (Aim 2). Aim 1 results indicated that greater levels of NA (momentary depression, anxiety, and irritability) were associated with greater odds of using cannabis. Aim 2 results suggest cannabis use was followed by reductions in depression, anxiety, and irritability, reflecting short-term NA relief. Findings provide the first real-time evidence supporting the affect regulation hypothesis in pregnancy and highlight the potential reinforcing role of NA relief in sustaining prenatal cannabis use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) has served as a foundation for a series of adapted measures designed to assess social media-related behavioral addictions. Despite widespread application of these instruments, a systematic evaluation of their psychometric properties is lacking. This review aimed to evaluate the measurement properties of the BFAS and its adaptations using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology. A systematic search was conducted to identify psychometric studies of the BFAS and its adapted versions, including the BFAS-18, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Bergen Mukbang Addiction Scale, Social Media Addiction during COVID-19 Pandemic scale, and Social Networks Addiction Scale-6 Symptoms. Eligible studies were assessed using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist, and the quality of evidence was graded according to the COSMIN-Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. A total of 55 studies were included. The BFAS and BSMAS demonstrated strong evidence for structural validity, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and hypothesis testing, with high-quality evidence across multiple domains. The BFAS-18 and Bergen Mukbang Addiction Scale received more limited and inconsistent support, while the Social Media Addiction during COVID-19 Pandemic scale and Social Networks Addiction Scale-6 Symptoms remain underexplored with very low-quality evidence. Across all scales, evidence for content validity, reliability, measurement error, and responsiveness was sparse, highlighting important gaps. The BFAS and BSMAS currently represent the most robust instruments for assessing Facebook and social media addiction, respectively. However, additional research is required to strengthen evidence for other adaptations, particularly in relation to content validity, measurement error, and responsiveness, as well as to evaluate linguistic and cultural invariance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Although loss of control over alcohol use is an important premorbid risk factor for alcohol use disorder, its prevailing measures remain limited. As just one example, many items capture noncompulsive (e.g., social) reasons for exceeding drinking limits and may also fail to capture uncontrolled drinking for those with no intentions to moderate drinking. In a sample of adult drinkers, we developed and validated a novel survey to assess loss of control over alcohol to address these limitations. Twenty-nine adults diverse in racial and ethnic identities and balanced on sex assigned at birth completed cognitive interviews to refine the item set. A quantitative survey was administered to 246 adults (55.7% White, 44.3% Black, 41.6% assigned male sex, 58.4% assigned female sex). The resultant items (Loss of Control-Alcohol [LOSS-A] scale) were administered alongside the AUDIT, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition-adapted alcohol use disorder symptoms, heavy drinking frequency, alcohol treatment history, and existing impaired control measures. Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory, and a series of validity analyses were performed. The LOSS-A scale was invariant by race and sex. After removing one item that showed differential item functioning by race, a one-factor model fits the data well (comparative fit index/Tucker-Lewis index = 1.00, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.027, standardized root-mean-square residual = 0.030). The LOSS-A scale showed convergent and criterion validity as well as incremental predictive validity for several alcohol outcomes over existing loss of control and impaired control measures. The eight-item LOSS-A scale is a brief and valid way to measure loss of control across a range of drinkers that addresses limitations of existing measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Despite being modifiable targets of behavior, investigation of health perceptions of cannabis remains limited, particularly in terms of the different forms by which cannabis is used. We conducted two parallel experimental studies to address perceptions of a range of specific health consequences of cannabis based on cannabinoid content and route of administration (i.e., flower and edible products). Using registered between-subjects experimental designs, young adult college students recruited from a U.S. national collaboration (N = 2,047) were randomly assigned to answer questions about positive and negative health perceptions based on one of three combinations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) potencies for flower products (Study 1; N = 1,022) or edible products (Study 2; N = 1,025). For flower products only, the CBD-dominant product was perceived as better for health relative to the THC-dominant and equal THC/CBD strains (p = .002, d = .21). No other significant effects emerged for perceived benefits, perceived risks, willingness to purchase, or willingness to use the product for flower or edible products for CBD dominant versus other strains or THC dominant versus other strains comparisons. Additionally, these patterns were not moderated by current cannabis use status nor cannabis tolerance. Outcomes across these two studies suggest that young adult college students may draw minimal distinctions between health consequences of cannabis based on cannabinoid content or route of administration. These findings provide valuable insight for researchers and health professionals regarding communication and prevention efforts around cannabis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
People who drink heavily experience positive (e.g., made a new friend) and negative (e.g., embarrassed self) alcohol-related consequences. Important antecedents of alcohol-related consequences are drinking motives, particularly those related to affect regulation (coping, enhancement). Although prior research documents associations at the between-person level, little is known about how mood and motives at the start of a drinking event each relate within-person to positive and negative alcohol-related consequences. Participants were U.S. young adults (N = 199; Mage = 22.10, SD = 2.78) who engaged in high-intensity drinking (8+/10+ drinks for females/males) and completed 28 days of ecological momentary assessments of alcohol use, mood, motives, and alcohol-related consequences. Multilevel models indicated when participants began a drinking event with more positive mood than usual, they reported more positive alcohol-related consequences. When participants reported any coping, enhancement, and social motives at the start of a drinking event, they reported more positive alcohol-related consequences. On days when participants began a drinking event with more negative mood than usual, odds of a negative consequence were higher. When participants reported more positive mood than usual, odds of a negative consequence were lower. Only event-level enhancement motives increased the likelihood of negative consequences. Entering a drinking event with more positive mood may be protective against negative alcohol-related consequences while increasing the experience of positive consequences (e.g., laughed with others), with potential to reinforce subsequent drinking. Drinking motives that predict more positive but not negative consequences (coping, social) may also be reinforcing. Findings can help tailor interventions to prevent harms related to heavy drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
This study evaluated the psychometrics of two new measures of willingness and self-efficacy to intervene in alcohol-related risk situations involving others. Items assess the constructs across bystander scenarios that vary by situation (before, during, after risk), one's relation to the target (friend/stranger), and the gender of the target (man/woman). Young adults (N = 1,011, Mage 22.0 years, 46.0% women, 70.7% White, 23.3% Latinx) completed the new measures and related measures to assess validity, and a subsample was retested 2 weeks later. Multivariate variance decomposition was used to determine how the scenario components influenced variance; bivariate correlations evaluated validity, and intraclass correlations evaluated test-retest reliability. Models for willingness and self-efficacy constructs fit the data well. The largest component contributing to both measures was the general component, reflecting overall willingness/self-efficacy regardless of situation, relation, and gender components (αs > .90). For willingness, the next largest component was situation, with "after" drinking showing the greatest variability but the lowest mean. For self-efficacy, the second most important component was relation to the target, with friend showing higher self-efficacy than stranger. Participants indicated higher willingness and self-efficacy when the target was a woman, and women participants reported higher willingness than men. Validity was supported by significant correlations with bystander behaviors and alcohol-related constructs. Test-retest reliability indicated moderate stability for both measures (intraclass correlations = 0.50-0.64). These measures provide valid and reliable tools for measuring bystander intervention willingness and self-efficacy in alcohol-related risk situations and offer utility for the evaluation of bystander intervention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Latine college students at predominantly White institutions face discriminatory stress, increasing their risk for problematic alcohol use. The specific impact of daily discrimination and microaggressions on alcohol use and related consequences, relative to other college stressors (e.g., academics, finances), remains understudied. This study used an intensive daily longitudinal design to examine whether these experiences independently affect alcohol use and related consequences. The study enrolled 109 Latine student drinkers (Mage = 19.95; 77% female) from a large predominantly White institution in the northeastern United States. Participants completed a baseline survey, an in-person training session, and 28 consecutive daily surveys. Multilevel models analyzed the data, examining within- and between-person effects while controlling for college stress, trauma history, and relevant demographic variables. Participants had an average survey completion rate of 89.1% (∼25 of 28 surveys). Within-person, daily experiences of discrimination and microaggressions were associated with increased alcohol use and consequences. Between-person, these factors predicted alcohol-related consequences but did not significantly affect alcohol use when controlling for college stress, trauma, and demographics. Daily discrimination and microaggressions independently contribute to alcohol use and its consequences for Latine students, beyond other common stressors faced by college students. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive interventions addressing discriminatory stress. Predominantly White institutions should also consider policy changes to better support minoritized students and mitigate the negative effects of discrimination on their well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Drawing on the dynamic model of relapse, this study examined real-time relationships between momentary gambling motives (enhancement, coping, social, financial) and gambling behavior (episodes, expenditure, duration), as well as the moderating role of stable (problem gambling severity, high-risk situations) and momentary (psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, distress intolerance, state impulsivity) vulnerability factors, and the concordance between stable (Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial) and momentary measures of gambling motives. A convenience sample of 132 Australian adults who endorsed gambling in a typical month (Mage = 29.9 years; 58.3% male; 94.7% endorsed gambling problems) completed a 28-day ecological momentary assessment protocol, involving twice-daily smartphone assessments of momentary variables and gambling episodes, following a preecological momentary assessment survey of stable variables. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that momentary coping (OR = 2.03), enhancement (OR = 1.73), and social motives (OR = 1.57) predicted increased gambling expenditure. Mixed-effects binary logistic regression analyses revealed that longer gambling duration predicted increased momentary financial motives (OR = 3.31), though financial motives did not predict gambling behavior. Individuals with distress intolerance were more likely to report a subsequent gambling episode when coping or enhancement motives were endorsed. No other factors showed significant moderating effects. Stable and momentary motives were strongly correlated (rs = 0.71-0.89), supporting the validity of single-item ecological momentary assessment measures relative to both the corresponding Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial item and subscale. These findings underscore the importance of momentary motives, particularly coping and enhancement, and emotional vulnerability in understanding gambling behavior in real time. Interventions targeting these dynamic processes and integrating distress tolerance training may enhance harm reduction efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
The opioid epidemic continues to devastate communities throughout the United States; however, those in need of life-saving care for opioid misuse report many barriers to accessing and initiating treatment. Opioid-related stigmatization and racial biases undermine the provision of high-quality health care, reducing the likelihood of treatment-seeking behavior among those with opioid use disorder. While people experiencing opioid-related harms such as overdose frequently present to emergency departments, an experimental test examining attitudes of emergency department personnel in regard to the influence of patient racial background on opioid use disorder status has not been conducted. We recruited emergency health care professionals (N = 152) to assess attitudes toward hypothetical patients via a case vignette study. Participants were presented with three vignettes in randomized order, each depicting a medical/psychiatric condition requiring emergency care (i.e., opioid overdose, psychosis, and chest pain). The race of the hypothetical patient was examined as a between-subjects factor, with participants randomly assigned to receive a set of White-presenting or Black-presenting patients. Participants provided ratings of preference and positive regard for each condition. Positive regard was significantly lower for patients presenting with opioid overdose and psychosis, compared to chest pain, and for White-presenting versus Black-presenting patients. A significant interaction between condition and patient race was not detected. Stigma-reduction interventions for emergency care providers treating patients with opioid-related conditions are critical to ensure that this at-risk group receives life-saving care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
This study evaluated the psychometric justification for conditionally administering the most severe items within subscales of the Gambling Harms Measure (GHM), a tool assessing gambling-related harms across six domains: financial, psychological, relationship, physical health, work/study, and legal. Data were drawn from the third wave of an ongoing longitudinal study, with 2,849 participants completing the GHM. We computed item endorsement rates, crosstabs comparing each conditional item (most severe item within each subscale) with its preceding item, Cronbach's α with and without conditional items, tests of equivalence, and a paired-samples t test comparing total scores with and without conditional items. A confirmatory factor analysis evaluated potential changes in factorial structure due to conditional administration. Conditional items were endorsed by 2.8%-4.7% of participants overall, and 1.1%-1.4% participants endorsed these items without endorsing the preceding item. Chi-square tests of independence yielded statistically significant associations across subscales (phi between .49 and .56), indicating moderate-to-strong associations between each conditional item and its preceding item. Cronbach's α for the full scale was .931, decreasing slightly to .927 when using the conditional scoring procedure. Paired t tests showed significant differences between total scores with and without conditional items (Cohen's d = 0.10-.0.12), but equivalence testing supported practical equivalence within 0.1 raw score bounds. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a single-factor model. Conditional administration of the most severe items on the GHM preserves psychometric properties while reducing response burden. This method may enhance feasibility in large-scale surveys or screening interviews without compromising reliability or validity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
E-cigarette use (i.e., vaping) among young adults increases the risk for significant health consequences and combustible cigarette uptake. Although there are a growing number of vaping cessation interventions for young adults, there are no known evidence-based e-cigarette use treatments that include smoking uptake prevention. The Live Free From E-Cigarettes (LIFFE) digital program was developed to help young adults stop or reduce their use of e-cigarettes and reduce their cigarette smoking susceptibility. Twenty young adults (ages 18-24) who vape but do not smoke combustible cigarettes were recruited via social media. They completed an initial survey and the single-session, 30-min intervention on their mobile devices, followed by quantitative measures of intervention feasibility and acceptability. One week later, participants completed an interview to provide feedback about the program and a follow-up survey. All participants completed all seven intervention modules. Participants rated LIFFE as feasible in terms of delivery, usability, and logistics. Participants were satisfied with the content, design, and potential to help them and other young adults who vape to stop or reduce use. Some participants reported reductions in their susceptibility to smoke and vaping behaviors, including via quitting, 1 week after the intervention. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate that LIFFE is a feasible and acceptable program for engaging young adults in cessation efforts. Participants also included suggestions for potential changes to enhance the LIFFE program. Next steps will include building upon these suggestions for intervention refinement and testing the refined version in a randomized controlled trial. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
This study examined day-level effects of pregaming on same-day drinking outcomes among young adults who report high-intensity drinking (8+/10+ drinks for females/males). We hypothesized that pregaming days would be associated with heavier drinking and greater odds of alcohol-induced memory loss and other consequences. Effects of pregaming on drinks consumed outside of the pregaming context, total drinking duration, and pace within a drinking episode were explored. Additionally, differences by student status (currently in 4-year college or not) were tested. Between 2021 and 2023, participants (n = 203; 57% female, age 18-29, Mage = 22.06) completed 28 days of daily surveys. Pregaming was significantly associated with more total drinks, greater odds of high-intensity and heavy episodic (4+/5+ drinks for females/males; vs. moderate [fewer than 4/5 drinks for females/males]) drinking, higher estimated blood alcohol concentration, greater odds of both en bloc and fragmentary blackouts (vs. no memory loss), and greater odds of any other negative consequence. These effects were not moderated by student status. Pregaming was more strongly associated with faster paced drinking among those in 4-year college than those not, and pregaming was only associated with fewer drinks consumed outside of the pregaming context among those in 4-year college. Conversely, pregaming was more strongly associated with longer drinking duration among those not in 4-year college. Pregaming presents a distinct high-risk drinking behavior. To reduce alcohol-related harm, targeted prevention efforts (including those addressing the timing and context of drinking episodes) are needed for both students and those not in 4-year college. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Drinking motives are proximal predictors of alcohol use and often conceptualized as traitlike constructs. However, research shows motives are dynamic, varying day-to-day. We compared associations between event-specific motives reported at first drink versus retrospectively the next morning and alcohol consumption and consequences. Heavy-drinking college students (N = 95) completed 28 days of ecological momentary assessments. At first drink of the day, participants reported whether they were drinking to reduce depression, reduce anxiety, have fun, get high/buzzed/drunk (high), and/or not be left out (conformity). These motives, total drinks consumed, and consequences were retrospectively reported the next morning. Students were more likely to report "fun" and "high" motives retrospectively than at first drink. When assessed retrospectively, fun and high motives were associated with more drinks and "conformity" motives with fewer drinks. When reported at first drink, only the high motive was associated with consumption. Retrospective reports of fun, high, and conformity motives were associated with more positive consequences. When assessed at first drink, only fun and high motives were significant. Only high motives, reported at first drink, significantly increased likelihood of a negative consequence. Findings suggest event-level effects of motives on drinking outcomes depend on when motives are assessed. More associations between retrospective motives and outcomes suggest that drinking motives may change within an event and/or young adults reconstruct their drinking motives based on their experience. Findings have event-level assessment design implications and provide evidence that antecedent "high" motives present the greatest event-level risk for heavy drinking and negative outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).