Transcript Effects of Impulsivity and Family History

Alcohol Misuse in College Freshmen: Effects of Impulsivity and Family History
M.K. Ginley1, C.S. Austad3, H. Tennen4, S.A. Raskin5, D.C. Glahn1,2, M.C. Stevens1,2 & G.D. Pearlson1,2
1Olin
2Dept.
Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT,
of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 3Dept. of Psychology, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT, 4University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT,
5Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS
-While family history of alcoholism is widely recognized as a risk factor for the
development of problematic drinking, not all studies have consistently found correlations
between family history and reports of problems4.
M.I.N.I Interview
Zuckerman's Sensation
Seeking Scale
0.3
-Research on children of problem drinkers emphasizes alcohol abuse and dependence
classifications5.
**
0.25
**
-Many studies are further limited by recruitment of volunteers from samples in treatment2
or requiring participants to meet criteria for “healthy control” i.e. no Axis 1 diagnoses3.
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0.2
**
*
0.15
-A cluster of behaviors defined by “behavioral undercontrol”, increased psychopathology,
personality differences, and increased substance use is generally associated with FH+
status4.
FH0.1
FH+
0.05
-Major variables to consider when comparing results across FHA research is that the
operational definition of “family history positive” is not always consistent and density
information is not always available1.
0
AUD
SUD
Anxiety
Depressive
Episodes
Figure 1
-Additionally, utilizing a research question that asks participants about parent’s formal
diagnoses of AUD and/or treatment yields different results than inferences about
diagnoses by asking if parents were “problem drinkers” 1.
Manic/
Hypomanic
Symptoms
-FH+ status will correlate positively with a higher family risk assessment.
-Symptoms of “behavioral undercontrol” and markers of antisocial personality disorder
will be more prevalent in the FH+ sample.
Sample
Matched
on group
Analysis Run FH: 438 FH+: 155
X
110 Participants Excluded due
to Unkown FH Status
-FH+ status directly correlated with an increased score on the
risky family assessment questionnaire. In many ways this variable
serves as a validation variable. It could be inferred that parent
alcohol use was problematic to the extent that it influenced
childhood family life (Fig. 2).
SSS Total
-In measures of “behavioral undercontrol” such as sensation
seeking (Fig. 4), cognitive instability (Fig. 5), and tendencies
towards behaviors symptomatic of antisocial personality disorder
(Fig. 6), FH+ participants displayed more “undercontrol”.
*
6.4
6.3
**
30
25
6
FH-
5.9
FH+
20
FH-
5.8
15
FH+
5.7
10
5.6
5
5.5
0
Figure 5
Figure 2
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-FH+ participants reported more anxiety disorder symptoms, more
depressive episodes, and more hypomanic and manic symptoms
than FH- participants (Fig. 1).
6.1
BIS-11: Cognitive Instability
Risky Family Assessment Total
REFERENCES
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1.2
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5
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1. Capone, C. and M.D. Wood, Density of familial alcoholism and its
effects on
alcohol use and problems in college students. Alcohol Clin
Exp Res, 2008. 32(8): p. 1451-8.
2. Harford, T.C., Family history of alcoholism in the United States:
prevalence and demographic characteristics. Br J Addict, 1992. 87(6): p.
931-5.
3. Meda, S.A., et al., Investigating the behavioral and self-report
constructs of impulsivity domains using principal component analysis.
Behav Pharmacol, 2009. 20(5-6): p. 390-9.
4. Sher, K.J., et al., Characteristics of children of alcoholics: putative risk
factors, substance use and abuse, and psychopathology. J Abnorm
Psychol, 1991. 100(4): p. 427-48.
5. Weitzman, E.R. and H. Wechsler, Alcohol use, abuse, and related
problems among children of problem drinkers: findings from a national
survey of college alcohol use. J Nerv Ment Dis, 2000. 188(3): p. 148-54.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
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762 Complete Data
Sets at Time of
Analysis
FH+
6.5
Days of drinking within last 30 days
Overall BARCS
Sample 1200
to date
FH-
6.2
35
-Asking participants if parents were “problem drinkers” without asking density
information will be a sensitive enough research variable to detect comparable levels of
FH+ to what is generally reported in the literature.
-FH+ participants drank more often, binge drank more often (Fig.
3), and had higher rates of alcohol and substance use disorders
then their FH- peers (Fig. 1).
BIS-11
40
-FH+ participants will drink more often, binge drink more frequently, and have higher
rates of alcohol use and substance use disorders then FH- peers.
-Utilizing a new research sample, we were able to consistently
replicate widely reported research findings for participants with a
family history of alcoholism.
*
Figure 4
Risky Family Assessment
Questionnaire
HYPOTHESIS
21.5
21
20.5
20
19.5
19
18.5
18
17.5
17
16.5
-Our sample contained comparable levels of FH+ participants to
those reported in the literature (20%).
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0.8
FH-
3
FH-
0.6
FH+
FH+
0.4
2
0.2
1
MATERIALS AND METHODS
**: p≤.01
0
652 college freshmen (45% male) between the ages of 18 and 24 (M: 18.28, SD: 0.64)
were recruited from an ongoing NIAAA- funded BARCS study on a voluntary basis from
two demographically distinct colleges in Connecticut.
Measures of cognitive testing, academic grades, genetics, alcohol and drug use
assessments, and psychiatric diagnoses were obtained for all subjects. Presence of a
psychiatric diagnosis did not result in study exclusions as we hoped to obtain a
representative sample.
Subjects were classified as family history positive (FH+) if they reported that either
biological parent had “alcohol problems”. Participants who reported “no alcohol
problems” for either parent were classified as family history negative (FH-). Participant’s
who reported, “don’t know” for either parent were excluded from the FH- sample.
The FH+ subset from this sample included statistically significantly more females then
males. To compensate for this over representation in the sample, participants were
group matched on age, sex, and ethnicity to reduce any sample bias. The research
sample used for this poster consisted of 155 FH+ participants (39% male, age M: 18.32,
SD: 0.80) and 438 FH- participants (37% male, age M: 18.28, SD: 0.60).
Figure 3Days with a drink of alcohol
Days of binge drinking
* :p≤.05
0
Figure 6
**: p≤.01
Anti Social Personality Symptoms
* :p≤.05
Note: Significant difference
notations utilize FH group as
control
Note: Significant difference
notations utilize FH group as
control
Measure
MINI
BIS-11
Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale
Risky Family Assessment (Taylor)
Antisocial Personality Assessment
Core Concept Assessed
Psychiatric Diagnoses/ Tendencies
Response Inhibition
Sensation Seeking
Childhood Environment Risk Factors
Endorsement of symptoms from
SCID-II module
Days of alcohol consumption in last
30
Self report of days where one full
alcohol based drink consumed
Days of binge drinking in last 30
Self report of days where 4 or more
drinks consumed in a drinking episode
by females (5 or more for males)
Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students
(aka BARCS Study )“Mascot”
Funded by RO1 AA016599 (BARCS Study) and
RC1 AA019036 to Dr. Godfrey Pearlson.