Citation

Lau YCY, Bryant SJ, Gullo MJ. Addict. Behav. 2022; 133: 107378.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107378

PMID

35644056

Abstract

High impulsivity predisposes young adults to engage in hazardous alcohol use. Experimental research has shown that reward-related impulsivity is causally-related to heavier drinking. Correlational studies suggest that positive alcohol outcome expectancies mediate this effect, but causation has yet to be established. This study sought to clarify this relationship by: 1) developing a new, individualized procedure for inducing reward-related impulsivity with high generalizability; 2) experimentally manipulating positive alcohol expectancies to determine its mechanistic role in reward-related impulsivity risk for drinking. Eighty-seven young adults (67% female; M(age) = 19.19, SD = 2.01) received either a covert manipulation to reduce positive alcohol expectancies (n = 43) or control (n = 44) after being administered the Individualized Reward-Seeking Induction Schedule (IRIS). The primary outcome was self-reported confidence in the ability to refuse alcohol in cued situations (drinking refusal self-efficacy).

RESULTS showed that IRIS increased reward-related impulsivity (p < .001, d(rm) = 0.48) and reduced drinking refusal self-efficacy (p = .029, η(2)(P) = .055, ω(p)(2) = .043). Experimentally diminishing positive alcohol expectancies had a marginal effect on the reward-seeking induction when controlling for covariates (p = .057, η(2)(P) = .044).

FINDINGS provide preliminary validation of IRIS as a new methodology for investigating the causal role of reward-related impulsivity in alcohol-related cognition and youth drinking.

Language: en

Keywords

Alcohol; Impulsivity; Alcohol expectancies; Drinking refusal self-efficacy; Reward drive