Laila Marianne Martinussen

Experience with psychological trauma is overrepresented among substance use disorder (SUD) patients. SUDs may also be a risk factor for violent behaviors, suicidal ideation and suicide. This study proposes a link between these phenomena. Based on data from the EuropASI clinical interview of 137 SUD inpatients we computed a composite variable of trauma experience from being abused. We report descriptive data and cross tabulated problems controlling violent behavior, suicidal ideation or suicide attempts variables with trauma experience. Hypothesizing an association between experienced trauma and the outcome variables. We also examined the correlation between three outcome variables in inpatients. Our data suggested high incidents of experienced psychological trauma in the sample (66.7%). Chi-square tests suggested a significant difference in controlling violent behavior, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, dependent on trauma experience. Spearman Roh correlations suggested asscociations between suicdal ideation and suicide attempts, and suicdal ideation and problems controlling violent behavior, but not with suicide attempts. Our data suggests that past trauma is a risk factor for violent and suicidal behaviors in the SUD population. Based on our findings we propose that former trauma should be considered in risk assessments and help guide treatment interventions.

Despite downward trends, driving under the influence (DUI) remains one of the most salient traffic safety problems. It is crucial to identify the processes behind a problem behaviour to target the most effective measures to address it. One way of exploring precursors of behaviour is measuring attitudes. All persons hold two types of attitudes, explicit and implicit. Although only one of these (explicit) lays the groundwork for current understandings of DUI, it is imperative to explore both types of attitudes. We explore the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes towards DUI for the first time in the field. Explicit attitudes (what we say we mean) are measured by a questionnaire. Implicit attitudes (which are introspectively unidentified or inaccurately identified traces of past experience) are measured by the Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT) in a sample of young male drivers (n = 101). The results show a relationship between the two types of attitudes, but not completely in the expected way. Depending whether the amount of alcohol is over or under the legal limit, the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes varies. We discuss the findings and provide directions for future investigations.

Background: The Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III (FPQ-III) is a widely used instrument to assess the fear of pain (FOP) in clinical and nonclinical samples. The FPQ-III has 30 items and is divided into three subscales: Severe Pain, Minor Pain and Medical Pain. Due to findings of poor fit of the original three-factor FPQ-III model, the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-Short Form (FPQ-SF) four-factor model has been suggested as an alternative. The FPQ-SF is a revised version of the FPQ-III, reduced to 20 items and subdivided into four subscales: Severe Pain, Minor Pain, Injection Pain and Dental Pain. Aims and methods: The purpose of the study was to investigate the model fit, reliability and validity of the FPQ-III and the FPQ-SF in a Norwegian nonclinical sample, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The second aim was to explore the model fit of the two scales in male and female subgroups separately, since previous studies have uncovered differences in how well the questionnaires measure FOP across sex; thus, the questionnaires might not be sex neutral. It has been argued that the FPQ-SF model is better because of the higher fit to the data across sex. To explore model fit across sex within the questionnaires, the model fit, validity and reliability were compared across sex using CFA. Results: The results revealed that both models’ original factor structures had poor fit. However, the FPQ-SF had a better fit overall, compared to the FPQ-III. The model fit of the two models differed across sex, with better fit for males on the FPQ-III and for females on the FPQ-SF. Conclusion: The FPQ-SF is a better questionnaire than the FPQ-III for measurement of FOP in Norwegian samples and across sex subgroups. However, the FPQ-III is a better questionnaire for males than for females, whereas the FPQ-SF is a better questionnaire for females than for males. The findings are discussed and directions for future investigations outlined.