Kevin S. Montes

Treatment seeking self-efficacy (TSSE), or the perceived ability to seek and find treatment for alcohol misuse, may be contributing to the alcohol treatment gap, but no measure of TSSE exists. The current study examined Hispanic college students’ TSSE by investigating the psychometric properties and correlates of a new scale that assesses Hispanic college students’ TSSE across eight college campuses in the United States (N = 2,425). The Alcohol Treatment Seeking Self-Efficacy Scale (ATSSES) and measures to assess alcohol-related outcomes were administered, and correlates of the ATSSES were assessed. A unidimensional factor structure of the ATSSES was observed, and the ATSSES exhibited excellent reliability. The ATSSES was positively correlated with protective behavioral strategy use and negatively correlated with consequences, USAUDIT, drinking identity, depression, anxiety, coping motives, and conformity motives. Non-treatment receivers who reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and hazardous drinking were also found to report statistically lower levels of ATSSE.

Given that approximately 5% of the U.S. population is currently attending college, research is needed to better understand the language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery regardless of their current drinking behavior. College student perceptions of alcohol recovery are important, given that students may experience an alcohol use disorder themselves or may encounter others with an alcohol use disorder. Research on college student perceptions of alcohol recovery in the literature is scarce but is needed to better understand the alcohol recovery process. The current mixed-methods study examines language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery based on findings from two focus group interviews. The focus groups were conducted with college students who reported using alcohol at least once in their lifetime. All participants ( N = 18) were asked questions regarding language perceived to be associated with alcohol recovery. Data were examined within a thematic analysis framework. The three central themes related to alcohol recovery that emerged in the study were harm reduction–based recovery, abstinence-based recovery, and social correlates of recovery. College students rated the terms “recovered,” “drinking reduction,” and “sobriety” as being highly representative of being in recovery, whereas the terms “bars” and “light drinker” were identified as not being representative of recovery. A better understanding of these themes will help the field understand the language that college students use to describe alcohol recovery.

Research indicates that a substance user identity (i.e., drinking, smoking, marijuana identity) is positively correlated with substance use-related outcomes (e.g., frequency, quantity, consequences, disorder symptoms). The current study aimed to meta-analytically derive single, weighted effect size estimates of the identity-outcome association as well as to examine moderators (e.g., substance use type, explicit/implicit assessment, demographic characteristics, and research design) of this association. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted on 70 unique samples that assessed substance user identity and at least one substance use-related outcome (frequency, quantity, consequences, and/or disorder symptoms), and provided the necessary information for effect size calculations. Substance user identity was found to be a statistically significant moderate-to-large correlate of all substance use-related outcomes examined in the current study (r_w=.365, p<.001, r_w²=.133). The strongest associations were observed between identity and disorder symptoms (alcohol) and frequency of substance use (tobacco, marijuana). In terms of moderators of the identity-outcome association, the link between explicit drinking identity and alcohol use-related outcomes appeared to be stronger in magnitude than the relationship between implicit drinking identity and alcohol use-related outcomes; however, this difference appears to be largely due to the finding that implicit measures have lower reliability. The strongest identity-outcome association was observed among younger individuals. Substance user identity is clearly an important correlate of substance use-related outcomes and this association is stronger among younger individuals. Additional theoretical, empirical, and intervention research is needed to utilize knowledge gleaned from the current study on the identity-outcome association.

Objective: Four decades ago the “controlled drinking” controversy roiled the alcohol field. Data have subsequently accumulated indicating that non-abstinent alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery is achievable, but questions remain whether it is sustainable long-term. This study examined whether non-abstinent recovery at three years following AUD treatment is associated with better functioning at 10 years following treatment. Methods: Data were from the 10-year follow-up of Project MATCH (New Mexico site only, n=146; 30.1% female, 58.6% non-White). Recovery was defined by latent profile analyses based on psychosocial functioning and alcohol consumption three years following treatment. Drinking practices and consequences, depression, purpose in life, and anger were assessed 10 years following treatment. Distal outcome analyses examined differences in drinking and functional outcomes at 10 years as a function of the 3-year latent profiles. Analyses were pre-registered at https://osf.io/3hbxr. Results: Four latent profiles identified at three years following treatment (i.e., low functioning frequent heavy drinkers, low functioning infrequent heavy drinkers, high functioning heavy drinkers, and high functioning infrequent non-heavy drinkers) were significantly associated with outcomes ten years following treatment. The two high functioning profiles at three years had the highest level of psychological functioning at ten years post-treatment, regardless of alcohol consumption level. Abstinence at three years did not predict better psychological functioning at ten years. Conclusions: Non-abstinent AUD recovery is possible and is sustainable for up to 10 years following treatment. The current findings align with recent proposals to move beyond relying on alcohol consumption as a central defining feature of AUD recovery.

Research from other addiction-related domains have reported identity-related constructs to be positively associated with substance use-related outcomes (e.g., frequency, quantity, and/or problems). Moreover, substance use identity has also been found to be predictive of unique variance in substance use-related outcomes. Given the similarities between substance use and behavioral addictions, it may also be the case that gambling identity is predictive of unique variance in negative gambling-related outcomes (e.g., frequency, expenditure, and gambling problem severity). The current study was conducted to examine whether gambling identity was predictive of negative gambling-related outcomes above and beyond the variance explained by other known risk factors of problem gambling (e.g., motives, social norms, and protective behavioral strategy [PBS] use). Moreover, gambling identity was examined as a moderator of the relationship between known risk factors of problem gambling and negative gambling-related outcomes. The current online study consisted of 270 U.S. participants who were predominantly male (90%), White (82%) and 33 years of age. The results from the negative binomial regression analyses indicated that gambling identity was predictive of unique variance in all of the negative gambling-related outcomes assessed. Moreover, gambling identity was found to moderate the relationship between motives, social norms, and PBS use in the prediction of negative gambling-related outcomes. Taken together, the results from the current study replicate and extend the extant body of gambling research and are used to highlight the importance of assessing gambling identity in future studies.

Background: There is relatively little research examining the relationship between identity and marijuana-related outcomes (e.g., marijuana use and consequences). Identity may both directly help shape marijuana use behaviors and moderate the influence of other risk factors on marijuana outcomes. Objectives: The current study examines the relationship between marijuana identity and marijuana-related outcomes among emerging adults and explores whether identity moderates the relationships between nonidentity correlates (e.g., perceived norms and negative affect) of marijuana-related outcomes. Methods: College students who reported marijuana use in the past 12 months completed measures of marijuana identity, perceived norms, negative affect, frequency of marijuana use, and marijuana consequences. Conclusions/Importance: The results indicated that marijuana identity is associated with marijuana use frequency and moderates the relationship between perceived norms and marijuana consequences. The findings have implications for both identity-based and social norms-based interventions targeting problematic marijuana use among emerging adults.