Whitney C. Brown

Boredom proneness reflects a tendency to experience the state of boredom, which is correlated with negative affect (NA) and self-regulatory failure. Boredom states may motivate individuals to seek satisfying, stimulating experiences. Empirically, it is unclear whether boredom proneness is a relevant predictor of alcohol problems. In this exploratory investigation, we measured boredom proneness as a predictor of alcohol problems following a course of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for AUD. We hypothesized that (a) boredom proneness would be associated with alcohol consumption pre- and post-treatment and (b) that boredom proneness would predict alcohol problems indirectly through NA and anxiety sensitivity. Data for these analyses were drawn from a larger study that provided CBT for AUD outpatients (R01 AA024628). Participants ( n = 181) were women (49%) and men seeking AUD treatment. Boredom proneness was associated with baseline but not end-of-treatment alcohol consumption. An indirect effects model was used to determine whether pre-treatment boredom proneness was indirectly associated with end-of-treatment drinking problems through mid-treatment NA and baseline anxiety sensitivity. As hypothesized, boredom proneness was indirectly and significantly associated with increased end-of-treatment alcohol use problems via increased NA and anxiety sensitivity [95% CI .03–.11]. Boredom proneness appears to negatively impact AUD outcomes through continued vulnerability to negative emotion states.

Among college students, interpersonal conflict with others is a common, yet stressful negative interpersonal experience. Research suggests that drinking episodes may contribute to the occurrence of conflict. Marijuana use, independently or in conjunction with alcohol, may also influence the likelihood of subsequent conflict. We considered the temporal effects of independent and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use episodes on the occurrence of interpersonal conflict. Use of multilevel modeling allowed us to distinguish the within-person effects of substance use from between-person differences in frequency of use. Within a sample of 427 college freshman males over 56 days of daily reports, we examined the independent and interactive effects of episodes of alcohol and marijuana on the odds of conflict within the next 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4 hours. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that drinking episodes increased the likelihood of conflict occurring within the next 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4 hours. Marijuana had weaker positive effects, significant only within the 2-hour window. There were no alcohol by marijuana interaction effects in any analysis. Both marijuana and alcohol independently increased the likelihood of interpersonal conflict; however, the marijuana effect appeared less robust. As marijuana use becomes more normative and accessible for college students, it is important to understand the extent to which marijuana use results in negative consequences and the contexts under which these effects unfold. DOI: 10.26828/cannabis.2018.02.005

There is an extensive research literature that has studied the relationship between excessive alcohol use, alcoholism, and violence. This review examines the evidence that alcohol use meets criteria as a causal influence on violence, contributing to the likelihood and severity of violence. Several theories that explain the processes underlying this causal influence are reviewed, including alcohol expectancies, alcohol‐related cues as cognitive primes of aggressive behavior, and psychopharmacological or “alcohol myopia” effects. This review emphasizes that, in addition to being contributory, the nature of the causal relationship is also conditional. That is, alcohol causes violence for certain persons under certain circumstances. The current challenges for alcohol–violence researchers are to predict under what circumstances and for whom excessive drinking plays a significant role in violent behavior and to intervene to reduce the frequency and severity of alcohol‐related violence.

Background and Aims Cannabis and alcohol are the most commonly used (il)licit drugs world‐wide. We compared the effects of cannabis and alcohol use on within‐person changes in impulsivity, hostility and positive affect at the momentary and daily levels, as they occurred in daily life. Design Observational study involving ecological momentary assessments collected via electronic diaries six random times a day for 28 consecutive days. Setting Out‐patients' everyday life contexts in Columbia, MO, USA. Participants Ninety‐three adult psychiatric out‐patients (85% female; mean = 30.9 years old) with borderline personality or depressive disorders, who reported using only cannabis (n = 3), only alcohol (n = 58) or both (n = 32) at least once during the study period. Measurements Real‐time, standard self‐report measures of impulsivity, hostility and positive affect, as impacted by momentary reports of cannabis and alcohol use. Findings Cannabis use was associated with elevated feelings of impulsivity at the day level [b = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.17–1.49] and increased hostility at the momentary (b = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01–0.12) and person (b = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.15–1.47) level. Alcohol use was associated with elevated feelings of impulsivity at the momentary (b = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.13–0.71) and day levels (b = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.22–1.41) and increased positive affect at the momentary (b = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.06–0.18) and day (b = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.16–0.49) levels. Conclusions Cannabis and alcohol use are associated with increases in impulsivity (both), hostility (cannabis) and positive affect (alcohol) in daily life, and these effects are part of separate processes that operate on different time‐scales (i.e. momentary versus daily).

Personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently co-occur both in the general population and in clinical settings. The authors review the recent literature that documents high comorbidity between these two classes of disorders, discuss possible mechanisms of comorbidity, and describe the clinical implications of this comorbidity. Although most attention on comorbidity between PDs and SUDs has focused on antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD), it is also clear that other PDs (in particular, paranoid, avoidant, and obsessive compulsive PD) are prevalent among those suffering from SUDs. The effect of SUD on PD expression appears to be one of exacerbating PD symptomatology and, in turn, contributing to chronicity. This has important treatment implications in that clinicians must keep in mind the challenges present when planning and implementing treatment for those with both SUD and PD.