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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.07.001 Byline: Patricia A. Woicik (a), Sherry H. Stewart (b), Robert O. Pihl (c), Patricia J. Conrod (d) Keywords: Hopelessness; Anxiety sensitivity; Impulsivity; Sensation seeking; Alcohol; Drug abuse Abstract: The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) is based on a model of personality risk for substance abuse in which four personality dimensions (hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) are hypothesized to differentially relate to specific patterns of substance use. The current series of studies is a preliminary exploration of the psychometric properties of the SURPS in two populations (undergraduate and high school students). In study 1, an analysis of the internal structure of two versions of the SURPS shows that the abbreviated version best reflects the 4-factor structure. Concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the SURPS is supported by convergent/divergent relationships between the SURPS subscales and other theoretically relevant personality and drug use criterion measures. In Study 2, the factorial structure of the SURPS is confirmed and evidence is provided for its test-retest reliability and validity with respect to measuring personality vulnerability to reinforcement-specific substance use patterns. In Study 3, the SURPS was administered in a more youthful population to test its sensitivity in identifying younger problematic drinkers. The results from the current series of studies demonstrate support for the reliability and construct validity of the SURPS, and suggest that four personality dimensions may be linked to substance-related behavior through different reinforcement processes. This brief assessment tool may have important implications for clinicians and future research. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, United States (b) Department of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (c) Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (d) Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Section of Addiction, Kings College London, University of London, London, United Kingdom

The correlations between trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse disorders are analyzed. Potential pathways to PTSD-substance abuse comorbidity are considered including the onset of the disorders, patients' perceptions of drug effects and differences between PTSD patients with and without comorbid substance use disorders. The effects of alcohol and other drugs on PTSD are also examined.

Objective: This study aims to identify key process variables that are associated with changes in alcohol consumption and mental health symptoms over 12months following personality-targeted interventions in youth.Method: 154 high-risk youth (aged 12-13years) in 7 Montreal high schools were identified using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale and participated in personality-matched interventions. Preliminary process variables were identified using a combination of psychotherapy process variables and youth-generated (qualitative) feedback immediately post-intervention.Results: Learning, skill development and a positive group experience were key to positive behavioural change. Youth-generated feedback independently accounted for 12-25% of the variance in the change in alcohol use and mental health symptoms over 12months. Changes in cognitive distortions and self-esteem accounted for somewhat less of the variance in alcohol use (0-9%), but a moderate-to-large portion of the variance in changes in mental health symptoms (up to 44%).Conclusions: The study findings highlight candidate process variables relevant to future implementations of this program that might inform change processes relevant to brief interventions with youth more generally. This study suggests that youth experiences can indicate proximal measures of program efficacy, and has implications for the dissemination of this brief intervention program. Clinical Trial registered on www.ClinicalTrials.gov, "Does Delaying Adolescent Substance Use Lead to Improved Cognitive Function and Reduce Risk for Addiction", study NCT01655615. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Process Variables Predicting Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health Symptoms Following Personality-Targeted Interventions in Adolescence: An Exploratory Study" by Maeve O'Leary-Barrett and colleagues is presented.

Abstract: A number of personality traits have been investigated in relation to delinquent behaviour; however, the female offender population has received far less attention than male offenders. In the current study, 32 incarcerated female offenders, and 32 matched female controls were compared on a measure of behavioural activation and behavioural inhibition, as well as on the personality dimensions of hopelessness/introversion, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Lifetime abuse and dependence on various psychoactive substances was also investigated. Stimulant abuse/dependence, impulsivity, and sensation seeking were significant independent predictors of incarceration status in a logistic regression analysis. A stimulant use disorder was a partial mediator of the relationship between sensation seeking and incarceration status. These results suggest that, similar to male populations, disinhibited personality traits and drug use are associated with criminal behaviour in women, and may be important targets for intervention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To assess the 2-year impact of teacher-delivered, brief, personality-targeted interventions on internalizing and externalizing symptoms in an adolescent U.K. sample. Method: This cluster-randomized trial was run in 19 London schools (N = 1,024 adolescents). Trained school-based professionals delivered two 90-minute, CBT-based group interventions targeting 1 of 4 personality-risk profiles: anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, impulsivity, or sensation seeking. Self-report depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder symptoms were assessed at 6-month intervals. Results: Interventions were associated with significantly reduced depressive, anxiety, and conduct symptoms (p < .05) over 2 years in the full sample, reduced odds of severe depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 0.74, CI = 0.58-0.96), and conduct problems (OR = 0.79, CI = 0.65-0.96), and a nonsignificant reduction in severe anxiety symptoms (OR = 0.79, CI = 0.59-1.05). Evaluating a priori personality-specific hypotheses revealed strong evidence for impulsivity-specific effects on severe conduct problems, modest evidence of anxiety sensitivity-specific effects on severe anxiety, and no evidence for hopelessness-specific effects on severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Brief, personality-targeted interventions delivered by educational professionals can have a clinically significant impact on mental health outcomes in high-risk youth over 2 years, as well as personality-specific intervention effects in youth most at risk for a particular problem, particularly for youth with high levels of impulsivity. Clinical trial registration information--Adventure: The Efficacy of Personality-Targeted Interventions for Substance Misuse and Other Risky Behaviors as Delivered by Educational Professionals; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00776685. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Alcohol and tobacco are commonly co-administered, yet little is known about the effects of acute nicotine administration on alcohol consumption in humans. This study sought to determine how nicotine delivered by tobacco smoke influences alcohol intake in humans using a double-blind placebo controlled repeated measures design. Methods: During two randomized 120min sessions 15 male occasional smokers smoked four nicotine-containing or four denicotinized cigarettes at 30min intervals. Throughout the session, subjects could earn units of their preferred alcoholic beverage and glasses of water using a progressive-ratio (PR) task. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated that nicotine increased alcohol self-administration in a significant proportion of participants (P ≤0.03) without affecting water consumption (P ≥0.16). A two-way ANOVA supported this observation further, and, compared to denicotinized cigarettes, the nicotine-containing cigarettes increased PR breakpoints for alcohol but not water, as reflected by a Cigarette×Beverage interaction (P ≤0.055). Conclusions: The present data suggest that acute nicotine administration increases alcohol consumption in at least a subset of smokers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]