Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, and Risk-Taking Behaviors among HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Heroin Dependent Persons

Objective.

The aim of this study was to compare impulsivity and risky decision making among HIV-positive and negative heroin dependent persons.

Methods.

We compared different dimensions of impulsivity and risky decision making in two groups of 60 HIV-positive and 60 HIV-negative male heroin dependent persons. Each group was comprised of equal numbers of current (treatment seeker) and former (abstinent) heroin addicts. Data collection tools included Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), and Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS).

Results.

In SSS, comprised of four subscales including thrill and adventure seeking (TAS), experience seeking (ES), disinhibition (DIS), and boredom susceptibility (BS), there was a borderline difference in DIS (P = 0.08) as HIV-positive group scored higher than HIV-negative group. Also, ES and total score were significantly higher among HIV-positive patients. In BART, HIV-positive subjects scored higher in risk taking than HIV-negative subjects as reflected in higher Average Number of puffs in Successful Balloons (ANSB). In BIS, HIV-positive group scored significantly higher in cognitive impulsivity (CI) (P = 0.03) and nonplanning impulsivity (NPI) (P = 0.05) in comparison to HIV-negative group. Also, current heroin addicts scored significantly higher in NPI compared to former addict HIV-negative participants (P = 0.015). IGT did not show any significant difference between groups.

Conclusion.

Higher levels of impulsivity and risk taking behaviors among HIV-positive heroin addicts will increase serious concerns regarding HIV transmission from this group to other opiate dependents and healthy people.

Comparison of subscale scores in each test between HIV-positive group and HIV-negative group.

Item∗	HIV-positive group	HIV-negative group	P value♦
Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS)
Thrill and adventure seeking	6.70 ± 2.80	6.33 ± 2.55	0.45
Experience seeking	4.28 ± 1.90	3.30 ± 2.03	0.007
Disinhibition	3.52 ± 1.65	2.95 ± 1.89	0.083
Boredom susceptibility	2.70 ± 1.65	2.48 ± 1.44	0.44
SSS total score	17.20 ± 5.75	15.07 ± 5.13	0.03
Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)
Average Number of puffs in Successful Balloons	34.58 ± 17.11	25.15 ± 13.35	0.002
Number of Successful Balloons	17.52 ± 4.02	22.63 ± 4.00	<0.001
Average Number of puffs in Each Balloon	30.40 ± 12.40	23.64 ± 11.58	0.004
Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS)
Nonplanning impulsivity	28.38 ± 4.10	26.75 ± 4.99	0.053
Motor impulsivity	24.43 ± 5.04	24.57 ± 6.51	0.9
Cognitive impulsivity	19.47 ± 4.27	17.67 ± 4.94	0.035
BIS total score	72.25 ± 10.67	69.08 ± 14.02	0.16
Iowa Gambling Task (IGT)
Total duration of IGT (seconds)	286.54 ± 168.38	314.54 ± 144.77	0.38
Net amount of win (win − loss)	−12667.50  ±  −11223.32	−14242.93 ± 14446.33	0.55
IGT total score [(C + D)−(A + B)]	−2.56 ± 21.54	−5.65 ± 29.38	0.55

∗Data are represented as mean ± SD.

♦Independent sample t-test.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/SKfpj0

By:  Koosha Paydary, ^{1 , 2 , 3} Somayeh Mahin Torabi, ² SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi, ¹ Mehri Noori, ² Alireza Noroozi, ^{4 , 5}Sara Ameri, ^{1 , 2 , 3} and Hamed Ekhtiari ^{2 , 6 , *}

¹Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS (IRCHA), Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

²Neurocognitive Laboratory, Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

³Students' Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

⁴School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine (SATiM), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

⁵Head of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Office (SAPTO), Mental Health, Social Health and Addiction Department (MeHSHAD), Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME), Tehran, Iran

⁶Translational Neuroscience Program, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

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The Influence of Sensation-Seeking & Parental & Peer Influences in Early Adolescence on Risk Involvement through Middle Adolescence

This study examined the relationships between youth and parental sensation-seeking, peer influence, parental monitoring and youth risk involvement in adolescence using structural equation modeling. 

Beginning in grade-six, longitudinal data were collected from 543 students over three years. Youth sensation-seeking in grade six contributed to risk involvement in early adolescence (grades six and seven) indirectly through increased peer risk influence and decreased parental monitoring but did not have a direct contribution. It contributed directly and indirectly to risk involvement in middle adolescence (grades eight and nine). 

Parent sensation-seeking at baseline was positively associated with peer risk influence and negatively associated with parental monitoring; it had no direct effect on adolescent risk involvement. Parental monitoring buffers negative peer influence on adolescent risk involvement. 

Results highlight the need for intervention efforts to provide normative feedback about adolescent risky behaviors and to vary among families in which parents and/or youth have high sensation-seeking propensities.

Proportions of youth involved in risky behaviors at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months

Risky behaviors	Baseline	12 months	24 months	36 months	z
Sample size	543	494	458	451
Delinquent behaviors
Was suspended from school	1.9%	2.5%	11.9%	16.9%	9.12c
Was truant	3.2%	1.9%	3.8%	3.6%	0.82
Carried a weapon	4.4%	4.1%	5.3%	9.7%	3.45c
Engaged in a fight	33.2%	21.8%	22.5%	24.6%	3.20b
Substance use behaviors
Smoked cigarettes	2.0%	1.6%	2.4%	1.8%	0.01
Drank alcohol	18.5%	14.7%	18.6%	29.3%	3.60c
Used marijuana	0.4%	1.0%	1.1%	2.7%	2.97b
Sold or carried drugs	1.1%	0.6%	1.3%	2.2%	1.58
Been asked to sell drugs	1.5%	1.6%	2.4%	2.7%	1.47
Sexual behaviors
Ever had sex	3.6%	9.6%	20.8%	28.6%	13.90c
Had sex in the last 6 months	1.0%	3.1%	7.9%	13.7%	9.15c
Ever had anal sex	0.8%	2.1%	6.8%	8.7%	8.14c
Had multiple sex partners	0.2%	0.6%	2.9%	4.4%	6.12c
Did not use a condom during last sexual encounter	66.7%	59.6%	44.0%	27.3%	5.04c

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/IZYp7q

By:  Bo Wang,1 Lynette Deveaux,2 Sonja Lunn,2 Veronica Dinaj-Koci,1 Xiaoming Li,1 and Bonita Stanton1

¹Pediatric Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

²Office of HIV/AIDS, the Bahamas Ministry of Health, Nassau, The Bahamas

Corresponding author: Bo Wang, Ph.D., Pediatric Prevention Research Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4707 St. Antoine, Suite W534, Detroit, MI 48201, Phone: 313-966-2366, Fax: 313-745-4993

Youth Soc. 2016 Mar; 48(2): 220–241.

Published online 2013 May 6. doi:  10.1177/0044118X13487228

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Weekly Energy Drink Use Is Positively Associated with Delay Discounting and Risk Behavior in a Nationwide Sample of Young Adults

Background:

Energy drink use is associated with increased risk behavior among adolescents and college students. This study examined this relationship in a nationwide sample of young adults and also examined relations between energy drink use and delay discounting.

Methods:

Participants were 874 U.S. adults 18-28 years of age with past 30-day consumption of caffeine and alcohol. Participants completed an online survey of energy drink use, drug use, sexual activity, alcohol misuse (alcohol use disorders identification test [AUDIT]), sensation seeking (four-item Brief Sensation Seeking Scale [BSSS-4]), and delay discounting of monetary rewards and condom use.

Results:

Over one-third of participants (n = 303) reported consuming energy drinks at least once per week. Weekly energy drink users were more likely than less-than-weekly energy drink users to report a recent history of risk behaviors, including cigarette smoking (56% vs. 28%), illicit stimulant use (22% vs. 6%), and unprotected sex (63% vs. 45%). Covariate-adjusted analyses found that weekly energy drink users did not have significantly higher BSSS-4 scores (3.5 vs. 3.1), but they had higher mean AUDIT scores (8.0 vs. 4.8), and they more steeply discounted delayed monetary rewards. Although weekly energy drink users did not show steeper discounting of delayed condom use, they showed a lower likelihood of using a condom when one was immediately available.

Conclusions:

This study extends findings that energy drink use is associated with risk behavior, and it is the first study to show that energy drink use is associated with monetary delay discounting.

Purchase full article at: 

By:  Meredith SE1, Sweeney MM2, Johnson PS2, Johnson MW2, Griffiths RR3.

• 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.; Calhoun Cardiology Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut.
• 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, Maryland.
• 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. 
• J Caffeine Res. 2016 Mar 1;6(1):10-19.

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Molly Users versus Non-users in a Sample of College Alcohol Drinkers: Differences in Substance-Related Harms and Sensation Seeking

BACKGROUND:

Molly is one form of MDMA that is touted to be more "pure" and potentially less harmful than other forms, such as ecstasy. Media reports and case studies suggest this drug is popular among college students and is related to adverse health problems. The current study sought to address the gaps in our knowledge about Molly by examining whether users differ in substance use outcomes and sensation seeking than non-users. Specifically, we tested whether Molly users engaged in heavier use of other substances and experienced more substance-related harms in general than non-users. Further, we investigated whether Molly users exhibited higher levels of sensation seeking than non-users. Lastly, we examined whether Molly user status would be associated with substance-related harms beyond the confounding influence of other substance use and trait sensation seeking.

METHODS:

Participants were 710 (71.9% female) college alcohol drinkers who completed self-report surveys about substance use (i.e., Molly, alcohol, other drug use), substance-related problems, and sensation seeking.

RESULTS:

Results revealed that approximately 12% of our sample reported lifetime Molly use. Molly users compared to non-users reported higher levels of other drug use, alcohol use, substance-related problems, and sensation seeking. Further, Molly users reported experiencing poorer substance use outcomes (e.g., blacking out, academic/occupational problems, withdrawal symptoms) after accounting for sensation seeking and other substance use.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our findings indicate that Molly users are higher in sensation seeking and use is uniquely related to greater risk for substance-related harms. These preliminary findings demonstrate a need for correcting possible misperceptions regarding the purity of Molly and educating users on the potential for experiencing associated harms. Such information could be used to develop efficacious prevention programming for college students.

Purchase full article at:   http://goo.gl/mH4w5Y

By:  Linden-Carmichael AN1, Stamates AL1, Sheehan BE1, Lau-Barraco C1,2.

• 1 Old Dominion University , Norfolk , VA , USA.
• 2 Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology , Norfolk , VA , USA.
• Subst Abus. 2016 Jan 28:0. [

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Sensation Seeking as a Potential Screening Tool for Suicidality in Adolescence

BACKGROUND:

Although suicide could be an adverse health problem related to sensation seeking, this relationship has not been rigorously evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sensation seeking and suicidality (suicidal ideation and plan) among adolescents and to test the influence of depressive symptom on this relationship.

METHODS:

We surveyed 2,017 adolescents in seven middle and high schools located in urban and rural areas in 2012. A self-report questionnaire included items about demographic characteristics, sensation seeking, depressive symptom, and suicide plans. We evaluated the influence of sensation seeking on suicide plan using multiple logistic regression and causal mediation analysis.

RESULTS:

Sensation seeking was related to suicide ideation and plan. Sensation seeking was associated with a 13 % greater likelihood of a suicide plan during the past 12 months as the score increased by 1. After controlling for depressive symptom, the effect of sensation seeking was reduced, but still significantly increased the risk (adjusted odds ratio: 1.10; 95 % CI: 1.04-1.16). When depressive symptom was included as a potential mediator, depressive symptom exerted an indirect effect on suicide planning that constituted 37 % of the total effect of sensation seeking. There was no significant interaction between sensation seeking and either demographic variables or depressive symptom.

CONCLUSIONS:

Sensation seeking can contribute to developing a suicide plan directly and indirectly via depressive symptom. Sensation seeking could be used to identify high-risk adolescents and provide proper interventions.

Participant demographics by suicide ideation and planning

	N	Suicide planning (N = 80)			Suicide ideation (N = 207)
		n	%	p-value	n	%	p-value
Gender
Male	852	37	4.3	0.495	90	10.6	0.769
Female	1,153	42	3.6		116	10.1
Grade
1st middle school	189	14	7.4	<0.01	32	16.9	<0.01
2nd middle school	250	16	6.4		43	17.5
3rd middle school	194	10	5.2		22	11.4
1st high school	607	18	3.0		50	8.3
2nd high school	555	14	2.5		35	6.3
3rd high school	213	7	3.3		24	11.3
Family Income
Low	80	7	8.8	<0.01	12	15.0	<0.01
Lower-middle	300	15	5.0		38	12.7
Middle	1,064	28	2.6		80	7.5
Upper-middle	430	24	5.6		59	13.8
High	112	5	4.5		15	13.4
No. of Siblings
1	242	15	6.2	0.093	29	12.0	0.165
2	1,335	45	3.4		125	9.4
≥ 3	418	19	4.5		51	12.2
Sensation-seeking scorea	4.0 (2.0–6.0)	5.0 (3.0–6.0)		<0.01	5.0 (3.0–6.0)		<0.01
Symptoms
Non-depressive	1,683	31	1.8	<0.01	101	6.0	<0.01
Depressive	327	48	14.7		105	32.1

Note: Percentages are based on different numbers of participants depending on frequency of answering

aMedian and interquartile range (Q1-Q3), P-value for Wilcoxon rank sum test

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/QLLJVE

By:  Won Kyung Lee, Dohee Lim, Hye Ah Lee, and Hyesook Park

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, 27 Inhang-Ro, Jung-Gu Incheon, Republic of Korea

Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, 1071 Anyangcheon-ro, Yangcheon-ku Seoul, 158-710 Republic of Korea

Won Kyung Lee, Email: rk.ca.ahni@56elahweulb.

BMC Public Health. 2016 Jan 29;16(1):92. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2729-2.

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