To goal of this study was to better understand mechanisms underlying associations between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and marijuana use and problems. Specifically, it was hypothesized that negative urgency (NU), the tendency to act rashly while experiencing negative mood states, would uniquely (compared to other impulsivity traits: positive urgency, sensation seeking, premeditation, and perseverance) account for the relationship between MDD and marijuana use and problems. Data were collected from a sample (N = 357) of veterans (M age = 33.63) recruited from a Veterans Affairs hospital who used marijuana at least once in their lifetime. Participants completed the SCID-NP to assess MDD, a marijuana problems scale, a Time-Line Follow-back to assess six-month marijuana use, and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale for impulsivity. Path analysis was conducted using bootstrapped (k = 20,000) and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate mediation (indirect) effects, controlling for age, sex, and race. Analyses revealed a significant direct effect of MDD on NU and NU on marijuana problems. Regarding mediational analyses, there was a significant indirect effect of MDD on marijuana problems via NU. The direct effect of MDD on marijuana problems was reduced, but remained significant, suggesting partial mediation. No other impulsivity scales accounted for the relationship between MDD and marijuana problems. In predicting marijuana use, there were no significant indirect effects for any impulsivity traits, including NU, despite significant bivariate associations between use and NU and MDD. Results suggest that high levels of NU may partially explain associations between MDD and marijuana problems, but not marijuana use. No other facets of impulsivity accounted for the relationship between MDD and marijuana use or problems, underscoring the specificity of NU as a putative mechanism and the importance of assessing NU in treatment settings.

Background: Pregaming, also known as frontloading or predrinking, is a common but risky drinking behavior among college students. However, little is known about the way in which a brief motivational intervention (BMI) addressing general alcohol use and consequences may impact pregaming frequency. Objectives: This study examined whether mandated students reduced frequency of pregaming following a BMI when pregaming was spontaneously discussed and whether gender moderated these effects. Methods: Participants (n = 269, 32% female) were mandated college students who had received a campus-based alcohol citation and continued to exhibit risky alcohol use six weeks after receiving a brief advice session. Participants were randomized to a brief motivational intervention (BMI, n = 145) or assessment only (AO, n = 124) and completed follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months postintervention. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to examine both between-person (Level 2) effects (i.e., condition) and within-person (Level 1) effects (i.e., time) on pregaming frequency. Analyses examining discussions of pregaming within the BMI were conducted using a subsample of the BMI sessions which had been transcribed (n = 121). Results: Participants in the BMI group did not significantly reduce the frequency of pregaming compared to those in the AO group, even when pregaming was explicitly discussed during the BMI. Moreover, the BMI was equally ineffective at reducing pregaming frequency for both males and females. Conclusion/Importance: Pregaming frequency appears to be resistant to conventional intervention efforts, but recent research suggests several innovative strategies for addressing pregaming in the college student population.

The prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) in the United States has risen dramatically in the past four decades and is concentrated in populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite the public health consequences of MUD, there are no FDA-approved psychopharmacological treatments. Psychosocial treatment alone has been shown to reduce methamphetamine use, but high attrition rates limit treatment efficacy. Promising findings from animal models of MUD using exogenous oxytocin, a social neuropeptide, have set the stage for translational work. Along with unique anti-addiction effects, oxytocin holds a primary role in enhancing social salience and modulating stress. In humans, oxytocin administration, combined with evidence-based psychosocial interventions, may act synergistically to improve addiction treatment outcomes and improve retention rates in current MUD treatment. We are conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oxytocin-enhanced motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT). Oxytocin or placebo 40 IU is administered intranasally in conjunction with six, weekly MIGT sessions. We will recruit 50 MSM, initiating treatment for MUD from specialized community health programs in San Francisco, CA, USA. Individuals will be randomized (1:1) to receive six, weekly sessions of MIGT with or without oxytocin. Our primary outcome is session attendance. Other outcomes of interest include: measures of group cohesion, anxiety, psychophysiology, and stimulant craving and use. This will be the first study of oxytocin’s effects in humans with MUD. Findings from this novel protocol will attempt to bridge existing animal data with the need for innovative clinical treatments for MUD, inform the growing field of pharmacologically-enhanced psychotherapy, and help to elucidate mechanisms behind oxytocin’s potential anti-addiction effects. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02881177 . Registered on 26 August 2016.