Dixie Statham - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Dixie Statham

Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, Jan 14, 2015

Self-harm has considerable societal and economic costs and has been extensively studied in relati... more Self-harm has considerable societal and economic costs and has been extensively studied in relation to alcohol involvement. Although early onset alcohol use (EAU) has been causally linked to maladaptive clinical outcomes, its association with self-harm is less well characterized. This study aimed to further examine the link between EAU and both nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempt (SA), and elucidate shared familial and causal/individual-specific pathways that explain this co-occurrence. Using data from 6,082 Australian same-sex twin pairs (1,732 monozygotic [MZ] and 1,309 dizygotic [DZ]), ages 23 to 40, we examined prevalence rates of NSSI and SA among twin pairs concordant and discordant for EAU. Conditional logistic regression, controlling for early clinical covariates and the influence of zygosity on EAU, was used to examine the odds ratio (OR) of self-harm within twin pairs discordant for EAU. Prevalence rates of both NSSI and SA were highest among twin pairs conc...

Journal of abnormal psychology, Jan 6, 2015

Previous research has demonstrated that local area characteristics (such as disadvantage and gamb... more Previous research has demonstrated that local area characteristics (such as disadvantage and gambling outlet density) and genetic risk factors are associated with gambling involvement and disordered gambling. These 2 lines of research were brought together in the present study by examining the extent to which genetic contributions to individual differences in gambling involvement and disorder contributed to being exposed to, and were also accentuated by, local area disadvantage. Participants were members of the national community-based Australian Twin Registry who completed a telephone interview in which the past-year frequency of gambling and symptoms of disordered gambling were assessed. Indicators of local area disadvantage were based on census data matched to the participants' postal codes. Univariate biometric model-fitting revealed that exposure to area disadvantage was partially explained by genetic factors. Bivariate biometric model-fitting was conducted to examine the e...

Addiction (Abingdon, England), Jan 27, 2015

To test whether speed of transition from first use to subsequent use of cannabis is associated wi... more To test whether speed of transition from first use to subsequent use of cannabis is associated with likelihood of later cannabis dependence and other outcomes, and whether transition speed is attributable to genetic or environmental factors. Cross-sectional interview study SETTING: Australia PARTICIPANTS: 2239 twins and siblings who reported using cannabis at least twice (mean age at time of survey = 32.0, 95% CI 31.9 - 32.1, range 22-45). Time between first and subsequent cannabis use (within 1 week; within 3 months; between 3 months - 12 months; more than 1 year later), later use of cannabis and symptoms of DSM-IV cannabis abuse/dependence. Multinomial regression analyses (comparison group: more than 1 year later) adjusted the association between speed of transition and the outcomes of cannabis daily use, abuse/dependence, and treatment-seeking after controlling for socio-demographic, childhood, mental health, peer and licit drug factors. Twin modelling estimated the proportion of...

JAMA psychiatry, 2014

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal self-injury are very harmful behaviors and are associ... more Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal self-injury are very harmful behaviors and are associated with several psychiatric disorders. In the recently developed fifth edition of the DSM, NSSI and suicidal behavior disorder are for the first time introduced as conditions in their own right instead of symptoms of other psychiatric disorders. It is unclear to what extent NSSI and suicidal self-injury share the same underlying biological mechanisms and are influenced by the same environmental factors. To determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on the variation in NSSI and suicidal ideation and their covariation. Classical twin design using a sample of 10,678 male and female adult twins (mean [SD] age, 32.76 [6.99] years) from the Australian Twin Registry, a population-based twin registry. Between 1996 and 2009, the twins participated in semistructured telephone interviews that primarily focused on psychiatric disorders. Lifetime presence of self-repo...

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2014

The premise that an association between an earlier age of gambling initiation and the later devel... more The premise that an association between an earlier age of gambling initiation and the later development of disordered gambling is causal has not yet been empirically examined. The current study used a multilevel discordant twin design to examine the nature of this association. Participants were 3,546 same-sex twins (mean age = 37.7 years) from the Australian Twin Registry who completed a telephone interview that included an extensive assessment of gambling and related behaviors. Multilevel models were employed to estimate individual (within-twin-pair comparison) and family level (between-twin-pair comparison) effects, as well as the cross-level interaction between these effects. Family-level effects (genetic or environmental factors shared by family members) of age of gambling initiation robustly predicted later adult gambling frequency and disorder; the evidence for individual-level effects (unique factors not shared by family members, including a potentially causal effect of earlier age of gambling onset) was less robust. The results of this study suggest that the relation between earlier age of gambling initiation and later gambling involvement and disorder is primarily noncausal; efforts to delay the onset of gambling among young people may not necessarily reduce the number who later go on to develop gambling-related problems.

Psychological Medicine, 2000

Background. This study was designed to determine lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders amo... more Background. This study was designed to determine lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders among twins who reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and to compare these rates with those among non-abused co-twins. The contribution of familial and individual-specific factors to reported sexual abuse was also examined.

Psychological Medicine, 2004

Background. Genetic influences have been shown to play a major role in determining the risk of al... more Background. Genetic influences have been shown to play a major role in determining the risk of alcohol dependence (AD) in both women and men ; however, little attention has been directed to identifying the major sources of genetic variation in AD risk.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1991

... to Hypnosis and State Instruction Peter W Sheehan, Dixie Statham, and Graham A. Jamieson Univ... more ... to Hypnosis and State Instruction Peter W Sheehan, Dixie Statham, and Graham A. Jamieson University of Queensland St. ... He is wearing a mask. Look carefully now and tell me whether you can see the mask and maybe some of the robber's face through his mask. ...

Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1989

Allocated independent sets of 16 Ss to a crossed 2 (level of susceptibility: high, low) x 2 (info... more Allocated independent sets of 16 Ss to a crossed 2 (level of susceptibility: high, low) x 2 (information: misleading, nonmisleading) x 2 (state instruction: hypnosis, walking) design to examine the prediction that hypnosis will facilitate memory distortion when hypnotic instruction precedes the exposure of Ss to incorrect, misleading information. E. F. Loftus&amp;#39;s recognition procedures were used to focus on the predicted effect. Free recall was also examined for memory distortion effects. Results indicated the presence of significant memory distortion for both recognition and free-recall memories. The distortion effects accompanying hypnosis, however, were not reliably greater than those accompanying waking instruction. Results are examined in relation to the operation of multiple parameters affecting memory distortion in hypnosis. Pertinent factors include the procedures for testing the effects of distortion and the level of Ss&amp;#39; aptitude for hypnosis.

International Review of Psychiatry, 1994

The majority of cases identified by commonly used alcoholism crireria in general community SUT'lJ... more The majority of cases identified by commonly used alcoholism crireria in general community SUT'lJeys are mild ones, with few alcohol-related problems. We illustrate rhis using dara on 2088 Australian male twins aged 28-89 (mean age = 42.7), incJut6ng 1846 who reporred more rhan minimal alcohol exposure when surueyed by telephone in 1992-3. Using latent class analysis of alcoholism symproms reported by these twins, we identify jive classes of respondent: those with no alcohol-related problems (49% of rhe sample, if we include rhose with minimal alcohol exposure); excemve drinkers (33%); and indi'lJiduals with a history of mild (14%), mockrate (3%) or severe problems (1%). Symptom endorsement profiles associared with these different classes are il1usrrated. The two most severe classes constitute a substanziai majorizy of those reporting alcoholism treatment, but a minority of those reponing alcohol-rel4ud auto accidents or injuries, reCUTTent hazardous alcohol use, or alcohol-related arrests. The excessive drinkers and persons with mild problems account for a much higher proportion of persons e:cperienJ::ing rhese outcomes, and thus represent an important group to study from a public health perspective. The use of latent class analysis to imp7'O'lJe case detection using struaured 01' semi-srruaured diagnostic instruments is also discussed.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2007

Background: This paper explores the magnitude of -and extent of overlap between -additive genetic... more Background: This paper explores the magnitude of -and extent of overlap between -additive genetic, shared environmental and non-shared environmental influences on lifetime stimulant use and on stimulant abuse/dependence symptoms; the associations between stimulant use and cannabis use and the extent to which these associations can be attributed to common or correlated genetic and environmental influences. Methods: Self-report data on lifetime stimulant use, abuse/dependence symptoms and corresponding measures of cannabis involvement were collected from a sample of 6265 male and female Australian twins born 1964-1971.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014

Risks associated with parental separation have received limited attention in research on children... more Risks associated with parental separation have received limited attention in research on children of parents with substance use disorders. We examined early substance involvement as a function of parental separation during childhood and parental alcohol and cannabis dependence. Data were drawn from 1318 adolescent offspring of monozygotic (MZ) or dizygotic (DZ) Australian twin parents. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted predicting age at first use of alcohol, first alcohol intoxication, first use and first regular use of cigarettes, and first use of cannabis, from parental separation and both parent and cotwin substance dependence. Parent and cotwin alcohol and cannabis dependence were initially modeled separately, with post hoc tests for equality of effects. With few exceptions, risks associated with parental alcohol versus cannabis dependence could be equated, with results largely suggestive of genetic transmission of risk from parental substance (alcohol or cannabis) dependence broadly defined. Controlling for parental substance dependence, parental separation was a strong predictor for all substance use variables, especially through age 13. Together, findings underscore the importance of parental separation as a risk-factor for early substance involvement over and above both genetic and environmental influences specific to parental alcohol and cannabis dependence.

Australian Journal of Psychology, 2004

Although there is an increasing understanding of the impact of genetic factors on the development... more Although there is an increasing understanding of the impact of genetic factors on the development of anorexia nervosa (AN), clear identification of environmental risk factors remains unclear. Using monozygotic twins discordant for a disorder can be a useful tool for identifying such environmental risk factors. Differences between nine pairs of female monozygotic twins in the Australian Twin Registry who were discordant for lifetime AN were investigated. Twins were compared on self-report measures, including measures of current and lifetime psychopathology, temperament and coping, and parental bonding. None of the twins currently met the weight criterion for AN, indicating that current psychopathology would be unlikely to affect results. The twin affected by past AN reported a higher birth weight but a lower current body mass index than their cotwin; the affected twin tended to be more anxious than their co-twin. It may be useful for larger studies to further explore differences between twins discordant for AN in the areas of novelty seeking, and ways of coping, especially with respect to seeking social support.

Archives of General Psychiatry, 2008

Addictive Behaviors, 2013

Despite considerable research activity and application in treatment, the construct of craving rem... more Despite considerable research activity and application in treatment, the construct of craving remains poorly understood. We propose that cravings and urges are cognitive-emotional events in time, characterised by frequency, duration, intensity and salience. Commonly used measures of alcohol craving are reviewed, and their strengths and weaknesses identified. Most measures confound craving with behaviors, or with separable cognitive phenomena such as expectancies, intentions, or perceived behavioral control. These confounds have limited our advances in understanding the determinants and consequences of craving. Based on the criteria applied in this review, among the better performing multiitem measures are the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale and Obsessive subscale of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. Optimal assessment strategies are likely to involve daily assessments of peak intensity of cravings, desires or urges and of the frequency and duration of craving episodes. Of particular interest are measures of intensity at times when individuals are at risk of drinking or of other functional impacts from craving. Highlights  Alcohol craving is distinguished from associated but separable phenomena  Cravings are cognitive-emotional events, with frequency, duration and intensity.  Most measures confound craving with other phenomena.  Daily assessment of frequency and peak craving intensity may have high utility.

Addiction, 2011

To develop a measure of craving based on the Elaborated Intrusion (EI) theory of desire and to ex... more To develop a measure of craving based on the Elaborated Intrusion (EI) theory of desire and to examine the construct, concurrent and discriminant validity of the instrument.

Addiction, 2014

Aims: Research into craving is hampered by lack of theoretical specification and a plethora of su... more Aims: Research into craving is hampered by lack of theoretical specification and a plethora of substance-specific measures. This study aimed to develop a generic measure of craving based on Elaborated Intrusion (EI) Theory. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) examined whether a generic measure replicated the 3-factor structure of the Alcohol Craving Experience (ACE) scale over different consummatory targets and timeframes.