Relationships of impulsiveness and depressive symptoms in alcohol dependence (original) (raw)
Psychosocial predictors of impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients
The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 2013
Impulsivity is an important risk factor of severe course of alcohol dependence. However, the significance of environmental determinants of impulsivity has been underestimated. The aim of this study was to identify psychosocial factors increasing the level of impulsivity in alcoholics. Levels of impulsivity were measured in 304 alcohol-dependent patients. The stop-signal task was used to assess behavioral impulsivity, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, to measure global and cognitive impulsivity. Correlations between impulsivity and psychosocial variables were examined. A significant association between level of impulsivity and severity of psychopathological symptoms was observed. Patients who reported childhood sexual or physical abuse, lower social support, and more severe course of alcohol dependence were more impulsive, especially in the cognitive domain. When entered into a linear regression analysis model, severity of alcohol dependence, psychopathology, and childhood physica...
Evaluation of impulsivity and decision making in early and late-onset alcohol addiction
Evaluation of impulsivity and decision making in early and late-onset alcohol addiction Objective: In this study we aimed to compare impulsivity and decision-making (DM) in early and late-onset alcohol addicts and investigate the relation between impulsivity and DM. Method: In our study, impulsivity and DM were evaluated respectively with Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11) and Iowa Gambling Test (IGT) in total 55 alcohol addicted male patients, 27 of them were early onset and 28 were late onset. Early and late onset groups were compared in terms of Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), alcohol amount that was consumed per day and the family history of alcoholism. Results: While only 33.3% of patients in early onset group were married, the patients in late onset group who were married were found to be 71.4%. There was a history of alcohol addiction respectively in the family of 66.6% of early onset group and of 39.3% of late onset group. In early onset group, attention and motor impulsivity were at more significant level than late onset group. In early onset group; OCDS score were at significant level more than late onset group. It was determined that there is no difference in terms of DM which was evaluated from the early stage to the last stage of IGT. Negative correlation was found between education period and attention impulsivity. Negative correlation was determined at significant level between age of regular alcohol usage, alcohol amount that was consumed per day, attention impulsivity and OCDS. Positive correlation was determined at significant level between alcohol amount which is used per day, attention, motor, non-planning impulsivity and OCDS. Increased amount of alcohol that was consumed per day and high OCDS score are effect attention impulsivity in regression analysis. Increased amount of alcohol that was consumed per day is effects motor impulsivity. Conclusion: While impulsivity in early-onset alcohol addicts is at more significant level than late-onset group, it was determined that there is no difference of DM between two groups.
Impulsivity, risky behaviors and accidents in alcohol-dependent patients
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013
Impulsivity and alcohol drinking are both considered as important predictors of unintentional as well as intentional injuries. However, relationships of impulsivity with risky behaviors and a history of accidents have not been investigated in alcohol dependence. The aim of this study was to analyze relationships between the frequency of risky behaviors and level of behavioral as well as cognitive impulsivity in alcohol-dependent patients. By means of Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and stop-signal task, the levels of cognitive and behavioral impulsivity among 304 alcohol-dependent patients were measured. Also, patients were asked to answer questions from the Short Inventory of Problems applying to risky behaviors and accidents after alcohol drinking. In addition participants completed a questionnaire to assess frequency of other behaviors from the analyzed spectrum (use of other drugs, driving or aggressive behavior after alcohol drinking). The statistical analysis revealed a significant association between impulsivity and frequency of risky behaviors in alcohol-dependent patients. Individuals with higher scores in BIS behaved more frequently in a risky way and had significantly more accidents after alcohol drinking. The association with risky behaviors was strongest for non-planning and attentional impulsivity subscales, whereas frequency of accidents was particularly associated with motor impulsivity. A multivariate analysis revealed that impulsivity was the most important predictor of risky behaviors, but did not significantly predict a history of accidents. Our study confirms that impulsivity is an important correlate of risky behaviors in alcohol-dependent individuals, along with global psychopathology and severity of alcohol dependence.
Neuropsychological assessment of impulsive behavior in abstinent alcohol-dependent subjects
Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2009
OBJECTIVE: Poor impulse control is thought to be one of the characteristics of alcohol addiction. The capacity to remain abstinent may be linked to cognitive bias related to three dimensions of impulsivity: motor, non-planning, and attentional impulsivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuropsychological profile related to these impulsivity dimensions in alcohol-dependent patients within 15 -120 days of abstinence. METHOD: We compared 31 alcohol-dependent patients to 30 matched healthy controls regarding their performances on the Continuous Performance Task, the Iowa Gambling Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, each of which is thought to tax primarily one of the three dimensions of impulsivity just outlined. RESULTS: When compared to controls, alcohol-dependent patients presented more commission errors on the Continuous Performance Task; made more disadvantageous choices on the Iowa Gambling Test; and made more perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting T...
A test of alcohol dose effects on multiple behavioral measures of impulsivity
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2008
Acute alcohol administration affects impulsive behavior, although these effects vary as a function of alcohol dose, assessment instrument, and time of measurement following administration. We concurrently examined the dose-dependent effects of alcohol on three distinct types of impulsivity tasks (continuous performance [IMT], stop-signal [GoStop], and delay-discounting [SKIP] tasks). Ninety healthy alcohol drinkers were assigned to one of the three task groups (n=30 each), each group experienced placebo, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g/kg alcohol doses across 5 experimental days, and task performance was assessed at 0.5h before and 0.25, 1.0, and 2.0 h after alcohol administration. We hypothesized that impulsive responding on all tasks would be increased by acute alcohol administration both across time and during the peak BrAC, but the magnitude would depend on the task being tested. Analyses included the time course and the peak BrAC effects. Task comparisons of peak behavioral changes following each dose are illustrated using standardized scores. While alcohol consumption increased impulsive responding during all three tasks to some extent, our hypothesis was only partially supported. During the IMT, the 0.6 and 0.8 g/kg doses produced increased impulsive responding across time and at the peak BrAC. However, during the GoStop and SKIP, impulsivity increased across time regardless of the alcohol dose size, with no differences in impulsive responding among dose conditions at peak BrAC. This study demonstrated alcohol-induced changes in impulsivity are not uniformly affected by alcohol. These data, in conjunction with previous studies, further support that impulsivity is not a unitary construct.
The Role of Behavioral Impulsivity in the Development of Alcohol Dependence: A 4Year Follow-Up Study
Alcoholism-clinical and Experimental Research, 2008
Background: Although many studies have established a close relation between impulsivity and alcohol use disorders, little is known about the role of behavioral impulsivity in the development of these disorders.Objectives: To determine the role of 2 laboratory paradigms of impulsivity in the development of alcohol use disorders.Methods: Follow-up study carried out with 471 participants diagnosed as heavy drinkers (HD) and followed-up for 4 years. Initially, they were compared with a healthy control group. Assessment of behavioral impulsivity was carried out with the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and the Stop-Signal Task (SST) assessed behavioral inhibitory control. Differential reinforcement for low-rate responding (DRLR) was used to evaluate the delay reward dimension. The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-DSM-IV) was used to diagnose alcohol dependence.Results: The HD performed worse than the control group in all the behavioral tests of impulsivity. Performance in DRLR was the only behavioral impulsivity test that classified the HD correctly compared to controls. Logistic regression analysis indicated that performance on SST was a significant predictor [odds = 1.52(CI = 1.08–2.31)] of developing alcohol dependence.Conclusions: Our results support the relation between behavioral impulsivity and alcohol use disorders. The paradigm related to delay of reward may be a factor associated with the use of alcohol and the incapacity to control inhibition as dependence develops.
Alcohol, 2004
Extensive literature has linked behavior control problems in childhood to risk for alcoholism, but impulsivity in alcohol-dependent adults has not been well characterized. Using a variety of laboratory measures of impulsivity, we assessed whether detoxified alcohol-dependent patients [(ADP); n ϭ 130] were more impulsive than control subjects [(CS); n ϭ 41]. In comparison with CS, ADP demonstrated (1) increased rates of commission errors, but not omission errors, in a continuous performance test, (2) a more severe devaluation of delayed reward, (3) increased rates of risky responses in a new risk-taking paradigm, and (4) higher psychometric scores of impulsivity and aggression. Across all subjects, aggressiveness correlated significantly with severity of delay discounting. A post hoc analysis of data obtained for male ADP indicated that, in comparison with patients with late onset of problem drinking and no problem-drinking parent, those ADP with earlier age of problem drinking and who reported a problem-drinking father (type 2-like alcohol dependence) demonstrated faster response latencies and more responses to non-target stimuli (commission errors) in the continuous performance test, as well as higher psychometric aggression. In contrast, these subtypes of male ADP did not differ in delay discounting and risk taking. These findings collectively indicate that, in comparison with CS, ADP are more impulsive in several dimensions, with elevated impulsivity in a working memory task as well as aggressivity characteristic of alcohol-dependent men with type 2-like features. Ć 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Impulsivity and Alcohol Involvement: Multiple, Distinct Constructs and Processes
Current Addiction Reports, 2013
Of all the personality traits associated with problematic alcohol involvement, traits related to impulsivity appear to show the most robust relations to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. This article reviews both seminal articles that focus on broadband measures of impulsivity and newer research linking more specific impulsivity-related traits to the development and course of problematic alcohol involvement, with a specific focus on self-report measures of impulsivity-related traits. Specifically, empirical support for different theoretical models that account for the overlap between impulsivity-related traits and problematic alcohol involvement is discussed, including current limitations of existing research. Recent studies suggest that specific impulsivity constructs relate to distinct aspects of alcohol-related behavior. Further, there is emerging evidence that problematic alcohol use and impulsivity-related traits are dynamically related, such that changes in these constructs appear to correlate during specific developmental periods. We close by discussing potential research directions that may provide increased clarity in understanding the impulsivity-alcohol relation.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2010
Alcohol misuse and dependence, and many of its accompanying psychological problems, are associated with heightened levels of impulsivity that both accelerate the development of clinically significant illness and complicate clinical outcome. This article reviews recent developments in our understanding of impulsivity as they relate to brain circuitry that might underlie these comorbid factors, focusing upon the clinical features of substance use (and dependence), bipolar disorder, and pathological gambling. Individuals who are affected by these disorders exhibit problems in several domains of impulsive behavior including deficient response or ''motor'' control, and the tolerance of prolonged delays prior to larger rewards at the expense of smaller rewards (''delaydiscounting''). These populations, like alcoholic dependents, also exhibit impairments in risky decision-making that may reflect dysfunction of monoamine and catecholamine pathways. However, several areas of uncertainty exist including the specificity of impairments across disorders and the relationship between impulse control problems and altered evaluation of reward outcomes underlying observed impairments in action selection.
Selected impulsivity facets with alcohol use/problems: The mediating role of drinking motives
Addictive Behaviors, 2011
a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Impulsivity is associated with alcohol use and related problems, yet limited research has examined the different facets of impulsivity with these outcomes. This study aimed to examine whether sensation seeking, positive urgency, and negative urgency, as separate constructs, would differentially predict alcohol use/problems, and to investigate whether specific drinking motives would mediate these relationships. Self-reported data from an online survey of undergraduate drinkers (n = 317) was used in the current study. Findings indicate that sensation seeking and the urgency traits represent unique personality constructs in the prediction of alcohol use/problems, and should be considered separately in future research and when designing prevention and intervention strategies.