Addiction Mindsets and Psychological Processes of Quitting Smoking

Background: Lay belief systems about the malleability of human attributes have been shown to impact behavior change in multiple domains. Addiction mindset—i.e., beliefs about the permanence (vs. malleability) of addiction — may affect cigarette smokers’ ability to quit, but this has never been examined. Objectives: The aims of the present research were to develop a measure of addiction mindset (study 1) and examine its associations with various psychological aspects of quitting smoking (study 2). Methods: In Study 1, using factor analysis of current smokers’ and nonsmokers’ (n?=?600) responses to 22 items designed to measure addiction mindset, we developed a reliable six-item Addiction Mindset Scale (AMS). In Study 2, adult smokers (n?=?200) completed the AMS, and measures of a number of psychological processes related to smoking. Results: Higher scores on the AMS, indicative of the belief that addiction is malleable (referred to as a growth mindset), were positively and significantly associated with greater motivation to quit, greater commitment to quitting, greater self-efficacy to abstain, less attribution of failure to lack of ability to change addiction, and fewer self-reported barriers to cessation (all p’s < .05). Conclusions: The results of this study show a relationship between the beliefs about the permanence of addiction and psychological processes relevant to quitting smoking. The findings underscore the potential of future research exploring how addiction mindsets relate to successful smoking cessation as well as other types of addictive behavior and how they can be applied to change people’s behavior.     

Craving-induced effects of different drug cues on persons abstaining from heroin

Background: The key factors of inducing drug cravings in persons abstaining from drug use remain a focus of addictions research. Given the accumulating evidences, the scope of cues investigated in the cue-reactivity paradigm has increased considerably. Yet, few studies have examined the effects of the intensity and endurance of different types of cues on their ability to induce craving. This study investigated differences among drug-cue words, negative physiological-cue words, and negative social-cue words in the induction of drug cravings among persons abstaining from heroin.

Methods: The sample consisted of 149 male abstinent heroin abusers from four addiction rehabilitation centers in China. Based on their abstinence lengths, they were labeled as short-term, medium-term, and long-term abstainer participants respectively. All participants completed a stress-imagery task and rated craving by visual analog scale.

Results: There was a significant interaction of cue type and abstinence length. There was no difference on the craving induced by three types of cue words in the short-term group. In the medium-term group, craving induced by negative social-cue words was significantly stronger than that by negative physiological-cue words, but not that by drug-cue words. In the long-term group, the craving induced by negative social-cue words remained the strongest, significantly stronger than that by both drug-cue words and negative physiological-cue words.

Conclusion: Negative social-cue words presented in the current study retain the ability to induce craving in heroin abstainers; this finding suggests that negative social cues encountered under more general circumstances could be a risk factor for relapse.     

The Web of Internet Dependency: Search Results for the Mental Health Professional

Some researchers speculate that as many as 10% of users worldwide suffer from “problematic” use of the internet, possibly stemming from an internet dependency. Research is in its early stages, making it an uncertain issue for mental health professionals. This paper provides: (1) a critical review of research on problematic internet use for the mental health and addictions professional; and (2) practical implications, including suggestions on treatment and prevention, given its uncertain clinical classification.     

大学生网络成瘾量表的初步编制

目的编制可供评估网络成瘾倾向的自评量表。方法采用自编《大学生网络成瘾量表》为研究工具对197名在校大学生为被试进行测试。结果①初步编制的《大学生网络成瘾量表》共46条目,包括2个分量表:网络成瘾倾向和网络成瘾类型分量表,其中网络成瘾倾向分量表分为成瘾症状成分(即成瘾症状、消极影响2个维度)和认知、情感体验成分(即内心体验、自我认知2个维度);网络成瘾类型分为网络关系成瘾、网络娱乐成瘾、信息搜集成瘾和网络性成瘾4个维度;②本量表具有较好的信度:成瘾倾向分量表及各维度的同质性信度为0·80~0·95,网络成瘾类型分量表为0·78,符合测量学标准;网络成瘾倾向分量表及各维度的重测信度除消极影响为0·67外,其他为0·75~0·88,网络成瘾类型分量表为0·74,也都基本达到心理测量学标准;③本量表成瘾倾向分量表的成瘾标志和消极影响维度与陈淑惠《中文网络成瘾量表》各个因子以及总分的相关(0·78~0·83)均显示有统计学意义,说明其具有良好的结构效度。结论该量表评价内容范围较宽、提供信息量较大,题目量适中,并且其信、效度较好,为后续研究打下了良好基础。     

Enhancing Nurse Assessment of Alcohol and Drug Dependency: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this project was to prepare nurses to provide brief interventions for clients with alcohol or other drug (AOD) dependency in order to reduce hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. The project was a collaborative process between a major medical center and a school of nursing. Nurses were surveyed for understanding of alcohol and other drug assessment, and a day long training was provided to teach techniques of brief interventions. The short-term results included increased knowledge of nurses about AOD assessment. Long-term results indicated that 95% of patients referred to the AOD team were confirmed to have AOD problems (Dunn & Ries, 1997). This project documents the need for nurses to have more knowledge about AOD problems and brief intervention techniques.     

Les stratégies psychothérapeutiques

Psychological support is an essential concern in the management of alcohol misuses. Motivation and readiness to change are key factors of the evolution. They have to be in the centre of the patient-doctor relation. Regular evaluation is a part of a step by step therapeutic strategy.     

Switching to the bingeing/purging subtype of anorexia nervosa is frequently associated with suicidal attempts

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa has the highest suicide mortality ratio of psychiatric disorders, suicide being associated with many factors. We assessed the first lifetime occurrence of these factors taking into account their possible overlap. METHOD: Three hundred and four in- and out-patients with anorexia nervosa (DSM-IV) were systematically recruited in three hospitals of Paris suburbs, between December 1999 and January 2003. Patients were assessed by a face-to-face interview (DIGS). Current eating disorder dimensions were measured, and patients interviewed by a trained clinician to assess minimal BMI and, retrospectively, the age at which anorexia nervosa, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders and switch to bingeing/purging type occurred for the first time, if applicable. RESULTS: Major depressive disorder (p<0.001) and subtype switch from the restrictive to the bingeing/purging type (p<0.001) were the two factors significantly more frequently occurring before suicidal attempts, and remained involved when a multivariate analysis is performed, whether syndromic or dimensional measures are being used. Taking into account lifetime occurrence with a survival analysis, the switch to bingeing/purging type of anorexia appears as a major predictive factor, with a large increase of the frequency of suicidal attempts (OR=15) when compared to patients with neither major depressive disorder nor bingeing/purging type. CONCLUSIONS: Bingeing/purging type of anorexia nervosa is largely associated with suicidal attempts, and may deserve specific attention. If confirmed on a prospectively designed study, these results would argue for early detection and/or more intensive and specific therapeutic intervention on this aspect of bingeing and purging behaviors.     

The development of addiction to d-amphetamine in an animal model: same principles as for alcohol and opiate

We have established a rat model that reflects the course of development of alcohol and opiate addiction. The present study with d-amphetamine aimed to define general principles in the development of an addiction. Male rats had a continuous free choice between d-amphetamine solutions (100, 200 and 400 mg/l) and water for 47 weeks. An initial intake of high doses of d-amphetamine during the first weeks of drug choice was followed by an individually stable pattern of drug consumption of moderate drug doses. During this period of controlled consumption (from week 10 to week 40), the voluntary intake of d-amphetamine depended on individual factors (dominant rats: 0.37 ± 0.02 mg/kg per day, subordinate rats: 0.57 ± 0.05 mg/kg per day) and environmental variables (group housing: 0.21 ± 0.02 mg/kg per day, single housing: 0.41 ± 0.03 mg/kg per day). Beginning with week 41, voluntary d-amphetamine consumption progressively increased (1.9 ± 0.2 mg/kg per day in week 47), although the experimental conditions remained unchanged. Drug intake during a retest (free choice as before) after 6 months of drug deprivation revealed that the rats had persistently lost their control over drug intake and were no longer able to adjust drug taking to internal and external conditions. These addicted rats took very high drug doses, even when all d-amphetamine solutions but not water were adulterated with bitter tasting quinine (6.6 ± 0.6 mg/kg per day; age-matched controls: 0.37 ± 0.04 mg/kg per day). Forced intake of d-amphetamine for 47 weeks (7.1 ± 0.3 mg/kg per day) via the drinking fluid caused physical dependence (hyperreactivity during withdrawal) but did not lead to drug addiction (voluntary intake in the retest with adulteration: 0.42 ± 0.04 mg/kg per day). Both the temporal development and the prerequisites of psychostimulant addiction were in principle the same as for alcohol and opiates. Received: 3 April 1998/Final version: 26 August 1998