Anxiety sensitivity components in relation to alcohol and cannabis use, motives, and problems in treatment-seeking cigarette smokers

Abstract

Anxiety sensitivity (AS)- fear of anxiety symptoms and their potential negative consequences-has been implicated in the development of substance use problems and motivation to use substances for coping with distress, though the AS components (physical, cognitive, and social concerns) have not been studied extensively in relation to alcohol- and cannabis-related variables. In a cross-sectional design, self-report measures of AS and alcohol and cannabis use, motives, and problems were administered to 364 treatment-seeking cigarette smokers with a history of alcohol and cannabis use. In both adjusted and unadjusted analyses, linear regression models indicated that AS cognitive concerns are related to cannabis-use conformity motives, alcohol-use coping motives, and alcohol problems; AS physical and cognitive concerns are related to greater cannabis problems specifically in males; and AS social concerns are associated with greater social, coping, enhancement, and conformity drinking motives. AS cognitive and physical concerns were also related to greater alcohol and cannabis problems, respectively, in subsamples limited to 214 current alcohol users and 170 current cannabis users. Together with prior work, current findings suggest that it may be beneficial to focus more on addressing AS cognitive concerns in individuals with tobacco-alcohol problem comorbidity, whereas it may be beneficial to focus on addressing both AS physical and cognitive concerns in males with tobacco-cannabis problem comorbidity. In addition, cigarette smokers high in AS social concerns may benefit from relaxation training to lessen their social anxiety as well as behavioral activation to enhance their positive affect.

Anxiety sensitivity in relation to cigarette smoking and other substance use in African American smokers.

“…Indeed, though several studies have reported a relation between AS and greater alcohol consumption (Cox, Swinson, Shulman, Kuch, & Reichman, 1993;Lammers, Kuntsche, Engels, Wiers, & Kleinjan, 2013;Paulus, Manning, et al, 2017;Stewart, Peterson, & Pihl, 1995;Stewart, Zvolensky, & Eifert, 2001), the large majority of studies have not found evidence of an association between AS and greater alcohol consumption (Buckner, Bonn-Miller, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2007;Chavarria et al, 2015;Guillot et al, 2018;Johnson et al, 2008;Leyro, Zvolensky, Vujanovic, & Bernstein, 2008;Novak, Burgess, Clark, Zvolensky, & Brown, 2003;Paulus, Valadka, et al, 2017;Paulus, Vujanovic, & Wardle, 2016;Woicik, Stewart, Pihl, & Conrod, 2009;Zvolensky et al, 2007), including the current study. Also concordant with this possibility, the evidence for an association between AS and hazardous drinking (AUDIT total scores) has been mixed, with some studies reporting evidence of this association (Guillot et al, 2018;Paulus, Manning, et al, 2017;Zvolensky et al, 2019;Zvolensky et al, 2014) and other studies not finding evidence of this association (Bakhshaie, Zvolensky, Allan, Vujanovic, & Schmidt, 2015;Haas et al, 2019;Paulus, Valadka, et al, 2017;Zvolensky, Kotov, Antipova, & Schmidt, 2003), including the current study. In contrast, AS consistently has been related to greater alcohol problems (Chavarria et al, 2015;Guillot et al, 2019;Guillot et al, 2018;Lammers et al, 2013;Paulus, Manning, et al, 2017;Paulus et al, 2016;Schmidt, Buckner, & Keough, 2007;…”

“…In particular, AS has been associated with both SU coping expectancies and motives (i.e., both expecting a substance to reduce NA if used and explicitly reporting the reason for using a substance is to reduce NA, respectively) in regard to cigarette smoking and alcohol and cannabis use (DeMartini & Carey, 2011; Guillot et al, 2019; Guillot, Blumenthal, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2018; Guillot, Leventhal, Raines, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2016). AS additionally has been associated with problems related to the use of various substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis (Guillot et al, 2019; Guillot et al, 2018). More specifically in regard to cigarette smokers, AS has been prospectively associated with more intense tobacco withdrawal and higher risk of smoking lapse and relapse (Bakhshaie et al, 2018).…”

“…Indeed, a substantial and growing literature does evidence that AS is related to cigarette smoking and other SU. In particular, AS has been associated with both SU coping expectancies and motives (i.e., both expecting a substance to reduce NA if used and explicitly reporting the reason for using a substance is to reduce NA, respectively) in regard to cigarette smoking and alcohol and cannabis use (DeMartini & Carey, 2011; Guillot et al, 2019; Guillot, Blumenthal, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2018; Guillot, Leventhal, Raines, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2016). AS additionally has been associated with problems related to the use of various substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis (Guillot et al, 2019; Guillot et al, 2018).…”

Online personalized feedback intervention reduces cannabis-related problems among college students with high problem distress.

“…Future work may benefit from examining other potential moderators of PFI outcomes. For example, certain types of anxiety (e.g., social anxiety) and anxiety-related constructs (e.g., fear of physical or cognitive symptoms of anxiety) have been differentially related to cannabis-related problems by gender (Buckner, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2012; Guillot, Blumenthal, Zvolensky, & Schmidt, 2018), suggesting that observed differences in cannabis-related problems may be partially influenced by demographic factors (e.g., gender) and psychological factors such as anxiety and anxiety-related constructs.…”

Alcohol Interaction with Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Opioids, Nicotine, Cannabis, and γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid

“…These results strongly suggest that administration of cannabis and alcohol may additively enhance DA release the NAc. Guillot et al [200] showed that, among people using cannabis and alcohol, the interplay between social anxiety and coping-oriented motives for using one substance (such as cannabis or alcohol) may pose difficulties in refraining from other substances such as alcohol or tobacco). Therefore, it is important to tailor multi-substance treatments to specific needs when a single-substance intervention may not be effective.…”