Social and individual-level factors in the etiology and treatment of alcohol misuse; affective and cognitive determinants of heavy drinking; PTSD-alcohol use disorder comorbidity
I am interested in the etiology of and intervention for problematic alcohol and other substance use in young adults. My most recent work has focused around two interests: (1) psychosocial determinants of young adult alcohol use, and (2) co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress symptoms and substance use.
My research on young adult drinking has examined both environmental and individual determinants of alcohol use utilizing laboratory and survey approaches. In particular, my research examines how individual-level factors such as gender, affective state, and alcohol cognitions (e.g., expectancies, motives) may account for differential responses to the social environment. My colleagues and I recently have completed a series of NIAAA-funded laboratory studies of associations among mood, alcohol expectancies, and drinking.
I also am interested in the measurement and evaluation of negative consequences resulting from heavy drinking in college students. Along with my colleagues, I have developed the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ) which assesses multiple domains of alcohol consequences. More information about this measure – including measure items, scoring instructions, and supporting references, can be found at my personally maintained website.
In the area of the intersection of trauma, posttraumatic stress, and substance use, I have been funded by the ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine etiological processes that contribute to the co-occurrence of PTSD and problem substance use in young adults. This includes longitudinal studies of associations between these two clinical phenomena, as well as laboratory based studies of co-occurrence. Currently, I am conducting an NIAAA-funded examination of alcohol information processing in individuals with post-traumatic stress following experiential trauma exposure.
I am also Co-Editor of the book, New Directions in Trauma, PTSD, and Substance Abuse, published by the American Psychological Association.