Sexualised drug use (SDU) is the intentional use of psychoactive substances to enhance sexual experiences. SDU has been primarily studied in samples of men who have sex with men (MSM), with a focus on health outcomes (i.e., HIV). Research on SDU in samples other than MSM is sparse, in particular regarding processes which may be associated with SDU engagement, consequences of SDU, and associations with addictive behaviors. This mixed-methods study surveyed 3627 Canadians on their engagement with SDU, as well as addiction, mental health, and psychosocial variables. Open-ended text responses probed motivations for engaging in SDU and positive and negative consequences resulting from SDU. Participants were grouped according to their engagement with SDU in the past year: never (n = 3262), or during the past year (n = 365). A total of 9.6 % of heterosexual and 17.1 % of LGBQ + participants had engaged in SDU. The most robust associations were found between SDU engagement and problematic cannabis use severity, compulsive sexual behavior, and several psychosocial risk factors for addiction (i.e., childhood adversity, sensation-seeking). Participants most often engaged in SDU to increase sexual pleasure and enjoyment and reported that SDU could enhance the sexual experience, but was often followed by negative effects. Results indicate that SDU occurs among Canadian adults of varying genders and sexual orientations and has implications for well-being. Because SDU has been primarily attended to in MSM, these results may inform the scope of future research and prevention strategies.

Nicotine vaping has risen sharply among emerging adults, emphasizing the need to clarify psychosocial factors underlying regular and problematic use. This study examined whether emotion dysregulation (ED) is associated with vaping among university students and whether descriptive norms (perceived peer use) and injunctive norms (perceived peer approval) account for indirect associations linking ED and vaping. Canadian undergraduates (N = 723; Mage = 19.28, SD = 2.08; 78.1% female; 37.8% non-Caucasian) completed an online survey assessing vaping, perceived norms, and emotion dysregulation. ED was significantly associated with both past-30-day and problematic vaping. Students consistently overestimated peer vaping and approval. Descriptive norms for "typical students" showed significant indirect effects linking ED with both outcomes, whereas norms for same-gender peers, close friends, and all injunctive norms did not. Prevention efforts may benefit from combining emotion regulation skill-building with interventions targeting misperceived vaping norms among university students.

Objective: Cannabis has become more available in Canada since its legalization in 2018. Many individuals who use cannabis also use alcohol (co-use), which can be used either at the same time such that their effects overlap (simultaneous use) or at different times (concurrent use). Though studies have identified predictors of co-use relative to single-substance use, less is known about the predictors of specific types of co-use. The present study examined the mental health and dispositional predictors of simultaneous relative to concurrent use of the two legal substances (cannabis and alcohol) among adults in Canada. Method: Canadian adults reporting past-year use of both cannabis and alcohol (N = 1,761) were recruited from Academic Prolific and six Canadian universities. Participants completed online self-report measures of demographic characteristics, cannabis and alcohol co-use, mental health symptoms, impulsivity, and personality traits. Results: Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that when independent variables were each examined individually, greater severity of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD symptoms; greater negative urgency and lack of premeditation; and greater impulsivity each predicted an increased likelihood of reporting past-year simultaneous use relative to concurrent use. When independent variables were grouped into three separate models (mental health, impulsivity, and personality variables), greater anxiety symptom severity, ADHD symptom severity, negative urgency, and sensation seeking were each uniquely associated with an increased likelihood of simultaneous relative to concurrent use. Conclusions: Individuals with elevated anxiety and ADHD symptoms, as well as negative urgency and sensation seeking, may be more inclined to engage in simultaneous use to self-medicate and achieve greater symptom reduction. Future studies may examine the directionality of these relations and motives (e.g., coping) that may differentiate simultaneous and concurrent use.

Problematic cannabis use is highly prevalent among postsecondary students. Consequently, there is a need to examine risk factors associated with problematic cannabis use in this population. The present study investigated whether emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and problematic cannabis use, and whether affective impulsivity (negative and positive urgency) uniquely moderates this relationship. Participants consisted of current cannabis users (N = 586) recruited from five universities across Canada. Participants completed an online survey containing self- report measures of ACEs, emotion dysregulation, negative and positive urgency, and problematic cannabis use. Among the sample of postsecondary students, 36% (n = 213) met the threshold for problematic cannabis use. Moderated-mediation analyses revealed that ACEs were positively associated with emotion dysregulation and problematic cannabis use. There was also a significant indirect effect of emotion dysregulation on the association between ACEs and problematic cannabis use at moderate and high (but not low) levels of negative urgency, and at moderate and high (but not low) levels of positive urgency. The moderated-mediation models remained significant when controlling for other facets of impulsivity. Results suggest that elevated levels of emotion dysregulation and urgency are important proximal risk factors for problematic cannabis use among postsecondary students with a history of ACEs. While ACEs cannot be modified given their occurrence in the past, interventions that aim to build mindfulness and adaptive emotion regulation skills may be beneficial for reducing the likelihood that these students will engage in impulsive behaviors, such as cannabis use, when experiencing emotional distress.

Background: Compulsive buying-shopping is recognised as a significant mental health concern, yet its aetiology is largely understudied. A known risk factor for compulsive buying-shopping is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are also associated with greater problems regulating emotions, as well as depression and anxiety. These factors are also known to be associated with compulsive buying-shopping problems. In this study, we aimed to test a serial mediation model in which ACEs were associated with compulsive buying-shopping problems via emotion dysregulation, and then emotional psychopathology (depression, anxiety). Methods: We tested this model cross-sectionally in two large samples (N = 1,868 & 4,742) to evaluate the robustness of the model. Both samples completed self-report measures of ACEs, emotional dysregulation, compulsive buying, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Results: We found support for indirect effects, and all results were consistent for both samples. ACEs predicted greater emotion dysregulation, which then predicted greater depression and anxiety. In turn, anxiety (but not depression) predicted compulsive buying symptoms. Discussion and conclusions: Emotion dysregulation and anxiety consistently mediated the relationship between ACEs and compulsive buying symptoms. Both emotion dysregulation and anxiety represent malleable targets in clinical interventions for compulsive buying-shopping problems. Our findings also suggest that anxiety may be a stronger predictor of compulsive buying compared to depression, which may be an important avenue for future researchers to investigate.

Schizotypal traits include abnormalities in cognition, behavior, and interpersonal relationships that are similar, yet less severe than psychotic symptomology. It is estimated that approximately 5% of the general population displays psychotic symptoms and experiences that can be considered schizotypal in nature, but there is little research examining the neurological correlates of these traits. The mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential is an objective measure of auditory change detection derived from electroencephalography. The current study contributes to the limited body of evidence examining the neurobiological underpinnings of schizotypy in a non-clinical sample using the MMN. Participants were recruited from the general population and divided into high and low-schizotypy groups for comparison. Individuals with high schizotypal traits displayed reduced MMN amplitudes in response to frequency and location deviants, and longer MMN latencies in response to location deviants. Specific sub-traits of schizotypy were uniquely related to frequency and location amplitudes, suggesting the previously reported inconsistencies in the literature may be due to diverse samples and differing deviant tone types. Finally, impulsivity and sensation-seeking likely contributed to the slower processing seen in location deviance detection. Ultimately, the current results provide evidence that the neurobiological abnormalities seen in clinical populations of schizotypal personality disorder and psychosis also extend to non-clinical populations.

There is growing public interest in the use of hallucinogens to manage mental health symptoms (i.e., medicinal hallucinogen use). Yet, limited research has examined the correlates of hallucinogen use for self-described medicinal purposes––an important gap given that self-medication may confer increased risk for harm. Accordingly, this study examined the demographic, mental health, and substance use correlates of medicinal hallucinogen use relative to no hallucinogen use and to exclusively recreational hallucinogen use. Adults reporting no hallucinogen use (n = 4837), medicinal hallucinogen use (n = 110), and exclusively recreational hallucinogen use (n = 240) were recruited from across Canada via Prolific and from six Canadian universities. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, mental health, hallucinogen use, and other substance use. Logistic regression analyses showed that greater depression severity; more frequent use of alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine; and using several illegal and prescription drugs were associated with an increased likelihood of medicinal hallucinogen use relative to no hallucinogen use. Greater depression severity was also associated with an increased likelihood of medicinal hallucinogen use relative to exclusively recreational hallucinogen use. Further, participants who used hallucinogens for medicinal reasons reported more frequent hallucinogen use relative to those who used hallucinogens for exclusively recreational reasons. Results suggest that poorer mental health and greater use of other substances differentiate people who use hallucinogens for medicinal reasons from people who do not use hallucinogens or who use hallucinogens for exclusively recreational reasons. Further, medicinal hallucinogen use, relative to exclusively recreational hallucinogen use, is associated with using hallucinogens more frequently. Findings may inform targeted preventive and harm reduction interventions for hallucinogen use.

Background A robust literature has found that loot box purchasing is associated with gambling and problem gambling. However, it remains unclear whether this association is merely an artifact of known psychological risk factors for gambling. The present study thus examined associations of loot box purchasing with gambling and problem gambling while controlling for potential psychological confounders.Methods Current gamers, recruited from five Canadian universities (N = 1189) and Academic Prolific and Reddit (N = 499), reported on loot box engagement, gambling engagement, and psychological characteristics. In each sample, binomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between past-year loot box purchasing and likelihood of past-year gambling. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine the associations of each of past-year loot box purchasing and risky loot box engagement with problem gambling severity.Results In both samples, having purchased loot boxes in the past year was significantly associated with increased likelihood of having gambled in the past year and greater problem gambling severity. In the student sample, greater risky loot box engagement was significantly associated with increased problem gambling severity.Conclusions Consistent with previous research, there exist associations between loot box purchasing and gambling. Results suggest that these associations are robust to known psychological risk factors for gambling, reducing plausibility of the notion that the association between loot box purchasing and gambling exists only due to shared psychological vulnerabilities. Loot box purchasing represents an important marker of risk for gambling and problem gambling among people who play video games.

Gaming disorder (i.e., gaming addiction) is a relatively common mental health disorder with a worldwide prevalence rate of 3.05%. In the present research, we examined whether emotion dysregulation mediates the relation between adverse childhood experiences and problematic gaming in two samples of current video game players. The first sample consisted of 1,262 students recruited from five universities across Canada. The second sample comprised 417 community adults residing in Canada. Both samples of participants completed an online survey which included measures of adverse childhood experiences, problematic gaming, and emotion dysregulation. A total of 45.64% (n = 576) in the university sample and 49.76% (n = 205) in the community sample met the threshold for problematic gaming. In the student sample, adverse childhood experiences were positively associated with problematic gaming. In contrast, there was no significant association between adverse childhood experiences and problematic gaming in the community sample. In both samples, adverse childhood experiences were positively associated with emotion dysregulation, and emotion dysregulation was positively associated with problematic gaming. Importantly for the present research, emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and problematic gaming in both the university and community sample. Although adverse childhood experiences are distal and static risk factors for problematic gaming, emotion dysregulation is a more proximal and modifiable risk factor. The results suggest that increasing adaptive emotion regulation skills may decrease the risk of problematic gaming among individuals who have experienced an adverse childhood experience.

This study explored patterns of addictive behaviours and mental health symptoms among two distinct, non-treatment-seeking samples. A total of 1612 undergraduate students and 607 community-based adults reported on substance use (alcohol, cannabis, vaping), behavioural addictions (gambling, gaming, shopping, eating, sex), mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, ADHD), and psychosocial variables (impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, childhood adversity, social support). Latent profile analysis was used to classify participants into statistically distinct and homogenous subgroups based on addiction and mental health indicator variables. A three-step procedure was performed to predict latent profile membership based on psychosocial variables. In each sample, parallel three-profile solutions emerged. Profile 1 (the "normative" profile) was the largest and characterized by low problematic substance use, behavioural addictions, and mental distress. Profile 2 (the "behavioural and mental health" profile) was characterized by low problematic substance use, and elevated behavioural addictions and mental distress. Profile 3 (the "substance, behavioural, and mental health" profile) was characterized by elevated problematic substance use, behavioural addictions, and mental distress. Non-normative profiles differed from the normative profile on several psychosocial variables. Results highlight the tendency for problems with addiction and mental health to co-occur, underscoring the need for greater emphasis on assessing and treating concurrent disorders.

A consequence of the proliferation of online communication is the concerning presence of antisocial behavior observed in virtual spaces. Research suggests the cognitive component of empathy is hindered by features of electronic communication which facilitates antisocial behaviors online. Investigations into how features of online communication inhibit cognitive empathy are lacking, and findings on moral disengagement and antisocial behavior have yet to be integrated with studies on cognitive empathy and electronic communication. The current study explores these relationships. One hundred and three undergraduate students completed several measures including the Online Moral Disengagement Scale, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy, and Online Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior Scale. Results showed a positive correlation between compulsive internet use and online moral disengagement, as well as a negative correlation between cognitive empathy and moral disengagement online. It was hypothesized that online moral disengagement would mediate the relation between cognitive empathy and antisocial behavior online but this mediation was not supported. However, a moderated relationship was revealed between cognitive empathy and moral justification, by liberalism. This moderation can be explored further and built upon by future research to deepen our understanding of how political ideology relates to virtual behavior. Furthermore, the findings concerning components of empathy and moral disengagement, and their role within the perpetration of antisocial conduct online, can inform future research as well as interventions focused on fostering prosocial behavior online and curbing cyberaggression.

The aim of this study was to better understand the relation of schizotypy traits with sensory gating ability in a sample of community-dwelling individuals with high and low schizotypy traits. Sensory gating was assessed through the paired click paradigm and mid-latency evoked responses (i.e., P50, N100, P200), while schizotypy traits were assessed through the SPQ-BR which was used to classify participants into "high" and "low" schizotypy groups. Based on prior work, we hypothesized that those with the highest schizotypy scores would have reduced sensory gating ability. While this study does not show differences between relatively low and high schizotypy groups on sensory gating ability, it does suggest that our participants may have been experiencing deficits in attention allocation, a downstream cognitive processing measure. Scores on the SPQ-BR suggest that our sample was not close to the high end of the schizotypy traits which may help explain why no differences were found. This research shows the importance of including all levels of schizotypy ratings in clinical research as we can gain a clearer view of the impact of schizotypy on the brain and cognitive functioning in those with "high" levels of schizotypy. Additionally, this work highlights the importance of including measures of important factors such as impulsivity and sensation-seeking to better understand what aspects of schizotypy may be driving these sensory gating alterations reported in the literature.

Meditation practice may be a useful intervention to reduce cravings and impulsivity among gamblers. Fifty-nine participants (90% female, mean age = 21.6 years) completed pre-intervention questionnaires including the Gambling Craving Scale (GACS) and a delay discounting task. Next, they were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) audio-guided mindfulness-based meditation exercises or (2) audiobook recordings (control condition). After listening to 10-min daily audio recordings for a week, participants completed post-intervention measures. Contrary to hypothesis, gambling measures were not correlated with delay discounting. However, dispositional mindfulness was inversely related to a self-report measure of impulsivity and problem gambling severity. The hypothesized interaction between time (pre- vs. post-intervention) and condition (meditation exercises vs. audiobook recordings) was significant for gambling cravings among gamblers (n = 39), with those in the meditation condition showing a significant reduction in gambling cravings which highlights the potential benefits of meditation practice to reduce gambling cravings.

In the current research, we examined whether the known link between relative deprivation and disordered gambling (via delay discounting; i.e., preferences for immediate smaller rewards relative to delayed larger rewards) is moderated by the extent to which gamblers have a financially focused self-concept. Specifically, we hypothesized that delay discounting would be a strong predictor of disordered gambling among those who base their self-worth on their financial success. To test this moderated-mediation model, a community sample of gamblers (N = 239) completed measures that assessed relative deprivation, delay discounting, financially focused self-concept, and disordered gambling severity. As predicted, people who felt more relative deprivation reported more severe symptoms of disordered gambling and this association was mediated by delay discounting. Importantly, this mediated relationship was moderated by the extent to which participants’ self-concept was focused on financial success. Among participants whose self-concept was high in financial focus, greater delay discounting (stemming from relative deprivation) was a strong predictor of disordered gambling. Among people whose self-concept was low in financial focus, delay discounting (stemming from relative deprivation) was a weak predictor of disordered gambling. Thus, the magnitude of the indirect effect of relative deprivation on disordered gambling severity was larger among people with a more financially focused self-concept—an effect mediated by delay discounting. These findings suggest that targeting gamblers’ financial focus in prevention and treatment interventions may be instrumental in curtailing the development and maintenance of disordered gambling.

One psychosocial factor that has been identified to motivate gambling is personal relative deprivation (PRD), which refers to resentment stemming from the belief that one is deprived of a desired and deserved outcome compared to some referent. Although several lines of evidence point to a positive association between PRD and the urge to gamble, the factors that might moderate this relation have yet to be investigated. Through a quantitative research synthesis, we sought to test (a) the overall relation between PRD and gambling urges among people reporting recent gambling experience, and (b) whether this relation is moderated by problem gambling severity. Meta-analysis revealed that, overall, higher self-reported PRD was associated with stronger urges to gamble (r=.26). A meta-regression revealed that, across studies, the strength of this relation depended on problem gambling severity, such that the relation between PRD and gambling urges was stronger among samples higher in average problem gambling severity. This pattern was corroborated by an analysis of the aggregated individual participant data (N=857), such that PRD predicted gambling urges only among participants higher in problem gambling severity. The potential practical implications and limitations of these results are discussed.

Two large samples of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes in 2004 (N = 18,916) and 2008 (N = 17,675) were surveyed about their gambling behavior. A cross-comparison highlighted gambling trends among college-student athletes across the four-year span. Overall, past-year and weekly gambling rates were lower in 2008 compared to 2004. There were no within-gender differences in the proportion of individuals at-risk or meeting criteria for a gambling problem between 2004 (4.0% males, 0.3% females) and 2008 (3.8% males, 0.4% females). Participation rates were higher in 2004 for all gambling activities, except for past-year Internet gambling and sports wagering, which increased in 2008 among males. Across sports, gambling participation was notably highest among golfers of both genders. Collectively, the results suggest that gambling activity among student-athletes is on a downward trend in spite of ongoing expansion of gambling opportunities.

There is a current lack of descriptive information on college students who gamble on the Internet. With the increasing popularity of Internet gambling, this study aimed to better understand the profile of Internet gamblers among a sample of college students. Of 909 students at the University of California-Los Angeles who completed an online survey, 8.1% reported gambling for money on the Internet at least once in their lifetime and 5.7% reported Internet gambling within the past year. Approximately one third of Internet gamblers were identified as either at-risk or probable pathological gamblers. Males were much more likely to gamble on the Internet compared to females. Those who gambled on the Internet gambled more frequently and were more likely to report indicators of potentially harmful lifestyles (e.g., drinking alcohol, smoking, using marijuana, using illicit drugs, and unhealthy body mass indices) compared to non-Internet gamblers and nongamblers. Poker, the predominant gambling activity, is discussed in terms of its role as the driving force behind Internet wagering among college students.