Transdiagnostic risk factors and the relative reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Although rates of smoking have continuously declined, with percentages dropping approximately 10% over the last two decades (Bandiera et al., 2015), rates of smoking remain higher among individuals reporting a comorbid psychiatric disorder as compared to the general population. Recent research has identified potential risk factors associated with both psychopathology and cigarette smoking; however, continued research is needed to examine whether these risk factors influence the functional role of smoking. In particular, distress intolerance (DI) and negative urgency (NU) are transdiagnostic risk factors that characterize multiple internalizing disorders and they are associated with smoking maintenance and relapse (Brown et al., 2002; Spillane et al., 2010). A negative reinforcement model of smoking suggests that individuals may smoke to reduce emotional distress, and individuals high in DI and NU may be more prone to smoke to cope with these experiences. However, little research has examined whether DI and NU actually increase the value and demand for cigarettes following stress. The current proposal will examine whether DI and NU affect the relative reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes, or whether individuals select cigarettes over alternative reinforcers such as money following acute stress. The study will also examine whether behavioral and self-report measures of the reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes are associated with actual smoking behavior. Significant results would increase the ecological validity of current assessments of cigarette demand, and suggest that topographical components of smoking (e.g. intake volume, time between puffs, and number of puffs) can be used as another index of demand. Additionally, significant results suggesting that stress moderates the association between DI/NU and the reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes would suggest that trait variables interact with contextual factors to influence reinforcing properties of cigarettes. These results could inform longitudinal and intervention research on smoking. The proposed Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award (NRSA) is a 2-year program of research and training focused on understanding the influential role of transdiagnostic risk factors in the reinforcing effects of cigarettes. The current study aims to (1) examine the association between the transdiagnostic risk factors of DI and NU and the choice of cigarettes over nondrug reinforcers following acute stress; and (2) examine the associations between transdiagnostic factors, self-report and behavioral measures of the relative reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes and topographical components of smoking behavior. The NRSA will provide the candidate with the training and research experiences necessary to pursue an independent research career, with special expertise in the assessment of transdiagnostic risk factors, laboratory-based measurement of the relative reinforcing efficacy of cigarettes and smoking topography, and the theoretical exploration of the proposed association.