Trauma, Trauma Sequela, and Alcohol Information Processing

描述（由申请人提供）：创伤，创伤后遗症，和酒精信息处理大学生都在创伤和创伤后遗症（TSS）的风险。也许并非巧合，酒精（ALC）的使用在美国校园很普遍，并且与无数后果有关。TSS和ALC通常共同出现，并且被假定为彼此有因果关系。然而，没有研究已经检查了相关的认知机制，创伤应激后遗症可能会影响酒精使用在这个高危群体。在理解TSS-ALC协会中，负面情绪和信息处理的相关性在自我治疗和社会学习（ESTA）模型中都有提到。数据表明，创伤及其后遗症可能会改变信息处理机制，例如TSS患者对相关线索表现出注意力偏差。这种偏见似乎是特定于情感相关的信息。我们认为，TSS和饮酒的共同发生可能是由密切相关的TSS和ALC信息记忆网络，由一个过程中的扩散激活。也就是说，创伤线索可能会依次激活负面情绪和与酒精相关的信息，导致以可能导致饮酒的方式处理这些信息的偏见。我们认为，创伤记忆网络的激活将通过三种方式影响酒精信息处理。首先，这种激活会导致处理积极酒精预期的偏差，特别是自我药疗预期。第二，当创伤网络被激活时，酒精信息的处理会干扰其他与情感无关的信息的处理。最后，当创伤记忆网络被激活时，酒精在记忆中与正价信息的联系会更强。内隐认知对于理解酒精的使用非常重要，并且被认为是创伤后应激的一个重要病因。在这里，我们使用多个任务（预期反应时; E-task，修改Stroop;M-Stroop，IAT）来评估内隐TSS-ALC认知过程。两个实验将探讨因果路径，通过创伤线索影响酒精信息处理的大学生和没有创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。第一部分将评估创伤线索和PTSD对处理酒精预期偏差（E-task）和处理酒精信息干扰（M-Stroop）的影响。第二个将测试的影响，线索暴露和PTSD的评价（积极的，消极的协会）的酒精信息使用IAT。研究结果将为旨在改变对酒精的积极信念以减少大学校园酗酒的干预措施提供信息。公共卫生相关性：大学时代代表着向成年的过渡，在此期间，学生们体验到成年人的自由和责任，当他们必须学会在饮酒是常态的环境中谈判这些。这可能对那些已经试图科普创伤后压力的人构成特别的挑战。这项研究中关于酒精信仰如何受到创伤和创伤后障碍（PTSD）影响的知识将为旨在减少大学校园酗酒和酗酒问题的干预措施提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Trauma, Trauma Sequelae, and Alcohol Information Processing College students are at risk for both trauma and resulting traumatic stress sequelae (TSS). Perhaps not coincidentally, the use of alcohol (ALC) is prevalent on U.S. campuses, and is associated with myriad consequences. TSS and ALC commonly co-occur, and are posited to be causally related to one another. Yet, no research has examined interrelated cognitive mechanisms by which traumatic stress sequelae may affect alcohol use in this at-risk group. The relevance of negative emotion and information processing in understanding TSS-ALC associations is noted in both Self-Medication and Social Learning (SLT) models. Data suggest that trauma and its sequelae may alter information processing mechanisms, such that individuals with TSS demonstrate an attentional bias to relevant cues. This bias appears to be specific to emotionally relevant information. We posit that the co-occurrence of TSS and drinking may be explained by closely associated TSS and ALC information memory networks that are linked by a process of spreading activation. That is, trauma cues may activate both negative emotions and alcohol-related information in sequence, resulting in a bias to process this information in ways that are likely to lead to drinking. We propose that activation of a trauma memory network will impact alcohol information processing in three ways. First, this activation will result in a bias to process positive alcohol expectancies, most specifically, self-medication expectancies. Second, processing alcohol information will interfere with processing other emotionally irrelevant information when a trauma network is activated. Finally, alcohol will be more strongly associated in memory with positively valenced information when a trauma memory network is activated. Implicit cognition has been shown to be important for understanding alcohol use, and has been suggested to be a critical etiological factor in posttraumatic stress. Here, we use multiple tasks (expectancy reaction time; E-TASK, Modified Stroop;M-Stroop, IAT) to assess implicit TSS-ALC cognitive processes. Two experiments will examine causal paths through which trauma cues affect alcohol information processing in college students with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first will evaluate the impact of trauma cue and PTSD on bias in processing alcohol expectancies (E-TASK) and interference in processing alcohol information (M-Stroop). The second will test the impact of cue exposure and PTSD on the evaluation (positive, negative associations) of alcohol information using the IAT. Findings will inform interventions designed to modify positive beliefs about alcohol in the interest of decreasing heavy drinking on college campuses. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The college years represent a transition into adulthood, during which students experience adult freedoms and responsibilities, and when they must learn to negotiate these in an environment where drinking is the norm. This may pose a particular challenge to those already attempting to cope with post- traumatic stress. Knowledge from this study regarding how alcohol beliefs are affected by trauma and posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) will inform interventions designed to decrease heavy and problem drinking on college campuses.