| Several potential influences on substance abuse were examined in 116 University of Tulsa students who previously completed personality (MMPI-2) data collection. Salivary cortisol and blood glucose levels were collected before and at the most frightening part of a horror movie. Other measures included a questionnaire, salivary drug screen, DNA, the ASI-Lite, and Module E of the research version of the SCID-I.;This research included the simultaneous analysis of variables possibly related to substance use and found multiple influences on use. The MMPI-2 PSY-5 scales were correlated with the various substance use measures. These results revealed that PSY-5 Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism was only significantly related to tobacco use and not alcohol or other drug use. This positive correlation could be due to individuals higher on Negative Emotionality using tobacco to cope with their stronger emotions. PSY-5 Disconstraint was not significantly correlated with any of the substance use variables. An increase in PSY-5 Aggressiveness was found to be related to an increase in alcohol use and alcohol related problems (self-report). In contrast, those higher in Aggressiveness tend not to smoke. Individuals with higher PSY-5 Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality scores, however, were found to use larger amounts of tobacco on a greater number of days. The positive relationship between Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality and smoking was even more apparent from the significant positive correlation between this PSY-5 variable and a self-report tobacco z-score composite variable (self-report substance use variables were transformed into z-scores and then summed to form self-report z-score composites).;The biochemical analyses revealed that participants with two long alleles (LL) of the 5-HT pre-synaptic transporter gene were more likely to have received a SCID-I diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence at some point in their lives. Precortisol was found to be positively related to the number of days a participant smoked out of the last 30 indicating that those who smoke more frequently have higher daily cortisol concentrations. The greatest cortisol reactivity (change in cortisol from before to after) to the honor movie was found in those participants who had a positive drug screen (amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, marijuana, and/or phencyclidine). |
