Examination of the UPPS and Its Relation to Alcohol Use and Generalized Substance Use Problems in Rural African American Males Open Access

Abstract

Substance use (SU) remains a ubiquitous problem in the United States. Accumulating evidence suggests that racial/ethnic differences influence patterns of SU. For instance, although African Americans’ SU peaks later than peers of other racial/ethnic backgrounds, African Americans endorse more SU problems later in life. Studying protective and risk factors associated with SU may explain these population differences. The present study examined how impulsivity is related to future alcohol use and generalized SU problems in a cohort of African American males. Data were drawn from the African-American Men’s Project, an ongoing longitudinal study which recruited participants (NWAVE1=505; mean ageWAVE1 =20.7; NWAVE3=380; mean ageWAVE3=23.6) from 11 rural counties of South Georgia. Participants responded to 20 items from the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale at wave 1. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to confirm the best fitting model of impulsivity. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use was assessed at each wave. The number of DSM-5 SU problems were assessed using responses to the Minnesota Survey of SU Problem Scale. We compared four regression models (negative binomial, zero-inflated negative binomial, poisson, and zero-inflated poisson) to determine which best described the relations between wave 1 impulsivity factors and wave 3 alcohol use and substance-related problems. Analyses controlled for the effects of age, income, education, economic distress, and prior SU during wave 1. Consistent with the UPPS-P literature, a five-factor impulsivity model was confirmed via CFA in the full sample. Contrary to prior studies, zero-inflated models provided the best fit to these data for both outcomes. Higher scores on the Lack of Perseverance and Sensation Seeking were associated with greater odds of being a non-alcohol user (Odds Ratio = 7.46 [CI = 1.12, 50.40]; 1.99 [CI = 1.03, 3.82], respectively). Moreover, increased Lack of Premeditation was associated with reduced odds of being an non-alcohol user (0.14 [CI = 0.02,0.84]). Impulsivity did not predict individual differences in levels of typical past month consumption. Lastly, higher Negative Urgency was associated with increased generalized SU problems by a factor of 1.42 [CI =1.02,1.95]) per unit increase in Negative Urgency. Overall, the current study provides novel insight into the relationship between impulsivity and substance involvement during emerging adulthood in African Americans males. Notably, all facets of impulsivity are not alike in predicting SU in non-European American samples.

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….….1

Method……………………………………………….………………....…………………............9

Results……………………………………………………………………………………….…...14

General Discussion……………………………………………………………………….………19          

Limitations/Future Directions ……………………………...…………………………….23

References……………………………………………………...………………………………...26

Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………….41

Figure.……………………………………………………………………...…………………….50

Appendix A: Aligning Minnesota Survey of Substance Use Problem Scale with DSM-5……...51

Appendix B: Supplementary Goodness-of-fit for All Models………….………………………..52

Appendix C: Supplementary Output from STATA on Model Fits…...……...…………….…….53

Appendix D: Supplementary Analyses for Alcohol Use ………………………….…………….57

Appendix E: Supplementary Analyses for Substance Use Problems……………………………63

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Clinical Psychology
Degree	M.A.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Personality Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical
Keyword	Impulsivity Substance Use African Americans
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Rohan H. C. Palmer, Emory University
Committee Members	Yuk Fai Cheong, Emory University Irwin Waldman, Emory University Linda Craighead, Emory University

Last modified

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	Examination of the UPPS and Its Relation to Alcohol Use and Generalized Substance Use Problems in Rural African American Males ()	2019-07-10 15:22:10 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions