Validation and Performance of the Brief Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addiction (SSBA) Amongst University Students

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Problematic Cannabis Use: The Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Affective Impulsivity

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.

Psychometric properties of the generalised version of the Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addictions (SSBA-G): A comprehensive screening tool for substance-related and behavioural addictions

Assessing addictive behaviours comprehensively and efficiently is a challenge in both research and clinical practice. Consequently, we tested the psychometric properties of the Generalized Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addictions (SSBA-G), a novel, brief screening tool measuring functional impairment resulting from both substance and behavioural addictions. The SSBA-G was developed from the Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addictions (Schluter et al., 2018) and tested in four samples including university students in Canada (n = 481) and the US (n = 164) as well as community adults in Canada (n = 301), and Hungary (n = 79). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized bifactor model of the SSBA-G. Receiver-operation characteristic analyses revealed high differentiation accuracy (AUC=0.86-.95), as well as identical ideal cut points across the Substance Addiction (SSBA-G-S) and Behavioural Addiction (SSBA-G-B) Subscales. Results indicated good-to-excellent sensitivity and moderate-to-good specificity. The SSBA-G demonstrated excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability as well as promising concurrent validity in relation to the original SSBA and additional questions regarding addiction-related impairment. The SSBA-G also showed good convergent and divergent validity with indicators of general mental health. These results indicate that the SSBA-G is a psychometrically sound and efficient measure of addiction-related impairment across substances and excessive behaviours.

Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and problematic gaming

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.