Prescription drug misuse among dating partners: Within-couple associations and implications for intimate relationship quality

The role of Ecstasy (MDMA) in managing intimacy and conflict in stable relationships

This paper discusses motivations for the use of MDMA among young adults in intimate relationships living in resource poor environments, where structural constraints limit potential for economic mobility and impact upon interpersonal relations. Drawing from in-depth interviews with men and women in intimate relationships with one or more partners, we report the range of motivations for MDMA use and their association with indicators of relationship quality, specifically trust and romantic exclusivity. Findings demonstrate that both men and women use MDMA primarily for the purpose of sexual enjoyment. However, men report the use of MDMA for sexual enjoyment more often, while women more frequently report the use of MDMA to compensate for psychological or physical displeasure, particularly in relationships characterised by distrust. We discuss how these motivations to use MDMA are shaped by gender norms and larger contextual and socio-economic factors and conclude with a call for more relational and sexual counselling opportunities for urban young adults to avoid MDMA use for self-medication.

Mothers' and Fathers' Prescription Drug Misuse in Family Contexts: Implications for the Adjustment of Parents of Children With and Without Autism

Although prescription drug misuse is an identified risk factor for individuals' outcomes, less is known about its occurrence in and implications for families. To address this limitation, we examined whether mothers' and fathers' prescription drug misuse is associated with the adjustment of parents, including those with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those without. Mothers and fathers from families with a child with ASD (n = 178) and comparison families without a child with ASD (n = 174) completed surveys of past-year prescription drug misuse and their personal and relationship adjustment. In total, 7.7% (N = 27) of mothers and 8.2% (N = 29) of fathers reported recent prescription drug misuse. There was significant interdependence between mothers' and fathers' recent prescription drug misuse in families with a child with ASD but not in comparison families. Actor-partner interdependence modeling was used to examine associations between parents' prescription drug misuse and their own and their partner's adjustment, controlling for medical use of prescription drugs and demographic covariates. Across family diagnosis statuses, mothers' prescription drug misuse predicted higher levels of their own alcohol problems, whereas fathers' prescription drug misuse related only to mothers' poorer sleep quality. Moreover, mothers' prescription drug misuse was associated with higher levels of their own depression symptoms in ASD-status (but not in comparison) families. Understanding parents' prescription drug misuse and its effects on family members is critical for informing future research and prevention and treatment strategies.

Predicting young adults' risk for engaging in prescription drug misuse in daily life from individual, partner, and relationship factors

BACKGROUND

Mounting evidence based on retrospective and global assessments has established associations between prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, mental health problems, risky sexual behaviors, and overdose deaths. However, there is a notable absence of identified risk and protective factors for an individual's likelihood of engaging in misuse in real-world environments.

METHODS

Using an experience sampling approach, the authors collected repeated moments of young adults' (n = 95 participants drawn from 49 romantic couples) prescription drug misuse instances in daily life and tested multiple factors associated with the misuse.

RESULTS

When examined in separate multilevel models, individual and relationship factors (but not partner factors) reliably predicted the likelihood of females' and males' prescription drug misuse in daily life. Specifically, females' elevated dysphoria symptoms, alcohol problems, and relationship closeness were linked with an increased likelihood of misuse, whereas cohabiting decreased the likelihood of their misuse. Males' higher levels of illicit drug use and relationship closeness were associated with increased likelihood of misuse, whereas their dysphoria symptoms were related to a lower likelihood of misuse. When examined in models that considered the predictors simultaneously, females' misuse was associated with individual, partner, and relationship factors, whereas males' misuse was not reliably associated with any of the factors.

CONCLUSIONS

An experience sampling approach was effective for the near-real-time assessment of young adults' prescription drug misuse in daily environments, and the likelihood of misuse was associated with risk and protective factors from multiple levels of influence. Education and treatment efforts designed to reduce prescription drug misuse may need to be tailored to accommodate males' and females' distinct predictors of misuse.

Momentary affect and risky behavior correlates of prescription drug misuse among young adult dating couples: An experience sampling study

Although published research based on retrospective survey designs has established prescription drug misuse as a serious health issue for individuals and society, misuse behavior has not been investigated as it occurs in daily life and important relationships. To address this gap, young adult romantic couples were recruited from the community to participate in an experience sampling study. Participants were identified through phone screen procedures as having engaged in recent prescription drug misuse behavior. Participants (n=46 couples) completed electronic diary reports throughout the day for 10days, tapping momentary affect, sexual experiences, prescription drug misuse, and alcohol and other drug use. Dyadic multilevel modeling revealed a more consistent pattern of associations between prescription drug misuse and problematic affective and behavioral outcomes for female partners than male partners. Specifically, during epochs of females' prescription drug misuse, they experienced relatively higher levels of negative affect and sexual regret. Also, females who misused prescriptions more during the study period evidenced lower levels of sexual enjoyment and engaged in more unprotected sex, alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use in daily life. Males' in-the-moment prescription drug misuse was not associated with their concurrent outcomes, though males with relatively more misuse across the reporting period were more likely to engage in heavy drinking. Couples' time together emerged as a moderator of prescription drug misuse in daily life: Females who spent relatively more time with their partner across the study were less likely to engage in misuse, and proportion of time spent together moderated several of the momentary misuse-outcome linkages. This study supports the use of ecologically-valid sampling methods for characterizing young adults' prescription drug misuse in daily life and relationship contexts.

Prescription Drug Misuse and Sexual Behavior Among Young Adults

Though research indicates a complex link between substance use and sexual risk behavior, there is limited research on the association between sexual risk behavior and prescription drug misuse. In light of alarming increases in prescription drug misuse and the role of demographic characteristics in sexual risk behavior and outcomes, the current study examined demographic differences (gender, sexual identity, age, relationship status, parental class background, and race/ethnicity) in sexual risk behavior, sexual behavior under the influence of prescription drugs, and sexual risk behavior under the influence of prescription drugs in a sample of 402 young adults (ages 18 to 29) who misused prescription drugs. Nearly half of the sexually active young adult prescription drug misusers in this sample reported recent sex under the influence of prescription drugs; more than three-quarters reported recent sex without a condom; and more than one-third reported recent sex without a condom after using prescription drugs. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models indicated that White race, younger age, higher parental class, and being a heterosexual man were all associated with sexual risk behavior, sex under the influence of prescription drugs, and sexual risk under the influence of prescription drugs. Findings have implications for the targeting of prevention and intervention efforts.

Female partners of men who use pornography: are honesty and mutual use associated with relationship satisfaction?

The authors discuss findings pertaining to male pornography use and female partners' relationship satisfaction and distress. The authors investigated honesty regarding pornography use and mutual consumption between partners, along with honesty and mutual use as predictors of satisfaction. Female participants (N = 340) in committed relationships completed the Pornography Distress Scale and Couples Satisfaction Index online. Participants reporting more honesty showed higher satisfaction and lower levels of distress, and participants disclosing mutual use showed lower levels of distress, although no differences were reported in satisfaction. Honesty regarding pornography use significantly predicted relationship dissatisfaction. Directions for future research and counseling implications are discussed.

Romantic partners' individual coping strategies and dyadic coping: implications for relationship functioning

Individual coping strategies and dyadic coping independently predict partner well-being and relationship functioning; however, it is unclear whether the coping processes are inter-related and whether they uniquely contribute to romantic relationship functioning. One hundred heterosexual dating couples rated the individual coping strategy of negative mood regulation as well as positive and negative dyadic coping. Relationship functioning was assessed via partners' reports of relationship satisfaction and observers' ratings of negative interaction in conflict. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs; Cook & Kenny, 2005; Kashy & Kenny, 2000) revealed associations between individual coping and dyadic coping in the predicted directions. APIMs also indicated the unique contributions of positive and negative dyadic coping to relationship functioning, above and beyond contributions of individual coping strategies. Implications of dyadic coping as a target of efforts to prevent or treat partner and/or relational distress are discussed.