Rowan P. Ogeil

Electronic Interests and Behaviours Associated with Gambling Problems.

Multiple computing devices continue to develop capabilities that support online gambling, resulting in the need to evaluate the extent that this trend will contribute to gambling problems. A sample of 1,141 participants completed an online survey assessing interest in and difficulties limiting use of digital services. Questionnaire items measured a range of behaviours associated with electronic service use (e.g., surfing, complaints). Results indicated that individuals utilising digital services and experiencing problems limiting their TV and Mobile phone usage were more likely to report gambling problems. These respondents were more likely to click on gambling-related links, report receiving larger amounts of spam, make more attempts to unsubscribe, and to click on links to counselling sites. Exposure and interest in electronic modes of communication can be associated with a greater risk of gambling related problems.

Validation of a questionnaire to screen for shift work disorder.

STUDY OBJECTIVE At least 15% of the full-time work force is shift workers. Working during the overnight hours, early morning start times, and variable or rotating schedules present a challenge to the circadian system, and these shifts are associated with adverse health and safety consequences. Shift work disorder (SWD), a primary (circadian rhythm) sleep disorder indicated by excessive daytime sleepiness and/or insomnia associated with a shiftwork schedule, is under-recognized by primary care physicians. We sought to develop and validate a questionnaire to screen for high risk of SWD in a shift working population. DESIGN Shift workers completed a 26-item questionnaire and were evaluated by a sleep specialist (physician) who diagnosed them as either positive or negative for SWD. The physician assessment of SWD was guided by a flow chart that operationalized the ICSD-2 criteria for SWD. SETTING 18 sleep clinics in the USA. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS 311 shift workers. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Responses to the items in the questionnaire were entered into a series of discrimination function analyses to determine the diagnostic value of the items and the fewest number of questions with the best predictive value. The function was then cross-validated. A final 4-item questionnaire has 89% positive predictive value and 62% negative predictive value (sensitivity = 0.74; specificity = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS This Shiftwork Disorder Screening Questionnaire may be appropriate for use in primary care settings to aid in the diagnosis of SWD.

Ecstasy use and self-reported disturbances in sleep.

Ecstasy users report a number of complaints after its use including disturbed sleep. However, little is known regarding which attributes of ecstasy use are associated with sleep disturbances, which domains of sleep are affected or which factors may predict those ecstasy users likely to have poor sleep quality and/or excessive daytime sleepiness.

Risky drug use and effects on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness

Sleep problems are commonly reported following alcohol and cannabis abuse, but our understanding of sleep in non‐clinical drug using populations is limited. The present study examined the sleep characteristics of alcohol and cannabis users recruited from the wider community.

Alcohol influences the use of decisional support

AimExcess consumption of alcohol leads to impaired cognition and decision making; hence, alcohol-containing products and advertising contain warning messages about the adverse effects of excess drinking. However, there is a need to understand how alcohol influences the processing of advisory messages.MethodThe current study used a computerised gambling simulation and investigated whether intoxication would affect the use of a decision aid. Using a double-blind repeated measures design, 16 adult males (aged 18–29) completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the South Oaks Gambling Screen and played a computer blackjack program on two separate occasions, under differing doses of alcohol. On certain conditions, the computerised decision aid gave advice to participants as to whether the odds were in their favour.ResultsParticipants were found to take longer to respond to the decision aid under higher risk conditions when they were losing.ConclusionAlcohol intoxication may lead to problems evaluating information pertaining to risk, and this has implications for the use of other decision aids designed to assist intoxicated individuals. The problems processing warning information were consistent with alcohol induced ‘myopia’ where intoxicated individuals had problems processing less salient cues.

Commonly used stimulants: Sleep problems, dependence and psychological distress

BACKGROUND Caffeine and nicotine are commonly used stimulants that enhance alertness and mood. Discontinuation of both stimulants is associated with withdrawal symptoms including sleep and mood disturbances, which may differ in males and females. The present study examines changes in sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and psychological distress associated with use and dependence on caffeine and nicotine. METHODS An online survey comprising validated tools to assess sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness and psychological distress was completed by 166 participants (74 males, 96 females) with a mean age of 28 years. Participants completed the study in their own time, and were not offered any inducements to participate. RESULTS Sleep quality was poorer in those dependent upon caffeine or nicotine, and there were also significant interaction effects with gender whereby females reported poorer sleep despite males reporting higher use of both stimulants. Caffeine dependence was associated with poorer sleep quality, increased daytime dysfunction, and increased levels of night time disturbance, while nicotine dependence was associated with poorer sleep quality and increased use of sleep medication and sleep disturbances. There were strong links between poor sleep and diminished affect, with psychological distress found to co-occur in the context of disturbed sleep. CONCLUSIONS Stimulants are widely used to promote vigilance and mood; however, dependence on commonly used drugs including caffeine and nicotine is associated with decrements in sleep quality and increased psychological distress, which may be compounded in female dependent users.

Acute MDMA administration alters the distribution and circadian rhythm of wheel running activity in the rat

Ecstasy users report a number of adverse events following use including disturbed sleep. Previous research has suggested that MDMA affects the circadian system, however, the acute effects following a single, moderate dose have not been well characterised. The current study investigated how MDMA affected the circadian system, as measured by the amount and temporal distribution of wheel-running activity in male rats (n=90), housed individually under a 12-12 h light-dark (LD) cycle prior to treatment. MDMA (5 or 10 mg/kg) or saline was administered in a single i.p. injection during the light phase of the LD cycle and post-treatment activity was monitored during subsequent LD cycles (Experiment 1), or under constant darkness (Experiment 2). MDMA treatment disrupted wheel running activity in both experimental paradigms. In Experiment 1, 10 mg/kg MDMA significantly increased the amount of activity during the rest phase on the day of treatment and 1-day post treatment. This was accompanied by a change in the distribution of activity across the LD cycle during the first 24 h period after treatment, without a change in the overall daily activity level. Experiment 2 found that MDMA affected the circadian system as reflected by changes in the duration of the active phase, tau and activity offset. As a single dose of MDMA was able to disrupt the circadian rhythmicity of locomotor activity, this finding has implications for other behaviours that are under circadian control including the sleep/wake cycle.

Pre-Drinking Behavior of Young Heavy Drinkers

ABSTRACT Background: Pre-drinking has been linked to subsequent heavy drinking and the engagement in multiple risky behaviors. Objectives: The present study examined a group of adolescents who recently had a “big night out” to determine whether there were differences in their pre-drinking behavior based on age, gender, geographic location, and social setting. Methods: Participants (n = 351, aged 16–19) representing the heaviest 20–25% of drinkers in their age group were recruited using nonrandom sampling from metropolitan (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth) or regional (Bunbury) locations across Australia and administered a survey by a trained interviewer. Results: Almost half the sample pre-drank (n = 149), most commonly at a friends house. Those aged 18–19 were more likely to pre-drink, and did so at higher quantities compared to their younger counterparts. Males and females reported similar pre-drinking duration, quantity and amount spent on alcohol. Compared to those in cities, regional participants consumed greater quantities over longer periods of time. Two-thirds of participants consumed alcohol in excess of national guidelines during their pre-drinking session. These participants were more likely to nominate price as a motivation to pre-drink and were less likely to report that someone else provided them alcohol. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the pre-drinking habits of a population of young risky drinkers, and highlights the need for policy makers to address this form of drinking to reduce alcohol-related harm among young people.

Decision-making style, nicotine and caffeine use and dependence

As therapeutic interventions are being developed utilising telehealth and mobile phones, it is important to understand how substance‐dependent individuals will respond to offers of online assistance.

Alcohol and burden of disease in Australia: the challenge in assessing consumption.

Objective: Alcohol consumption is one of the major avoidable risk factors for disease, illness and injury in the Australian community. Population health scientists and economists use estimates of alcohol consumption in burden of disease frameworks to estimate the impact of alcohol on disease, illness and injury. This article highlights challenges associated with estimating alcohol consumption in these models and provides a series of recommendations to improve estimates.