ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- Creators: Chassin, Laurie
Description
The hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and the human genome are important components of the biological etiology of externalizing disorders. By studying the associations between specific genetic variants, diurnal cortisol, and externalizing symptoms we can begin to unpack this complex etiology. It was hypothesized that genetic variants from the corticotropine releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5), catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), and dopamine transporter (DAT1) genes and diurnal cortisol intercepts and slopes would separately predict externalizing symptoms. It was also hypothesized that genetic variants would moderate the association between cortisol and externalizing. Participants were 800 twins (51% boys), 88.5% Caucasian, M=7.93 years (SD=0.87) participating in the Wisconsin Twin Project. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to separate the variance associated with state and trait cortisol measured across three consecutive days and trait cortisol measures were used. There were no main effects of genes on externalizing symptoms. The evening cortisol intercept, the morning cortisol slope and the evening cortisol slope predicted externalizing, but only in boys, such that boys with higher cortisol and flatter slopes across the day also had more externalizing symptoms. The morning cortisol intercept and CRHR1 rs242924 interacted to predict externalizing in both boys and girls, with GG carriers significantly higher compared to TT carriers at one standard deviation below the mean of morning cortisol. For boys only there was a significant interaction between the DAT1 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) and the afternoon slope and a significant slope for 9/9 carriers and 9/10 carriers such that when the slope was more steep, boys carrying a nine had fewer externalizing symptoms but when the slope was less steep, they had more. Results confirm a link between diurnal trait cortisol and externalizing in boys, as well as moderation of that association by genetic polymorphisms. This is the first study to empirically examine this association and should encourage further research on the biological etiology of externalizing disorder symptoms.
ContributorsSwann, Gregory (Author) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Doane-Sampey, Leah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The present study utilized longitudinal data from a high-risk community sample (n= 377; 166 trauma-exposed; 54% males; 52% children of alcoholics; 73% non-Hispanic/Latino Caucasian; 22% Hispanic/Latino; 5% other ethnicity) to test a series of hypotheses that may help explain the risk pathways that link traumatic stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, and problematic alcohol and drug use. Specifically, this study examined whether pre-trauma substance use problems increase risk for trauma exposure (the high-risk hypothesis) or PTSD symptoms (the susceptibility hypothesis), whether PTSD symptoms increase risk for later alcohol/drug problems (the self-medication hypothesis), and whether the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol/drug problems is due to shared risk factors (the shared vulnerability hypothesis). This study also examined the roles of gender and ethnicity in these pathways. A series of logistic and negative binomial regressions were performed in a path analysis framework. A composite pre-trauma family adversity variable was formed from measures of family conflict, family life stress, parental alcoholism, and other parent psychopathology. Results provided the strongest support for the self-medication hypothesis, such that PTSD symptoms predicted higher levels of later alcohol and drug problems among non-Hispanic/Latino Caucasian participants, over and above the influences of pre-trauma family adversity, pre-trauma substance use problems, trauma exposure, and demographic variables. Results partially supported the high-risk hypothesis, such that adolescent substance use problems had a marginally significant unique effect on risk for assaultive violence exposure but not on overall risk for trauma exposure. There was no support for the susceptibility hypothesis, as pre-trauma adolescent substance use problems did not significantly influence risk for PTSD diagnosis/symptoms over and above the influence of pre-trauma family adversity. Finally, there was little support for the shared vulnerability hypothesis. Neither trauma exposure nor preexisting family adversity accounted for the link between PTSD symptoms and later substance use problems. These results add to a growing body of literature in support of the self-medication hypothesis. Findings extend previous research by showing that PTSD symptoms may influence the development of alcohol and drug problems over and above the influence of trauma exposure itself, preexisting family risk factors, and baseline levels of substance use.
ContributorsHaller, Moira (Author) / Chassin, Laurie (Thesis advisor) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Pina, Armando (Committee member) / Tein, Jenn-Yun (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Levels of heavy episodic drinking peak during emerging adulthood and contribute to the experience of negative consequences. Previous research has identified a number of trait-like personality characteristics that are associated with drinking. Studies of the Acquired Preparedness Model have supported positive expectancies, and to a lesser extent negative expectancies, as mediators of the relation between trait-like characteristics and alcohol outcomes. However, expectancies measured via self-report may reflect differences in learned expectancies in spite of similar alcohol-related responses, or they may reflect true individual differences in subjective responses to alcohol. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by assessing the relative roles of expectancies and subjective response as mediators within the APM in a sample of 236 emerging adults (74.7% male) participating in a placebo-controlled alcohol challenge study. The study tested four mediation models collapsed across beverage condition as well as eight separate mediation models with four models (2 beverage by 2 expectancy/subjective response) for each outcome (alcohol use and alcohol-related problems). Consistent with previous studies, SS was positively associated with alcohol outcomes in models collapsed across beverage condition. SS was also associated with positive subjective response in collapsed models and in the alcohol models. The hypothesized negative relation between SS and sedation was not significant. In contrast to previous studies, neither stimulation nor sedation predicted either weekly drinking or alcohol-related problems. While stimulation and alcohol use appeared to have a positive and significant association, this relation did not hold when controlling for SS, suggesting that SS and stimulation account for shared variability in drinking behavior. Failure to find this association in the placebo group suggests that, while explicit positive expectancies are related to alcohol use after controlling for levels of sensation seeking, implicit expectancies (at least as assessed by a placebo manipulation) are not. That the relation between SS and stimulation held only in the alcohol condition in analyses separate by beverage condition indicates that sensation seeking is a significant predictor of positive subjective response to alcohol (stimulation), potentially above and beyond expectancies.
ContributorsScott, Caitlin (Author) / Corbin, William (Thesis advisor) / Shiota, Michelle (Committee member) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The beginning of college is a period in which increased alcohol use often coincides with greater involvement in romantic relationships. Existing literature yields inconsistent findings regarding the influence of different relationship statuses on drinking behavior, perhaps because these studies have not accounted for recent changes in the way college students engage in dating/sexual relationships. In the current college environment, many students who define themselves as non-daters are nonetheless sexually active, a phenomenon referred to as the 'hook up' culture. The present study sought to address this issue by examining the effects of both relationship status and sexual activity on heavy episodic drinking (HED) among 1,467 college students over the course of their first three semesters. Results indicated that the effects of relationship status depended on whether or not an individual was sexually active. Non-dating but sexually active students reported rates of heavy drinking comparable to students who defined themselves as casual daters, but non-dating students who were not sexually active reported drinking behavior similar to those involved in committed relationships. Further, transitions between low and high risk relationship/sexual activity statuses were associated with corresponding changes in HED. Transitioning into a high risk status was associated with greater levels of heavy episodic drinking, whereas transitioning into a low risk status was associated with decreases in this behavior. Together, results indicate that engaging in nonexclusive dating or sexual relationships may play an important role in the development of problematic patterns of alcohol use during the early college years. These findings have potentially important implications both for future research and for prevention and intervention efforts targeting high risk college drinkers.
ContributorsZalewski, Suzanne (Author) / Corbin, Willaim (Thesis advisor) / Doane, Leah (Committee member) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Contemporary theories of trauma identify the creation of a coherent trauma narrative and therapeutic exposure to trauma memories as potential recovery mechanisms. These factors are often inherent to the disclosure process, resulting in a parallel theoretical framework for experimental research that conceptualizes disclosure as a therapeutic intervention. The present investigation examined the moderational impact of disclosure following trauma on the link between trauma severity and symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Disclosure status (discloser or nondiscloser), highest extent of disclosure, and length of delay to first disclosure were tested in a series of moderated regression models among a sample of female physical and sexual assault victims (N = 1087). Findings indicate that engaging in more detailed disclosure is associated with a modest beneficial impact on PTSD, but that the majority of nondisclosers have lower symptom levels than disclosers. There is also evidence for a small subset of nondisclosers that remain at heightened distress. A unique effect was found for disclosure delay, such that for physical assault, delaying disclosure is associated with a progressively weakening negative relation between time since the trauma and PTSD. At extreme delays, the association may become positive. Findings have implications for theories of trauma recovery and therapeutic interventions, including concerns about early interventions that emphasize disclosure. Future research may benefit from focusing on nondisclosing trauma victims to gain greater insight into recovery processes.
ContributorsFields, Briana (Author) / Barrera, Manuel (Thesis advisor) / Holtfreter, Kristy (Committee member) / Knight, George (Committee member) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Both subjective response to alcohol and acute tolerance possess unique biphasic relations with the blood alcohol concentration curve. However, prior work has generally failed to examine shared relations between the two constructs and has yet to consider the full valence by arousal affective space of subjective response, nor individual differences in metabolism or peak levels of subjective intoxication. As such, the present study sought to characterize acute tolerance to subjective response in addition to examining relations between acute tolerance, subjective response, and related outcomes. Participants (N=258) were randomly assigned to receive alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration = .08 g%) as part of a large placebo-controlled alcohol administration study. Participant family history of alcohol use problems and personal history of alcohol use were collected at baseline. Subjective response to alcohol was assessed across the full valence by arousal affective space at equivalent points on the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol concentration curve. Latent change scores were calculated to characterize the development of acute tolerance, and path analyses tested relations between acute tolerance to subjective response, concurrent patterns of alcohol use, and negative alcohol-related consequences. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and drinking context were included as covariates. Acute tolerance to low arousal positive (i.e., relaxed, mellow) effects were found to be inversely related to negative consequences such that a maintenance of low arousal positive effects was associated with more negative consequences. The amount of time elapsed between measurements was found to be significantly related to the development of acute tolerance to high arousal positive (i.e., talkative, stimulated) effects, such that more time between measurements was related to a greater decrease in high arousal positive effects. Peak high arousal positive effects were found to be related to increased drinking and indirectly related to more negative consequences via drinking, whereas high arousal negative was protective against increased drinking and negative consequences. Results suggest that a maintenance of negatively reinforcing effects across the blood alcohol concentration curve may confer risk for negative consequences. Results also suggest that considering individual differences in alcohol metabolism may be useful in understanding alcohol’s rewarding, stimulating effects.
ContributorsKing, Scott Edward (Author) / Corbin, William R. (Thesis advisor) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
With the growing popularity of medical cannabis, and high rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among medical cannabis users, it is more important than ever to accurately identify the proximal antecedents and subjective effects of medical cannabis use. Subjective antecedents and effects have been proposed as key mechanisms underlying the transition from cannabis use to CUD, but little research has examined medical cannabis users’ experiences in real-time, real-world settings. The current study of 86 young-adult medical cannabis users ages 18-30 (32.6% female) used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to characterize the antecedents and effects of medical cannabis use, and to examine whether these antecedents and effects vary as a function of CUD severity. Higher craving, pain, and withdrawal symptoms predicted greater odds of cannabis use at the next report, and lower subjective ‘high’ predicted greater odds of cannabis use at the next report. Use of medical cannabis was associated with increases in positive affect, stimulation, relaxation, and subjective ‘high’, decreases in negative affect, withdrawal symptoms, craving, and pain, and increases in cognitive problems, psychotic-like experiences, and adverse bodily effects. Further, following cannabis use, medical users with more CUD symptoms reported greater relief from craving, attenuated increases in stimulation and relaxation, and enhanced increases in sluggishness, cognitive problems, psychotic-like symptoms, and bodily symptoms. Results suggest that medical cannabis use, like recreational use, is associated with a wide range of subjective antecedents and effects, and that relief from cannabis craving may play an important role in the maintenance of CUD among medical users.
ContributorsJones, Connor (Author) / Meier, Madeline H (Thesis advisor) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin J (Committee member) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Pediatric chronic pain is pervasive and associated with myriad adverse consequences, yet due consideration has not been given to the mental health disturbances that often present alongside chronic pain and the etiological mechanisms that potentially underlie both. The current study examined the etiology underlying chronic pain and internalizing symptomology in middle childhood, considering both independent and co-occurring symptom presentations. Phenotypic parent-offspring associations across chronic pain and internalizing symptomology were also examined. Lastly, nuclear twin family models were tested to determine the extent to which genetic and environmental factors underlie parent-offspring transmission. The sample comprised 795 children (399 families; Mage= 9.7 years; SD = 0.92) and their parents drawn from the Arizona Twin Project. Results indicated that chronic pain was highly heritable (78%), whereas internalizing symptomology was modestly heritable (32%) and further subject to moderate shared environmental influence (50%). Moreover, 9% of the variance in chronic pain was explained by additive genetic factors shared with internalizing symptomology. Maternal chronic pain and internalizing symptomology were positively associated with both child chronic pain and internalizing symptomology. The association between maternal chronic pain and child chronic pain was more pronounced for girls than boys, whereas the association between maternal internalizing symptomology and child internalizing symptomology was more pronounced for boys than girls. Paternal chronic pain was not significantly associated with child chronic pain but was unexpectedly associated with lower child internalizing symptomology. The negative association between paternal chronic pain and child internalizing symptomology was more pronounced for boys than girls. Paternal internalizing symptomology was not significantly associated with child chronic pain but was positively associated with child internalizing symptomology. Lastly, the best fitting reduced nuclear twin family models for both chronic pain and internalizing symptomology retained additive genetic, sibling-specific shared environmental, and nonshared environmental parameters, where parent-offspring transmission was solely explained by shared genetics and sibling-specific shared environmental factors further accounted for co-twin resemblance. Results provide novel insight into common liabilities underlying chronic pain and internalizing symptomology in middle childhood, parent-offspring associations across chronic pain and internalizing symptomology, and the etiological mechanisms that explain symptom aggregation across generations.
ContributorsOro, Veronica (Author) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Su, Jinni (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The current dissertation combines the results of three recently published papers focused on impulsive personality traits, alcohol and cannabis co-use, and alcohol misuse. The first study used alcohol administration to test whether different impulsivity facets conferred risk for heightened alcohol craving through subjective alcohol response patterns. The second study built on this study by incorporating alcohol and cannabis co-use into the acquired preparedness model, using longitudinal data. This study tested whether generalized impulsivity and sensation seeking during late adolescence predisposed individuals to co-use alcohol and cannabis, and whether co-use was indirectly associated with alcohol problems ten years later through positive expectancies and heavy drinking. The third study tested whether impulsive traits moderated the day-level effect of alcohol and cannabis co-use (vs. alcohol-only) on within-person deviations in drinking quantity on drinking days. Through the combination of these three studies, this dissertation seeks to further advance the literature on multiplicative ways in which personality enacts risk for heavy drinking, alcohol and cannabis co-use, and alcohol problems.
ContributorsWaddell, Jack T. (Author) / Corbin, William R. (Thesis advisor) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin J. (Committee member) / Meier, Madeline H. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) impacts 7% of children and is associated with serious impairment throughout the lifespan. Though considered a chronic, stable condition, symptoms fluctuate substantially during adolescence, and symptom trajectory is linked to adult outcomes. A small number of studies have examined symptom trajectory during adolescence, but these have predominately examined demographic predictors. As a neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD is theorized to arise from deficits in executive functions (EFs). Extant literature identifies three major components of EF- working memory, behavioral inhibition, and set shifting- as interrelated constructs underlying ADHD symptom expression. This study aimed to 1.) identify trajectories of ADHD symptoms, 2.) examine demographic predictors of trajectories, and 3.) examine whether EF predicts symptom trajectory using five timepoints from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, a large-scale, representative, population-based sample from the United States. 1,605 participants meeting criteria for ADHD included in analyses. ADHD symptoms were measured by parent report on the widely used Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Growth Mixture Modeling was used to model trajectories of ADHD symptoms. However, poor entropy indicated trajectories were not clearly differentiated and predictors could not be examined. Therefore, exploratory regression was conducted to examine predictors of ADHD symptom change from baseline to 3-year follow-up. Male sex, medication use, greater than high school parental education, and better EF all predicted increasing ADHD symptoms. Findings must be interpreted with caution due to their exploratory nature and poor validity of the measure used for ADHD symptoms, which was found to have sensitivity of only 22.58%. Given the strong theoretical and empirical link between ADHD symptoms and EF, additional research on the connection between EF and disorder trajectory with more robust measures of EF is warranted.
ContributorsChromik, Lindsay C (Author) / Friedman, Lauren (Thesis advisor) / McNeish, Daniel (Committee member) / Chassin, Laurie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024