# Ecological Momentary Assessment of Negative Urgency's Effects on Alcohol and Marijuana Misuse

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $642,957

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Negative urgency, a tendency to rash action in the face of negative emotions, is one of the strongest
personality predictors of alcohol and marijuana misuse (heavy use, intoxication, and the experience of
consequences). In the face of strong negative emotions, people high on negative urgency are theorized to
engage in impulsive behavior that is hyper-focused on relieving negative affect despite the long-term
consequences, negatively reinforcing impulsive behavior. However, no research has tested whether individuals
high on urgency actually behave more impulsively in the face of negative emotions, what situations might
enhance or buffer this effect, or what role affect-driven impulsivity plays in the development of alcohol and
marijuana misuse during young adulthood. The goal of the current study is to (Aim 1) characterize the within-
person process of negative urgency (Aim 2) identify between and within person moderators of that process,
such as alcohol-promoting situations and emotion regulation, and (Aim 3) test the role of EMA-assessed
urgency in the development of alcohol and marijuana misuse over two years of young adulthood. Using a large
(n = 500) sample of young adults (age 18 – 22) who regularly use alcohol or marijuana recruited from the
community, the proposed study will critically test this theory of urgency using an ecological momentary
assessment design matched with longitudinal follow-ups, allowing us to characterize between individual
differences in the within-person process of impulsive responses to negative emotions, and the situations and
behaviors that may exacerbate or attenuate this link. Understanding the mechanisms by which personality may
lead to substance misuse will provide novel targets of research as well as spur the development of more
focused personality targeted interventions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141214
- **Project number:** 5R01DA047247-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin Michael King
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $642,957
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141214

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141214, Ecological Momentary Assessment of Negative Urgency's Effects on Alcohol and Marijuana Misuse (5R01DA047247-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141214. Licensed CC0.

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