# Acute Use of Alcohol and Attentional Bias towards Suicide: An Experimental Test of the Attention-Allocation Model.

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $147,447

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award will facilitate my long-term career
goal of conducting patient-oriented research on the behavioral and affective consequences of alcohol use and
alcohol use disorders, namely the impact of acute use of alcohol (AUA) on suicidal ideation, attempts, and
deaths. AUA is associated with markedly increased odds of a suicide attempt; however, the conditions under
which AUA confers suicide risk are not well understood. In line with NIAAA’s strategic objective of identifying
mechanisms underlying alcohol use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions, this project will test the
conditions under which AUA may increase suicide risk and elucidate targets for alcohol-related suicide
prevention. I am a clinical psychologist with a strong background in research on the affective and behavioral
consequences of alcohol use, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The proposed research and career
development plan build directly on my prior experiences to provide greater knowledge and skills necessary to
conduct innovative investigations of the mechanisms and conditions underlying the co-morbidity of alcohol use
disorders with suicide. Guided by the attention allocation model, the proposed pilot study will explore the
combined effects of AUA, mood, and alcohol expectancies on attentional bias towards suicide-related cues.
Specific Aim 1 will test the feasibility of our experimental procedures. Specific Aim 2 will explore the combined
impact of AUA and negative mood on attentional bias towards suicide in a sample of community adults. Specific
Aim 3 will explore whether individual differences in alcohol expectancies influence these associations. I will
conduct a 2 by 2 (alcohol/placebo by negative mood/positive mood), between-subjects experiment involving
alcohol administration, a well-established mood induction paradigm, and a performance-based dependent
measure of attention towards suicide-related cues. This award will enhance my career development to conduct
this and future related studies through developing 1) expertise in the design and conduct of experiments that
test the effects of AUA, alcohol expectancies, and mood states on suicide-related outcomes, 2) proficiency in
the design and conduct of alcohol administration studies, 3) knowledge and experience in the use of
performance-based measures of suicide risk, and 4) skills in mentorship, lab management, publication-writing,
and grant-writing. My mentorship team is well-suited to facilitate the research and career development plans,
with combined expertise in the behavioral and affective consequences of alcohol use, alcohol administration,
and performance-based measures of suicide-related constructs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10554359
- **Project number:** 5K23AA028818-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Caitlin W Clevenger
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $147,447
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-02-11 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10554359

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10554359, Acute Use of Alcohol and Attentional Bias towards Suicide: An Experimental Test of the Attention-Allocation Model. (5K23AA028818-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10554359. Licensed CC0.

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