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

NIH RePORTER · NIH · K23 · $71,222 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Abstract Acute use of alcohol is associated with increased risk for suicide attempts and deaths. Theory suggests that acute use of alcohol (AUA) may lead to increased attentional bias towards suicide-related cues, and thus increased suicide risk, when negative mood states and suicide-related alcohol expectancies are salient (Giancola, Josephs, Parrott, & Duke, 2010; Hufford, 2001; Josephs & Steele, 1990). However, no experiments have tested these basic theoretical tenets. The current K23 pilot experiment will create the basis for a large- scale test of these questions by first testing the feasibility of the study procedures and exploring effects among the theory constructs. However, there is also a scarcity of data related to alcohol-facilitated suicide risk among sexual minority people—a population with heightened risk for suicide compared to the general population. To address this need, the proposed administrative supplement will allow for more intentional recruitment of sexual minority people for the parent K23 project. Through collaboration with community partners, we will recruit 60 sexual minority individuals to increase their representation in the parent study. This work will be critical for future studies, particularly alcohol administration experiments that assess the effects of AUA on cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processes among sexual minority people.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10554990
Project number
3K23AA028818-02S1
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
Principal Investigator
Caitlin W Clevenger
Activity code
K23
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$71,222
Award type
3
Project period
2021-02-11 → 2023-06-30