Browsing by Author "Prestigiacomo, Christiana J."
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Item Applying Bayesian Cognitive Models to Decisions to Drive after Drinking(Wiley, 2021) McCarthy, Denis M.; McCarty, Kayleigh N.; Hatz, Laura E.; Prestigiacomo, Christiana J.; Park, Sanghyuk; Davis-Stober, Clintin P.; Psychology, School of ScienceBackground and aims: Despite widespread negative perceptions, the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) in the United States remains unacceptably high. This study used a novel decision task to evaluate whether individuals considered both ride service cost and alcohol consumption level when deciding whether or not to drive, and whether the resulting strategy was associated with engagement in AID. Design: A two-sample study, where sample 1 developed a novel AID decision task to classify participants by decision strategy. Sample 2 was used to cross-validate the task and examine whether decision strategy classifications were predictive of prior reported AID behavior. Setting: A laboratory setting at the University of Missouri, USA. Participants: Sample 1 included 38 student participants from introductory psychology classes at the University of Missouri. Sample 2 included 67 young adult participants recruited from the local community. Measurements: We developed a decision task that presented hypothetical drinking scenarios that varied in quantity of alcohol consumption (one to six drinks) and the cost of a ride service ($5-25). We applied a Bayesian computational model to classify choices as consistent with either: integrating both ride cost and consumption level (compensatory) or considering only consumption level (non-compensatory) when making hypothetical AID decisions. In sample 2, we assessed established AID risk factors (sex, recent alcohol consumption, perceived safe limit) and recent (past 3 months) engagement in AID. Findings: In sample 1, the majority of participants were classified as using decision strategies consistent with either a compensatory or non-compensatory process. Results from sample 2 replicated the overall classification rate and demonstrated that participants who used a compensatory strategy were more likely to report recent AID, even after accounting for study covariates. Conclusions: In a hypothetical alcohol-impaired driving (AID) decision task, individuals who considered both consumption level and ride service cost were more likely to report recent AID than those who made decisions based entirely on consumption level.Item Correspondence on gender disparities in the initial psychological impact of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic(Elsevier, 2020-09-30) Liu, Melissa; Prestigiacomo, Christiana J.; Plawecki, Martin H.; Cyders, Melissa A.; Psychology, School of ScienceThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a variety of mental health symptoms, including increased stress, depression, and anxiety, which may be worse in women. Gender-related factors, such as higher rates of mood disorders in women and differential utilization of coping strategies, may further exacerbate the pandemic's burden on women. Additionally, young and elderly groups may be more vulnerable to psychological distress due to COVID-19. Our aim was to examine gender differences in the psychological impact of the first month of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that women would report worse psychosocial outcomes, prior mental health diagnosis and age would exacerbate gender differences, and there would be gender differences in the utilization of coping strategies. This study uses cross-sectional, self-report data, which relies on subjective experience and may limit generalizability. This study provides preliminary evidence that men and women may be experiencing the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic differently, which should be tracked overtime. Failing to address gender-specific implications of the pandemic may deepen disparities for women, highlighting the need to implement targeted interventions.Item Early Impact of the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic on Drinking Motives and Alcohol Use(Taylor & Francis, 2021) Prestigiacomo, Christiana J.; Liu, Melissa A.; Plawecki, Martin H.; Cyders, Melissa A.; Psychology, School of ScienceBackground: The goal of this study was to empirically examine the degree to which alcohol use and drinking motives changed during the first month of the pandemic and to examine individual differences associated with such changes. Methods: A U.S. nationwide survey of 500 adults was conducted; data from 201 individuals (Mage=38.98, SD=12.04, 52.2% female, 76.1% White) who endorsed current alcohol use were included in this study. Results: Paired-samples t-tests indicated that there was a significant decrease in drinking quantity [t(199)=3.74, p<.001], but no change in drinking frequency [t(198)=0.19, p=.849] overall during the first month of the U.S. pandemic. There were significant decreases in enhancement [t(201)=4.55, p<.001], social [t(201)=9.39, p<.001] and conformity [t(201)=3.58, p<.001] motives, but a significant increase in coping motives [t(201)=-3.71, p<.001]. Regression analyses showed that increases in enhancement [β=0.46, p<.001] and coping [β=0.27, p=.004] motives were significantly related to increases in drinking frequency, and increases in coping motives [β=0.32, p=.002] were related to increases in drinking quantity. Riskier drinking prior to the pandemic was significantly related to greater increase in drinking quantity in the first month of the U.S. pandemic [β=0.31, p<.001]. Conclusion: Results of this study provide initial support that changes in drinking motives were important predictors for changes in alcohol use during the first month of the U.S. pandemic. Contrary to anecdotal reports, drinking decreased overall during the first month of the U.S. pandemic; however, those with existing risky patterns of drinking prior to the start of the U.S. pandemic were at greatest risk for drinking escalation during this time.Item Psychological outcomes and culturally relevant moderators associated with events of discrimination among Asian American adults(American Psychological Society, 2022) Liu, Melissa A.; Prestigiacomo, Christiana J.; Karim, Muhammad Fazuan Abdul; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie; Cyders, Melissa A.; Psychology, School of ScienceObjectives: Incidents of discrimination against Asian Americans have increased in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study are to (a) examine the overall psychological impact of incidents of discrimination on Asian Americans adults, (b) identify whether East Asians experience worse psychological outcomes following experiences of discrimination compared to other Asian Americans, and (c) identify culturally relevant factors that moderate the relationship between incidents of discrimination and psychological outcomes. Methods: Two hundred eighty-nine participants who identified racially as Asian American (Mage = 33.1 years, ±10.5 SD, 57.1% male, and 54.3% East Asian) completed an online survey including measures of demographics, psychological outcomes, culturally relevant factors (e.g., acculturative stress, collective self-esteem), and racial discrimination. Results: We found that, overall, experiencing increased frequency of discrimination related to more depressive symptoms and alcohol use (ps < .05). When comparing Asian subgroups (East Asian vs. other Asian), there were no significantly different relationships between discrimination frequency and attribution to race on psychological outcomes (ps > .098). Collective self-esteem (p = .041) weakened, while acculturative stress strengthened (p < .001) the relationship between discrimination frequency and alcohol use; collective self-esteem weakened the relationship between attribution to race and social anxiety (p = .021); and internalized racism weakened the relationship between discrimination frequency and depression (p = .038). Conclusions: We identified moderators of the relationship between experiences of discrimination and psychological outcomes in Asian Americans. Because the moderators held for all Asian groups under study, they are strong candidates for points of intervention to mitigate the harmful effects of discrimination for Asian Americans