Effects of Alcohol and Mood on Attention

Stopped early · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Suicidal Ideas

In brief

Acute use of alcohol is related to increased risk for suicide. However, our understanding of this problem is hindered by the lack of experimental tests of conditions underlying the alcohol use-suicide relationship. The attention allocation model (AAM) proposes that alcohol intoxication limits individuals' focus to salient cues in their environment. Thus, acute use of alcohol (AUA) during negative mood states may cause people to focus their attention towards suicide-related cues in their environment, thus increasing their risk for suicide while intoxicated. The proposed pilot study tests the AAM by exploring the combined effects of AUA, mood, and alcohol expectancies on attentional bias towards suicide-related cues. The proposed study will explore the combined impact of AUA and negative mood on attentional bias towards suicide in a sample of community adults. The investigators will further explore whether individual differences in alcohol expectancies influence these associations. The investigators 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. The investigators expect that individuals in the negative mood-alcohol condition to show the greatest suicide-related attentional bias. The investigators expect that alcohol expectancies related to suicide will strengthen this association, and that positive mood alcohol expectancies will weaken this association. This pilot study will provide an initial test of the feasibility of this project and the hypotheses. This study will form the basis for a larger scale study able to test the effects.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04276779

Run by

University of Alabama at Birmingham

People needed

26

Starts

2022-03-10

Expected to finish

2023-12-08

Last updated by the study team

2025-03-11

Who can join

Age: 21 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• be between the ages of 21 and 65
• have consumed an average of at least five or more (four or more for females) standard alcoholic drinks per occasion once over the past year
• have self-administered a quantity of alcohol that is equal to or greater than the dose that will be administered in the lab on at least three occasions in the past year
• be able to read and write in English fluently.

You may not qualify if…

• active psychosis, suicidal ideation/intent, or mania; currently receiving psychiatric treatment; have received psychiatric treatment in past year or currently experiencing significant psychiatric distress
• in treatment or recovery from drug or alcohol use disorders or abstaining from alcohol
• any suicide attempt history
• pregnant/breast-feeding or immediate plans to become pregnant
• any chronic health problems or medications that would preclude the use of alcohol
• (to minimize adverse reactions to alcohol/inappropriate alcohol dose) < 6 feet tall and over 230 lbs., or > 6 feet tall and over 250 lbs.
• color-blind or sight-impaired
• knowing someone who has participated in this study.

Where it is running

• Caitlin Clevenger — Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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