Happiness and Pleasurable Activities as Longitudinal Predictors of Adolescent Alcohol and Cannabis Outcomes

Project Summary/Abstract Adolescence is the developmental period most strongly associated with the initiation and escalation of substance use, making it an ideal time to identify protective factors against substance use. Alcohol and cannabis are among the most used substances in adolescence and their use is associated with negative consequences. Solidifying emotion regulation strategies and healthful behaviors in adolescence may protect against later deleterious substance use outcomes. Yet research on the mechanisms underlying substance use behavior change in adolescents is limited. Consistent with NIDA priorities on prevention targets, there is a need to focus on the developmental trajectory and elucidation of protective mediators (e.g., happiness, pleasurable activities) associated with alcohol and cannabis outcomes (e.g., alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, alcohol-related consequences, cannabis-related consequences) across adolescence. This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by conducting longitudinal mediation analyses with secondary data using a large sample of adolescents from the Happiness and Health study (5U54CA180905). This project is significant in its positive psychological approach of examining positive emotions and pleasurable experiences rather than solely substance reduction, and in filling a research gap on mediators of substance use in adolescents. This project is innovative in its integration of the broaden-and-build theory with behavioral theories of choice by examining how happiness and pleasurable activities are associated. The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiencing happiness may increase one’s personal resources, allowing one to come up with a wider range of novel behavioral activities. These expanded behavioral activities may include novel healthful activities, such as spending time with family or exercising, which are associated with reduced substance use. Behavioral theories of choice suggest that pleasurable activities may substitute and protect against substance use and related consequences. The innovative integration of the broaden-and-build theory and behavioral theories of choice suggests that experiencing happiness may be associated with improved alcohol and cannabis outcomes through the pathway of pleasurable activities. The proposed study will examine whether changes in happiness and changes in pleasurable activities are associated with changes in alcohol and cannabis outcomes (Aim 1), and whether pleasurable activities work as a mechanism to explain the relationship between changes in happiness and changes in alcohol and cannabis outcomes (Aim 2). The goal of this proposal is to provide the Applicant with training experiences that will improve her content area knowledge, analytic skills, grantsmanship and manuscript development, and network, which are vital to flourishing as an independent researcher. The environment at the University of Rhode Island, including data analysis software, grant support, and an excellent mentorship team with expertise in relevant areas, provide the ideal setting for the successful completion of the proposed project.