Gender differences in factors associated with alcohol drinking: Delay discounting and perception of others’ drinking

Abstract

Background Excessive alcohol consumption in college students is associated with impulsivity and with overestimating levels of others’ drinking; however, females’ and males’ drinking may be differently impacted by their overestimations. We examined whether moderate drinkers discount alcohol rewards differently from money rewards and whether their estimate of others’ drinking is more closely associated with own-drinking for males than females. Method College students completed two delay discounting tasks in which they chose between money rewards and between alcohol rewards, varying in amount and delay to receipt. Participants also completed questionnaires about their own and others’ drinking. Results Area under the delay-subjective value curve (AUC) was smaller for alcohol than money rewards, implying steeper discounting of alcohol rewards. Regression analyses showed that females’ number of drinks per sitting was related only to AUC for money, while males’ drinks per sitting was related to their estimate of others’ drinks. Conclusion The relationship between alcohol consumption and discounting was replicated. This study also indicated that social norms play a larger role in determining males’ drinking than females’.

The Behavioral Economics of Substance Use Disorders: Reinforcement Pathologies and Their Repair

“…As with demand, a consistent body of evidence significantly associates steep delay discounting with substance use disorders. Numerous categorical studies have contrasted addiction-related groups with control groups and found significantly greater discounting for substances such as alcohol (Bjork et al 2004, Claus et al 2011, Mitchell et al 2005, Petry 2001, Vuchinich & Simpson 1998, Yankelevitz et al 2012), cocaine (Coffey et al 2003, Heil et al 2006), tobacco (Baker et al 2003, Bickel et al 1999b, Heyman & Gibb 2006, Johnson et al 2007, Mitchell 1999, Reynolds 2006b), opioids (Kirby & Petry 2004, Kirby et al 1999, Madden et al 1997), and methamphetamine (Hoffman et al 2006, 2008; Monterosso et al 2007). One study examining marijuana-dependent individuals and controls did not find a significant difference, but it showed a trend toward greater discounting in dependent individuals; this effect, however, had a smaller effect size than those found in many of the previous studies with other drugs (Johnson et al 2010).…”

Recent Translational Findings on Impulsivity in Relation to Drug Abuse

“…In most studies examining delay discounting in relation to habitual alcohol consumption, heavier drinkers discounted more [20, 15, 26•, 18, 27]; although see [28]. One study found an association in African Americans but not European Americans [29], and another study found that discounting predicted drinking in females but not males [30]. In studies of cigarette smokers, discounting was also related to severity of nicotine dependence [31–35], but see [36], and individuals who were both drinkers and smokers discounted more than drinkers or smokers only [37].…”

The neural correlates of temporal reward discounting

“…Some studies have used primary rewards such as food, juice, and drugs (hypothetical or real). Hypothetical food and drug rewards are discounted more steeply than hypothetical money . In terms of real primary rewards, liquids and erotic pictures have been used.…”

“…Hypothetical food and drug rewards are discounted more steeply than hypothetical money. 58,63,71,84,91,[140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152] In terms of real primary rewards, liquids [153][154][155][156] and erotic pictures 157,158 have been used. The use of primary rewards in real tasks has the advantage that the reward can be consumed at the end of every trial, unlike money, which cannot be consumed until the end of the task.…”