Male, But Not Female, Alcohol-Dependent African Americans Discount Delayed Gains More Steeply than Propensity-Score Matched Controls

Abstract

Rationale Alcohol dependence is known to be associated with steep discounting of delayed rewards, but its relation to the discounting of delayed losses and probabilistic rewards is unclear. Moreover, patterns of alcohol consumption vary considerably between communities, but previous research has not examined the relation between discounting and alcohol dependence in low-income African Americans. Objectives The goal of the present study was to determine whether low-income, alcohol-dependent African Americans differ from controls in the degree to which they discount delayed rewards, delayed losses, or probabilistic rewards. Methods African American participants, both cases and controls, were recruited from the same low-income neighborhoods, and propensity-score matching was used to further control for demographic differences. Participants performed three tasks that assessed their discounting of hypothetical monetary outcomes: delayed rewards, delayed losses, and probabilistic rewards. Results Alcohol-dependent cases discounted delayed gains, but not delayed losses or probabilistic gains, more steeply than their matched controls. The difference in discounting of delayed gains was localized to the male cases, whose discounting was steeper than either the male controls or the female cases; no gender difference was observed between male and female controls. Conclusions The present results extend findings regarding discounting by substance abusers to a previously unstudied group, low-income African Americans, and suggest that in this group at least, alcohol dependence, particularly in males, may be more a reflection of choosing immediate rewards than of ignoring their delayed negative consequences.

Past trauma and future choices: differences in discounting in low-income, urban African Americans

“…The present finding that, contrary to expectation, the male participants' decision making was affected by trauma whereas female participants' decision making was not, is particularly interesting in light of the results of our previous study comparing low-income, urban African-American alcoholics with propensitymatched controls (Myerson et al 2015). In that study, which selected samples from the same database, we found that male, but not female, alcoholics discounted delayed rewards more steeply than controls of the same sex, but neither male nor female alcoholics differed from controls in their discounting of delayed payments.…”

“…Previously, we found that alcohol-dependent men in the present sample discounted delayed rewards more steeply than men who were not alcohol dependent (Myerson et al 2015). Notably, there were no significant differences in discounting among the non-alcohol-dependent men, the alcohol-dependent women, and the non-alcohol-dependent women, suggesting that some variables differentially affect men's and women's decision making.…”

“…before age 14: 30.5% v. 16.3%), and to have been in military combat (4.6% v. 0.3%). Finally, because previous results showed that male alcoholics differed from non-alcoholics on the discounting of delayed rewards, but not delayed payments or probabilistic rewards (Myerson et al 2015), we examined the effects of trauma exposure on the discounting of delayed rewards in alcoholic and nonalcoholic males separately. As expected, and as may be clearly seen in Fig.…”

Delay Discounting of Losses in Alcohol Use Disorders and Antisocial Psychopathology: Effects of a Working Memory Load

“…They found increased discounting for health gains and losses in current-smokers compared to never-smokers, while the performance of ex-smokers was between that of never-smokers and current-smokers, suggesting individuals with lifetime substance use disorders discount future negative outcomes at higher rates compared to controls (Odum, Madden, & Bickel, 2002). However, in a recent study from Myerson et al (2015), alcohol dependent African American individuals discounted delayed rewards, but not losses, more steeply than matched controls, an effect largely driven by the male cases. Given the heterogeneity of these findings, the literature would benefit from additional research examining the mechanisms of discounting of delayed losses in AUDs and AP populations.…”

Efecto del tratamiento sobre el descuento temporal y probabilístico en participantes con trastorno por uso de crack

“…Se sugiere que en futuras investigaciones se trabaje con mujeres para evaluar el efecto de género y descuento, lo cual ha sido ya indagado en previas investigaciones que han demostrado que el descuento pronunciado es característico de hombres (Myerson, Green, van den Berk-Clark, & Grucza, 2015), en contraste con otros estudios que plantean la existencia de una mayor problemática asociada con el consumo de piedra en mujeres (Lejuez, Bornovalova, Reynolds, Daughters, & Curtin, 2007); sin embargo, un metaanálisis de 227 estudios demostró que, en general, no se encuentran diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en tareas de descuento temporal y tareas de función ejecutiva (Cross, Copping, & Campbell, 2011), por lo que futuros estudios en el tema son necesarios para clarificar el perfil de propensión al riesgo e impaciencia que presentan mujeres consumidoras, ya que el presente estudio sólo comprende el entendimiento del descuento en hombres consumidores.…”