University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: September 27, 2007

By KATHLEEN WEAVER
Reporter Contributor

Three new studies—funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $7.3 million—have been received by UB's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).

The studies will focus on the impact of maternal substance use during pregnancy on children's development from birth to kindergarten age, work stress and alcohol use, and the role of acute alcohol consumption on relationship conflict and violence among young couples who are married or living together.

The largest grant, $3.2 million over five years, was made by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Rina Eiden, RIA senior research scientist and research associate professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The study is a continuation of one examining the impact of maternal substance use during pregnancy on children's development from birth to toddler age. A team of researchers is extending the examination from toddler to kindergarten age. They will be studying the development of self-regulation skills, such as impulse control, compliance with parental rules and the internalization of behavior rules. Of specific interest is how children's self-regulation affects adjustment to the school setting and relationships with peers.

"This award will support a continuation of an ongoing study, which began by examining the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on infant reactivity and regulation," Eiden explained. "The current study uses a model of development that proposes multiple pathways to risk or resilience among cocaine-exposed children. We will examine a number of other factors associated with maternal cocaine use that may influence children's development, such as maternal psychiatric symptoms, parenting skills and care-giving stability."

Eiden's co-investigators on the study include Craig R. Colder, associate professor in the UB Department of Psychology, and Pamela Schuetze, RIA associate research scientist and associate professor in Buffalo State College's Department of Psychology. Other significant contributors are Claire Coles of Emory University, and Philip Zeskind of the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

The second study is funded by a $2.2 million award over four years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to Michael R. Frone. It is a national telephone survey focused on work stress and alcohol use involving 3,500 employed individuals ages 18-65. Alcohol use by employed adults, whether on or off the job, is an important social policy issue with ramifications for employee health and employer productivity.

Frone, RIA senior research scientist and research associate professor in the Department of Psychology, said the investigation "is expected to contribute to organizational policy and help shape future interventions on workforce and workplace alcohol use. By identifying specific work conditions influencing alcohol use, there is the potential for redesigning work to alleviate workplace stressors, and by identifying vulnerable subgroups of workers, there is the potential to develop targeted intervention efforts."

In the third study, the role of acute alcohol consumption on relationship conflict and violence among young couples who are married or living together will be examined. The study will be funded by a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the NIAAA to Maria Testa, RIA senior research scientist.

The first part of the study will examine the effects of alcohol on communication behaviors and verbal aggression within a conflict-resolution paradigm. The second part will be a daily diary-study over eight weeks to determine if the likelihood of relationship conflict or aggression occurring on a given day is increased when either the man, the woman or both have consumed alcohol earlier that day.

"This study is unique in that it considers women's drinking, in addition to men's drinking, as a potential contributor to relationship conflict and aggression," said Testa. "The daily diary component promises to be the first to examine daily alcohol use and relationship conflict in a nonclinical sample, thereby addressing the importance of alcohol in naturally occurring relationship conflict. The role of a propensity for violence, behavioral self-control and alcohol expectancies also will be considered."

Testa's co-investigators are Kenneth E. Leonard, RIA senior research scientist and research professor in the UB psychology department and the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Brian M. Quigley, RIA research scientist.

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a UB research center since 1999.