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Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) and Cluster B personality disorders (PDs) are both marked by impulsivity and poor behavioral control and may result in part from shared neurobiological or executive cognitive functioning deficits. To examine the potential utility of such models in explaining variance in SUDs and PDs at the lower end of symptom expression and impairment, 123 (73 female) volunteer college students were administered 2 measures of executive cognitive functioning; a task assessing autonomic reactivity to aversive noise blasts; a life events and a peer substance use measure; and structured clinical interviews to assess symptoms of substance abuse/dependence and antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic PDs. As expected, symptoms of SUDs and PDs were significantly positively correlated. Antisocial PD, alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms were significantly positively related to proportion of friends who use alcohol and drugs regularly and drug use among romantic partners. Number of negative life events was positively related to PD symptoms and to alcohol use disorder symptoms. Executive cognitive functioning was not related to SUD and PD symptoms in the expected direction. Findings suggest that, among higher functioning young adults, environmental factors may be particularly relevant to our understanding of SUDs and certain PDs.
Notes
1A problem with the calibration of the white noise generator's output inadvertently caused a reduced noise of 92 dB to be delivered for all stimuli to the first 42 participants through the study. A t-test comparing the electrodermal response modulation score of those who received all stimuli at 92 (n = 36) versus 110 dB (n = 77) showed no significant difference, t (110)= − 0.73, p = .47. Thus, data were not excluded on participants who received the 92 dB noises.