Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Psychophysiology. 2024 Mar;61(3):e14490. doi: 10.1111/psyp.14490. Epub 2024 Jan 13.
Individual differences in reactivity to unpredictable threat (U-threat) have repeatedly been linked to symptoms of anxiety and drinking behavior. An emerging theory is that individuals who are hyper-reactive to U-threat experience chronic anticipatory anxiety, hyperarousal, and are vulnerable to excessive alcohol use via negative reinforcement processes. Notably, anxiety and alcohol use commonly relate to disruptions in sleep behavior and recent findings suggest that sleep quality may impact the link between reactivity to U-threat and psychiatric symptoms and behaviors. The aim of the current study was to examine the unique and interactive effects of reactivity to U-threat and sleep quality on anxiety symptoms and drinking behavior in a cohort of youth, ages 16-19 years. Participants (N = 112) completed a well-validated threat-of-shock task designed to probe individual differences in reactivity to U-threat and predictable threat (P-threat). Startle eyeblink potentiation was recorded during the task as an index of aversive reactivity. Participants also completed well-validated self-report measures of anxiety and depression symptoms, lifetime alcohol use, and current sleep quality. Results revealed significant startle reactivity to U-threat by sleep quality interactions on anxiety symptoms and lifetime drinking behavior. At high levels of sleep disturbance (only), greater reactivity to U-threat was associated with greater anxiety symptoms and total number of lifetime alcoholic beverages. These results suggest that sensitivity to uncertainty and chronic hyperarousal increases anxiety symptoms and alcohol use behavior, particularly in the context of poor sleep quality.
个体对不可预测威胁（U-威胁）的反应差异与焦虑症状和饮酒行为反复相关。一种新兴理论认为，对 U-威胁反应过度的个体经历慢性预期性焦虑、过度警觉，并通过负强化过程易发生过度饮酒。值得注意的是，焦虑和饮酒通常与睡眠行为的中断有关，最近的研究结果表明，睡眠质量可能会影响对 U-威胁的反应性与精神症状和行为之间的联系。本研究的目的是在一个 16-19 岁的青少年队列中，考察对 U-威胁的反应性和睡眠质量对焦虑症状和饮酒行为的独特和交互影响。参与者（N=112）完成了一项经过充分验证的电击威胁任务，旨在探究对 U-威胁和可预测威胁（P-威胁）的反应性的个体差异。在任务期间记录眨眼反射增强，作为厌恶反应的指标。参与者还完成了焦虑和抑郁症状、终生饮酒和当前睡眠质量的经过充分验证的自我报告测量。结果显示，在焦虑症状和终生饮酒行为上，U-威胁的反应性与睡眠质量之间存在显著的交互作用。在睡眠障碍程度较高（仅）的情况下，对 U-威胁的反应过度与焦虑症状和终生饮酒的总次数增加有关。这些结果表明，对不确定性和慢性警觉性的敏感性会增加焦虑症状和饮酒行为，尤其是在睡眠质量较差的情况下。
