“I wanted to start a project from scratch”: The Relationship Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Substance Use

(Photo provided by Emma Giberson)

“In the past, I had worked on research projects in various stages of the process, but never one from start to finish. Seeing a project from beginning to end was a very exciting experience.” ~ Emma Giberson

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*In the following article, TS refers to The Synapse and EG refers to Emma Giberson;

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself (name and degree), your supervisor, the topic of your thesis, and the field it contributes to?

EG: Hi! My name is Emma Giberson and I graduated from UNB-Fredericton last year with a BSc Honours in Psychology. Currently, I am completing my Masters of Applied Psychology, Research, and Evaluation at UNB-SJ.

My Honours Thesis Project was supervised by Dr. Janine Olthuis. I evaluated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity - the fear of physiological sensations - and hazardous alcohol and cannabis use. I also considered the moderating and mediating roles of outcome expectancies (i.e.  anticipated consequences) and social anxiety, respectively. 

Our findings contribute to the ongoing debate about the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and substance use among young adults.

TS: What was the inspiration for your study, your research question, and the main results?

EG: I began my Honours Project in the summer and wanted to start a project from scratch. I started by deciding what field I was interested in that also aligned with Dr. Olthuis’ lab. Once I found a study that I was interested in and could expand on, I developed my research questions within the scope of my timeline.

We had three research questions for the project:

1) What is the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and substance use (including alcohol and cannabis use, and engagement in particular risk-drinking practices such as drinking games and pregaming)?

2) Is the relationship moderated by alcohol or cannabis use expectancies?

3) Is the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and substance use mediated by social anxiety symptoms?

The main results of the study revealed significant negative associations between anxiety sensitivity and drinking game participation, and pregaming participation. Only the association between anxiety sensitivity and hazardous cannabis use was moderated by outcome expectancies - particularly relaxation and expectations of alleviating tension. Lastly, social anxiety mediated the association between anxiety sensitivity and both drinking game and pregaming participation.

TS: Could you provide a brief summary of the methods/ experimental procedure used in this study?

EG: For my study, I recruited 199 young adults between the ages of 19 and 25. They completed a 30-minute online self-report questionnaire on their substance use and mental health. To analyze my data, I used Pearson correlations, moderations, and mediations.

TS: Are there any future studies that will be conducted based on your method or results?

EG: I have no plans to conduct a follow-up study based on my findings. However, future research could further clarify the associations revealed in my study and extend on the novel drinking game and pregaming findings - I have submitted my Honours project for publication in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs!

TS: What would you consider the most intriguing part of your research?

EG: In my opinion, the most intriguing part of the research project was the drinking game and pregaming results. The relationship between drinking games and pregaming outcomes and anxiety sensitivity had never been explored before. Also, our results allude to the finding that anxiety sensitivity doesn’t influence how much an individual will drink once they begin drinking games and pregaming. This is very interesting to me; I’m excited to see future studies concerning this result.

TS: Is there anything else you wish to share about the research experience/ study?

EG: I had a very positive Honours experience. In the past, I had worked on research projects in various stages of the process, but never one from start to finish. Seeing a project from beginning to end was a very exciting experience. I encourage everyone to apply for Honours - not only does it open doors, it is a very applied class! It teaches you so many transferable skills, such as presentation skills, writing skills, and how to work effectively in a collaborative environment. Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.