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Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.

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  • Director: Laura E. Gómez Sánchez
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Reinforcer pathology among cigarette smokers with and without history of alcohol use disorder

Alba González-Roz, Álvaro Postigo, Gema Aonso-Diego, Ángel García-Pérez, and Roberto Secades-Villa

Universidad de Oviedo

Background: Delay discounting (DD) and cigarette demand contribute to an understanding of nicotine reward and dependence. However, no prior attempt has been made to examine the effect of a history of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) on DD and tobacco demand in current smokers. This study sought to compare DD and cigarette demand in smokers with and without a history of AUD. Methods: The sample comprised 43 smokers with a history of AUD and 49 with no history of drug use. Participants completed the DD task and the 19-item version of the Cigarette Purchase Task. Mazur’s equation and the Koffarnus et al. model were used to derive the discounting rates and elasticity of demand, respectively. Results: Smokers with a history of AUD discounted delayed rewards more steeply (Mlogk= -1.77, SD=1.46) than those without such a history (Mlogk= -2.32, SD=1.04). No statistically significant differences in cigarette demand emerged between groups. Conclusions: The excessive preference for immediate rewards in smokers with a history of AUD suggests that impulsive choice persists even after alcohol abstinence. As DD constitutes an important marker of poor treatment outcomes, targeting this specific facet of impulsivity in broader clinical interventions might be helpful.

Patología del refuerzo en fumadores con y sin trastorno por uso de alcohol. Antecedentes: el descuento por demora (DD) y la demanda de cigarrillos facilitan la comprensión de los efectos reforzantes de la nicotina y la dependencia. Sin embargo, no se ha evaluado el efecto de la historia de trastorno por uso de alcohol (TUA) en la demanda de cigarrillos y el DD en fumadores. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar estas variables en fumadores con y sin historia de TUA. Método: la muestra incluyó 43 fumadores con historia de TUA y 49 sin historia de uso de drogas. Se utilizó la tarea de DD y la Tarea de Compra de Cigarrillos de 19 ítems. Las ecuaciones de Mazur y de Koffarnus et al. se utilizaron para derivar las tasas de descuento y la elasticidad de la demanda. Resultados: los fumadores con historia de TUA mostraron unas tasas de descuento superiores (Mlogk=-1,77, DT=1,46) a aquellos sin dicha historia (Mlogk= -2,32, DT=1,04). Ambos grupos no difirieron en la demanda de cigarrillos. Conclusiones: la preferencia excesiva por las recompensas inmediatas entre los fumadores con historia de TUA sugiere una persistente toma de decisiones impulsiva incluso tras la abstinencia del alcohol. Abordar esta faceta de impulsividad en intervenciones clínicas más amplias puede ser beneficioso.

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