Citation

Jarmolowicz DP, Bickel WK, Gatchalian KM. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013; 131(3): 320-323.

Affiliation

Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., Lawrence, KS 66045, United States. Electronic address: dpj@ku.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.12.014

PMID

23312341

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Research on delay discounting has expanded our understanding of substance dependence in many ways. Recently, orderly discounting of sexual rewards has been demonstrated in both substance-dependent individuals, and healthy controls. Less clear, however, is if rates of sexual discounting are higher than controls in alcohol-dependent-individuals. METHODS: 20 alcohol-dependent individuals and 21 healthy control participants completed two delay-discounting tasks. One task involved monetary rewards, whereas the other involved the discounting of sexual rewards (i.e., number of sex acts). RESULTS: Alcohol dependent individuals discounted sexual rewards at significantly higher rates than did controls. There was a trend toward, but not a similarly significant relation for the discounting of monetary rewards. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of sexual discounting are elevated in alcohol dependent individuals. If this relation is replicated in other at risk populations, the rapid devaluation of sexual rewards may be a laboratory marker of impulsive sexual choices.

Language: en