Polysubstance Use Associated with Lower Distress Tolerance Compared to Single-Substance Use (2015)

Undergraduate: Elizabeth Jones

Faculty Advisor: Stacey Daughters
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Polysubstance users face a number of severe outcomes in comparison to single-substance users. In line with negative reinforcement theory, it has been postulated that polysubstance use occurs as a result of the desire to avoid unwanted effects that come from using either a stimulant or depressant alone. The current study examined a proxy for negative reinforcement behavior, distress tolerance (DT), among single-substance and depressant-stimulant polysubstance users. DT is defined as the ability to persist in a goal-directed behavior while experiencing psychological distress. Polysubstance users were hypothesized to have lower DT compared to those who used only substance. 176 drug users' data were used from a larger longitudinal study. Participants were recruited through a residential treatment center, where they completed a battery of self-report measures and a distress tolerance task. Results from a logistic regression showed that individuals with low DT were 2.4 times more likely to be a polysubstance user compared to those with high DT. This finding suggests depressant-stimulant polysubstance users have a lower ability to tolerate psychological distress in comparison to single-substance users. This is the first study to examine distress tolerance among polysubstance users, and results may have important clinical implications in the treatment of addiction.