Research

Dr. Dawn Foster conducts addiction research on cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco use among young adults, with particular focus on social psychological and contextual correlates and determinants of substance use. Dr. Foster’s program of research focuses on the characterization of cognitive processes and behavioral indicators related to the etiology, prevention, and treatment of substance use. This includes examinations of substance-related motives, expectancies, problems, refusal self-efficacy, and perceived norms, as well as indicators of mental health including dependence, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

The Young Adult Health Behaviors Study was designed to examine cannabis behaviors and cannabis-related cognitions such as norms perceptions and expectancies in a sample of young adults recruited from two universities in the northeast, United States. This study examined associations among psychological factors and health risk behaviors using a web-based survey. This study was funded by NIDA K12 DA000167.

The Attentional Retraining for Postpartum Tobacco Relapse study is an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study designed to address tobacco relapse in postpartum smokers as well as to determine the impact of situational and affective stimuli on relapse in the postpartum period. The study examined whether attentional retraining, delivered via smartphone, could modify attention bias to smoking-related stimuli and craving for cigarettes. The study hypothesized that women randomized to the attentional retraining condition, as compared to those in the control group, would show less attentional bias toward smoking-related stimuli, and show a decrease in self-reported craving. This study was funded by NIDA K12 DA000167.

The Cannabis Vaping study was recently funded by a Scholar Award from the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI). This study aims to assess cannabis use behaviors and characteristics of cannabis users who vape in a sample of young adults. This study further aims to characterize associations between perceptions about cannabis vaping, intentions to use cannabis, and use behaviors. Additionally, this project will longitudinally assess social and environmental factors associated with young adult cannabis use with an objective of identifying high risk individuals and contexts.

The Cannabis and Alcohol use in Japan study aims to administer a web survey to assess cannabis and alcohol use behaviors and characteristics of users in a sample of young adults in Japan. The study also aims to examine associations between substance-related cognitions including substance use perceptions, motives for using, intentions to use, normative perceptions, and use behaviors. Further, this study will allow comparisons between Japanese substance-related cognitions and behaviors, and those of peer counterparts in the United States. This study is funded by NIDA K12 DA000167.