Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40252008›Full record

ArticleAlcohol, clinical & experimental research2025

Higher alcohol use is associated with subsequent increased risk seeking toward gains: A longitudinal cohort study in young men.

Angela Hentschel, Johannes Petzold, Hao Chen, Andreas Heinz, Michael N Smolka

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Angela HentschelDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6833-5638
Johannes PetzoldDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4163-9014
Hao ChenDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0026-3623
Andreas HeinzDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5405-9065
Michael N SmolkaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5398-5569

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 178833530Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 186318919Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 402170461Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 454245598
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA higher propensity for impulsive and risky choices has often been reported in individuals with addiction, such as alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although domains of choice impulsivity, for example, temporal discounting, have been identified to predispose the development of hazardous alcohol use, research on altered decision making as a consequence of drinking is scarce. These may be particularly pronounced during periods of progressive brain development, such as young adulthood.

methodsThis 3-year prospective study investigated the effects of alcohol use on changes in four decision-making domains in 18-year-old men (N = 130). We assessed temporal changes in discounting of delayed rewards, risk aversion for gains, risk seeking for losses, and loss aversion. By correlating three-year cumulative alcohol consumption and total binge drinking frequency with respective change scores, we aimed to explore the influences of drinking on altered development in different impulsive choice tendencies.

resultsFrom ages 18 to 21, choice impulsivity in our moderately drinking cohort decreased significantly with respect to temporal discounting and risk aversion for gains, while risk seeking for losses and loss aversion did not change significantly. Importantly, higher cumulative alcohol intake and more binge drinking occasions over 3 years were associated with slower increases in risk aversion for gains, that is, the general trend for lower choice impulsivity was diminished. Such relationships were not found for temporal discounting, risk seeking for losses, or loss aversion.

conclusionsAlcohol consumption in young adulthood is linked to stunted development of risk aversion for gains. Given that risk seeking for gains was previously identified as a risk factor for increasing alcohol intake, this relationship may reinforce a spiral of escalating consumption over time. The absence of similar findings in other decision-making domains suggests that drinking behavior and modifying factors interact differently across domains, rather than universally enhancing impulsive choice behavior.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingImpulsive BehaviorRisk-TakingAdolescentBinge DrinkingChoice BehaviorCohort StudiesDecision MakingDelay DiscountingHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleProspective StudiesYoung Adultalcohol usedecision makingdelay discountingloss aversionrisk taking

Identifiers

PMID40252008
PMCPMC12174501

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.