Matthew R Pearson
Biographic Data
| ID | 211520 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew R Pearson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew R |
| FAMILY NAME | Pearson |
| SIGNATURE | PEARSON M R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of New Mexico |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3772-0186 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Time-varying effects of substance craving on substance use among pregnant people in substance use disorder treatment
Objective Prenatal substance use is associated with negative outcomes for both the pregnant person and child. Entering substance use treatment during pregnancy is associated with improved outcomes but there are many barriers to treatment such as stigma. To improve prevention and treatment outcomes, it is critical to understand the relationship between risk/protective factors for substance use during pregnancy and to look for temporal changes in t…
A self-determination theory perspective of motivations for cannabis-related harm reduction behaviours
OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate an expanded and adapted version of the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ) to assess the internalization continuum of motivation per self-determination theory (SDT) for responsible cannabis use and cannabis protective behavioural strategies (PBS). METHODS AND MEASURES: We recruited 1,196 college students (Study 1) and 1,409 adults (Study 2) who reported past-month cannabis to complete online surveys; a …
Exploring patterns of polysubstance use among young adults
Background: Polysubstance use is common among individuals who use psychoactive substances and is associated with higher substance use-related risks than non-polysubstance use. Epidemiological studies show the highest prevalence rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) among young adults. However, determining who will develop SUDs is complicated by an interplay between interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors, and not just the …
Of College Students Who Engage in Non-Suicidal Self-injury Do Not Seek Treatment
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a high-risk behavior, yet much remains unknown about NSSI treatment utilization. The current study seeks to determine cross-national endorsement rates of NSSI and NSSI treatment utilization among college students. The present study uses baseline data from a survey study of 4,772 college students who completed a measure of NSSI recruited from the USA, Canada, Spain, South Africa, Argentina, and England. In total,…
Development and validation of the Substance Use Protective Strategies Scale (SUPSS) among Polish young adults using various psychoactive substances
Individualism, collectivism, and emotion regulation
Individualism and collectivism are dimensions of cultural variation thought to shape differences in emotion regulation tendencies, yet research to date has examined these cultural dimensions as country-level features, emphasizing variability across nations. The present study takes the approach of examining cultural differences within nations as predictors of emotion regulation strategies, shifting the perspective instead to individual differences…
Cross-national examination of the Distress Tolerance Scale using Rasch methodology
The 15-item Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) is a widely used psychometric measure with evidence generally supporting its reliability and validity. However, limitations related to its ordinal response format and lack of cross-cultural comparisons have yet to be investigated using appropriate methods. The Partial Credit Rasch model was used to evaluate and enhance the psychometric properties of the DTS using responses from 2550 adult participants fr…
Measuring Readiness to Change Substance Use, Alcohol Use, and Cannabis Use
Background: The Transtheoretical Model supports that readiness to change should predict actual substance-related behavior change. This relationship is surprisingly modest. Across several behavioral domains, individuals tend to have unrealistic expectations regarding the amount of effort and time required to successfully change one’s behaviors, dubbed the False Hope Syndrome. Objectives: Based on False Hope Syndrome, we expect the standard method …
Utility of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire to Identify College Students At-Risk for Alcohol Related Problems
Background: It is important to identify students who would benefit from early interventions to reduce harmful drinking patterns and associated consequences. the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) could be particularly useful as a screening tool in university settings. Objectives. The present study examined the utility of the B-YAACQ to distinguish among students at-risk for problematic alcohol use as measured by the AU…
Examination of the latent structure of the Ruminative Thoughts Style Questionnaire across countries, gender, and over time
The present work aimed to extend the evidence of the structure validity of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) 15-item version testing: (1) the structure of two competing models (i.e., four-factor correlated model vs a second-order factor model); (2) the measurement invariance of the final model across four countries (U.S., Spain, Argentina, and the Netherlands) and gender groups (male and female); and (3) the invariance across thre…
Adverse childhood experiences and adulthood mental health
Indirect associations between impulsivity and alcohol outcomes through motives for drinking responsibly among U.S. college students
The aim of the present study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of the associations between facets of impulsivity and alcohol outcomes through motives for drinking responsibly described by self-determination theory among college students. Participants (N=2,808) were part of a multisite investigation of college student drinking across 10 universities in 8 states in the U.S. who reported past-month drinking. Results of a structural equation…
Initial psychometric testing of the harm reduction self-efficacy scale
Abstinence self-efficacy, belief in one's ability to abstain, has been identified as a predictor of substance use behavior change. Yet, many people who use substances do not want to abstain. Self-efficacy for achieving a range of goals (i.e., abstinence or harm reduction) would be more widely applicable and might also predict substance use behavior change. The current study reports on the development of the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Scale (HRS…
The Associations of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration with Cannabis-Related Outcomes in a Multi-Site Sample of College Students
Psychological need satisfaction and need frustration, proposed by self-determination theory, may serve as conditions that foster health-promoting and health-impairing behaviors related to cannabis use. In the present study, we examined the measurement model of psychological need satisfaction and need frustration and their associations with cannabis protective behavioral strategies use, negative cannabis-related consequences, and cannabis use seve…
Resilience Through Harm Reduction? Protective Behavioral Strategies as a Factor of Resilience Among Polish Young Adults Using Various Psychoactive Substances
Resiliency theory might provide a conceptual framework for understanding why adverse substance-related consequences vary considerably among young adults using psychoactive substances. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are behaviors that reduce substance use and related consequences. Despite such suggestions, to date no research has explicitly treated PBS as resilience factors. The purpose of this study was to examine compensatory and protect…
Examining Cross-Country and Sex Differences on a Comprehensive Assessment of Protective Behavioral Strategies for Alcohol
Objective Use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) has been associated with reduced alcohol-related harms among college students. However, most of this research has been conducted among U.S. samples. The present study examines the use of PBS in an international context.Method Participants (n = 1512) were recruited from universities in Spain (n = 298), Argentina (n = 439), and the U.S. (n = 775) to determine if there are differences in PBS us…
Using Decision Trees to Identify Salient Predictors of Cannabis-Related Outcomes
Cannabis use continues to escalate among emerging adults and college attendance may be a risk factor for use. Severe cases of cannabis use can escalate to a cannabis use disorder, which is associated with worse psychosocial functioning. Predictors of cannabis use consequences and cannabis use disorder symptom severity have been identified; however, they typically employ a narrow set of predictors and rely on linear models. Machine learning is wel…
A Test of Interaction Effects Between Cannabis Protective Behavioral Strategies and Antecedents of Cannabis-Related Consequences
The purpose of the present study was to examine tests of interaction effects between cannabis protective behavioral strategies use and a range of risk/protective factors for negative cannabis-related consequences. We recruited 2,226 college students ( M age = 20.28, SD = 3.37; 68.8% female; 75.4% White) from 10 universities throughout the U.S. who reported using cannabis in the past month to complete an online survey. Measures assessed cannabis u…
Microaggressions and Psychological Health Among College Students
Understanding alcohol harm reduction behaviors from the perspective of self-determination theory
The evidence for the efficacy of harm reduction approaches to harmful alcohol use has accumulated over the past 30 years. Self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci 2017) offers a useful framework for understanding why people engage in alcohol harm reduction behaviors, as well as for delineating active ingredients of harm reduction interventions and individual characteristics that influence response to intervention. In the current paper, we so…
Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and problematic alcohol use in college students
Although alcohol PBS appear beneficial for all college student drinkers, these findings highlight the additional protective value of certain alcohol PBS for college women experiencing PTSD symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
A burning problem
With recent increases in cannabis' popularity, including being legalized in several states, new issues have emerged related to use. Increases in the number of users, new products, and home growing all present distinct concerns. In the present review, we explored various cannabis-related concerns (i.e. use, acquiring, growing, and public health/policy) that have arisen in Colorado in order to provide information on emerging issues and future direc…
Viability of the World Health Organization quality of life measure to assess changes in quality of life following treatment for alcohol use disorder
Reducing cyberbullying
Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of cyberbullying prevention/intervention programs. The goals of the present study were to develop a Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)-based video program to increase cyberbullying knowledge (1) and empathy toward cyberbullying victims (2), reduce favorable attitudes toward cyberbullying (3), decrease positive injunctive (4) and descriptive norms about cyberbullying (5), and reduce cyberbullying intention…
Role of Neuroticism and Coping Strategies in Psychological Reactions to a Racist Incident Among African American University Students
A total of 562 African American university students provided data on individual differences in neuroticism; coping with a recent experience being the target of prejudice, racism, and/or discrimination; and psychological reactions to the incident. Higher negative affect, lower positive affect, more intrusive thoughts about the incident, and lack of forgiveness for the perpetrator were used to index distress in response to the racist incident. Usin…
Exposure to Interparental Violence and Childhood Physical and Emotional Abuse as Related to Physical Aggression in Undergraduate Dating Relationships
Role of Neuroticism and Coping Strategies in Psychological Reactions to a Racist Incident Among African American University Students
A total of 562 African American university students provided data on individual differences in neuroticism; coping with a recent experience being the target of prejudice, racism, and/or discrimination; and psychological reactions to the incident. Higher negative affect, lower positive affect, more intrusive thoughts about the incident, and lack of forgiveness for the perpetrator were used to index distress in response to the racist incident. Usin…
Pathways to Early Coital Debut for Adolescent Girls
This study examined pathways to early coital debut among early to middle adolescent girls in the United States. In a two-year longitudinal study of 104 adolescent girls, recursive partitioning (RP) analyses were conducted to examine the specific factors that were related to engaging in first intercourse by the 10th grade among adolescent girls who had not yet engaged in sexual intercourse by the 8th grade. RP analyses identified subsamples of gir…
Reducing cyberbullying
Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of cyberbullying prevention/intervention programs. The goals of the present study were to develop a Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)-based video program to increase cyberbullying knowledge (1) and empathy toward cyberbullying victims (2), reduce favorable attitudes toward cyberbullying (3), decrease positive injunctive (4) and descriptive norms about cyberbullying (5), and reduce cyberbullying intention…
The Five‐Factor Model of Impulsivity‐Like Traits and Emotional Lability in Aggressive Behavior
Factors that increase automatic psychological processes may result in impulsive action and, consequently, aggressive behavior. The current cross-sectional study examined the association between the five-factor model of impulsivity-like traits (negative urgency, positive urgency, premeditation, perseverance, and sensation seeking), emotional lability, and physically aggressive behaviors among college students (n = 481) in a negative binomial hurdl…
Exposure to Interparental Violence and Childhood Physical and Emotional Abuse as Related to Physical Aggression in Undergraduate Dating Relationships
Pathways to Early Coital Debut for Adolescent Girls
This study examined pathways to early coital debut among early to middle adolescent girls in the United States. In a two-year longitudinal study of 104 adolescent girls, recursive partitioning (RP) analyses were conducted to examine the specific factors that were related to engaging in first intercourse by the 10th grade among adolescent girls who had not yet engaged in sexual intercourse by the 8th grade. RP analyses identified subsamples of gir…
Use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies among college students
The Five‐Factor Model of Impulsivity‐Like Traits and Emotional Lability in Aggressive Behavior
Factors that increase automatic psychological processes may result in impulsive action and, consequently, aggressive behavior. The current cross-sectional study examined the association between the five-factor model of impulsivity-like traits (negative urgency, positive urgency, premeditation, perseverance, and sensation seeking), emotional lability, and physically aggressive behaviors among college students (n = 481) in a negative binomial hurdl…
Role of Neuroticism and Coping Strategies in Psychological Reactions to a Racist Incident Among African American University Students
A total of 562 African American university students provided data on individual differences in neuroticism; coping with a recent experience being the target of prejudice, racism, and/or discrimination; and psychological reactions to the incident. Higher negative affect, lower positive affect, more intrusive thoughts about the incident, and lack of forgiveness for the perpetrator were used to index distress in response to the racist incident. Usin…
Reducing cyberbullying
Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of cyberbullying prevention/intervention programs. The goals of the present study were to develop a Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)-based video program to increase cyberbullying knowledge (1) and empathy toward cyberbullying victims (2), reduce favorable attitudes toward cyberbullying (3), decrease positive injunctive (4) and descriptive norms about cyberbullying (5), and reduce cyberbullying intention…
A burning problem
With recent increases in cannabis' popularity, including being legalized in several states, new issues have emerged related to use. Increases in the number of users, new products, and home growing all present distinct concerns. In the present review, we explored various cannabis-related concerns (i.e. use, acquiring, growing, and public health/policy) that have arisen in Colorado in order to provide information on emerging issues and future direc…
Viability of the World Health Organization quality of life measure to assess changes in quality of life following treatment for alcohol use disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and problematic alcohol use in college students
Although alcohol PBS appear beneficial for all college student drinkers, these findings highlight the additional protective value of certain alcohol PBS for college women experiencing PTSD symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Microaggressions and Psychological Health Among College Students
Understanding alcohol harm reduction behaviors from the perspective of self-determination theory
The evidence for the efficacy of harm reduction approaches to harmful alcohol use has accumulated over the past 30 years. Self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci 2017) offers a useful framework for understanding why people engage in alcohol harm reduction behaviors, as well as for delineating active ingredients of harm reduction interventions and individual characteristics that influence response to intervention. In the current paper, we so…
A Test of Interaction Effects Between Cannabis Protective Behavioral Strategies and Antecedents of Cannabis-Related Consequences
The purpose of the present study was to examine tests of interaction effects between cannabis protective behavioral strategies use and a range of risk/protective factors for negative cannabis-related consequences. We recruited 2,226 college students ( M age = 20.28, SD = 3.37; 68.8% female; 75.4% White) from 10 universities throughout the U.S. who reported using cannabis in the past month to complete an online survey. Measures assessed cannabis u…
Examining Cross-Country and Sex Differences on a Comprehensive Assessment of Protective Behavioral Strategies for Alcohol
Objective Use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) has been associated with reduced alcohol-related harms among college students. However, most of this research has been conducted among U.S. samples. The present study examines the use of PBS in an international context.Method Participants (n = 1512) were recruited from universities in Spain (n = 298), Argentina (n = 439), and the U.S. (n = 775) to determine if there are differences in PBS us…
Using Decision Trees to Identify Salient Predictors of Cannabis-Related Outcomes
Cannabis use continues to escalate among emerging adults and college attendance may be a risk factor for use. Severe cases of cannabis use can escalate to a cannabis use disorder, which is associated with worse psychosocial functioning. Predictors of cannabis use consequences and cannabis use disorder symptom severity have been identified; however, they typically employ a narrow set of predictors and rely on linear models. Machine learning is wel…
Measuring Readiness to Change Substance Use, Alcohol Use, and Cannabis Use
Background: The Transtheoretical Model supports that readiness to change should predict actual substance-related behavior change. This relationship is surprisingly modest. Across several behavioral domains, individuals tend to have unrealistic expectations regarding the amount of effort and time required to successfully change one’s behaviors, dubbed the False Hope Syndrome. Objectives: Based on False Hope Syndrome, we expect the standard method …
Utility of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire to Identify College Students At-Risk for Alcohol Related Problems
Background: It is important to identify students who would benefit from early interventions to reduce harmful drinking patterns and associated consequences. the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) could be particularly useful as a screening tool in university settings. Objectives. The present study examined the utility of the B-YAACQ to distinguish among students at-risk for problematic alcohol use as measured by the AU…
Examination of the latent structure of the Ruminative Thoughts Style Questionnaire across countries, gender, and over time
The present work aimed to extend the evidence of the structure validity of the Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) 15-item version testing: (1) the structure of two competing models (i.e., four-factor correlated model vs a second-order factor model); (2) the measurement invariance of the final model across four countries (U.S., Spain, Argentina, and the Netherlands) and gender groups (male and female); and (3) the invariance across thre…
Adverse childhood experiences and adulthood mental health
Indirect associations between impulsivity and alcohol outcomes through motives for drinking responsibly among U.S. college students
The aim of the present study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of the associations between facets of impulsivity and alcohol outcomes through motives for drinking responsibly described by self-determination theory among college students. Participants (N=2,808) were part of a multisite investigation of college student drinking across 10 universities in 8 states in the U.S. who reported past-month drinking. Results of a structural equation…
Initial psychometric testing of the harm reduction self-efficacy scale
Abstinence self-efficacy, belief in one's ability to abstain, has been identified as a predictor of substance use behavior change. Yet, many people who use substances do not want to abstain. Self-efficacy for achieving a range of goals (i.e., abstinence or harm reduction) would be more widely applicable and might also predict substance use behavior change. The current study reports on the development of the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Scale (HRS…
The Associations of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration with Cannabis-Related Outcomes in a Multi-Site Sample of College Students
Psychological need satisfaction and need frustration, proposed by self-determination theory, may serve as conditions that foster health-promoting and health-impairing behaviors related to cannabis use. In the present study, we examined the measurement model of psychological need satisfaction and need frustration and their associations with cannabis protective behavioral strategies use, negative cannabis-related consequences, and cannabis use seve…
Resilience Through Harm Reduction? Protective Behavioral Strategies as a Factor of Resilience Among Polish Young Adults Using Various Psychoactive Substances
Resiliency theory might provide a conceptual framework for understanding why adverse substance-related consequences vary considerably among young adults using psychoactive substances. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are behaviors that reduce substance use and related consequences. Despite such suggestions, to date no research has explicitly treated PBS as resilience factors. The purpose of this study was to examine compensatory and protect…
Individualism, collectivism, and emotion regulation
Individualism and collectivism are dimensions of cultural variation thought to shape differences in emotion regulation tendencies, yet research to date has examined these cultural dimensions as country-level features, emphasizing variability across nations. The present study takes the approach of examining cultural differences within nations as predictors of emotion regulation strategies, shifting the perspective instead to individual differences…
Cross-national examination of the Distress Tolerance Scale using Rasch methodology
The 15-item Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) is a widely used psychometric measure with evidence generally supporting its reliability and validity. However, limitations related to its ordinal response format and lack of cross-cultural comparisons have yet to be investigated using appropriate methods. The Partial Credit Rasch model was used to evaluate and enhance the psychometric properties of the DTS using responses from 2550 adult participants fr…
Exploring patterns of polysubstance use among young adults
Background: Polysubstance use is common among individuals who use psychoactive substances and is associated with higher substance use-related risks than non-polysubstance use. Epidemiological studies show the highest prevalence rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) among young adults. However, determining who will develop SUDs is complicated by an interplay between interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors, and not just the …
Psychology (27 works) · Clinical Psychology (18 works) · Psychiatry (18 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (16 works) · Medicine (15 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Developmental psychology (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (10 works) · Public health (8 works)