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My
research interests focus primarily on substance abuse (particularly
alcohol) and anxiety disorders (particularly social anxiety). In
particular, I am interested explicating the relationship between social
anxiety and problem drinking. Although social anxiety and problem
drinking co-occur at alarmingly high rates and result in high social and
economic costs, an understanding of the nature of the relationship
between social anxiety and drinking is in the early stages of
development. Such an understanding could serve to inform assessment,
prevention, and intervention of the co-occurring conditions.
One
aspect of my research considers relevant mediating or moderating
variables (e.g., beliefs related to substance use in specific contexts)
in understanding the connection between social anxiety and substance
misuse. Examples of such research include the examination of alcohol
outcome expectancies, including beliefs specifically related to the
social effects of drinking, the perceived desirability of the effects of
drinking, and drinking motives in clinical, community, and college
samples. I have also conducted research using a simulated bar-laboratory,
providing the unique opportunity examine alcohol use, social anxiety, and
alcohol expectancies using an alcohol administration experimental design.
Another
area of interest is specific to drinking behavior in college student
populations. A specific focus on college student drinking deserves
further attention given the unique social context of college
environments. A major aim of a large-scale multisite college study (in
collaboration with Dr. Byron Zamboanga of Smith College), is to examine
the psychological and social variables related to drinking in various
college settings.
Representative
Publications:
Ham, L. S., & Garcia, T. A. (in press). Assessment of
social skills in substance use disorders. In D. W. Nangle, C. A. Erdley,
D. J. Hansen, & P. J. Norton (Eds.), Practitioner's Guide to Empirically-Based Measures
of Social Skills (AABT Clinical Assessment Series). New York:
Springer.
Ham, L. S., Bonin, M.,
& Hope, D. A. (in press). The role of drinking motives in social
anxiety and alcohol use. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Ham, L. S.,
& Hope, D. A. (2006). Incorporating social anxiety into a model of college
problem drinking: Replication and extension. Psychology of Addictive
Behaviors, 20(3), 348-355.
Morris, E. P., Stewart, S. H., & Ham, L. S. (2005). The
relationship between social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder: A
critical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 25(6), 734-760.
Ham, L. S.,
Carrigan, M., Moak, D., & Randall, C. L. (2005). Social anxiety and
specificity of positive alcohol
expectancies: Preliminary findings. Journal of Psychopathology
and Behavioral Assessment, 27(2), 115-121.
Ham, L. S.,
& Hope, D. A. (2005). Incorporating social anxiety into a model of
college student problematic drinking. Addictive Behaviors, 30(1),
127-150. [Manuscript also digested in The Quarterly Review of
Alcohol Research, 13(2), 19-20.]
Ham, L. S. & Hope, D.
A (2003). College students and problematic drinking: A review of the
literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 23(5), 719-759.
Ham, L. S.,
Hope, D. A., White, C. S., & Rivers, P. C. (2002). Alcohol
expectancies and drinking behavior in adults with social anxiety disorder
and dysthymia. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 26(2), 275-288
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