Research - USC HEAL- Health, Emotion, & Addiction Laboratory

RESEARCH

The unifying theme in USC-HEAL projects is to explore why people who are prone to emotional disturbance (e.g., depression) are also at greater risk for substance use. Studies extend outward from this area to: (a) genetic influences on substance use; (b) cognitive and motivational processes that underlie addiction; (c) personality, psychopathology, and addiction; (d) effects of drug intoxication and withdrawal on mood, cognition, and behavior; (e) smoking cessation; and (f) emotional determinants of other health behaviors.

Experimental Studies

The HEAL conducts externally-funded experimental investigations involving adult participants. Participants attend multiple sessions at our laboratory and complete questionnaires and behavioral tasks. Some of the current explore: (1) personality traits and genes that predict risk for drug abuse; (2) emotional characteristics that predict vulnerability to relapse after making a cessation attempt; and (3) factors that play a role in drug intoxication and drug withdrawal effects.

Survey Studies

The HEAL conducts brief studies in which participants complete interviews and/or questionnaires assessing substance use, personality, mood, and other relevant characteristics. Projects explore associations between psychological characteristics and substance use in order to shed light on the etiology of addiction.

Archival Studies

The HEAL also conducts secondary analyses of datasets from completed studies. These archival analyses are used to address specific research questions that may not require collection of new data.