Exploring the relationship between alcohol consumption and self-harm combining epidemiological and human laboratory methods

Project Background

Self-harm is a major public health concern. It is the strongest predictor of suicide and is particularly common among young people; a group in which rates of self -harm and suicide appear to be rising. Hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption (AC) is strongly associated with self-harm in adolescence, and young people who self-harm are more likely to have substance use disorders in adulthood. However, most existing studies have looked at data from only one or two time points, and so our understanding of the relationship between hazardous and harmful AC and self-harm course is limited. Further research is also needed to understand the mechanisms (or mediators) which underlie this relationship and the influence of individual differences. This interdisciplinary studentship will combine epidemiology (using repeated measures data from the ALSPAC cohort) and human laboratory methods (placebo-controlled alcohol challenge studies) to address these important knowledge gaps.

The project will generate robust new evidence on the relationship between hazardous and harmful AC and self-harm. By identifying and testing modifiable mechanisms, the research will provide a crucial first step for informing future intervention development. The supervisory team has a wealth of complementary knowledge and skills and a proven track record of translational research.

Project Aims

Aim 1: Examine the relationship between hazardous and harmful AC and self-harm in the ALSPAC birth cohort. This project will investigate i) whether hazardous and harmful AC is associated with greater persistence of self-harm, ii) potential mechanisms (mediators) underlying this relationship, and iii) how alcohol combines with other exposures (moderators) to increase or decrease risk.

Aim 2: Investigate the effect of acute alcohol consumption on factors associated with self-harm using human laboratory methods. The mechanisms tested will be informed by a student-led literature review and by findings from the epidemiological work. Examples include changes in cognition (e.g., negative cognitive biases, social cognition), emotion (e.g., emotion regulation), inhibition, and physiology (e.g., pain sensitivity).

Project Methods

Aim 1 will use data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); a world-leading birth cohort study of over 14,000 participants born in 1991-1992. The cohort is richly phenotyped and contains repeated measures of alcohol consumption and self-harm from age 11 to age 30. The student will use this repeated measures data to identify patterns of self-harm over time and explore relationships with hazardous and harmful AC. Mediation analysis will be used to identify possible mechanisms underlying the association between alcohol and self-harm that could help to inform interventions. The candidate will also identify and test for potential moderators (e.g. the relationship between hazardous and harmful AC and self-harm may be different for those with and without depression).

For Aim 2, the candidate will investigate acute effects of alcohol consumption on cognitive/affective/physical mechanisms known to be associated with self-harm using human laboratory methods i.e., placebo-controlled alcohol challenge studies. In these studies, results are compared between two conditions (alcohol and placebo). The inclusion of a placebo condition helps to eliminate potential biases, as participants are not aware of whether or not alcohol has been consumed. This enables direct investigation of the impact of alcohol on the factor(s) of interest. 

How to apply for this project

This project will be based in Bristol Medical School - Population Health Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Bristol.

If you have secured your own sponsorship or can self-fund this PhD please visit our information page here for further information on the department of Population Health Science and how to apply.