Principal Investigators: Frances Wang, PhD and Britny Hildebrandt, PhD
Funding Source: Department Constellation Award

Loss of control (LOC) refers to difficulty controlling, limiting, or stopping a rewarding behavior once it has begun. LOC is a key feature of several psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder and binge-related eating disorders (e.g., binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa). However, most research on LOC has focused on single disorders in isolation. As a result, there are no well-validated tools that measure LOC across different types of rewarding behaviors. The Understanding Loss of Control (UnLOC) Study aims to improve how LOC is assessed and to better understand who is at risk for developing LOC across multiple behaviors. The study will include a diverse group of 18- to 45-year-olds who report experiencing LOC related to eating, alcohol use, gambling, gaming, nicotine/tobacco use, cannabis use, the use of other drugs, social media, watching pornography, shopping, exercising, or other rewarding behaviors. Findings from this study could help improve the assessment of LOC among these behaviors.

To learn how to get involved in the study, or for more information, please email wangfl@upmc.edu or hildebrandtba@upmc.edu.