Examining concordance between emotion-dependent risk-taking in the laboratory and in the real-world

Risk-taking behavior is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and is elevated among women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and using substances. With the goal of advancing rigorous research on risk-taking behavior, this study examined the concordance of propensity for emotion-dependent risk-taking in the laboratory and emotion-dependent substance use and sexual behavior in the real world among women experiencing IPV and using substances. Women experiencing IPV were recruited from community establishments between 2018 and 2020 (N = 142; M_age = 40.63; 57.8% Person of Color). In the laboratory, participants underwent a randomly assigned negative, positive, or neutral emotion induction, following which they completed a behavioral measure of risk-taking propensity. Then, for the succeeding 30 days, they completed thrice daily surveys on emotion states and risk-taking behavior. Participants were more likely to drink alcohol, use cannabis, use illicit drugs, and have condomless sex during elevated (versus not elevated) negative and positive emotion states. However, participants did not exhibit greater risk-taking propensity in the laboratory in the context of negative and positive emotion states. Further, negative and positive emotion-dependent risk-taking propensity in the laboratory was not associated with negative and positive emotion-dependent risk-taking behavior in the real-world. Findings suggest the need for additional research that evaluates the utility of laboratory paradigms in the prediction of emotion-dependent risk-taking in the real-world.