What I’ve Been Working On

My research is women-centered and explores the intersections between psychological well-being and substance use. Below are selected manuscripts, focusing on psychiatric comorbidities across development, cannabis substitution for alcohol and medications, and sexual risk reduction interventions for women with trauma histories. Many of these projects have been presented at national conferences, including the Research Society on Alcohol and the Cannabis Clinical Outcomes Research Conference.

Browse below for findings!

Publications

iN PRESS

  • Predictors of Replacing Alcohol With Cannabis Among Adult Women (2025)


    Authors: Jennifer Attonito, Jocelyn Mueller, & Karina Villalba 

    Main Findings: Older women were less likely than younger women to substitute cannabis for alcohol, but among those who did, higher PTSD symptoms and sleep problems were key predictors of cannabis use, suggesting that older women may have specific therapeutic needs rather than general harm reduction.

    Link: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.95821

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Under review

  • Cannabis Substitution for Anxiety and Depression Medications in Adult Women (2025) 


    Authors: Jocelyn Mueller, Jennifer Attonito, Jamia Sapp, & Karina Villalba. 

    Main Findings: Older women who substitute cannabis for prescription anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications tend to have higher levels of depression and anxiety, with sleep difficulties and concurrent alcohol use as key predictors of substitution behavior, suggesting that cannabis is an alternative symptom management strategy despite potentially worsening mental health outcomes.

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  • A Longitudinal Sibling Study of Alcohol Use and Psychiatric Symptoms in a High-Risk Clinical Cohort (2025)

    Authors: Jocelyn Mueller, Jesse Hinckley, Connor McCabe, Christian Hopfer, Michael Stallings, Tamara Wall, Jarrod Ellingson.

    Main Findings: Among adolescents with alcohol use disorder and antisocial behavior, baseline alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms were linked to greater increases in depression, with important sex differences — AUD predicted more adolescent anxiety symptoms in females but less anxiety symptoms among males. Males with higher initial anxiety showed smaller increases in drinking over time.

    Link: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TXUMG

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  • Developing Sex Positive Dating and Sexual Health Interventions Alongside Teens with Sexual Victimization Histories (2025)

    Authors: Jessica Blayney, Jocelyn Mueller, Mia Thompson, Peony Chum, Laura Widman & William George.

    Main Findings: This discovery-phase study identified what teens with sexual victimization histories want and need from sexual health programming. Interventions should prioritize engaging delivery, realistic scenarios, and interactive content. Participants also emphasized the need for information that addresses barriers to STI testing and contraceptive access, increases consent knowledge, and reduces stigma around sexual health.

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  • Cannabis for Harm Reduction: Exploring Mental Health and Other Motivational Factors Among Adults at Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder in Florida (2025)

    Authors: Jennifer Attonito, Jocelyn Mueller, & Karina Villalba 

    Main Findings: Higher AUD risk was more common among younger adults and those with greater depression and anxiety symptoms, ACE-Q scores, PTSD positivity, comorbid health conditions, and readiness to change. Cannabis was the most frequently reported alcohol-reduction strategy, with use predicted by high AUD severity, PTSD positivity, greater comorbidity, action-stage readiness, and higher ACE-Q scores, suggesting that substance substitution may reflect targeted therapeutic needs rather than general harm reduction.

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  • Age differences Among Women Cannabis Users: Psychiatric Conditions, Alcohol Use, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (2025)

    Authors: Jamia Sapp, Jocelyn Mueller, Jennifer Attonito, Karina Villalba, Christa Cook, & Aditya Chakraborty

    Main Findings: In women who reported lifetime cannabis use, younger women (ages 18–49) exhibited significantly higher levels of PTSD, anxiety, depression, alcohol use, and adverse childhood experiences compared to older women, suggesting that age is associated with patterns of cannabis use, with younger women experiencing greater psychological distress and heavier substance use compared to older women.

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  • Understanding Teens with Sexual Victimization Histories’ Perspectives on Dating and Sexual Health (2025)

    Authors: Jessica Blayney, Mia Thompson, Jocelyn Mueller, Peony Chum, Laura Widman & William George.

    Main Findings: Adolescent girls are learning about dating and sex primarily through peers, online platforms, and mainstream media, often filling gaps left by formal sex education. Participants emphasized the importance of emotional and physical readiness, consent, pleasure, and understanding their own needs in romantic relationships. Integrating teens’ perspectives in intervention programs can increase engagement, address misinformation, and teach protective strategies and decision-making skills more effectively.

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  • In the Heat-of-the-Moment: Incorporating Eroticized Assessment into Sexual Risk Reduction for Women with Sexual Victimization Histories (2025)    


    Authors: Jessica Blayney, Sharon Wang, Jocelyn Mueller, Kelly Cue Davis, William George, Michele Bedard-Gilligan & Phirom Yim. 

    Main Findings: Using design thinking - a method from user centered design - to develop a specialized technology-based alcohol and sexual risk intervention revealed that integrating women’s experiences and feedback early in development improved intervention relevance and satisfaction by fostering insight, reducing judgment, and encouraging change, resulting in intervention content that better meets participants “where they are at.”

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