Dr Nina Pocuca
Research Fellow
School of Psychology
Affiliate of National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research
National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research
Researcher biography
Nina Pocuca is a Research Fellow in the School of Psychology, The University of Queensland. Nina works on the Meaningful Outcomes in Substance use Treatments Centre of Research Excellence, which aims to implement routine outcome measures and feedback (ROMF) in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector to increase its capacity to deliver evidence-based and cost-effective care.
Nina completed her PhD with the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research at Queensland University of Technology (2019), where her research examined the interplay between personality and peer norms, on alcohol use in young people. Following her PhD, Nina completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California San Diego (UCSD; 2019-2020) and the University of Montreal (2020-2022). Nina's postdoctoral research at UCSD focused on the association between substance use and cognitive function, while her Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Montreal used 25+ years of longitudinal data to examine factors associated with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Nina's interests lie in examining factors associated with co-occurring mental health and substance use, understanding the association between substance use and cognitive function, and translating research findings stemming from these areas into practice.
Current projects include:
- Projects as part of the Meaningful Outcomes in Substance use Treatments Centre of Research Excellence
- Co-design and acceptability testing of a drug checking/ pill testing brief intervention
- Using longitudinal birth cohort data to examine the link between alcohol, cannabis and polysubstance use, and cognitive development in youth (collaboration with researchers at the University of Montreal)
Book Chapter
Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie, Pocuca, Nina and Peeters, Margot (2025). Adolescent Development and
Vulnerability for Addiction. The Sage Handbook of Addiction Psychology. (pp. 210-225) London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781529673913.n14
Journal Articles
Pocuca, Nina, Dakin, Brodie C., Puljevic, Cheneal, Francis, Cameron, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Barnett, Anthony and Hides, Leanne (2025). Understanding Drug and Alcohol Staff Perspectives on the Barriers and Facilitators to Drug Checking: A Qualitative Study. Drug and Alcohol Review. doi: 10.1111/dar.14073
Hamaoui, Jad, Pocuca, Nina, Ditoma, Mikaela, Héguy, Camille, Simard, Cléa, Aubin, Raphael, Lucic, Anastasia and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2025). Age of onset of cannabis use and substance use problems: A systematic review of prospective studies. Addictive Behaviors, 163 108259, 108259-163. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108259
Pocuca, Nina, Campbell, Gabrielle, Barnett, Anthony, Beck, Alison K., Ellem, Rhiannon, Quinn, Catherine A., Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L., Connor, Jason P., Marsden, John, Chan, Gary C. K., Connelly, Luke, Lenzen, Sabrina, Farrell, Michael, Stirling, Robert, Hudson, Suzie and Hides, Leanne (2025). A mixed‐methods study of staff perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of patient‐reported routine outcome measures and feedback in alcohol and other drug treatment. Drug and Alcohol Review, 44 (3), 759-771. doi: 10.1111/dar.14007
Pocuca, Nina, Campbell, Gabrielle, Ellem, Rhiannon, Newland, Grace, Walter, Zoe, Dignan, Julie, Stokes, Holly and Hides, Leanne (2025). Three-month polysubstance use patterns among people enrolled in outpatient treatment for methamphetamine use. Substance Use and Misuse, 60 (5), 775-785. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2447437
Brody, Arthur L., Mischel, Anna K., Sanavi, Andre Y., Wong, Alvin, Bahn, Ji Hye, Minassian, Arpi, Morgan, Erin E., Rana, Brinda, Hoh, Carl K., Vera, David R., Kotta, Kishore K., Miranda, Alannah H., Pocuca, Nina, Walter, Thomas J., Guggino, Natalie, Beverly-Aylwin, Renee, Meyer, Jeffrey H., Vasdev, Neil and Young, Jared W. (2025). Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced neuroinflammation and better cognitive control in people living with HIV. Neuropsychopharmacology, 50 (4) 734, 695-704. doi: 10.1038/s41386-024-02035-6
Campbell, Gabrielle, Pocuca, Nina, Newland, Grace, Ellem, Rhiannon, Glasgow, Sophia, Dignan, Julie, Stokes, Holly and Hides, Leanne (2024). Clinical profiles of people enrolling in alcohol and other drug treatment in Australia: Do youth differ from young adults and adults?. Drug and Alcohol Review, 43 (7), 2010-2020. doi: 10.1111/dar.13925
Pocuca, Nina, Tisdale, Calvert, Campbell, Gabrielle, Beck, Alison K., Ellem, Rhiannon, Quinn, Catherine A., Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L., Connor, Jason P., Marsden, John, Chan, Gary C. K., Connelly, Luke, Lenzen, Sabrina, Farrell, Michael and Hides, Leanne (2024). Routine outcome monitoring and feedback in alcohol and other drug treatment: A qualitative study of client perspectives on implementation. Drug and Alcohol Review, 44 (1), 226-238. doi: 10.1111/dar.13962
Davidson, Lily, Piatkowski, Timothy, Pocuca, Nina and Hides, Leanne (2024). Modelling the relationship between environmental and social cognitive determinants of risky drinking among emerging adults. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 22 (4), 2166-2185. doi: 10.1007/s11469-022-00978-9
Leung, Janni, Ellem, Rhiannon, Glasgow, Sophia, Rowe, Amy-Leigh, Gardner, Lauren, Davidson, Lily, Campbell, Gabrielle, Pocuca, Nina, Tisdale, Calvert, Chan, Gary and Hides, Leanne (2024). The use and knowledge around vaping and their correlates among university students—a cross-sectional Australian Study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-17. doi: 10.1007/s11469-024-01281-5
Hides, Leanne, Pocuca, Nina, Quinn, Catherine, Kavanagh, David and Johnson, Daniel (2024). The RAW wellbeing program for adolescents at risk of disengaging from education, employment, and training. Journal of Positive Psychology, 20 (1), 83-93. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2024.2322431
Acland, E. L., Pocuca, N., Paquin, S., Boivin, M., Ouellet-Morin, I., Andlauer, T. F. M., Gouin, J. P., Côté, S. M., Tremblay, R. E., Geoffroy, M. and Castellanos-Ryan, N. (2024). Polygenic risk and hostile environments: Links to stable and dynamic antisocial behaviors across adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 37 (1), 464-476. doi: 10.1017/s095457942400004x
Pocuca, Nina, Acland, Erinn, Geoffroy, Marie-Claude, Orri, Massimiliano, Chadi, Nicholas, Séguin, Jean R., Parent, Sophie, Boivin, Michel, Tremblay, Richard E., Côté, Sylvana M. and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2023). Emotion dysregulation is associated with increased problem cannabis use among emerging adults during COVID-19. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 85 (2), 261-271. doi: 10.15288/jsad.23-00144
Pocuca, Nina, Geoffroy, Marie-Claude, Paquin, Stéphane, Archambault, Kim, Séguin, Jean R., Parent, Sophie, Boivin, Michel, Tremblay, Richard E., Côté, Sylvana and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2023). A thorough investigation of the bifactor model of psychopathology in a representative birth cohort: Testing internal and predictive validity to inform models of comorbidity. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132 (2), 123-134. doi: 10.1037/abn0000816
Pocuca, Nina, Chadi, Nicholas, Vergunst, Francis, Parent, Sophie, Côté, Sylvana. M., Boivin, Michel, Tremblay, Richard E., Séguin, Jean R. and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2023). Prospective polysubstance use profiles among adolescents with early-onset cannabis use, and their association with cannabis outcomes in emerging adulthood. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 22 (4), 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s11469-022-01005-7
Pocuca, Nina, Parent, Sophie, Côté, Sylvana, Boivin, Michel, Tremblay, Richard E., Séguin, Jean R. and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2022). The moderating role of sex and self-, teacher-, and father-reported ADHD hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, on the association between early adolescent internalizing symptoms and substance use. Addictive Behaviors, 135 107437, 107437. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107437
Livet, Audrey, Pétrin‐Pomerleau, Philippe, Pocuca, Nina, Afzali, Mohammad H., Potvin, Stephane and Conrod, Patricia J. (2022). Development of the French version of the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale in a non‐clinical sample of young adults. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 17 (2), 141-148. doi: 10.1111/eip.13297
Pocuca, Nina, London-Nadeau, Kira, Geoffroy, Marie-Claude, Chadi, Nicholas, Séguin, Jean R., Parent, Sophie, Boivin, Michel, Tremblay, Richard E., Côté, Sylvana M. and Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie (2022). Changes in emerging adults’ alcohol and cannabis use from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a prospective birth cohort. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36 (7), 786-797. doi: 10.1037/adb0000826
Walter, Zoe, Quinn, Catherine A., Dingle, Genevieve, Pocuca, Nina, Baker, Amanda L., Beck, Alison, De Andrade, Dominique, Toombs, Maree and Hides, Leanne (2021). FullFix: a randomised controlled trial of a telephone delivered transdiagnostic intervention for comorbid substance and mental health problems in young people. BMJ Open, 11 (10) e045607, e045607. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045607
Pocuca, Nina, Walter, T. Jordan, Minassian, Arpi, Young, Jared W., Geyer, Mark A. and Perry, William (2021). The effects of cannabis use on cognitive function in healthy aging: a systematic scoping review. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 36 (5), 673-685. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acaa105
Jordan Walter, T., Pocuca, Nina, Young, Jared W., Geyer, Mark A., Minassian, Arpi and Perry, William (2021). The relationship between cannabis use and cognition in people with bipolar disorder: a systematic scoping review. Psychiatry Research, 297 113695, 113695. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113695
Hides, Leanne, Quinn, Catherine, Chan, Gary, Cotton, Susan, Pocuca, Nina, Connor, Jason P., Witkiewitz, Katie, Daglish, Mark R. C., Young, Ross Mc D. and Stoyanov, Stoyan (2021). Telephone‐based motivational interviewing enhanced with individualised personality‐specific coping skills training for young people with alcohol‐related injuries and illnesses accessing emergency or rest/recovery services: a randomized controlled trial (QuikFix). Addiction, 116 (3), 474-484. doi: 10.1111/add.15146
Pocuca, Nina, Young, Jared W., MacQueen, David A., Letendre, Scott, Heaton, Robert K., Geyer, Mark A., Perry, William, Grant, Igor and Minassian, Arpi (2020). Sustained attention and vigilance deficits associated with HIV and a history of methamphetamine dependence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 215 108245, 108245. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108245
Pocuca, Nina, Quinn, Catherine A., Do, Lucia and Hides, Leanne (2020). Social cognitive moderators of the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol outcomes in young people. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 81 (1), 95-103. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2020.81.95
Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Quinn, Catherine A., White, Melanie J., Mewton, Louise and Loxton, Natalie J. (2019). An exploratory study of the relationship between neuroticism and problematic drinking in emerging adulthood, and the moderating effect of social anxiety. Personality and Individual Differences, 145, 132-144. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.022
Quinn, Catherine A., Archibald, Karis, Nykiel, Luke, Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Allan, Julaine and Moloney, Gerard (2019). Does self-efficacy moderate the effect of gambling advertising on problem gambling behaviors?. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33 (5), 503-509. doi: 10.1037/adb0000485
Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Quinn, Catherine A., White, Melanie J., Mewton, Louise, Newton, Nicola Clare, Slade, Tim, Chapman, Cath, Teesson, Maree, Andrews, Gavin, Allsop, Steve and McBride, Nyanda (2019). The interactive effects of perceived peer drinking and personality profiles on adolescent drinking: a prospective cohort study. Addiction, 114 (3), 450-461. doi: 10.1111/add.14469
Quinn, Catherine A., Hides, Leanne, de Andrade, Dominique, Pocuca, Nina, Wilson, Megan and Kavanagh, David J. (2019). Impact of a brief psychoeducational intervention for reducing alcohol use and related harm in school leavers. Drug and Alcohol Review, 38 (4) dar.12920, 339-348. doi: 10.1111/dar.12920
Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Quinn, Catherine A., White, Melanie J., Mewton, Louise, Newton, Nicola Clare, Slade, Tim, Chapman, Cath, Andrews, Gavin, Teesson, Maree, Allsop, Steve and McBride, Nyanda (2017). The interactive effects of personality profiles and perceived peer drinking on early adolescent drinking. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 32 (2), 230-236. doi: 10.1037/adb0000322
Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Zelenko, Oksana, Quek, Lake-Hui, Stoyanov, Stoyan, Tulloch, Kristen, Johnson, Daniel, Tjondronegoro, Dian and Kavanagh, David J. (2016). Erratum: Corrigendum to “Initial prototype testing of Ray's Night Out: A new mobile app targeting risky drinking in young people” (Computers in Human Behavior (2016) 54 (207–214) (S0747563215300443) (10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.033)). Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 939-939. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.046
Pocuca, Nina, Hides, Leanne, Zelenko, Oksana, Quek, Lake-Hui, Stoyanov, Stoyan, Tulloch, Kristen, Johnson, Daniel, Tjondronegoro, Dian and Kavanagh, David J. (2016). Initial prototype testing of Ray's Night Out: a new mobile app targeting risky drinking in young people. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 207-214. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.033
Conference Papers
Pocuca, Nina, Campbell, Gabrielle, Morris, Leith, Ellem, Rhiannon, Newland, Grace, Walter, Zoe, Stokes, Holly, Dignan, Julie, Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L., Beck, Alison K. and Hides, Leanne (2023). Three-month polysubstance use patterns among people enrolled in outpatient treatment for methamphetamine use. APSAD 2023 Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 12-15 November 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Pocuca, Nina, Ellem, Rhiannon, Campbell, Gabrielle, Beck, Alison K., Tisdale, Calvert, Dehaine, Rayan, Bushnell, Matthew, Morris, Leith, Newland, Grace, Walter, Zoe, Stokes, Holly, Dignan, Julie, Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L. and Hides, Leanne (2023). Barriers, facilitators and key attributes driving routine outcome monitoring and feedback uptake-client and staff perspectives. APSAD 2023 Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 12-15 November 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Morris, Leith, Sunley, Angela, Pocuca, Nina, Ellem, Rhiannon, Campbell, Gabrielle, Newland, Grace, Stokes, Holly, Kerswell, Nick and Hides, Leanne (2023). First Step: age group and service outcomes of implementing a brief intervention in a community alcohol and other drugs service. APSAD 2023 Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 12-15 November 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Walter, Zoe, O'Sullivan, Caitlin, Pocuca, Nina and Hides, Leanne (2023). Investigating parent beliefs, strengths and perceptions of behaviours that parents utilise to protect their children from their substance use. APSAD 2023 Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 12-15 November 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/dar.13749
Beck, Alison K., Larance, Briony, Hides, Leanne, Campbell, Gabrielle, Baker, Amanda L., Pocuca, Nina and Kelly, Peter J. (2023). Maximising clinical impact using routine outcome monitoring among people who use alcohol and other drugs. APSAD 2023 Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 12–15 November 2023. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Quinn, Catherine A., Hides, Leanne, Walters, Zoe, Riordan, Benjamin C., De Andrade, Dominique, Connor, Jason P., Merrill, Jennifer E., Ward, Rose Marie, Chan, Gary C. K., Pocuca, Nina, Cotton, Susan, Daglish, Mark, Mergard, Lance, Young, Ross and Kavanagh, David (2019). Symposium: novel approaches to address the complexities of youth substance use. APSAD 2019 Conference, Hobart, TAS Australia, 10–13 November 2019. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
Pocuca, N., Hides, L., Quinn, C. A., Mewton, L., Newton, N. C., Slade, T., Chapman, C., Andrews, G., Teesson, M., Birrell, L., Allsop, S. and McBride, N. (2019). The moderating effect of impulsivity on the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and drinking to intoxication in young people. 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research-Society-on-Alcoholism (RSA), Minneapolis, MN USA, 22-26 June 2019. Hoboken, NJ USA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Quinn, Catherine, Nykiel, Luke, Pocuca, Nina, Allan, Julaine, Moloney, Gerard and Hides, Leanne (2019). Latent class analysis of trauma, PTSD, addictive behaviours and mental health concerns. 16th European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 14-16 June 2019. Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1613836
Thesis
Pocuca, Nina (2019). Examination of Personality Risk Profiles and Alcohol Use in Young People. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology. doi: 10.5204/thesis.eprints.126529