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The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Problematic drinking and physiological responses among female college students.
Stephanie Wemm1, Amanda Fanean, Alicia Baker
1Psychology Department, SUNY University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA.
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)
|January 22, 2013
Summary
College women who drink to cope with stress show altered stress hormone levels and impaired physiological responses. This drinking behavior is linked to negative alcohol consequences, particularly in females.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Problematic drinking is prevalent among college students, increasing risks for later alcohol dependence, especially in females.
- Understanding the interplay between coping styles, stress responses, and alcohol-related consequences is crucial for this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess female college students' vulnerability to alcohol-related consequences.
- To compare self-reported drinking behaviors with coping styles and physiological/behavioral stress responses.
Main Methods:
- Collected cardiovascular and salivary data (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone) from 88 female students before and after a challenging anagram task.
- Measured Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activity and stress responses.
- Assessed distress tolerance through a task with an unsolvable anagram.
Main Results:
- 70% of participants reported drinking, with most engaging in binge drinking.
- Excessive alcohol use correlated with impaired physiological stress responses.
- Students drinking to cope with stress exhibited higher basal cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (HPA axis over-regulation) but a blunted stress response.
- Self-reported drinking consequences were linked to drinking motives and lower dehydroepiandrosterone levels.
Conclusions:
- Higher cortisol levels mediate the link between drinking motives and problematic drinking in college women.
- Drinking to cope with stress in college females is associated with dysregulated HPA axis activity and heightened vulnerability to alcohol-related issues.
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