Impulsivity increases risk for coping-motivated drinking in undergraduates with elevated social anxiety

According to theory, those high in social anxiety (SA) are at risk for drinking alcohol for coping and conformity motives, which in turn lead to alcohol use and related problems. Empirical tests of this risk pathway in non-clinical samples have produced mixed results. Although those high on SA may drink to cope with anxiety and to reduce the likelihood of social rejection, they may also avoid drinking for fear of embarrassing themselves when intoxicated. Central to alcohol use by those high in SA is a temporary disregard of alcohol's potentially negative consequences. Accordingly, we hypothesized that SA would positively predict alcohol use and problems, but only at high levels of impulsivity (IMP). We expected these interactive effects to be mediated by coping and conformity motives. Undergraduates (N = 461) completed self-reports. Partially supporting hypotheses, IMP moderated the association between SA and alcohol-related problems (but not use), such that SA predicted problems only at high IMP. This interactive effect was mediated by coping (but not conformity) motives, such that SA positively predicted coping motives (especially at high IMP), which in turn predicted problems. Results suggest that IMP and coping motives clarify SA-related drinking. Clinical interventions may consider targeting IMP.