Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Wheel Running and Environmental Complexity as a Therapeutic Intervention in an Animal Model of FASD
Published on: February 2, 2017
Growth Mindsets of Alcoholism Buffer Against Deleterious Effects of Drinking Identity on Problem Drinking Over Time
Kristen P Lindgren1, Jeni L Burnette2, Crystal L Hoyt3
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Background:
Explicit (self-report) and implicit (indirect) measures of identification with drinking alcohol-drinking identity-are associated with drinking outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally. A key next step is to identify moderators. The current study evaluated a promising moderator: mindsets of alcoholism. Believing people can change (growth mindset) is associated with adaptive outcomes in domains such as mental health, but research is scant regarding mindsets related to problematic drinking. We evaluated whether individuals' alcoholism mindsets moderated the drinking identity to drinking relation as part of a larger, longitudinal web-based study of heavy drinkers.
Methods:
A total of 422 US college graduates (59% women) who were heavy drinkers completed measures assessing drinking identity, mindsets, and drinking outcomes (consumption, problems, and risk of alcohol use disorder). Drinking outcomes were assessed at 2 subsequent assessments occurring 4 and 8 months after the initial assessment.
Results:
Drinking identity was positively associated with drinking outcomes, and drinking outcomes reduced following college graduation. Alcoholism mindsets were significantly and negatively correlated with all drinking outcomes. Mindsets were only conditionally associated with drinking behaviors over time in models that evaluated mindsets, drinking identity measures, and their interaction. Mindsets moderated the relationship between drinking identity and changes in drinking behaviors, but the relation was specific to explicit drinking identity and consumption. Among participants with stronger drinking identity, those who had stronger (vs. weaker) growth mindsets reported reduction in consumption over time.
Conclusions:
Growth mindsets of alcoholism appear adaptive for college graduate heavy drinkers with a stronger drinking identity. Mindsets are amenable to interventions; targeting them may be useful in heavy-drinking college graduates.
More Related Videos
08:05A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
05:12Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Growth versus Fixed Mindset
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification