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Putting things in context: Longitudinal relations between drinking contexts, drinking motives, and negative alcohol
Jack T Waddell1, William R Corbin1, Shane D Marohnic1
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University.
Summary
Solitary drinking increases the risk of negative alcohol consequences, particularly when individuals drink alone to cope with stress. Interventions targeting solitary drinkers may help prevent harmful drinking patterns.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Addiction Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Prior research suggests solitary drinking is linked to negative alcohol consequences.
- The causal relationship between solitary drinking, coping motives, and negative outcomes remains unclear due to cross-sectional study designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prospective relationship between solitary drinking, coping motives, and negative alcohol consequences in young adults.
- To determine if alcohol expectancies and drinking motives mediate the association between drinking contexts and later negative consequences.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study with 448 moderate to heavy drinking young adults across three waves over 12 months.
- Data collected on drinking contexts, tension reduction expectancies, drinking motives (coping), and negative alcohol consequences.
- Statistical analysis examined indirect effects of drinking contexts on negative consequences via mediators.
Main Results:
- Solitary drinking was indirectly associated with increased negative alcohol consequences through stronger coping motives.
- Tension reduction expectancies did not significantly mediate the relationship.
- Social drinking showed no significant direct or indirect association with later negative consequences.
Conclusions:
- Solitary drinking contexts pose a risk for negative alcohol consequences, primarily mediated by coping motives.
- These findings are consistent across diverse demographic groups (sex, race, ethnicity).
- Targeting solitary drinkers with coping skills interventions may mitigate the risk of developing negative alcohol-related outcomes.
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