Quantifying heterogeneity in mood-alcohol relationships with idiographic causal models

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Addiction Science
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies show mixed results on whether individuals drink alcohol in response to positive and negative moods.
• Existing theories often assume uniform mood-to-alcohol drinking patterns across individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine mood-to-alcohol relationships idiographically.
• To quantify the prevalence and intensity of mood-alcohol connections in individuals.

Main Methods:

• Two EMA samples were used: 96 heavy-drinking college students and 19 young adults in an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for drinking to cope.
• Mood and alcohol use were monitored multiple times daily for 4-6 weeks.
• Mood-alcohol links were analyzed using multilevel modeling, group causal modeling, and idiographic causal modeling.

Main Results:

• Group-level analyses indicated drinking in response to positive moods only.
• Idiographic analyses showed only 63% (sample 1) and 21% (sample 2) drank after positive moods.
• A substantial proportion of participants (24%-58%) did not drink in response to either mood, and very few (5%-16%) drank in response to negative moods.

Conclusions:

• Traditional group-level analyses fail to capture the heterogeneity in mood-alcohol relationships for many individuals.
• Idiographic causal analyses are essential for developing more accurate theories of mood and alcohol use.
• Idiographic models hold potential for improving psychosocial treatments by informing clinical practice.