Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
9.8K
Negative Affect, Harassment and Problematic Alcohol Use in Young Adults
Hagar Hallihan1, Hanna Ghalyoun2,3, Kristin L Moilanen4
1Department of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Substance Use & Misuse
|May 30, 2024
Summary
Exposure to sexual and generalized harassment in college students can lead to alcohol misuse, with negative affect acting as a key mediator. This highlights the lasting impact of harassment on young adults' drinking behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Research indicates harassment (sexual, generalized, bullying) impacts negative affect and alcohol use.
- The pathway from harassment to alcohol consumption via negative affect in young adults is less understood.
- This study investigates negative affect as a mediator between school harassment and alcohol misuse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the mediating role of negative affect in the relationship between sexual and generalized harassment and alcohol misuse among college freshmen.
- To understand the long-term effects of early college harassment on subsequent alcohol-related problems.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 2899 incoming freshmen completed web-based surveys from fall 2011.
- Data collected included demographics, sexual and generalized harassment experiences (T0-T2), negative affect (T3), and alcohol misuse indicators (T0, T4, T5).
- Hybrid path models were used to analyze the mediating effects of negative affect.
Main Results:
- Negative affect partially mediated the association between both sexual and generalized harassment and later problems associated with drinking.
- A small but significant indirect effect was found for sexual harassment (beta = 0.05) and generalized harassment (beta = 0.03).
- No significant indirect effects were observed for binge drinking or drinking to intoxication.
Conclusions:
- Elevated negative affect resulting from harassment contributes to problematic alcohol use in young adults.
- The impact of harassment on alcohol consumption is partly explained by its persistent effects on negative emotional pathways.
- Findings underscore the importance of addressing harassment and its psychological consequences to mitigate alcohol misuse in college populations.
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
8.4K
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.4K
01:30Stress and Mental Health
102
Chronic stress profoundly affects mental health, significantly influencing mood, behavior, and overall quality of life. Research closely links chronic stress with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Ongoing exposure to stress can lead to physiological and psychological changes, initiating a cycle of emotional distress and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
102
01:26Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
28
Stress often leads to unhealthy habits like smoking, excessive drinking, and overeating, which offer short-term relief but ultimately increase long-term health risks. These behaviors create a cycle that temporarily lowers stress levels but can result in severe long-term health consequences. Breaking these habits is essential to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve overall well-being. Three primary changes that support better health include quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake,...
28
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
39.0K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
39.0K
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
90.2K
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...
90.2K
01:28Conduct Disorder
31
Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...
31