Sex differences in alcohol-cued inhibitory control in a range of drinkers

Alcohol use disorder has primarily been a male-dominated problem, but gaps in alcohol use and consumption are closing, with females increasingly engaging in heavy and binge drinking. However, there has been limited research that has examined how alcohol-related cues affect inhibitory control differently in males and females. The present study investigated sex differences in alcohol-cued inhibitory control across a spectrum of drinkers. Participants (N = 267) aged 21-60 were recruited via Prolific and categorized as nondrinkers, light, moderate, or heavy drinkers based on self-reported alcohol consumption and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism classifications. Participants completed the Attentional Bias-Behavioral Activation task. Results revealed a significant Sex × Drinking Status × Go Condition interaction, F(3, 251) = 2.753, p = .043, η2 = 0.032. Specifically, within the alcohol go condition, heavy- and moderate-drinking females exhibited significantly greater inhibitory failures in the presence of alcohol cues compared to their male counterparts and to nondrinking and light-drinking females. By contrast, the same effects were not observed within the neutral go condition. These findings suggest that alcohol cues may disproportionately disrupt inhibitory control in female heavy drinkers. This study extends prior research by including all drinker types, distinguishing between moderate and heavy drinkers, and using a broad age range. These findings underscore the importance of considering sex-specific cognitive vulnerabilities in alcohol use and suggest that interventions targeting inhibitory control may be particularly beneficial for females. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).