Negative Affect Mediates the Relationship Between Boredom Proneness and Posttreatment Alcohol Use Problems

Boredom proneness reflects a tendency to experience the state of boredom, which is correlated with negative affect (NA) and self-regulatory failure. Boredom states may motivate individuals to seek satisfying, stimulating experiences. Empirically, it is unclear whether boredom proneness is a relevant predictor of alcohol problems. In this exploratory investigation, we measured boredom proneness as a predictor of alcohol problems following a course of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for AUD. We hypothesized that (a) boredom proneness would be associated with alcohol consumption pre- and post-treatment and (b) that boredom proneness would predict alcohol problems indirectly through NA and anxiety sensitivity. Data for these analyses were drawn from a larger study that provided CBT for AUD outpatients (R01 AA024628). Participants (n = 181) were women (49%) and men seeking AUD treatment. Boredom proneness was associated with baseline but not end-of-treatment alcohol consumption. An indirect effects model was used to determine whether pre-treatment boredom proneness was indirectly associated with end-of-treatment drinking problems through mid-treatment NA and baseline anxiety sensitivity. As hypothesized, boredom proneness was indirectly and significantly associated with increased end-of-treatment alcohol use problems via increased NA and anxiety sensitivity [95% CI .03-.11]. Boredom proneness appears to negatively impact AUD outcomes through continued vulnerability to negative emotion states.