Mental resilience is not meaningfully associated with the frequency and severity of alcohol hangover

Previous research presented mixed results on the relationship between mental resilience, that is, the ability to adapt to stress of major life events, and the frequency and severity of experiencing alcohol hangovers. An online survey among n = 854 UK and Irish adults who consume alcohol was conducted to investigate this relationship. Mental resilience was assessed with the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 2). No significant correlations were found between mental resilience and alcohol consumption outcomes. Correlations between mental resilience and hangover frequency and severity were small and not significant (all: |r| < -0.1). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that mental resilience was not a significant predictor of hangover severity (BRS: B = 0.039; 95% CI: -0.127, 0.205; p = 0.644, and CD-RISC 2: B = -0.008; 95% CI: -0.077, 0.092; p = 0.841) or hangover frequency (BRS: B = -0.078; 95% CI: -0.168, 0.012, p = 0.091, and CD-RISC 2: B = -0.043; 95% CI: -0.089, 0.003; p = 0.065).Together, these findings suggest that any association between mental resilience and alcohol hangover outcomes is likely to be small and of limited practical relevance.