Social media, drinking motives, and alcohol use in young adults: a longitudinal mediation study

Alcohol use remains a significant problem among young adults (YAs), and growing evidence suggests exposure to alcohol-related content (ARC) on social media may contribute to increased alcohol use. ARC often portrays drinking as rewarding and/or normative, potentially shaping drinking motives, which are key predictors of alcohol use. Therefore, the present study sought to longitudinally examine if drinking motives mediate the associations between (a) exposure to peers' ARC on social media and (b) perceived number of friends posting ARC and YA alcohol use over an 8-week period. A sample of N = 266 YAs (ages 18-30) in the US who reported consuming ≥8 drinks per week completed baseline, 4- and 8-week follow-up surveys assessing ARC exposure, perceived number of peers posting ARC, drinking motives, and alcohol use. Eight longitudinal mediated growth curve models were tested, evaluating drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, conformity) as mediators. Both ARC exposure and perceived ARC posting were significantly associated with all four motives, with each predicting baseline alcohol use, however, none predicted longitudinal change in alcohol use. Coping and enhancement motives significantly mediated the association between ARC exposure and baseline alcohol use. All four motives significantly mediated the association between perceived number of friends posting ARC and baseline alcohol use, suggesting proximal peer cues may be especially influential. Findings highlight the roles of coping and enhancement motives in linking ARC exposure to YA drinking. Programs targeting motivational pathways and perceived peer norms and challenging social media-driven alcohol motivations may help reduce YA alcohol use.