Coping styles in abstainers from alcohol

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Understanding the psychological profiles of individuals who abstain from alcohol is crucial for public health initiatives.
• Previous research has explored various factors associated with alcohol consumption patterns, but a comprehensive analysis of coping styles in abstainers is less common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare basic coping styles, mental absorption, sensation seeking, and affect inhibition between a group of alcohol abstainers and moderate drinkers.
• To identify specific psychological traits that differentiate individuals who choose to abstain from alcohol.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized the Millon Behavior Health Inventory for coping styles, the Tellegen Absorption Scale for mental absorption, the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) for sensation seeking, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS) for affect inhibition.
• A group of 55 alcohol abstainers was compared to an age-equivalent group of 176 moderate drinkers.

Main Results:

• Alcohol abstainers demonstrated significantly higher scores on a repressive coping style ('respectful') and lower scores on sociability compared to moderate drinkers.
• The abstainer group exhibited lower scores on the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) and higher scores on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS), indicating reduced sensation seeking and increased affect inhibition.
• No significant differences were found in mental absorption between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that alcohol abstainers may employ an affect-inhibiting, passive-ambivalent coping style.
• This coping style appears to be associated with denial of hostility, rigid impulse control, and a tendency towards social conformity.