TY - JOUR
T1 - A multimodal, longitudinal investigation of alcohol's emotional rewards and drinking over time in young adults
AU - Venerable, Walter J.
AU - Fairbairn, Catharine E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2020/8
Y1 - 2020/8
N2 - Theories of alcohol use disorder (AUD) have long suggested that alcohol's emotional rewards play a key role in reinforcing problematic drinking. Studies employing survey methods, in which participants recall and aggregate their experiences with alcohol in a single questionnaire, indicate that self-reported expectancies and motivations surrounding alcohol's emotional rewards predict problematic drinking trajectories over time. The current study is the first to combine laboratory alcohol-administration, ambulatory methods, and longitudinal follow-ups to assess whether alcohol's ability to enhance positive mood and reduce negative mood predicts later drinking problems. Sixty young heavy social drinkers (50% female) participated in laboratory-based alcohol-administration, attending both alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration [BAC].08%) and no-alcohol laboratory sessions. Forty-eight of these participants also wore transdermal alcohol monitors and completed mood surveys outside the laboratory for 7 days. Participants reported on their drinking at 18-month follow-up (90% compliance). Controlling for baseline drinking, greater negative mood reduction from alcohol at baseline predicted more drinking problems at follow-up, an effect that emerged as consistent across methods capturing alcohol's emotional rewards in the laboratory, b =-.24, p =.02, as well as via ambulatory methods, b =-3.14, p =.01. Greater positive mood enhancement from alcohol, captured via laboratory methods, also predicted drinking problems, b =.16, p =.03, and binge drinking, b = 3.22, p =.02, at follow-up. Models examining drinking frequency/quantity were nonsignificant. Results provide support for emotional reward as a potential factor in the development of problematic drinking.
AB - Theories of alcohol use disorder (AUD) have long suggested that alcohol's emotional rewards play a key role in reinforcing problematic drinking. Studies employing survey methods, in which participants recall and aggregate their experiences with alcohol in a single questionnaire, indicate that self-reported expectancies and motivations surrounding alcohol's emotional rewards predict problematic drinking trajectories over time. The current study is the first to combine laboratory alcohol-administration, ambulatory methods, and longitudinal follow-ups to assess whether alcohol's ability to enhance positive mood and reduce negative mood predicts later drinking problems. Sixty young heavy social drinkers (50% female) participated in laboratory-based alcohol-administration, attending both alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration [BAC].08%) and no-alcohol laboratory sessions. Forty-eight of these participants also wore transdermal alcohol monitors and completed mood surveys outside the laboratory for 7 days. Participants reported on their drinking at 18-month follow-up (90% compliance). Controlling for baseline drinking, greater negative mood reduction from alcohol at baseline predicted more drinking problems at follow-up, an effect that emerged as consistent across methods capturing alcohol's emotional rewards in the laboratory, b =-.24, p =.02, as well as via ambulatory methods, b =-3.14, p =.01. Greater positive mood enhancement from alcohol, captured via laboratory methods, also predicted drinking problems, b =.16, p =.03, and binge drinking, b = 3.22, p =.02, at follow-up. Models examining drinking frequency/quantity were nonsignificant. Results provide support for emotional reward as a potential factor in the development of problematic drinking.
KW - Alcohol
KW - Ambulatory
KW - Emotion
KW - Laboratory
KW - Longitudinal
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U2 - 10.1037/adb0000567
DO - 10.1037/adb0000567
M3 - Article
C2 - 32118462
AN - SCOPUS:85081324896
SN - 0893-164X
VL - 34
SP - 601
EP - 612
JO - Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
JF - Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
IS - 5
ER -