Take Me Away: The Relationship Between Escape Drinking and Attentional Bias for Alcohol-Related Cues

Previous research has indicated that implicit attentional bias to alcohol-related cues may serve as a cognitive measure of susceptibility to alcohol dependence. The primary goal of the current study was to examine whether college students who drink to escape dysphoric emotions or moods (i.e., escape drinkers) have stronger attentional biases for alcohol-related cues than non-escape drinkers. Additionally, because previous research has shown that presentation time and content of smoking-related stimuli moderates differences between smokers\u27 and nonsmokers\u27 reaction times, this study sought to determine whether these effects generalized to alcohol-related stimuli. Participants who were identified as either escape (n = 74) or non-escape drinkers (n = 48) completed a dot-probe task in which alcohol-related pictures that contained humans interacting with the alcohol-related cues (active) or alcohol-related cues alone (inactive) were presented along with matched control pictures. These stimuli were presented for either 500 ms or 2000 ms to determine whether attentional biases occur as a function of initial or maintained attention to the alcohol-related cues. Escape drinkers displayed a significantly stronger attentional bias for alcohol-related inactive cues at longer presentation times (i.e., 2000 ms) compared to non-escape drinkers. This bias was independent of alcohol dependence and family history of alcoholism. These results suggest that in addition to dependence and family history, escape drinking is an important factor to consider when examining attentional biases to alcohol-related cues

Going Out or Staying In: How the COVID-19 Pandemic has Influenced College Students’ Drinking and Socializing

People’s daily social activities have been altered during the pandemic since they carry risk for contracting COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, drinking socially has been the highlight of many college students’ lives. This study explores how COVID-19 has impacted college students’ drinking and social activities. We examined samples from a large, southern, public university both prior (N=65, Mean age=22.15, SD=2.03, 78.87% female) and during COVID-19 (N=47, Mean age=22.42, SD=1.64, 75.47% female). Students filled out an alcohol-related Timeline Followback measure (TLFB), in which they recalled their drinking over the past 30 days using anchor events inputted into a calendar. The events were qualitatively coded and assigned a COVID-19-risk behavior (CRB) score based on the Texas Medical Association’s 9- point scale. Activities now known to contain risk for COVID-19 contraction were classified as follows: Moderate CRB (ranked 5-6; e.g., visiting friends), Moderate-High CRB (ranked 7; e.g., attending a party), and High CRB (ranked 8-9; e.g., going to a bar). Results revealed that students who engaged in CRBs that were ranked 5 and above were more likely to report greater number of drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days (e.g., peak drinks) and more drinks over the entire month (e.g., total monthly drinks). Although total alcohol consumption (e.g., peak drinks and total monthly drinks) remained unchanged, and students were less likely to partake in the highest ranked CRBs (e.g., ranked 8-9) during the pandemic, those who were participating in the highest ranked CRBs (e.g., ranked 8-9) may have been more likely to contract or spread COVID-19. Keywords: college students, COVID-19 risk behaviors, alcohol consumptio

Relationship Between Alcohol Dependence, Escape Drinking, and Early Neural Attention to Alcohol-related Cues

Rationale Previous work has indicated that implicit attentional biases to alcohol-related cues are indicative of susceptibility to alcohol dependence and escape drinking, or drinking to avoid dysphoric mood or emotions. Objective The goal of the current study was to examine whether alcohol dependence and escape drinking were associated with early neural attentional biases to alcohol cues. Methods Electroencephalography data were recorded from 54 college students who reported that they regularly drank alcohol, while they viewed alcohol and control pictures that contained human content (active) or no human content (inactive). Results Those who were alcohol dependent showed more neural attentional bias to the active alcohol-related stimuli than to the matched control stimuli early in processing, as indicated by N1 amplitude. Escape drinkers showed greater neural attention to the active alcohol cues than non-escape drinkers, as measured by larger N2 amplitudes. Conclusions While alcohol dependence is associated with enhanced automatic attentional biases early in processing, escape drinking is associated with more controlled attentional biases to active alcohol cues during a relatively later stage in processing. These findings reveal important information about the time-course of attentional processing in problem drinkers and have important implications for addiction models and treatment

Alcohol-induced risky sexual behavior among socially anxious drinkers

Heavy college drinking is associated with risky sexual behavior. It is therefore important to identify groups that are especially vulnerable to alcohol-influenced sexual risk (e.g., unplanned/unexpected sex). Undergraduates with elevated social anxiety represent one such vulnerable group given that social anxiety is associated with fear of intimacy and heavier drinking in intimate situations and situations with expected negative affect. Drinking to cope with negative affect induced by fear of intimacy might render socially anxious undergraduates vulnerable to risky sexual behavior, yet no known studies have examined this relationship. The current study tested whether social anxiety was related to alcohol-related sexual behaviors among current (past-month) drinking undergraduates (88.1% female; 77.6% non-Hispanic Caucasian) with higher (i.e., clinically elevated) social anxiety (HSA; n = 40) or lower (more normative) social anxiety (LSA; n = 94). Coping motives were examined as a moderator of the social anxiety-risky sexual behavior relationship. Gender was a covariate. HSA students reported more frequent alcohol-influenced sexual risk including regretted sexual situations, unprotected sex, sex with unwanted partners, unwanted sex, pressured/forced to have sex, and pressured someone to have sex. Coping motives significantly interacted with social anxiety group in the prediction of risky sexual behaviors except regretted sexual situations, such that HSA students with greater coping motives experienced more frequent sexual risk when drinking. Findings indicate that HSA students may be particularly vulnerable to risky sexual behaviors and suggest that coping motivated drinking may be an important target for therapeutic interventions geared toward reducing risky sexual behaviors among this high-risk population

Tears in your beer: Gender differences in coping drinking motives, depressive symptoms and drinking

This study evaluates associations between coping drinking motives (CDM; drinking to regulate negative affect), depressive symptoms, and drinking behavior and extends the literature by also taking into account gender differences. Two hundred forty-three college students (Mean age = 22.93, SD = 6.29, 82% female) participated. Based on previous research, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, particularly among those higher in depressive symptoms, as individuals experiencing higher levels of negative affect (i.e. depressive symptoms) and who drink to cope are likely to drink more and experience more alcohol-related problems. Lastly, based on established gender differences, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, especially among females higher in depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, findings suggested that CDMs were positively related to peak drinking, especially among those lower in depressive symptoms. Results further revealed a significant three-way interaction between CDM, depressive symptoms, and gender when predicting alcohol-related problems and drinking frequency. Specifically, we found that CDM were more strongly associated with problems among women who were lower in depressive symptoms; whereas CDM were more strongly associated with problems among men who were higher in depressive symptoms. These findings offer a more comprehensive depiction of the relationship between depressive symptoms, CDM, and drinking behavior by taking into account the importance of gender differences. These results provide additional support for considering gender when designing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies

Dyadic associations among drinking, self-concealment, gender, and alcohol-related problems in married couples.

Prior research suggests that relationship partners’ drinking behavior tends to be associated, and that lower marital quality is associated with greater experience of alcohol-related problems. The present study extends this literature by including self-concealment, or hiding secrets about one’s self, which has been shown to have negative consequences for both one’s self and one’s partner and has been associated with lower ability to control one’s drinking and higher levels of alcohol-related problems. We expected that husbands’ and wives’ drinking would be associated both with their own and with their partners’ experience of alcohol-related problems and that this association would differ based on gender and level of self-concealment. Specifically, we hypothesized that greater self-concealment would be associated with more alcohol-related problems but that this association would differ for husbands compared to wives. The sample consisted of 154 individuals (77 dyads; 50% female) who were married. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models revealed that both own drinking and partners’ drinking were associated with experiencing more alcohol-related problems. Furthermore, associations between drinking and alcohol-related problems were marginal for women lower in self-concealment and were significant for women and men higher in self-concealment as well as men lower in self-concealment. Thus, self-concealment appears to intensify associations between drinking and alcohol-related problems. In conclusion, self-concealment may be associated with heavy and hazardous drinking, perhaps especially so in couples that self-conceal from one another. Future research may consider self-concealment as a point of intervention and perhaps discern how self-concealment is associated with more drinking and alcohol-related problems

Dyadic associations among drinking, self-concealment, gender, and alcohol-related problems in married couples.

Prior research suggests that relationship partners’ drinking behavior tends to be associated, and that lower marital quality is associated with greater experience of alcohol-related problems. The present study extends this literature by including self-concealment, or hiding secrets about one’s self, which has been shown to have negative consequences for both one’s self and one’s partner and has been associated with lower ability to control one’s drinking and higher levels of alcohol-related problems. We expected that husbands’ and wives’ drinking would be associated both with their own and with their partners’ experience of alcohol-related problems and that this association would differ based on gender and level of self-concealment. Specifically, we hypothesized that greater self-concealment would be associated with more alcohol-related problems but that this association would differ for husbands compared to wives. The sample consisted of 154 individuals (77 dyads; 50% female) who were married. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models revealed that both own drinking and partners’ drinking were associated with experiencing more alcohol-related problems. Furthermore, associations between drinking and alcohol-related problems were marginal for women lower in self-concealment and were significant for women and men higher in self-concealment as well as men lower in self-concealment. Thus, self-concealment appears to intensify associations between drinking and alcohol-related problems. In conclusion, self-concealment may be associated with heavy and hazardous drinking, perhaps especially so in couples that self-conceal from one another. Future research may consider self-concealment as a point of intervention and perhaps discern how self-concealment is associated with more drinking and alcohol-related problems

Expressive writing as a brief intervention for reducing drinking intentions.

The present study examined the effectiveness of expressive writing in reducing drinking behavior. We expected that students prompted to write about negative drinking experiences would show greater decreases in future drinking intentions compared to the neutral and the positive writing conditions. We also expected that decreases in drinking intentions following the writing prompts might differ based on current drinking and AUDIT scores. Participants included 200 (76% female) undergraduates who completed measures of their current drinking behavior. They were then randomly assigned to either write about: a time when they had a lot to drink that was a good time (Positive); a time when they had a lot to drink that was a bad time (Negative); or their first day of college (Neutral), followed by measures assessing intended drinking over the next three months. Results revealed that participants intended to drink significantly fewer drinks per week and engage in marginally fewer heavy drinking occasions after writing about a negative drinking occasion when compared to control. Interactions provided mixed findings suggesting that writing about a positive event was associated with higher drinking intentions for heavier drinkers. Writing about a negative event was associated with higher intentions among heavier drinkers, but lower intentions among those with higher AUDIT scores. This research builds on previous expressive writing interventions by applying this technique to undergraduate drinkers. Preliminary results provide some support for this innovative strategy but also suggest the need for further refinement, especially with heavier drinkers

Drink refusal self-efficacy and implicit drinking identity: An evaluation of moderators of the relationship between self-awareness and drinking behavior

This study evaluated the roles of drink refusal self-efficacy (DRSE), implicit drinking identity, and self-awareness in drinking. Self-awareness (assessed by public and private self-consciousness), DRSE, and implicit drinking identity (measured via an implicit association test; IAT) were expected to interact in predicting self-reported drinking. This research was designed to consider mixed findings related to self-awareness and drinking. Hypotheses were: 1) alcohol-related outcomes would be negatively associated with self-awareness; 2) implicit drinking identity would moderate the association between self-awareness and alcohol consumption; and 3) this association would depend on whether participants were higher or lower in drink refusal self-efficacy. Participants included 218 undergraduate students. Results revealed that drinking behavior was not associated with self-awareness but was positively associated with implicit drinking identity. Of the four drinking variables (peak drinking, drinking frequency, drinks per week, and alcohol-related problems), only alcohol-related problems were positively associated with self-awareness. Furthermore, a significant two-way interaction emerged between private (but not public) self-consciousness and drinking identity to predict drinking. Consistent with expectations, three-way interactions emerged between self-awareness, implicit drinking identity, and DRSE in predicting drinking. For participants low in DRSE: 1) high implicit drinking identity was associated with greater drinking frequency when private self-consciousness was low; and 2) high implicit drinking identity was associated with greater drinks per week and peak drinks when public self-consciousness was low. This suggests that alcohol-related IATs may be useful tools in predicting drinking, particularly among those low in self-awareness and DRSE