A longitudinal study of the effects of coping motives, negative affect and drinking level on drinking problems among college students

Abstract

We examined among college students the interactive effects of drinking to cope (DTC) motivation, anxiety and depression symptoms, and drinking level in predicting drinking-related problems (DRPs). Using an Internet-based survey, participants (N = 844, 53% women) first reported on their drinking motives and monthly for up to three months, they reported on their drinking level, anxiety, depression, and DRPs. We found a three-way interaction between DTC motivation and average levels of drinking and anxiety (but not depression) in predicting DRPs. Specifically, among individuals with stronger DTC motives, higher mean levels of anxiety were associated with a stronger positive association between mean drinking levels and DRPs. We did not find three-way interactions in the models examining monthly changes in anxiety, depression, and drinking in predicting monthly DRPs. However, individuals high in DTC motivation showed a stronger positive association between changes in drinking level and DRPs. The results are discussed in terms of mechanisms related to attention-allocation and self-control resource depletion.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; drinking motives; drinking-related problems.

Figure 1

Interactive effects of drinking to cope, mean drinking and mean anxiety in predicting mean drinking-related problems (high and low levels of anxiety and drinking to cope correspond to values plus/minus 1 SD from the mean; high and low levels of drinking correspond to the 5^th and 95^th percentiles).

Figure 2

Interactive effects of drinking to cope and monthly changes in drinking in predicting monthly drinking-related problems (high and low levels of anxiety and drinking to cope correspond to values plus/minus 1 SD from the mean; high and low levels of drinking correspond to the 5^th and 95^th percentiles).