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. 2015 Sep;39(9):1749-55.
doi: 10.1111/acer.12799. Epub 2015 Jul 24.

A Longitudinal Examination of the Associations Between Shyness, Drinking Motives, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-Related Problems

Chelsie M Young  1 , Angelo M DiBello  1 , Zachary K Traylor  1 , Michael J Zvolensky  1   2 , Clayton Neighbors  1
Affiliations

A Longitudinal Examination of the Associations Between Shyness, Drinking Motives, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-Related Problems

Chelsie M Young et al. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The current study evaluated the roles of drinking motives and shyness in predicting problem alcohol use over 2 years.

Methods: First-year college student drinkers (n = 818) completed assessments of alcohol use and related problems, shyness, and drinking motives every 6 months over a 2-year period.

Results: Generalized linear mixed models indicated that shyness was associated with less drinking, but more alcohol-related problems. Further, shyness was associated with coping, conformity, and enhancement drinking motives, but was not associated with social drinking motives. However, when examining coping motives, moderation analyses revealed that social drinking motives were more strongly associated with coping motives among individuals higher in shyness. In addition, coping, conformity, and enhancement motives, but not social motives, mediated associations between shyness and alcohol-related problems over time. Finally, coping motives mediated the association between the interaction of shyness and social motives and alcohol-related problems.

Conclusions: Together, the results suggest that shy individuals may drink to reduce negative affect, increase positive affect, and fit in with others in social situations, which may then contribute to greater risk for subsequent alcohol-related problems.

Keywords: Conformity Motives; Coping Motives; Enhancement Motives; Social Anxiety; Social Motives.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Social drinking motives are positively associated with coping drinking motives, especially for individuals higher in shyness, controlling for sex, time, and drinking.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Coping, conformity, and enhancement motives (but not social motives) mediate associations between shyness and alcohol-related problems controlling for sex, time, and drinking.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Coping motives mediate associations between the interaction of shyness and social motives and alcohol-related problems controlling for sex, time, and drinking.
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