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. 2017;35(2):96-112.
doi: 10.1080/07347324.2017.1288487. Epub 2017 Mar 20.

Does Age Moderate the Effect of Spirituality/Religiousness in Accounting for Alcoholics Anonymous Benefit?

K S Montes  1 , J S Tonigan  1
Affiliations

Does Age Moderate the Effect of Spirituality/Religiousness in Accounting for Alcoholics Anonymous Benefit?

K S Montes et al. Alcohol Treat Q. 2017.

Abstract

Objective: Gains in spiritual/religious (S/R) practices among Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members are associated with reductions in drinking. This study had the following aims: (a) examine spirituality/religiousness as a mediator of the relationship between AA attendance and reductions in drinking behavior to replicate past research findings and to (b) examine age-cohort as a moderator of the mediational analyses given that empirical evidence (e.g., generational differences in spirituality) suggests that age may influence the acquisition of gains in spirituality/religiousness during AA as well as the expression of these gains on drinking behavior.

Method: Measures were administered to 253 participants recruited from community-based AA and outpatient treatment programs at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12-months, and 210 (83%) participants provided complete data to test study aims.

Results: Gains in S/R practices mediated the relationship between AA attendance and increased abstinence, but not drinking intensity. Simple slopes analyses indicated a positive association between AA attendance and gains in S/R practices among younger AA affiliates but not older AA affiliates in the moderated-mediational analyses. However, age was not found to moderate the global mediational effect.

Conclusions: The results from the current study inform efforts to increase positive change in AA affiliates' drinking behavior by highlighting specific aspects of S/R practices that should be targeted based on the age of an AA affiliate.

Keywords: Alcoholics Anonymous; change mechanisms; moderated-mediation; spirituality/religiousness.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual path model of moderated-mediation. PDA = Percent days abstinent; DPDD = Drinks per drinking day.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age as a moderator of the relationship between AA attendance and spiritual practices.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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