Mindfulness, Explicit and Implicit Alcohol Expectancies in Alcohol Dependent and Non-Alcohol Dependent Adults

Abstract

Recent research using variants of the IAT (Implicit Association Test) paradigm and measures of explicit expectancies has found somewhat inconsistent findings with regard to the expectancies held by treatment-seeking people with alcohol dependence. The present study sought to clarify previous research that has suggested there are stronger positive implicit and negative explicit expectancies among people with alcohol dependence compared to people without alcohol dependence when using a positive single target implicit association test and explicit expectancy measure. In the present study detoxed, sober participants with alcohol dependence (n = 32) and participants without alcohol dependence (n = 20) were assessed using positive and negative unipolar, single target implicit association tests, explicit positive and negative expectancy measures including volume variations (2 drinks; 10 drinks), and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Participants with alcohol dependence showed stronger positive and weaker negative implicit expectancies compared to non-alcohol dependent participants. Alcohol dependent participants also showed stronger explicit expectancies, regardless of valence, after imagining consuming higher doses of alcohol when compared to non-alcohol dependent participants. Furthermore, alcohol dependent participants scored lower on the measure of mindfulness compared to non-alcohol dependent participants. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for the assessment, treatment, and theoretical understanding of alcohol dependence.