The influence of negative mood on solitary drinking preference: An experiment with young adult solitary drinkers.

Carillon J Skrzynski,Timothy Verstynen,Rachel L Bachrach,Kasey G Creswell,Tammy Chung,Matthew J Gullo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247202

Carillon J Skrzynski, Timothy Verstynen + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247202

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Abstract

Solitary drinking is a risk marker for alcohol use disorder; thus, it is important to identify why individuals drink alone and for whom this association is particularly relevant. Evidence suggests the desire to ameliorate negative affect (NA) motivates solitary drinking, with some individuals particularly likely to drink alone to cope, but all past studies are cross-sectional. The present study therefore aimed to determine whether 1) experimentally induced NA increased preferences to drink alcohol alone, and 2) whether the relationship between NA and choosing to drink alcohol alone was moderated by neuroticism, drinking to cope motives, and social anxiety. Current drinkers (ages 21-29) with a solitary drinking history (N=126) were randomly assigned to either NA, positive affect [PA], or no affect change (control) conditions via differing cognitive task feedback. After the mood manipulation, participants chose between drinking alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages in one of two contexts: alone or socially. Evidence regarding effectiveness of the mood manipulation was mixed, and few chose non-alcoholic beverages in either context. Condition did not influence outcome choice. Across conditions, increases in NA and the importance placed on receiving one’s context choice were associated with solitary (versus social) alcohol preference. Neuroticism and its interaction with NA change also influenced choice; individuals high in neuroticism chose more solitary (versus social) drinking contexts while the opposite was true for those low in neuroticism, and among the latter, the preference difference was more pronounced with relatively smaller NA increases. Findings are discussed based on the existing solitary drinking literature.

Highlights

While most adolescents and young adults drink socially (e.g., [1,2]), about 14% of adolescents [3] and 15-24% of young adults [4] engage in solitary alcohol consumption, most commonly defined as drinking when no one else is present [4]
The importance participants placed on receiving their drink choice was positively associated with the importance participants placed on receiving their context choice, but the association was weak indicating that these variables should be examined separately
While drink importance was not related to any other variable, context importance was positively related to neuroticism, drinking to cope motives, and social anxiety

Summary

Introduction

While most adolescents and young adults drink socially (e.g., [1,2]), about 14% of adolescents [3] and 15-24% of young adults [4] engage in solitary alcohol consumption, most commonly defined as drinking when no one else is present [4]. Though it is less common, solitary drinking may be a risky drinking pattern for younger individuals [5,6]. Recent meta-analytic findings corroborate these findings, with small but reliable effects for the relationship between adolescent and young adult solitary drinking and increased social discomfort (r=0.17) [4]

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