Predictors Of Drinking Problems Research Articles

After Hurricane Maria: Effects of disaster trauma on Puerto Rican survivors on the U.S. mainland.

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Houses were destroyed, millions of people lost power and access to clean water, and many roads were flooded and blocked. In the years following the storm, hundreds of thousands of people have left Puerto Rico and settled on the U.S. mainland. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of disaster trauma among Puerto Rican adults who moved to the U.S. mainland after Hurricane Maria. Participants were 319 adult Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria survivors on the U.S. mainland. Women comprised 71.2% of the sample. Data were collected between August 2020 and October 2021. Participants completed Spanish-language measures of hurricane-related trauma, perceived ethnic discrimination and negative context of reception on the U.S. mainland, language stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, optimism, life satisfaction, and problem drinking. We estimated a structural equation model where hurricane trauma predicted cultural stress, which in turn predicted internalizing symptoms, optimism, and life satisfaction. Internalizing symptoms, optimism, and life satisfaction were specified as predictors of problem drinking. Results indicated that hurricane trauma predicted cultural stress. Cultural stress predicted internalizing symptoms, optimism, and life satisfaction. Internalizing symptoms predicted problem drinking. Hurricane trauma indirectly predicted internalizing symptoms through cultural stress and indirectly predicted problem drinking through cultural stress and internalizing symptoms. Traumatic experiences from the storm may predispose Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria survivors to perceive cultural stress on the U.S. mainland. In turn, cultural stressors may be associated with internalizing symptoms and alcohol problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality traits, alcohol use and problem drinking among undergraduates in southwest Nigeria

Problem drinking, which may be more prominent among young adults, is associated with mental and physical complications. The onset, use, and abuse of alcohol may be related to personality traits such as agreeableness, neuroticism and extraversion. This study aimed to examine the relationship between personality traits and alcohol use among undergraduates in southwest Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among undergraduates in southwestern Nigeria. Four hundred and twelve (412) students were recruited using multi-stage random sampling from the total full-time student population. Each participant completed Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10). The result showed that the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was 31.8% while 10.8% were involved in problem drinking. Also, there was an association between alcohol use, male gender and parental history of psychoactive substance use. Out of the 5 personality traits, the extraversion trait was higher among drinkers (P = 0.001) while agreeableness was significantly lower among drinkers (P = 0.033). Extraversion trait was significantly higher in respondents involved in problem drinking (P < 0.001). The predictors of problem drinking in this study were extraversion trait and male gender. The study suggests there are intervening factors mediating personality traits and problem drinking among undergraduates.

Problem drinking among a cross-sectional national sample of adolescents in South Africa: Prevalence and associated factors

The goal of this investigation was to assess the prevalence and correlates of problem drinking among adolescents in South Africa. Data were from a national cross-sectional survey of 2 290 adolescents that participated in the 2012 South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1: females = 50.9%). Results indicated that the prevalence of problem drinking was 12.0% overall; 17.0% among males and 7.4% among females. Almost one in every eight adolescents reported problem drinking. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, socio-demographics factors of older age, male sex, working status, and experience of traumatic life events predicted problem drinking. Lifestyle choices of current tobacco use, high physical activity, and frequent intake of snacks also predicted problem drinking. Interventions to prevent problem drinking by teenagers should prioritise predispositional factors and modifiable lifestyle choices, particularly in older, male teenagers.

Acute emotional rewards of alcohol predict problem drinking

The emotional rewards of alcohol, however difficult to quantify, have long been accepted as a key factor in reinforcing problematic drinking. Survey methods have traditionally used participant recall of experiences, suggesting that self‐reported motivations predict problem drinking. Enhancing of positive mood and reducing of negative mood, properties of alcohol consumption, could predict later drinking problems. A recent study is the first to combine alcohol administration in a laboratory and longitudinal follow‐ups, focusing on young people.

Affect-Based Problem Drinking Risk: The Reciprocal Relationship between Affective Lability and Problem Drinking.

Negative affect has been implicated in risk for the development of problematic drinking behavior. Furthermore, there is evidence for reciprocal relationships between negative affect and problem drinking, such that engagement in problem drinking also predicts increases in negative affect. However, affective models of risk often fail to consider affective lability-the experience of rapidly changing mood. Although affective lability appears to increase risk for problem drinking, it is unknown if this relationship persists above and beyond other affect-related constructs (e.g. depression, anxiety) and if it is reciprocal in nature. Accordingly, we used a longitudinal survey design to examine (a) if affective lability predicts problem drinking above and beyond depression and anxiety and (b) if affective lability and problem drinking demonstrate a reciprocal relationship. First-year college students (n=358) participated in a three wave longitudinal study. We constructed a structural equation model (SEM) of a random intercept cross-lagged panel model to test our hypotheses. Consistent with our hypotheses, affective lability predicted increases in problem drinking while anxiety and depression did not. Problem drinking and affective lability demonstrated a reciprocal relationship in which increases in one predicted increases in the other at subsequent time points. This relationship was present beyond the predictive effects of anxiety or depression. Affective lability appears to be an important affect-based predictor of problem drinking, and there may be a reciprocal, risk-enhancing relationship between affective lability and problem drinking.Components of negative affect, such as depression or anxiety, have been shown to predict risk for problem drinking, and vice versa. A less considered construct, affective lability, predicted problem drinking while anxiety and depression did not add any predictive power. Problem drinking and affective lability also appeared to demonstrate a reciprocal relationship.

Gender and Age Moderate the Effects of Partner Substance Use on Problem Drinking in Adulthood

The current study examined whether partner substance use problems predict problem drinking and how gender and age moderate this relationship. Problem drinking refers to alcohol use resulting in alcohol dependence or health and social consequences. Participants were adults (n=2142, 53% female, mean age=54, range= 33-83) from Wave 2 of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) Study. Participants reported on both past 12-month problem drinking (e.g., emotional problems from drinking, urges to drink, month or “much time” drinking, drinking more to get effects, drinking more than intended, and alcohol-related role interference) and partner substance use problems. Results indicated that 22.2% of the sample reported at least one problem drinking behavior in the past year. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant interaction between gender and partner substance use problems (b=0.05, p=0.01) such that for males having a partner with substance use problems was a risk factor for their own problem drinking. However, a three-way interaction with gender, age, and partner substance use problems (b=-0.41, p<0.01) indicated that partner substance use problems might have both gender and age-specific effects on problem drinking. Exploratory analyses of this interaction indicated that with age partner substance use problems might no longer promote risk for male problem drinking. Older adults are especially sensitive to the effects of alcohol for reasons such as lower tolerance, medication interaction, and health conditions. There is thus a need for identifying age-relevant factors associated with these drinking behaviors for intervention and prevention efforts.

Factors Affecting Problem Drinking Among Korean Adolescents Based on an Ecological Model.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting problem drinking among adolescents in Korea. This survey involved 68,043 adolescents who participated in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey conducted in 2015. The data were analyzed using the PASW Statistics 23.0 program. The subjects were aged 14.96 ± 1.74 years (mean ± standard deviation), including 52.1% male subjects and 53.0% high school students. Most of the drinkers started drinking during their middle school years (13,906 students, 51.6%). Among the 11,021 adolescent drinkers, 7,391 (67.1%) reported at least one of six behavioral problems related to drinking. Problem drinking behaviors involved (a) drinking alcohol to relieve stress; (b) drinking alcohol alone; (c) receiving advice from family or friends to reduce alcohol consumption; (d) driving a motorcycle or riding a bicycle after drinking alcohol, or riding on a motorcycle or a car with a drunk driver at the steering wheel; (e) memory loss after drinking alcohol; and (f) arguing with others after drinking alcohol. The overall problem-drinking score was 1.36 ± 1.42 (range: 0-6). A regression model that included individual (5.7%), interpersonal (3.6%), social (0.3%), contextual (11.7%), and drinking (6.6%) behaviors as predictors accounted for 27.9% of the variance in problem drinking (Wald F = 70.10, p < .001). The drinking levels as well as method and ease of alcohol purchase were the most significant variables predicting problem drinking by adolescents in Korea.

Risk Factors for Problem Drinking among Evacuees in Fukushima following the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Many studies have consistently reported the bidirectional relationship between problem drinking and psychological distress following a disaster, but the risk factors of problem drinking following a disaster remain unclear. In this study, we therefore aimed to explore the risk factors associated with the incidence of problem drinking among evacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. We used the data for evacuees of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, obtained from the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey. A total of 12,490 individuals from 13 municipalities, which included the evacuation order areas after the accident, completed surveys between 2012 and 2013. The CAGE (Cutting down, Annoyed by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-opener) questionnaire was used to screen the participants for alcohol dependence, and a score ≥ 2 indicated problem drinking. Logistic regression models were applied to investigate the possible predictors of problem drinking. The results showed that insufficient sleep and heavy drinking (≥ 4 drinks per day) were significant risk factors for the incidence of problem drinking in both men and women. Additional risk factors included family financial issues due to the disaster and trauma symptoms among men and a diagnosed history of mental illness among women. Other remaining variables were not significantly associated with problem drinking. The present study is the first to identify the risk factors for problem drinking following a compound disaster. Our findings could be used to develop a primary intervention program to improve evacuees' health and lives following a disaster.

Vulnerable narcissism and addiction: The mediating role of shame

Problem drinking and gambling are addictive behaviours experienced by young adults and commonly occur with narcissism. Research has acknowledged two distinct forms of narcissism: grandiose and vulnerable. There has been work that has examined the relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours, but it has been limited, particularly with vulnerable narcissism. Evidence suggests vulnerable narcissism, but not grandiose narcissism, is associated with greater negative affect. Accordingly, shame, a potent social emotion could be a mediator in the narcissism-addiction pathway. Shame has been implicated in both vulnerable narcissism and problem drinking and gambling. Thus, we hypothesized that shame would mediate the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours. Young adults (N = 210) completed self-report baseline (Time 1) and 1-month follow-up (Time 2) assessments of shame, narcissism, problem drinking, and gambling. As predicted, those with elevated vulnerable narcissism at Time 1 had increased shame at Time 2, which predicted problem drinking and gambling at Time 2. This relationship was not observed for grandiose narcissism. Overall, our results suggest that feelings of shame are essential to understanding the vulnerable narcissism-addiction pathway, and an important consideration when designing clinical interventions for at-risk young adults.

Predictors of Drinking Problems among Healthcare Related College Students

Predictors of Drinking Problems among Healthcare Related College Students

Sex differences in the interacting roles of impulsivity and positive alcohol expectancy in problem drinking: A structural brain imaging study.

Alcohol expectancy and impulsivity are implicated in alcohol misuse. However, how these two risk factors interact to determine problem drinking and whether men and women differ in these risk processes remain unclear. In 158 social drinkers (86 women) assessed for Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), positive alcohol expectancy, and Barratt impulsivity, we examined sex differences in these risk processes. Further, with structural brain imaging, we examined the neural bases underlying the relationship between these risk factors and problem drinking. The results of general linear modeling showed that alcohol expectancy best predicted problem drinking in women, whereas in men as well as in the combined group alcohol expectancy and impulsivity interacted to best predict problem drinking. Alcohol expectancy was associated with decreased gray matter volume (GMV) of the right posterior insula in women and the interaction of alcohol expectancy and impulsivity was associated with decreased GMV of the left thalamus in women and men combined and in men alone, albeit less significantly. These risk factors mediated the correlation between GMV and problem drinking. Conversely, models where GMV resulted from problem drinking were not supported. These new findings reveal distinct psychological factors that dispose men and women to problem drinking. Although mediation analyses did not determine a causal link, GMV reduction in the insula and thalamus may represent neural phenotype of these risk processes rather than the consequence of alcohol consumption in non-dependent social drinkers. The results add to the alcohol imaging literature which has largely focused on dependent individuals and help elucidate alterations in brain structures that may contribute to the transition from social to habitual drinking.

Analysis for Factors of Predicting Problem Drinking by Logistic Regression Analysis

Analysis for Factors of Predicting Problem Drinking by Logistic Regression Analysis

Drowning the pain: Intimate partner violence and drinking to cope prospectively predict problem drinking

IntroductionThe present study examined the longitudinal association among drinking problems, drinking to cope, and degree of intimate partner violence (IPV). Two competing models were tested; the first model posited that drinking to cope leads to greater drinking problems and this subsequently leads to more violence in the relationship (an intoxication–violence model). The second model speculated that violence in the relationship leads to drinking to cope, which in turn leads to greater drinking problems (a self-medication model). MethodsEight hundred and eighteen undergraduate students at a large north-western university participated in the study over a two year period, completing assessments of IPV, alcohol related problems and drinking to cope at five time points over a two year period as part of a larger social norms intervention study. ResultsAnalyses examined two competing models; analyses indicated that there was support for the self-mediation model, whereby people who have experienced violence have more drinking problems later, and this association is temporally mediated by drinking to cope. DiscussionThe current results are discussed in light of past research on the self-medication model.

Desire Thinking Mediates the Relationship between Emotional Intolerance and Problem Drinking

The use of alcohol as a strategy to regulate emotional distress has been widely considered as a core risk factor for problem drinking. Recent research has suggested that using alcohol to self-regulate may be sustained by emotional intolerance (the perceived inability to tolerate emotional distress) and desire thinking (a voluntary cognitive process involving verbal and imaginal elaboration of a desired target). The goal of this study was to explore the role of emotional intolerance and desire thinking in predicting problem drinking. A sample of problem drinkers (n = 50), and social drinkers (n = 56) completed self-report instruments of emotional intolerance, desire thinking and problem drinking. Analyses revealed that the verbal perseveration factor of desire thinking was the only significant predictor of classification as a problem drinker. In addition both factors of desire thinking were found to predict problem drinking independently of emotional intolerance. These findings suggest that desire thinking may be a risk factor across the transition from social to problem drinking and that treatment may benefit from targeting specifically this cognitive process together with meta-emotional appraisal.

Volumetric differences in the anterior cingulate cortex prospectively predict alcohol-related problems in adolescence

Individual differences in brain structure and function are suggested to exist prior to the onset of alcohol abuse. Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated abnormalities in brain regions underlying affective processes that may form a pathway to the emergence of later alcohol abuse and dependence in vulnerable individuals. However, no prospective studies have examined whether these abnormalities predict later problems with alcohol. This study aims to examine whether individual differences in affect and brain volume prospectively predict alcohol-related problems in adolescence. Adolescent drinkers (n = 98) were recruited from an ongoing prospective, longitudinal study examining adolescent emotional development. At age 12, participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging to obtain volumetric data on the amygdala, hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and completed a self-report measure of affective temperament. At age 16, participants completed a questionnaire measuring alcohol use, with 39 % reporting alcohol-related problems in the past year. Pre-existing differences in the left ACC predicted problem drinking. Alcohol-related problems were associated with higher levels of temperamental negative affectivity; however, these were not correlated with anterior cingulate volumes. These findings indicate that individual differences in the structural morphology of the anterior cingulate, a region implicated in affective processes, self-control, and drug addiction, predict later alcohol-related problems. Although this finding remained significant after controlling for other substance use and psychopathology, future research is required to test its specificity for alcohol use disorders.

Factors Influencing Problem Drinking of Male Drinkers according to Life Cycle

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the factors influencing problem drinking of male drinkers above 19 years old according to the life cycle. Methods: The study subjects consisted of a representative community sample of 2,229 male drinkers aged 19 and older from the 2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Rao-Scott x 2 -test, simple and multiple logistic regressions. Results: The problem drinking rates were 38.7% in adolescence, 44.5% in middle age, and 23.9% in senescence. In adolescence, the predictors of problem drinking included occupation, stress recognition, and smoking. In middle age, the predictors of problem drinking were education level, depression, and smoking. In senescence, the predictors of problem drinking were not identified in this study. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that the factors influencing problem drinking of male drinkers were different according to life cycle. Thus different intervention methods should be developed for each age group in order to intervene the problem drinking.

Different measures of Behavioural Activation System (BAS) sensitivity uniquely predict problem drinking among college students

This study investigated the predictive value of two alternative and most widely used measures of Behavioural Activation System (BAS) sensitivity on problematic alcohol use. Participants were 84 college students who completed a measure of alcohol problem severity (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, AUDIT) and two different measures of BAS sensitivity [the BAS and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scales]. They were divided into 42 problem drinkers and 42 non-problem drinkers based on the AUDIT scores. In a logistic regression controlling for gender and age, BAS and SR scale scores uniquely predicted problem from non-problem drinking. Similarly, multiple regression of the entire sample revealed that, after gender and age had been controlled, BAS and SR scale scores predicted unique variance in AUDIT scores. Moreover, both regressions showed that the SR scale was superior in terms of predictive power. The findings indicate the advantage of including both scales when predicting problematic drinking, but that...

Alcohol Misuse Among Older Adult Public Housing Residents

Low-income older adults living in public housing are at heightened risk for substance misuse. This study identified the prevalence of alcohol misuse among older public housing residents (n = 187) and explored predictors of problem drinking. Including weekly drinking levels and binge drinking, 23% of the sample engaged in problem drinking behaviors. Logistic regression analysis revealed that race, gender, employment status, years smoking, and illegal drug use were significant predictors of problem drinking. No residents were receiving substance abuse treatment. As the number of older adults increase, training social workers to assess and treat alcohol misuse in older adults is critical.

Psychiatric Morbidity is Linked to Problem Drinking in Midlife Among Alcohol-Dependent Men: A Co-Twin Control Study

Prior research on predictors of problem drinking has been limited because of an inability to attribute an unambiguous environmental explanation to observed findings. Using a prospective co-twin control design, we examined the extent to which a history of psychiatric symptoms exerts an environmental influence on problem drinking in midlife that is unconfounded by genetic underpinnings. Participants were 367 complete male twin pairs (208 monozygotic, 159 dizygotic) from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry who were assessed in midlife as part of the Family Twin Study (Mage = 51.4 years, SD = 2.8). Twin pairs who were concordant for a lifetime diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) in 1992 were selected for participation and were reinterviewed in 2001 to measure symptoms of AUD (i.e., problem drinking) since the prior assessment (past 10 years). Within-pair differences in lifetime symptom counts of several psychiatric disorders measured in 1992 (i.e., major depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, antisocial personality, mania, and posttraumatic stress disorder) were significantly associated with within-pair differences in AUD symptoms in the subsequent 10 years. A history of psychiatric problems, particularly one marked by internalizing symptoms, appears to be linked to problem drinking in midlife above and beyond the confounding influence of genetic effects and underscores the potential value of integrated interventions for comorbidity to address problem drinking among individuals during this period of the life course.

How does the Brief CEOA match with self-generated expectancies in mandated students?

Alcohol expectancies, defined as a person's beliefs about the effects of drinking, can influence alcohol consumption and help predict problem drinking in college students. However, there are concerns that current expectancy measures do not adequately capture mandated student expectations about alcohol use. This study examined the correspondence of 412 self-generated expectancies from mandated students (n=64) to items on the Brief Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol (B-CEOA; Ham, Stewart, Norton, & Hope, 2005). Self-generated expectancies were reviewed by raters who attempted to match each expectancy with a single B-CEOA item based on the qualitative essence of each statement. Most mandated student expectancies were not represented by the B-CEOA. All expectancies were then classified into 6 categories based on themes and categories from the alcohol expectancy literature. Mandated student expectancies emphasized the physiological aspects of drinking, whereas the B-CEOA assesses expectancies about intrapersonal factors. The findings suggest the B-CEOA may exclude alcohol expectancies that are important and relevant to this population. Self-generated alcohol expectancies from the target population should be considered when developing or administering expectancy questionnaires.