Problematic Drinking Behavior Research Articles

Drug and Alcohol Use in College Students With and Without ADHD

Objective: This study examines differences in reported levels of drug and alcohol use between college students with and without ADHD. Method: The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) and several self-report and interview questions, developed by Barkley, were used to examine the drug and alcohol use of college students with and without ADHD. Results: Between-group differences were found on the MAST and in the endorsement of marijuana use. Subtype differences were also found on the MAST. Several factors, including medication treatment status, ethnicity, class standing, and gender were found to be differentially related to problematic drinking behaviors. Conclusions: Difficulties in self-regulation may put college students with ADHD at a higher risk of problematic drinking and the subsequent risk for alcohol-use disorders than their peers. Possible explanations for results are discussed in terms of theory, prevention efforts, and future research.

Role of impulsivity in the relationship between depression and alcohol problems among emerging adult college drinkers.

Depression is common among college students and higher levels of depression are associated with greater alcohol-related problems. However, depression is frequently not found to be directly associated with more alcohol use. This study examined whether various aspects of impulsivity (negative urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking, and delay discounting) and drinking to cope with negative affect help to account for the relationship between depression and alcohol problems among emerging adult college drinkers who reported at least a minimal level of depressive symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, 143 emerging adult (between 18 and 25 years old) female (69.9%, n = 100) and male (30.1%, n = 43) college drinkers with at least minimal depressive symptoms completed measures of depression, alcohol use and problems, drinking to cope, and impulsivity. A multiple mediation analysis revealed that only negative urgency and drinking to cope partially mediated the depression-alcohol problems relationship. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that impulsivity-related constructs did not significantly interact with drinking to cope to increase alcohol problems. It appears that alcohol use is particularly problematic for students with elevated depression, and this is partly attributable to depression's association with negative urgency, in addition to its association with drinking to cope. Our findings suggest that students who suffer from depression may engage in problematic drinking behavior in part because negative affect is detrimental to their short-term impulse control and decision making, independent of maladaptive attempts to regulate affect through drinking to cope.

Coping motives as a mediator of the relationship between sexual coercion and problem drinking in college students

Sexually coercive experiences, heavy alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems occur at relatively high base rates in college populations. As suggested by the self-medication hypothesis, alcohol consumption may be a means by which one can reduce negative affect or stress related to experiences of sexual coercion. However, few studies have directly tested the hypothesis that coping motives for drinking mediate the relation between sexual assault and problem drinking behaviors, and no published studies have tested this in men. The current study tested this hypothesis using structural equation modeling in a sample of 780 male and female undergraduates. Results revealed that coping motives partially mediated the relation between sexual coercion and drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences. In addition, direct and indirect paths between sexual coercion and drinking were found for men whereas only indirect paths were found for women. Results provide support for self-medication models of drinking and suggest the importance of exploring gender differences in mechanisms for drinking.

The Effects of the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy(MBCT) Program on Depression, Impulsivity, and Problem Drinking Behavior of the College Students with Problem Drinking

The Effects of the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy(MBCT) Program on Depression, Impulsivity, and Problem Drinking Behavior of the College Students with Problem Drinking

Alcohol Screening and Changes in Problem Drinking Behaviors in Medical Care Settings: A Longitudinal Perspective

Although the effect of alcohol assessment in medical settings has received attention, the longitudinal study of such efforts has been restricted to studying a single assessment/intervention dose. Such interventions can be recurrent and have effects on subsequent problem drinking. A sample of problem drinkers in the general population (n = 672) and with admissions to chemical-dependency programs (n = 926) was interviewed at baseline and 1, 3, 5, and 7 years later. At each wave, respondents were asked about their drinking, their medical visits, and the intensity of the medical contact (whether during the visit they were asked about their drinking and, if so, whether they received or were referred to alcohol treatment). Rates of problem drinking declined over time, from 48% at the 1-year follow up to 38% at the 7-year follow-up. Problem drinkers were more likely at each wave to receive or be referred to treatment. Alcohol and drug severity increased with more intensive medical-contact types over time. Predicting subsequent problem drinking status from prior intensity of medical contact, odds of problem drinking at subsequent waves decreased with time, age, and prior drug severity while increasing with volume and alcohol severity. Odds of problem drinking were lower among prior problem drinkers receiving assessment and treatment/referral, compared with the assessed-only group. Examined separately, this effect was found only for those drinkers with lower volumes (average < 0.5 drinks/day). Alcohol assessment may be effective in reducing problem drinking but may be most effective among the non-heaviest drinkers.

Patterns of alcohol consumption and factors influencing problematic drinking among Angolan soldiers

Alcohol prevention strategies for soldiers in sub-Saharan African countries suffer from limited knowledge about soldiers' alcohol consumption patterns. The present study was conducted to understand such patterns in Angolan soldiers, including associated risk and protective factors. From 12 military bases, 568 soldiers completed structured interviews that assessed demographic information, level of alcohol consumption, mental health, social support and religious activity. Logistic regressions were used to determine factors associated with any alcohol intake, problematic drinking, binge drinking and alcohol consumption prior to sexual activity. Nearly 35%% of participants exhibited problematic drinking behaviour on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Approximately 26%% reported at least one incidence of binge drinking during the past year; 16%% described having recently consumed alcohol before sexual activity. Risk factors included being older, being unmarried, having poorer mental health or increased number of traumatic events and socialising with family and friends two to four times a month. Attending religious services more than once a week appeared to protect against problematic drinking. Results emphasise the need for effective alcohol prevention campaigns in Angola and for targeting efforts towards individuals exhibiting the observed high-risk characteristics.

Invocations and intoxication: Does prayer decrease alcohol consumption?

Four methodologically diverse studies (N = 1,758) show that prayer frequency and alcohol consumption are negatively related. In Study 1 (n = 824), we used a cross-sectional design and found that higher prayer frequency was related to lower alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior. Study 2 (n = 702) used a longitudinal design and found that more frequent prayer at Time 1 predicted less alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior at Time 2, and this relationship held when controlling for baseline levels of drinking and prayer. In Study 3 (n = 117), we used an experimental design to test for a causal relationship between prayer frequency and alcohol consumption. Participants assigned to pray every day (either an undirected prayer or a prayer for a relationship partner) for 4 weeks drank about half as much alcohol at the conclusion of the study as control participants. Study 4 (n = 115) replicated the findings of Study 3, as prayer again reduced drinking by about half. These findings are discussed in terms of prayer as reducing drinking motives.

Metacognitions across the continuum of drinking behaviour

Research has indicated that metacognitions are involved in problem drinking. To date, however, no study has investigated the presence of metacognitions about alcohol use in alcohol dependent drinkers. A sample of alcohol dependent drinkers ( n = 48), problem drinkers ( n = 69), and non-problem drinkers ( n = 70) completed self-report measures of positive and negative metacognitions about alcohol use, negative emotion, and drinking behaviour. Results indicated that alcohol dependent drinkers scored higher than non-problem drinkers on positive metacognitions about emotional self-regulation. Alcohol dependent drinkers also scored higher than both problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers on positive metacognitions about cognitive self-regulation, negative metacognitions about uncontrollability, and negative metacognitions about cognitive harm. Furthermore on positive metacognitions about cognitive self-regulation problem drinkers scored higher than non-problem drinkers. A logistic regression analysis indicated that negative metacognitions about uncontrollability and depression were significant predictors of classification as an alcohol dependent drinker. These results are consistent with a metacognitive conceptualization of problematic drinking behaviour and further add to our understanding of the role of specific metacognitions across the continuum of drinking behaviour.

Alcopops, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in a sample of German adolescents: Is there an alcopop-specific effect?

Aims The objective of the present analysis was to investigate the impact of alcopops on drinking behaviour and alcohol-related negative consequences by controlling for alcohol consumption and the share of alcopops in total ethanol intake. Methods Data from the 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) in Germany were used. The final dataset comprised students aged 15–17 years who reported to have drunk alcohol in the past 7 days ( n = 5509). Measurements Alcohol consumption was assessed by beverage-specific quantity measures for the last 7 days. Individuals were categorised into “non-alcopop” and “alcopop consumers”; according to the share in total ethanol intake, alcopop users were further divided into “only-alcopop”, “mix-alcopop” and “mix-consumers”. Analogous groups were constructed for the other beverages. Outcome measures were age of first alcohol use and drunkenness, frequency of drinking, binge drinking and drunkenness and alcohol-related problems. Hypotheses were tested using proportional hazard models, linear and logistic regressions. Findings Controlling for overall volume few differences in consumption and problem measures were found when alcopop and non-alcopop users were compared. Further differentiation of the alcopop group also revealed only few differences. Similar associations were found for the other beverages. Only-alcopop and only-wine drinking was associated with less risky consumption patterns and negative consequences. Conclusions An alcopop-specific effect on problematic drinking behaviour and negative consequences could not be identified. Concerted preventive actions tackling alcohol as a whole are needed in order to gain substantial effects on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in adolescents.

Brief, Personality-Targeted Coping Skills Interventions and Survival as a Non–Drug User Over a 2-Year Period During Adolescence

Selective interventions targeting personality risk are showing promise in the prevention of problematic drinking behavior, but their effect on illicit drug use has yet to be evaluated. To investigate the efficacy of targeted coping skills interventions on illicit drug use in adolescents with personality risk factors for substance misuse. Randomized controlled trial. Secondary schools in London, United Kingdom. A total of 5302 students were screened to identify 2028 students aged 13 to 16 years with elevated scores on self-report measures of hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Seven hundred thirty-two students provided parental consent to participate in this trial. Participants were randomly assigned to a control no-intervention condition or a 2-session group coping skills intervention targeting 1 of 4 personality profiles. The trial was designed and powered to primarily evaluate the effect of the intervention on the onset, prevalence, and frequency of illicit drug use over a 2-year period. Intent-to-treat repeated-measures analyses on continuous measures of drug use revealed time x intervention effects on the number of drugs used (P < .01) and drug use frequency (P < .05), whereby the control group showed significant growth in the number of drugs used as well as more frequent drug use over the 2-year period relative to the intervention group. Survival analysis using logistic regression revealed that the intervention was associated with reduced odds of taking up the use of marijuana (beta = -0.3; robust SE = 0.2; P = .09; odds ratio = 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-1.0), cocaine (beta = -1.4; robust SE = 0.4; P < .001; odds ratio = 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.5), and other drugs (beta = -0.7; robust SE = 0.3; P = .03; odds ratio = 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.9) over the 24-month period. This study extends the evidence that brief, personality-targeted interventions can prevent the onset and escalation of substance misuse in high-risk adolescents. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00344474.

The Effects of Problem Drinking and Sexual Risk Among Mexican Migrant Workers on Their Community of Origin.

Although the financial remittances sent by male Mexican migrant workers residing in the United States can result in higher standards of living for their families and home communities, out-migration may lead to increased migrant problem drinking and sexual risk behaviors, which may in turn impact these same communities of origin. Based on semi-structured interviewing (n=60) and participant observation in a migrant sending community in central Mexico and a receiving community in the Northeastern United States, this paper explores the effects of out-migration on HIV risk and problem drinking among United States-based migrants from a small agricultural community in the Mexican state of Puebla. We argue that problem drinking and risky sexual behaviors among these migrant workers have had significant consequences for their home community in terms of diminished remittances, the introduction of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and loss of husbands or kinsmen to automobile accidents. Moreover, although rumor and gossip between the two communities serve as a form of social control, they may also contribute to increased problem drinking and sexual risk.

A cognitive therapy treatment program for repeat DUI offenders

Driving under the influence is a devastating problem in the United States, killing almost 17,000 people in 2005. The present article describes a cognitive treatment program aimed at repeat drinking and driving offenders. Sixty-three participants were court mandated to the four-month outpatient treatment program. Before entering and after completing treatment, participants were administered self-report instruments measuring alcohol problems, readiness to change, self-esteem/efficacy, and criminal thinking patterns. Additionally, arrest histories were examined. Findings suggested that participants were characterized not only by repeated arrests, but elevated blood alcohol content and high levels of self-reported alcohol dependency and problem-drinking behaviors. The majority of clients expressed a readiness to change their drinking and driving behaviors with 87 percent graduating from the program. A DUI recidivism rate of 13 percent was found for graduates of the program at a twenty-one month follow-up. The results demonstrate that the treatment program is a valuable tool in the battle to reduce criminal recidivism.

The role of cognitive structure in college student problem drinking

Although motivational models of alcohol use often invoke constructs relevant to affective distress (e.g., depressive symptoms), to date, no study has assessed the potential role of cognitive structures (enduring cognitive belief systems) in promoting problematic drinking behavior. Thus, the current study evaluated the relationship between cognitive structure, specifically dysfunctional attitudes and automatic negative thoughts, and problem-related drinking, while controlling for the influence of alcohol consumption, drinking motives related to affect management, demographic variables, and depressive symptoms. Participants were 182 male and female (80%) college undergraduates, who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires on two occasions, separated by 8 weeks. Initial correlational analyses indicated strong (positive) associations among the cognitive structure variables, depressive symptoms, and problem drinking behavior. Findings from set-wise hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that dysfunctional attitudes measured at Time 1 (T1) predicted problem drinking eight weeks later at Time 2 (T2) even after controlling for age and sex, alcohol consumption (T2), depressive symptoms (T2), and drinking motives linked to affect regulation (T1). These findings highlight the potential importance of cognitive structure as a risk factor for problem drinking, above and beyond the risk posed by more traditionally studied variables.

PERCEIVED AGENCY IN RETIREMENT AND RETIREE DRINKING BEHAVIOR: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF PRE-RETIREMENT JOB VALENCE.

Based on recent findings that post-retirement adjustment may be influenced by the conditions leading up to the decision to retire, we examine the impact of individual agency in the retirement decision on problematic drinking behavior, as well as the extent to which such an effect may itself depend upon the valence of the pre-retirement work experience. Using a sample of 304 blue-collar retirees, our findings indicate that, when controlling for pre-retirement drinking behavior, perceptions of retirement as the result of a more forced or involuntary decision are associated with greater alcohol consumption, while perceptions of retirement as the result of a more volitional or voluntary process are associated with lower levels of alcohol consumption and a lower risk of problematic drinking behavior. Our results also indicate that pre-retirement job satisfaction amplifies the former relationship, while attenuating the latter one.

Perceived agency in retirement and retiree drinking behavior: Job satisfaction as a moderator

Based on recent findings that post-retirement adjustment may be influenced by the conditions leading up to the decision to retire, we examine the impact of individual agency in the retirement decision on problematic drinking behavior, as well as the extent to which such an effect may itself depend upon the valence of the pre-retirement work experience. Using a sample of 304 blue-collar retirees, our findings indicate that, when controlling for pre-retirement drinking behavior, perceptions of retirement as the result of a more forced or involuntary decision are associated with greater alcohol consumption, while perceptions of retirement as the result of a more volitional or voluntary process are associated with lower levels of alcohol consumption and a lower risk of problematic drinking behavior. Our results also indicate that pre-retirement job satisfaction amplifies the former relationship, while attenuating the latter one.

Anticipating problem alcohol use developmentally from childhood into middle adulthood: what have we learned?

This commentary reviews and comments on six major longitudinal studies from the United States, Great Britain and Finland, that test predictive models of drinking and problem drinking behavior across a developmental span of one to two generations. The large Ns, in two instances involving population samples, and the broad and study-overlapping variable domains make this collection of studies unique and of special interest vis-à-vis the issue of cross-study replicability of findings. Significant cross-study commonalities are noted, involving the strong cross-study replicability of an undercontrol/externalizing domain as both a childhood and adolescent predictor of problem drinking outcomes in early to middle adulthood, the relative autostability of heavy and problem use of alcohol over intervals of time as long as a generation, the utility of early drinking behavior as an index for later drinking outcomes, the relative parallelism (with some exceptions) of male and female findings, albeit with greater predictability of male over female drinking outcomes and the relatively tighter relational networks of drinking and other behavioral characteristics for males. This impressive group of quasi-replications also points the field to address several next-step questions, including: (i) the need to parse the undercontrol/externalizing domain to identify those subcomponential process characteristics that are causal to heavy and problem drinking outcomes; (ii) the need to develop models that will handle more effectively the uneven relationships of negative activity to drinking outcomes, in some instances operating protectively, in other instances operating as risk factors; (iii) the need for more carefully articulated, theoretically driven process models that will specify the ordering, developmental saliency and mediational properties of risk and protective factors as they come on line; and (iv) the need for more developmental testing of trait/context interaction models of problem drinking development.

Workplace harassment, stress, and drinking behavior over time: Gender differences in a national sample

Research suggests that workplace harassment (WH) significantly predicts alcohol use and problem drinking behavior, but has generally failed to consider concurrent effects of other sources of stress. This two-wave study (n = 1418) is the first to explore whether sexual harassment (SH) and generalized workplace harassment (GWH) predict increased drinking independently of the effects of job and life stress, and whether effects differ by gender, in a nationally representative sample. SH and GWH predicted increases in problem drinking one year later for men but not women, while life stress was associated with increased problem drinking for women but not men. This study confirms the importance of examining the associations between different types of stressors and drinking-related outcomes in gendered contexts.

Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions for general practice patients with problematic drinking behavior and comorbid anxiety or depressive disorders

Background Brief interventions (BIs) are effective methods to reduce problematic drinking. It is not known, if the effectiveness of BI differs between patients with or without comorbid depression or anxiety disorders. Methods In a randomized controlled BI study with two intervention groups and one control condition, data were collected from 408 general practice (GP) patients with alcohol use disorders, at-risk drinking or binge drinking. 88 participants were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety and/or depressive disorders. The effectiveness of BI was assessed at a 12-month follow-up in relation to the presence and absence of comorbidity. Reduction of drinking in six ordered categories (g/alcohol) between baseline and follow-up served as the outcome variable. Results BI were significantly related to reduction of drinking in the non-comorbid (−2.64 g/alcohol vs. −8.61 g/alcohol; p = .03) but not in the comorbid subsample (−22.06 g/alcohol vs. −22.09 g/alcohol; p = .76). Compared to non-comorbid participants, a significantly higher reduction of drinking was found for comorbid individuals (−6.55 g/alcohol vs. −22.08 g/alcohol; p = .01). An ordinal regression analysis revealed comorbidity to be a positive predictor for reduction of drinking (estimator = .594; CI = .175–1.013; p < .01). When entering the variables amount of drinking at baseline, intervention and classification of problematic drinking, these became significant predictors, whereas comorbidity showed only a tendency. Conclusion BI did not significantly effect a reduction of drinking in comorbid patients. As BI are known to be less effective for dependent drinkers, a larger proportion of dependents among the comorbid might have limited the effectiveness of BI. Future studies with larger sample sizes of comorbid problem drinkers are necessary to confirm the results.

Firefighters, critical incidents, and drinking to cope: The adequacy of unit-level performance resources as a source of vulnerability and protection.

The authors investigated the moderating role of unit-level performance resources on the distress-mediated relationship between the intensity of involvement in workplace critical incidents and problematic drinking behavior (i.e., drinking to cope). Building on recent developments in hierarchical linear modeling, the authors tested a cross-level, moderated-mediation model using data from 1,481 firefighters in 144 companies. The findings indicate that (a) there is a significant, distress-mediated association between intensity of involvement in such incidents and drinking to cope, which varies by company (i.e., unit), and (b) the adequacy of unit-level performance resources explains much of this cross-unit variance and attenuates both individual-level mediation stages (i.e., intensity of involvement in critical incidents 3 distress, and distress 3 drinking to cope). Implications regarding the role of unit resources adequacy as a vulnerability factor in stressor-strain relations are discussed.

Längsschnittuntersuchung alkoholauffälliger Mitarbeiter in einem Großbetrieb nach werksärztlicher Kurzintervention

Many examinations have shown that brief medical interventions are useful when seeking to influence the drinking behavior of problem drinkers and alcohol-dependent subjects. The working environment is particularly useful when trying to influence problematic drinking behavior. Our report is about the long-term effects on alcoholic employees. The drinking behavior of 100 employees was categorized according to WHO criteria. By motivational interviewing, the employees were asked to reduce their alcohol consumption or quit completely and then come back at a later control date. The data collected was: drinking behavior (TLFB, time-line follow-back), biological markers (GGT, CDT, MCV), changes in personal situations, and the factors and reasons involved. Forty-five percent of the employees went to their company physician after recommendation by their supervisors, and 24% went on their own initiative. Of the employees examined, 82% were diagnosed as being alcohol-dependent, 4% as harmful abusers, 6% as risky drinkers, and 8% as questionably risky drinkers. At the time of catamnesis, 78% of the employees that were originally diagnosed as alcohol-dependent were abstinent. Of those participants, 17% that were initially classified as not dependent were abstinent, and the overall quantity of alcohol consumed was also reduced significantly by 79.3%. Personal realms especially concerning happiness in life, happiness at work, and physical health improved. The results show that a brief medical intervention conducted by a company physician is suited to influencing the drinking behavior of employees effectively and efficiently. The fear of demotion at work and job loss may prove to be a helpful influence on changing drinking behavior.