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Drinking motives have been identified as important predictors of alcohol consumption. Similarly, the degree of readiness to change (RTC) can predict behavioral changes when drinking alcohol. However, the link between drinking motives and RTC has not been explored in previous research. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the four drinking motives (coping, enhancement, social, conformity) can predict the three stages of RTC (precontemplation, contemplation and action) in relation to alcohol consumption. Two hundred and fifty-two undergraduates' students completed an online self-assessment survey on Qualtrics that assessed motives for alcohol use, drinking behavior, and RTC. Hierarchical regressions showed that among the four specific drinking motives, coping motives significantly predicted all three stages of RTC; conformity motives positively predicted the action stage of change; social motives negatively predicted the precontemplation and action stages of change; enhancement motives were not significant in predicting RTC stages. These results indicate that the three RTC levels can be predicted by coping, social, and conformity motives, but not by enhancement motives. Additionally, given the importance of coping motives, it might be useful to address and include healthier coping mechanisms as part of clinical interventions and prevention methods to circumvent unsafe drinking behaviors independent of a single RTC stage., Author(s): Ahmed A. Moustafa [sup.1] [sup.2] , Nadia P. Alvinia [sup.3] , Liquan Liu [sup.3] , Yuliya Richard [sup.4] , Ali A. Hanafy [sup.5] , Nizar H. Bagadood [sup.5] , [...]

Field researchers often use categorical systems to record primary preloading motivations, while survey researchers use continuous systems to examine preloading motivation ratings. We tested the psychometric properties of the two systems for measuring preloading motivations. Six hundred and eight-one undergraduate students and social media recruited participants (178 males; 503 females) completed an online survey pertaining to their last preloading experience. We measured preloading motivations by the categorical and continuous systems, general drinking motivations, estimations of preloaded standard drinks and harm. Measurements of preloading motivations by categorical (primary motivation) and continuous systems (motivation ratings) were concordant. The continuous system of preloading motivations held mix concurrence with general drinking motivations, implying conceptual differences between the two constructs. 'Enhancement-based' preloading motivations had strong relationships with estimations of preloaded standard drinks, while general drinking motivations for 'coping' were strong correlates of harm. Preloading motivations can be measured through either categorical or continuous systems. Implications for future psychometric measurement development is discussed., Author(s): Jacob G. Sorbello [sup.1] , Grant J. Devilly [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02sc3r913, grid.1022.1, 0000 0004 0437 5432, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, , 176 Messines Ridge [...]

The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is the feeling that one is missing out on rewarding experiences. FoMO research has largely focused on the link between FoMO and unhealthy social networking use, but FoMO may have implications for other behaviours. In two studies, we aimed to determine whether FoMO was related to alcohol use during a period associated with excessive alcohol use and harm among young adults: Orientation Week (O'Week). In Study 1, we intercepted students outside O'Week events, asked them to report their FoMO, number of drinks, and breathalysed them. In Study 2, we asked students to fill in surveys and report their weekly O'Week drinking and any alcohol-related harm they experienced retrospectively. In Study 1, we found that FoMO did not predict number of drinks, time spent drinking, or Breath Alcohol Concentration. However, those who experienced FoMO were more likely to report any drinking. In Study 2, FoMO predicted weekly O'Week drinking and harm (even when controlling for previous drinking). FoMO also predicted harm over and above O'Week drinking (suggesting that drinking alone may not be the cause of the consequences). These findings suggest that FoMO may have implications beyond social networking use and may be a key aim for alcohol interventions during periods of excessive alcohol use., Author(s): Benjamin C. Riordan [sup.1] , Jayde A. M. Flett [sup.2] , Louise M. Cody [sup.2] , Tamlin S. Conner [sup.2] , Damian Scarf [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.1013.3, 0000 [...]

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are prevalent during pregnancy and may influence women's health behaviors. The impact of women's mental health on alcohol use may be particularly important to consider as prenatal alcohol use is common and may have serious negative consequences for the developing fetus. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships between elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety and subsequent likelihood of any alcohol use and binge drinking during pregnancy. The sample consisted of 12,824 women from a prospective, population-based study from the United Kingdom, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Participants completed questionnaires assessing alcohol use and depressive and anxious symptoms during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. A series of multivariable regression models was fit using multiply imputed data. Thirty four percent of women reported having at least one alcoholic drink at 32 weeks' gestation and 17% reported binge drinking. We found a weak association between elevated symptoms of anxiety and any alcohol use but not between elevated symptoms of depression and any alcohol use. Modest associations were found between both elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety at 18 weeks' gestation and binge drinking at 32 weeks' gestation. Elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety may increase risk for binge drinking during pregnancy. Further research into the impact of symptoms of depression and anxiety on binge drinking during pregnancy is needed as this could represent an opportunity for public health intervention. Keywords Alcohol use * Binge drinking * Anxiety * Depression * ALSPAC, Introduction Symptoms of both depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy, affecting approximately 15-20% of women [1, 2]. Women's health behaviors are one domain that may be affected as a [...]

We explored two unanswered questions about the role of alcohol use in sexual behavior. First, we considered whether alcohol use temporally precedes and predicts changes in sexual behavior assessed as the number of sexual partners, whether the reverse pattern holds, or whether the association reflects a common, external cause. Second, we assessed whether associations between these behaviors change as adolescents transition to adulthood. These questions were addressed with a bivariate dual change latent difference score model. Drinking frequency and number of yearly sex partners were assessed 8 times across a 13-year period in a sample of 553 individuals. Assessment began when participants were in the 9th grade (age: M = 15.11 years, SD = 0.43). In addition to an association between the individual growth trajectories of these behaviors, alcohol use was a leading indicator of changes in number of sex partners throughout adolescence, but the reverse pattern was not supported. Of importance, the predictive association could not be explained by individual differences in impulsivity, excitement seeking, conduct problems, hostility/aggression, conventional attitudes, gender, or divorce. Finally, in a developmentally meaningful pattern, alcohol use ceased to significantly predict changes in the number of sexual partners as adolescents transitioned to adulthood. Keywords: alcohol use, sexual behavior, developmental change, common causes, longitudinal study DOI: 10.1037/a0019655

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of various levels of alcohol consumption on human response to auditory and visual stimuli in terms of reaction time, movement time, total reaction time, and error rate. Placebo level and three low-level alcohol doses were randomly assigned to 20 male university student volunteers. 30 min. after consuming the alcohol or placebo, participants responded to either auditory or visual stimuli. Total reaction time increased significantly at the mid-low dose of alcohol (0.3 g/kg). For alcohol doses less than .5 g/kg, the change in total reaction time was confined to reaction time, i.e., the processing time between onset of stimulus and onset of movement. Effects of alcohol were significantly more pronounced in the choice-type tests. Notably, the effects of alcohol on total reaction time and error rate were significant for auditory but not visual stimuli. DOI 10.2466/13.15.18.22.PMS.111.5.589-607

We analyzed alcohol involvement in 84,005 medically identified live discharges for self-inflicted intentional injuries (typically suicide acts) from hospitals in 20 U.S. states in 1997. Alcohol was involved in 27% of the discharges. Evidence of alcohol was significantly more prevalent in men than women, but generally men drink more than women. Blacks had the highest alcohol involvement in their suicide acts relative to their drinking patterns. Overall, alcohol involvement rose and subsequently fell with age, with involvement above 30% for ages 30-55. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 from 21 could potentially raise alcohol-involved suicide hospitalizations among youth by an estimated 27%.

Previous research showing everyday memory is impaired by heavy alcohol use may have underestimated the cognitive impairment of heavy users because drinkers consuming over the recommended limits for safe drinking have often been treated as a homogeneous group, often with a low threshold for inclusion. The current study investigated whether the reported linear relationship applies to participants consuming alcohol significantly above recommended limits. The everyday memory of 80 participants (43 men; modal age, 31-35 years) was investigated using the Prospective Memory Questionnaire. Participants also detailed their average weekly intake of alcohol and other substances. Current heavy users of alcohol (who consumed on average over 25 units per week) reported more memory problems than low (1-9 units per week) or medium users (10-25 units per week). Participants undergoing counselling for alcohol use reported more deficits than low or medium drinkers, but fewer than current heavy drinkers. Possible reasons for this were discussed. Strengths and limitations of subjective approaches to memory assessment were discussed as well as suggestions for future research. DOI 10.2466/PR0.106.3.905-917

The current investigation examines the etiology of men's errors in sexual perception after moderate alcohol use. Sensitivity and bias estimates, derived from multidimensional signal detection analysis, revealed that men's alcohol-influenced performance was associated with declining sensitivity to the distinction between women's friendliness and sexual interest. However, sensitivity to the distinction between conservative and provocative clothing was unaffected. Similarly, an alcohol dose led to an increased bias to respond that women's ambiguous cues were sexual interest (rather than friendliness) but did not influence response thresholds for clothing style. Thus, there was specificity to the perceptual and decisional changes associated with alcohol use rather than a simple degradation of men's capacity to process all dating-relevant cues in the environment. Given the link between alcohol use, sexual misperception, and acquaintance-initiated sexual coercion, understanding the etiology of sexual misperception in the context of alcohol use may inform sexual coercion prevention efforts. Keywords: alcohol, social perception, sexual misperception, signal detection DOI: 10.1037/a0019343

In the current study, we conducted daily telephone interviews with a sample of Chinese workers (N = 57) for 5 weeks to examine relationships between daily work--family conflict and alcohol use. Drawn from the tension reduction theory and the stressor--vulnerability model, daily work-family conflict variables were hypothesized to predict employees' daily alcohol use. Further, social variables (i.e., peer drinking norms, family support, and coworker support) were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between work--family conflict and alcohol use. Results showed that daily work-to-family conflict but not family-to-work conflict had a significant within-subject main effect on daily alcohol use. In addition, there was significant between-subject variation in the relationship between work-to-family conflict and alcohol use, which was predicted by peer drinking norms, coworker support, and family support. The current findings shed light on the daily health behavior consequences of work-family conflict and provide important theoretical and practical implications. Keywords: alcohol use, work--family conflict, peer drinking norms, social support, daily diary study DOI: 10.1037/a0018138

Although it is commonly assumed that alcohol consumption has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, the nature of the alcohol--absence relationship remains poorly understood. Proposing that alcohol impairment likely serves as a key mechanism linking drinking and work absence, we posit that this relationship is likely governed less by the amount of alcohol consumed and more by the way it is consumed. Using a prospective study design and a random sample of urban transit workers, we found that the frequency of heavy episodic drinking over the previous month is positively associated with the number of days of absence recorded in the subsequent 12-month period, whereas modal consumption (a metric capturing the typical amount of alcohol consumed in a given period of time) is not. In addition, consistent with both volitional treatments of absenteeism and social exchange theory, perceived coworker support was found to attenuate, and supervisory support to amplify, the link between the frequency of heavy episodic drinking and absenteeism. Keywords: absenteeism, alcohol consumption, peer support, supervisor support DOI: 10.1037/a0018018

A behavioral economic approach to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) emphasizes both individual and environmental determinants of alcohol use. The current study examined individual differences in alcohol demand (i.e., motivation for alcohol under escalating conditions of price) and delayed reward discounting (i.e., preference for immediate small rewards compared to delayed larger rewards) in 61 heavy drinkers (62% with an AUD). In addition, based on theoretical accounts that emphasize the role of craving in reward valuation and preferences for immediate rewards, craving for alcohol was also examined in relation to these behavioral economic variables and the alcohol-related variables. Intensity of alcohol demand and delayed reward discounting were significantly associated with AUD symptoms, but not with quantitative measures of alcohol use, and were also moderately correlated with each other. Likewise, craving was significantly associated with AUD symptoms, but not with alcohol use, and was also significantly correlated with both intensity of demand and delayed reward discounting. These findings further emphasize the relevance of behavioral economic indices of motivation to AUDs and the potential importance of craving for alcohol in this relationship. Keywords: alcohol, behavioral economics, discounting, demand, craving DOI: 10.1037/a0017513