Young people’s alcohol use: An examination of competing psychological, cognitive, and motivational factors

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

Abstract

Introduction. Alcohol use among young people has been associated with significant individual and public health risks and problems (NIAAA, 2020). A wealth of research has illustrated the diverse factors that contribute to this problem behavior. However, research often is siloed within developmental domain (e.g., psychological, cognitive, etc.), leaving important gaps in extant knowledge. For example, research suggests that alcohol use as a coping mechanism is associated with problematic drinking (Read et al., 2003). Impulsivity has been repeatedly shown to be a risk factor for alcohol use (Stamates & Lau-Barraco, 2017). Finally, studies have demonstrated associations between alcohol use and depressive symptoms (Pedrelli et al., 2016). Despite these robust associations, little research has explored these important and potentially complementary factors together. The current study aimed to address this gap by investigating how drinking coping motives, impulsivity, and depression uniquely and additively contribute to young people’s alcohol use.

Method: Data were drawn from college students attending a Mid-west university (N=113; Mage=20.16; SD=1.37; 50% female; 9% Hispanic;79% White). Participants completed online surveys that asked about demographic characteristics, past month alcohol use, drinking motives, impulsivity, and depressive symptoms. A quantity X frequency score of past month alcohol use was generated. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief (BIS-Brief; Steinberg et al., 2012) was used to assess impulsivity (α = .82); the coping motives subscales of the Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised [DMQ-R; Kuntsche et al., 2006) was used to assess the relative frequency of drinking reasons (α = .92); and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Lewinsohn, 1997) was used to measure depressive symptoms (α = .91). Age, sex, and race were controlled in analyses.

Results: Results from a Poisson regression model indicated that coping drinking motives (IRR = 1.24, p = .000) and impulsivity (IRR = 2.02, p = .000) were positively, whereas depressive symptoms were negatively (IRR = .60, p = .000) associated with past month alcohol use (R2 = .12). Interactions among these three variables were explored. Impulsivity and depressive symptoms (IRR = .15, p = .000) and coping motives and depressive symptoms (IRR = .75, p = .000) interacted to predict alcohol use. Probing these interactions indicated that young people with higher impulsivity and lower depressive symptoms and those with greater coping drinking motives and lower depressive symptoms reported the greatest past month drinking, respectively. Impulsivity and coping drinking motives did not interact to predict drinking.

Implications: Findings from the current study add to existing literature on young people’s alcohol use by investigating the unique and additive influence of various psychological, cognitive, and motivational factors. Findings may aid prevention activities in identifying young people at risk for engaging in health harming behaviors and point to the importance of examining diverse complementary influences on alcohol use.

Authors

• Laura Jenine Finan, Illinois State University
  Presenting Author

• Jake Solka, Illinois State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Miranda Ellis, Illinois State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Luke Jasinski, Illinois State University
  Non-Presenting Author