Faculty Articles
Heavy Drinking and Negative Affective Situations in a General Population and Treatment Sample: Alternative Explanations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1995
Publication Title
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
Volume
9
Issue/Number
2
First Page
123
ISSN
0893-164X
Last Page
127
Abstract/Excerpt
Situations associated with heavy alcohol consumption were compared across respondents with different levels of alcohol dependence within a general population sample and within a sample of individuals in treatment. Results from both groups suggested that, associated with increasing problem severity, there was a shift in the relative balance from drinking heavily in positive affective situations to more often drinking heavily in negative affective situations. At least 3 alternative hypotheses could explain these cross-sectional findings: Heavy drinking is increasingly used as a coping response as problems increase in severity; the relationship is epiphenomenal, reflecting a shift in overall life circumstances; or the shift reflects a respondent selection bias due to individual differences. Implications of these alternatives are discussed. The source of the relationship can only be definitively investigated using a longitudinal design.
DOI
10.1037/0893-164X.9.2.123
NSUWorks Citation
Cunningham, J. A.,
Sobell, M. B.,
Sobell, L. C.,
Gavin, D. R.,
Annis, H. R.
(1995). Heavy Drinking and Negative Affective Situations in a General Population and Treatment Sample: Alternative Explanations. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 9(2), 123-127.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/536