Research Project
6955253
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The central goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the stress-alcohol link. Specifically, this project will examine how commonly identified individual difference risk factors (e.g., alcohol-outcome expectancies, general coping styles, drinking-related motives) and situational aspects of stressful situations (e.g., stressor type and severity, coping strategies used) are related to the immediacy with which individuals engage in any drinking and heavy drinking across days and within days. The proposed project will examine existing data drawn from 4 NIAAA-funded daily process studies (i.e., micro-longitudinal research designs wherein participants self-report once per day or multiple times per day over time periods ranging from several weeks to several months). These studies assessed alcohol use and aspects of the stress and coping process on a daily and/or momentary basis using a variety of methodologies (structured nightly paper diaries, palm-top computers, Internet-based daily diaries) and with different participant populations (community adult social drinkers, college students). 2 general models will be examined: First, discrete-time hazard models will be used to examine the number of days until any drinking (and heavy drinking) from each person's peak stress day as a function of individual difference factors and situational characteristics. Second, multilevel discrete-time hazard models will be used to examine the effect of individual difference factors and prior and early day stress, coping and affect on (a) the number of hours until first drink each day, and (2) upon initiating drinking, the rapidity with which individuals achieve heavy drinking status. This project will also examine variables associated with the social-enhancement drinking pathway such as daily positive affective states and social interaction, and individual differences in social-enhancement drinking motives to better understand the interrelationship between the tension-reduction and social-enhancement pathways to drinking.
