Citation

Holahan CJ, Moos RH, Holahan CK, Cronkite RC, Randall PK. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 2003; 112(1): 159-165.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA. holahan@psy.utexas.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, American Psychological Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12653424

Abstract

This study examined drinking to cope with distress and drinking behavior in a baseline sample of 412 unipolar depressed patients assessed 4 times over a 10-year period. Baseline drinking to cope operated prospectively as a risk factor for more alcohol consumption at 1-, 4-, and 10-year follow-ups and for more drinking problems at 1- and 4-year follow-ups. Findings elucidate a key mechanism in this process by showing that drinking to cope strengthened the link between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior. Individuals who had a stronger propensity to drink to cope at baseline showed a stronger connection between depressive symptoms and both alcohol consumption and drinking problems.

Language: en