Citation

Clerkin EM, Barnett N. Addict. Behav. 2012; 37(5): 674-677.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.01.005

PMID

22365887

PMCID

PMC3307890

Abstract

PURPOSE: Our goal was to test the separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking-related consumption and problems. METHODS: Participants (N=730; 59.7% female) were undergraduate college students who completed measures of social anxiety symptoms, drinking motives, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems. RESULTS: Greater social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with less alcohol consumption, and there was some evidence that greater social anxiety symptoms were also associated with greater alcohol-relevant problems. Significant interactions between social anxiety and motives indicated that a) alcohol use was most pronounced for individuals high in enhancement motives and low in social anxiety symptoms; and b) among participants low in coping motives, drinking problems were greater for individuals high (vs. low) in social anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: More fully identifying the individual difference factors that link social anxiety symptoms with drinking outcomes is important for informing prevention and intervention approaches.

Language: en