A Test of the Self-Medication Hypothesis Using a Latent Measurement Model: Are Stress and Impaired Control over Alcohol Mediating Mechanisms of Parenting Styles on Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol-Related Problems among University Students?

INTRODUCTION: The self-medication hypothesis (SMH) suggests that individuals consume alcohol to alleviate stressful emotions. Still, the underlying mechanisms between stress and heavy episodic drinking remain to be explored. Impaired control over drinking (IC) reflects a failure of self-regulation specific to the drinking context, with individuals exceeding self-prescribed limits. Parenting styles experienced during childhood have a lasting influence on the stress response, which may contribute to IC. METHOD: We examined the indirect influences of parenting styles (e.g., permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative) on heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems through the mediating mechanisms of stress and IC. We fit a latent measurement model with 938 (473 men; 465 women) university students, utilizing bootstrap confidence intervals, in Mplus 8.0. RESULTS: Higher levels of authoritative parenting (mother and father) were indirectly linked to fewer alcohol-related problems and less heavy episodic drinking through less stress and IC. Maternal permissiveness was indirectly linked to more alcohol-related problems and heavy episodic drinking through more stress and, in turn, more IC. Impaired control appeared to be a mediator for stress and alcohol-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal permissiveness contributes to the use of alcohol to alleviate stress. Thus, reducing stress may reduce problematic heavy drinking and alcohol problems among emerging adults with high IC who may also have experienced permissive parenting. Stress may exacerbate behavioral dysregulation of drinking within self-prescribed limits.

Does insomnia mediate the link between childhood trauma and impaired control over drinking, alcohol use, and related problems?

INTRODUCTION: Hyperarousal theory states that stressful negative events can result in a physiological response in the body leading to poor sleep quality. Childhood trauma is associated with many negative health consequences persisting into adulthood such as insomnia. Insomnia itself is a driver of poor physical and psychological health including excessive alcohol use. We examined the direct and indirect relationships between trauma (i.e., physical-neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse) as well as emotionally supportive families on insomnia, impaired control over drinking, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. METHODS: We studied a sample of 941 college students (467 women, 474 men). For our data analysis, we used a structural equation model with model indirect commands and 20,000 iteration bootstrapping with asymmetric confidence intervals in Mplus to obtain our mediated effects. RESULTS: Higher levels of emotional abuse were directly associated with more insomnia. Further, higher levels of physical neglect were directly associated with more impaired control over drinking. We found several mediational pathways from this investigation as well. Higher levels of emotional abuse were indirectly linked to both more alcohol use and alcohol-related problems through increased insomnia and impaired control over drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our results were consistent with Hyperarousability Theory. We suggest that insomnia may contribute to dysregulated drinking and that combating emotional abuse could be a promising therapeutic target of intervention among college student social drinkers.