ABSTRACT
Using daily diary methodology, the authors examined over 60 days the within-person associations among positive and negative daily experiences, perceptions of stress, desire to drink, and alcohol consumption in a sample of 83 regular drinkers. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that days on which individuals reported more positive and negative nonwork events were also days they reported higher levels of desire to drink and actual consumption. Days on which individuals reported more negative work events were also days they reported a greater desire to drink, and days on which individuals reported more positive and negative health events were also days they reported lower levels of desire to drink and actual consumption. Weak evidence was found for the mediating effects of perceived stress in these associations. Several of the within-person associations varied as a function of gender, neuroticism, and drinking to cope; no moderating effects were found for extraversion.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Self Concept , Stress, Psychological/etiology , Adult , Connecticut , Female , Health Status , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Regression Analysis , Sampling Studies , WorkplaceABSTRACT
The authors used a daily diary methodology to examine over 60 days how the within-person associations among event stress, alcohol consumption, and desire to drink varied as a function of gender, positive and negative alcohol-outcome expectancies, and avoidant coping in a sample of 88 regular drinkers. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that men who more strongly anticipated positive outcomes or a sense of carelessness from drinking drank relatively more on stressful days compared with low-stress days. Similar results were found predicting desire to drink. Men who anticipated greater impairment from drinking drank relatively less on stressful days. In general, these effects did not hold for women. Little evidence was found for the predicted effects for avoidant coping style, and some results showed that avoidant coping style buffered the exacerbating effects of careless unconcern expectancies.