A Critical Review of Laboratory-Based Studies Examining the Relationships of Social Anxiety and Alcohol Intake

Abstract

Research has revealed inconsistencies regarding the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol use. The goal of the current review is to examine lab-based studies that have been conducted in an attempt to help disentangle the social anxiety - alcohol link. Specifically, this review focuses on the most prominent theories present in this area of research, namely, the Tension Reduction Theory, the Stress-Response Dampening Model, the Self-Awareness Model, the Attention Allocation Model, and the Appraisal-Disruption Model. The review then describes the empirical studies that have been conducted to test predictions derived from each of these theories. This is followed by a discussion of some methodological considerations in this area of research, including an examination of participant characteristics, study selection criteria, alcohol administration procedures, the nature of the anxiety-inducing tasks that have been used in this area of research, and the different types of outcome measures that are typically used to measure social anxiety. The review ends with some tentative conclusions and directions for future research, including recommendations to recruit individuals with high levels of trait social anxiety, to closely monitor blood alcohol levels achieved at different time points during the study, to examine more interaction-based social anxiety provoking tasks, and to employ a wider range of outcome measures (e.g., cognitive and behavioural outcomes relevant to social anxiety).

Can alcohol make you happy? A subjective wellbeing approach

“…There are negative short-term overspills via hangovers, and overspills on multiple timescales via health/social harms. More positively, it is often suggested that alcohol improves sociability, with real-world interactions reported to be more agreeable with alcohol (aan het Rot et al, 2008), laboratory studies showing a reduction in social anxiety (Battista et al, 2010), and qualitative research describing 'anticipatory pleasures' and 'retrospective bonding' around drinking (Brown & Gregg, 2012). However, the scale, dose-response and timing of some of these overspill effects is unclear.…”

Speeches, strangers, and alcohol use: The role of context in social stress response dampening

“…Previous experimental research examining the effect of alcohol on state social anxiety has yielded inconsistent findings (e.g., see Battista et al, 2010). The primary purpose of the current experiment was to examine whether SRD specific to state social anxiety varies as a function of the type of social context (i.e., a speech or a conversation) and measurement point (i.e., two pre-stressor anticipatory, during stressor, and post-stressor SUDS ratings).…”

“…Furthermore, it stands to reason that SRD effects would be observed in a sample of socially anxious drinkers, as SRD is hypothesized to be stronger for individuals elevated in certain trait-like variables that make these anxiolytic effects particularly reinforcing (e.g. Battista et al, 2010;Sher & Levenson, 1982). Though previous research that provided full or partial support for SRD include both non-clinical samples of undergraduates (Balodis et al, 2011;de Boer et al, 1993;Sayette et al, 1992;Wilson & Abrams, 1977) and clinical samples of socially anxious individuals and trait social anxiety did not moderate the effects in the present study, it could be that alcohol operates differently among those for whom the anxiolytic effects of alcohol would be most reinforcing.…”

“…Laboratory-based studies examining SRD effects in social situations have yielded mixed findings (e.g., Battista et al, 2010). One explanation for the mixed findings lies in the specific type of social stressor implemented in these studies.…”

“…Several laboratory-based studies have tested this core SRD model prediction in both nonclinical and clinical (i.e., socially anxious) samples by assessing alcohol's effects on the response to an anxiety-inducing social situation (for a review, see Battista, Stewart, & Ham, 2010). Typically, either a social performancebased (e.g., a speech in front of others or a camera) or an interaction-based (e.g., a conversation with another individual) anxiety-induction task has been used to assess the stress response.…”