Drinking and stress: An examination of sex and stressor differences using IVR-based daily data

Abstract

Background Research on the relation of stress to alcohol consumption is inconsistent regarding the direction of effects, and this association has been shown to vary by sex and type of stress. We sought to build upon the stress-drinking literature by examining the direction of the stress-drinking association over time as well as sex and stressor differences using daily data. Method 246 heavy drinking adults (67% men) ages 21 to 82 reported daily stress levels and alcohol consumption over 180 days using Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Baseline daily hassles were examined as an alternative measure of stress. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were conducted to test the stress-drinking association accounting for alcohol dependency at baseline and sex and stressor type as moderators. Results IVR daily stress predicted increased alcohol consumption the following day, whereas baseline level of daily hassles did not. Examining the opposite direction of effects, IVR ratings of daily alcohol consumption predicted decreased next-day stress. Stress predicted higher alcohol consumption the next day for men but there was no significant association for women. For both sexes, drinking predicted decreased stress the next day, but this effect was stronger for women. Conclusions This study generally supported the drinking to cope and self-medication hypotheses, with findings that increased stress led to increased drinking. The time-varying relation between stress and alcohol appears to be sex- and measure- specific, however. Therefore, interventions targeted at stress management found to be effective for one sex should not be presumed to be applicable to the other.

Perceived Racial Discrimination and Negative-Mood–Related Drinking Among African American College Students

“…These findings are consistent with evidence that African American men are more responsive to discrimination in terms of substance use than are women (Boynton et al, 2014;Brodish et al, 2011;Brody et al, 2012) and that men, in general, are more likely to drink in response to stress (Armeli et al, 2000;Ayer et al, 2011;Nesic & Duka, 2006). support (Scott, 2004;Swim et al, 2003).…”

“…Both experimental and micro-longitudinal studies have demonstrated that men consume more alcohol in response to stress than do women (Armeli et al, 2000;Ayer et al, 2011;Nesic & Duka, 2006). Moreover, men appear less likely to experience the stress-dampening effects of alcohol (Ayer et al, 2011), which could lead to increased efforts to regulate mood via drinking (Armeli et al, 2014).…”

Stress Increases Ethanol Self-Administration via a Shift toward Excitatory GABA Signaling in the Ventral Tegmental Area

“…While many variables contribute to the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD), exposure to stressful life events represents a significant risk factor (Keyes et al, 2012). Stress increases alcohol consumption in alcohol dependent and non-dependent populations (Ayer et al, 2011; Tamers et al, 2014; Thomas et al, 2011), and stress is thought to underlie a transition to pathological drug use (Koob and Le Moal, 2005). Animal studies have revealed interactions between stress and ethanol self-administration under certain stressor and drinking paradigms, but some results have been equivocal (Becker et al, 2011; Noori et al, 2014; Spanagel et al, 2014).…”

Predictors of utilization of an IVR self-monitoring program by problem drinkers with recent natural resolutions

“…They allow callers to report quickly and privately on health behaviors, including alcohol use (e.g., Helzer et al, 2008) and related contextual variables (e.g., Ayer et al, 2011), and can be made available over long intervals for cost-effective risk monitoring, relapse prevention, and rapid treatment re-entry when needed (Tucker and Simpson, 2011). Although generally well accepted, IVR systems are not universally appealing, and utilization varies (e.g., Helzer et al, 2008; Mundt et al, 2006).…”