Event-level risk for negative alcohol consequences in emerging adults: The role of affect, motivation, and context.

Abstract

Objective: Decades of research has found support for the motivational model of alcohol use, such that positive/negative affect are indirectly associated with drinking behavior through drinking motives. However, research on event-level drinking motives is in its nascent stage, and studies have yet to consider how drinking context plays a role in the motivational pathway to both event-and person-level drinking behavior. Therefore, the present study seeks to test whether drinking context mediates the effect of affect and motivation on drinking outcomes at both the event-and person-level. Method: Data for this Stage 1 Registered Report will come from a recently completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study in emerging adults. The study collected data on 131 emerging adults, of whom 107 reported event-level social and solitary drinking during the EMA period. Multilevel structural equation modeling will be used to test whether predrinking affect is associated with predrinking motives, and whether drinking context (social vs. solitary drinking) mediates the effect of drinking motives on drinking outcomes. Models will parse within-/between-person variance, allowing the present study to test whether drinking context serves as a mechanism of risk in the motivational model at the event-level, or solely at the between-person level. Findings will inform personalized interventions and motivational models of drinking behavior. Public Health Significance StatementDrinking context is thought to be an important contextual predictor of risk for addictive behaviors, yet little research has tested whether it is a person-level or event-level risk factor within a motivational framework. The present study will test drinking context as a mechanism of risk at both levels, allowing the present study to determine whether person-level versus just-in-time interventions are more suitable for targeting drinking contexts.

Changes in affect and alcohol craving during naturally occurring drinking episodes: The role of day-level drinking motives.

“…Solitary drinking (vs. social drinking) was associated with less alcohol craving. Although solitary drinking is a risk factor for negative alcohol consequences (e.g., Creswell et al, 2014; Waddell, Corbin, & Marohnic, 2021), day-level studies consistently find that social drinking is an day-level correlate of heavier drinking (e.g., Mohr et al, 2001; O’Donnell et al, 2019; Smit et al, 2015; Thrul & Kuntsche, 2015; Waddell, King, Okey, & Corbin, 2022). The present study shows that, compared to social drinking, solitary drinking was associated with blunted craving.…”

Modeling momentary reciprocal associations between negative affect and craving for alcohol and cannabis using dynamic structural equation modeling.

“…In addition, all moments indicative of nondrinking and/or noncannabis use that occurred after an earlier day alcoholic drink and/or cannabis use were also removed. These analytic decisions, which were in line with other similar studies (e.g., Waddell et al, 2021, 2022), were made to model the reciprocal relations among negative affect and craving prior to the occurrence of drinking and/or cannabis use, which would theoretically have a marked impact on both affect and craving.…”

“…Time of day was defined as 1 = morning report, 2 = first afternoon report, 3 = second afternoon report, and 4 = night report. Similar to other EMA studies (e.g., Waddell et al, 2021Waddell et al, , 2022, the weekend was defined as Thursday-Sunday and weekday as Monday-Wednesday (weekday = 0, weekend = 1). Past-day substance use was a yes/no (0 = no, 1 = yes) variable based upon whether participants reported any substance use the day prior.…”