Life Satisfaction and Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults at Social Gatherings

Abstract

Although low life satisfaction is related to alcohol abuse among young adults, there is no clear evidence of a specific relationship between wellbeing indexes and alcohol consumption. Several studies have reported different nonlinear relationships. The role of other variables may explain the inconsistent relationships between life satisfaction and alcohol consumption. Concerning individual factors, people's expectations regarding drinking alcohol (i.e., drinking motives) are considered the most proximal antecedents of alcohol use and may mediate the relationship between life satisfaction and drinking alcohol. Regarding relational factors, social relations are related to both wellbeing and alcohol consumption. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships among life satisfaction, drinking motives, and alcohol consumption in a sample of young adults. The data were collected by means of a self-report questionnaire from a sample of 536 young adults (median age: 22 years). We tested a structural equation model, assuming the hypothesized relationships, simultaneously on males and females to investigate gender differences. The results showed the influence of social relations on life satisfaction, which in turn influenced participants' expectations regarding drinking alcohol. Drinking motives were antecedents of alcohol use. Among women, low satisfaction increased coping expectation, which, in turn, increased alcohol consumption. The most dangerous expectation about drinking was that alcohol may enhance a person. Prevention campaigns should aim to deconstruct this idea.

Alcohol consumption as a maladaptive coping strategy to face low life satisfaction

“…Unlike a previous study conducted with a sample of young adults (Tartaglia et al, 2018), we found that life satisfaction correlated negatively not only with coping drinking motive, but also with enhancement and social motives. Adult people who are dissatisfied with their lives seem to drink to cope with negative emotions, but they are more likely to drink to enhance a positive affect and ameliorate social gatherings too.…”

“…Consistent with previous research (Tartaglia et al, 2018), we found that the relationship between life satisfaction and alcohol consumption was fully mediated by drinking motives. Coping motive mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and general alcohol consumption (millilitres per week); enhancement motive mediated the effect of life satisfaction on binge drinking frequency.…”

“…Massin and Kopp (2014) found an inverse J-shaped relationship between a life satisfaction score and alcohol consumption: high alcohol users were most dissatisfied with their life, but the abstainers reported dissatisfaction more than those with low alcohol consumption did. Tartaglia, Gattino & Fedi ( 2018) have tried to interpret these inconsistent results showing that drinking motives mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and alcohol consumption. In particular, low life satisfaction increased coping expectation, which, in turn, increased alcohol consumption.…”

“…(a) Life satisfaction would be negatively related to the coping drinking motive (i.e. drinking to cope with a negative affect) (Tartaglia et al, 2018).…”

Valuing the Relationship Between Drug and Alcohol Use and Life Satisfaction: Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales

“…A similar result is also reported by Dietze et al (2013) in an analysis on a sample of injection drug users that found a significant negative effect of drinking on wellbeing, even controlling for type and intensity of drug use. On the other hand, other studies have suggested that drinking may be a way to cope with stress and anxiety (Lanier et al 2001;Tartaglia et al 2017a).…”