The role of distress tolerance in the relationship between depressive symptoms and problematic alcohol use.

Abstract

Empirical evidence and theory implicate the role of distress tolerance in the relationship between negative affect and alcohol use. However, limited research has been conducted exploring these relationships. As such, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether distress tolerance moderates the relationship between current depressive symptoms and problematic alcohol use in a community sample of adults. Participants included 150 adults, primarily female, recruited from the local community. Problematic alcohol use was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) total score which is a composite measure of harmful and hazardous patterns of alcohol use and several current alcohol dependence symptoms. Distress tolerance was measured using a computerized behavioral distress tolerance task, the Computerized Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT-C). Tobit regression analyses indicated a significant interaction between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms in predicting alcohol problems, such that depressive symptoms were significantly associated with problematic alcohol use among adults with low, but not high, distress tolerance. Thus, alcohol use interventions with a focus on distress tolerance skills in the context of depressive symptoms may be particularly effective.

Link between healthy lifestyle and psychological well-being in Lithuanian adults aged 45–72: a cross-sectional study

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Distress tolerance in social versus solitary college student drinkers

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Psychosomatic problems in relation to alcohol use and physical exercise: a study between 1988 and 2011 among adolescents in Sweden

“…Although behaviours unquestionably impact health, there is also research suggesting a bidirectional relationship between health-related behaviours and health, suggesting that poor health may in itself impact health-related behaviours. Alcohol can be used as a coping strategy to dampen distressed feelings (Kassel et al 2000;Gorka et al 2012), a poor night's sleep impacts (decreases) the amount of exercise the next day (Baron et al 2013), and regular exercise may be difficult to maintain for those who experience bad moods, for example depressive symptomatology is characterised by inactivity and lack of motivation (American Psychiatric Association 2013).…”