Vicarious heterosexism-based stress induces alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis craving and negative affect among sexual minority young adults: An experimental study.

Purpose: Sexual minority young adults are at increased risk for hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorder compared to heterosexual adults. Heterosexism-based stressors contribute and often explain inequities in alcohol outcomes. However, the extant research primarily relies on correlational designs, and often neglects the importance of alcohol craving, despite its foundational role in addiction. Leveraging a novel experimental mood induction paradigm, this study examined the effects of exposure to vicarious heterosexism-based stress on alcohol craving and negative affect among sexual minority young adults who drink heavily. We also examined its effects on cannabis and nicotine craving among participants who used cannabis and nicotine, respectively. Lastly, we examined moderating factors that could influence the impact of exposure to heterosexism-based stress on alcohol craving. Methods: Participants were 101 heavy drinking sexual minority young adults, ages 20-35 (M = 26.46 years old; SD = 3.49), recruited from the community (51.5% female sex assigned at birth; 76.3% cisgender; 51.5% plurisexual; and 42.6% racial and ethnic minorities). They completed three mood induction trials counterbalanced over three visits on different days: heterosexism stress, general stress, and neutral. Structured interviews assessed criteria for DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use, and self-report measures assessed lifetime traumatic stressors. Results: Most participants met criteria for past-year AUD (74.7%). Exposure to heterosexism stress produced more negative affect and substance craving than the neutral mood induction, even while controlling for demographic variables and lifetime exposure to traumatic and heterosexism stressors. Exposure to heterosexism-based stress had large effects on alcohol craving among participants who had greater drinking to cope motives and heterosexism-specific rejection sensitivity, whereas the effects were small for those who had lower drinking to cope motives and heterosexism-specific rejection sensitivity. Demographic, lifetime stress, prior alcohol use, and AUD symptom severity variables were not significant moderators. Greater substance craving induced by heterosexism-based stress in the laboratory was associated with greater recent and current substance use. Conclusions: This study findings show that vicarious exposure to heterosexism elicits negative mood and alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine craving among sexual minority young adults who engaged in heavy drinking. The effects for alcohol craving were largest among those who endorse high levels of drinking to cope motives and heterosexism-based rejection sensitivity. These findings have implications for oppression-based stress and motivational models of addiction.

The Association Between Mindfulness Facets and Substance Use via Emotional Psychopathology and Coping Motives in Argentinian College Students.

Background: Prior studies suggest that lower levels of mindfulness contribute to the motivation of using alcohol to cope with distress. Research examining this possibility is scarce or limited to alcohol, but not marijuana, related outcomes. Objectives: We examined separate models (for alcohol and for marijuana) to determine the associations between trait mindfulness (describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, non-reactivity) and alcohol and marijuana outcomes (use indicators and negative consequences) via emotional psychopathology (i.e., a latent variable assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety) and alcohol/marijuana coping motives. Results: The final analytic sample consisted of 456 participants (Mean age = 22.96 ± 3.12 years; 66.2% women) for the alcohol model; and 232 participants (Mean age = 22.96 ± 3.01 years; 66.2% women) for the marijuana model. Two path models were conducted, such that indirect paths were examined for each trait mindfulness facet on alcohol/marijuana outcomes (e.g., describing → emotional psychopathology → alcohol coping motives → binge drinking frequency). Within the comprehensive alcohol model, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reactivity were associated with less binge drinking frequency and lower number of alcohol-related negative consequences via lower severity of emotional psychopathology symptoms and lower endorsement of drinking to cope motives. For the marijuana model, describing, acting with awareness, and non-judging of inner experience were associated with less marijuana quantity (grams) consumed and lower number of marijuana-related negative consequences via lower severity of emotional psychopathology symptoms and lower endorsement of marijuana coping motives. Conclusions: Prevention and intervention programs of alcohol and marijuana in Argentina may benefit from improving mindfulness skills and targeting emotional psychopathology and motives to use drugs, to prevent or reduce negative drug-related consequences.

Intersectional Oppression-Based Stress, Drinking to Cope Motives, and Alcohol Use and Hazardous Drinking Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents Who Are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Purpose: This study examined the associations between intersectional oppression-based stress and recent alcohol use and hazardous drinking among sexual and gender minority (SGM; e.g., queer or transgender) adolescents who were Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), also known as queer and transgender BIPOC (QTBIPOC) adolescents, and the mediating role of coping motives (i.e., drinking to cope) on these associations. Methods: Data were from a subsample of QTBIPOC adolescents who used alcohol in the past year (n = 1365) from a national U.S. sample of SGM adolescents aged 13-18 years. Results: Intersectional oppression-based stressors were associated with greater odds of recent alcohol use and hazardous drinking, as well as greater coping motives. Coping motives mediated the associations between intersectional-based stressors and both recent alcohol use and hazardous drinking among the aggregate sample of QTBIPOC adolescents, as well as among some subgroups of BIPOC adolescents. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight that intersectional oppression-based stressors are prevalent among QTBIPOC adolescents and serve as a risk factor for alcohol use and hazardous drinking. Multilevel interventions are needed to target and dismantle intersectional oppressions to address alcohol inequities impacting QTBIPOC adolescents. Drinking to cope motives mediated the associations between intersectional oppression-based stress and drinking outcomes, underscoring another important mechanism to target within a context of oppression in drinking interventions.

Can Positive Play Deficits Explain the Associations Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Gambling Motives, and Problem Gambling? Results of a National U.S. Sample.

Past research has demonstrated a consistent connection between symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problematic gambling in both general and clinical United States (U.S.) populations. Little is known, however, about the mediating role that responsible gambling practices related to positive play might have in the relationships between symptoms of PTSD, problem gambling (PG) severity, and different motives for gambling. Therefore, using mediation analysis, this study investigated these associations within a census-matched national sample of U.S. adults (N = 2,806). Results indicated PTSD symptoms and PG often co-occur in this population (r = .43, p < .01), and coping motives for gambling were the key mechanism connecting PTSD symptoms to PG severity rather than deficits in positive play practices or other gambling motives. Moreover, it was found that the average gambler who had sought treatment for gambling in the past not only had more severe PTSD symptoms and PG but also had the strongest gambling motives, the largest deficits in positive play, and was more likely to be younger than 50 years old. In this sample, approximately 1 in 10 people who gambled in the past year were classified as problem gamblers, 1 in 5 met criteria for a provisional PTSD diagnosis, and 1 in 33 sought out gambling treatment previously. These findings provide further evidence for the relationship between symptoms of posttraumatic stress and problematic gambling behaviors in the U.S. population and offer critical insights into the explanatory roles of coping motives and positive play practices in this connection.

Distress tolerance is linked with substance use motivations and problems in young adults across four continents.

INTRODUCTION: People low in trait distress tolerance are at higher risk for harmful patterns of substance use. Some evidence suggests that maladaptive motives for substance use account for this correlation. However, the generality of these associations remains in doubt because virtually all available data come from North American samples. METHOD: Using data from 7 countries (total N = 5858; U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, South Africa, Canada, and England), we examined distress tolerance's association with alcohol- and cannabis-related problems in young adults. On an exploratory basis, we examined how distress tolerance related to different substance-use motivations. RESULTS: We found that distress tolerance was inversely related to problematic alcohol and cannabis use (rs = -0.14 and - 0.13). There was notable variation across countries in the magnitude of these effects, particularly for cannabis-related problems. Additionally, exploratory analyses revealed statistically significant (cross-sectional) indirect effects of distress tolerance on substance-related problems via substance-use motivations related to neutralizing negative emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Distress tolerance's role in substance-use problems appears to generalize beyond North America, although effect sizes were generally small and varied notably across geographical regions. Distress tolerance's connection with negative reinforcement processes (e.g., coping motives) warrants attention as a possible mediator of its association with problematic substance use.

Coping motives as a mediator of the relationship between child maltreatment and substance use problems in south African adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that adults with a history of child maltreatment (CM) engage in substance misuse driven by 'coping motives': maladaptive beliefs that substances help them cope with negative emotions. However, the specificity of this risk pathway is under-researched in younger and non-Western cohorts. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine whether coping motives play a distinct role compared to other motives for substance use in mediating the relationship between CM and problematic alcohol and marijuana use in a sample of South African adolescents. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A sample of 688 high school students (M age = 15.03 years; 62.5 % female) in Cape Town, South Africa, completed a cross sectional survey. METHODS: Participants completed self-report measures of CM exposure, motives for using alcohol and marijuana (coping, enhancement, social and conformity), and alcohol and marijuana related problems. Participants who endorsed using alcohol (N = 180) or marijuana (N = 136) were included in analysis. A parallel mediation model was conducted for each substance (alcohol and marijuana, respectively) to assess which motives mediated the relationship between CM exposure and substance-related problems. RESULTS: CM exposure predicted both alcohol-and marijuana related problems. The relationship between CM exposure and alcohol-related problems was partially mediated by coping motives (p < .001, 95%CI 0.028, 0.115) and, to a lesser extent, conformity motives (p < .01, 95%CI 0.001, 0.041), but not by social motives or enhancement motives. The relationship between CM exposure and marijuana-related problems was partially mediated by coping motives (p < .001, 95%CI 0.004, 0.037), but not by conformity, social or enhancement motives. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the importance of coping motives as a mediator between CM and problematic substance use across different substances of abuse in South African adolescents, and the role of conformity motives in problematic alcohol use. Future research should explore whether these findings hold across other sociocultural contexts, and the utility of interventions to address coping motives for substance use in adolescence.

Indirect Associations Between PTSD Symptoms and Cannabis Problems in Young Adults: The Unique Roles of Cannabis Coping Motives and Medicinal Use Orientation.

Background: Cannabis use in young adulthood has been associated with exposure to traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Coping motives for cannabis use represent one mechanism linking PTSD with cannabis problems, yet some individuals with PTSD consider their cannabis use to be medicinal in nature. While a medicinal orientation to cannabis overlaps conceptually with coping motives, it could be associated with unique cannabis outcomes. Objectives: This study examined trauma-related coping motives and medicinal cannabis orientation as mediators of the association between PTSD symptoms and cannabis outcomes in young adults. Method: Data came from an online survey of 212 university students (M age = 19.41; 70.3% Women; 43.4% White) who used cannabis in the past month and endorsed a traumatic life event. Path analyses examined associations of PTSD symptoms with past month cannabis frequency and problems through medicinal cannabis orientation (i.e., number of mental health symptoms that cannabis is used to manage) and trauma-related coping motives. Results: PTSD symptoms were associated with trauma-related coping motives but not with medicinal cannabis orientation. Both trauma-related coping motives and medicinal cannabis orientation were uniquely associated with greater cannabis use frequency, but only trauma-related coping motives were associated with greater cannabis problems. There were significant indirect relationships from PTSD symptoms to cannabis use frequency and problems through trauma-related coping motives but not through medicinal cannabis orientation. Conclusions: Results support unique contributions of trauma-related coping motives and medicinal cannabis orientation to cannabis outcomes and suggest that trauma-related coping motives are specifically implicated in the link between PTSD and cannabis problems.

Adolescent Sleep Quality and Alcohol Use: An Initial Examination of the Serial Indirect Effects of Anxiety Symptoms and Coping Motives for Alcohol Use.

Background: Insufficient sleep and insomnia are associated with alcohol use as well as anxiety during adolescence and young adulthood. A negative reinforcement path to explain the association between sleep difficulties and alcohol misuse has been proposed. Within this pathway, it is speculated that while sober, insomnia and insufficient sleep lead to increased anxiety as well as anxiolytic responses to alcohol, thereby increasing the risk for both alcohol use and alcohol use problems. No work to date has examined the negative reinforcement path to alcohol use among adolescents who have consumed alcohol. Objectives: The current study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining if sleep quality is related to adolescent alcohol use problems and frequency through serial indirect effects of adolescent anxiety symptoms and coping motives for alcohol use. A total of 147 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years (Mage = 16.31; SD = 0.96) from all geographic regions in the US were recruited using social media platforms (i.e., Facebook and Instagram). Participants who reported having tried alcohol at least once completed self-report measures to examine sleep quality, anxiety symptoms, alcohol use problems, alcohol use frequency, and coping motives for alcohol use. Results: Adolescent sleep quality was found to be associated with higher levels of both alcohol use problems and alcohol use frequency through the serial indirect effect of anxiety symptoms and coping motives for alcohol use. Conclusions: Overall, these findings represent a step towards understanding the complex relationship between sleep quality, alcohol, anxiety, and coping motives among adolescents.

Discrimination, drinking to cope, protective behavioral strategies, and alcohol-related consequences among university students.

OBJECTIVE: University students who experience more discrimination typically report more negative consequences from alcohol use. The study aimed to assess whether drinking to cope and protective behavioral strategies for alcohol use would help explain the relationship between everyday discrimination and alcohol-related consequences among university student drinkers. METHOD: Data were collected in Fall 2020 and the sample included 707 undergraduate and graduate students from a large public institution in the northeast who reported consuming alcohol in the past month. Participants identified predominantly as women (71.7%; 24.6% men) and White (65.1%; 7.9% Black/African American; 7.2% Asian/Asian American; 7.1% Hispanic/Latinx). A cross-sectional serial mediation analysis using structural equation modeling was conducted using Mplus. RESULTS: Controlling for alcohol use, results supported a serial partial mediation model. More experiences of discrimination predicted a significant increase in alcohol-related consequences, above and beyond the increase attributed to drinking to cope. More frequent use of protective behavioral strategies significantly increased the odds of reporting no alcohol-related consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Drinking to cope and protective behavioral strategies for alcohol use may help explain why university students who report frequent discrimination are more likely to experience alcohol-related consequences, independent of how much alcohol they consume. Findings can inform clinical and prevention practice, advocacy, and training.

Distal and proximal risk factors of problematic cannabis use associated with psychotic-like experiences.

BACKGROUND: Problematic cannabis use is associated with endorsement of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in non-clinical samples. However, little is known in regard to predictors of this relationship, which may be relevant to prevention and intervention. In the present research, we investigate impulsivity and cannabis use motives as potential distal and proximal risk factors for PLEs using conditional process analysis. METHODS: Using an online cross-sectional survey of N = 300 students, we assessed endorsement of PLEs using the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE), problematic cannabis use with the Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT-R), motivations for using cannabis with the Substance Use Motives Measure, and impulsivity using the Urgency and Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency Impulsive Behaviour Scale (UPPS-P). RESULTS: All three subscales on the CAPE were associated with significantly higher scores on the CUDIT-R. Before and after covarying for sex, we found that higher CUDIT-R scores mediated the relations between lack of perseverance and negative urgency impulsivity with higher PLE symptoms. Furthermore, the indirect effect of cannabis use on the relationship between lack of perseverance and high negative PLE symptoms was only significant at high and moderate levels of depression-coping, but not at low depression-coping motives. CONCLUSION: Impulsivity and depression-coping motives may be distal and proximal psychological risk factors for negative PLEs in the context of problematic cannabis use. Our findings are in line with the broader substance use and mental health literature and may be informative for cannabis use treatment targets.

Social Anxiety and Cannabis-Related Problems: The Serial Roles of Distress Tolerance and Cannabis Use Motives.

Background: Individuals with elevated social anxiety are vulnerable to experiencing negative consequences related to cannabis use. One transdiagnostic vulnerability factor that has received little attention in the social anxiety-cannabis problem relation is distress tolerance, which is associated with more cannabis use to manage negative affect broadly (i.e., coping motives) and cannabis-related problems. However, it is unknown whether distress tolerance is related to greater cannabis use to manage social anxiety specifically (i.e., social anxiety motives). Objectives: This study tested whether the relation between social anxiety and cannabis problems occurred via perceived distress tolerance among 309 (77.3% female) undergraduates who endorsed current (past three-month) cannabis use. Results: Social anxiety was negatively associated with distress tolerance and positively associated with cannabis problems, coping, and social anxiety motives. Social anxiety was indirectly (via distress tolerance) related to more cannabis problems and motives to cope with negative affect generally and to cope with social anxiety specifically. Social anxiety was indirectly related to more cannabis problems via the serial effects of distress tolerance and coping and social anxiety motives. Conclusions: Findings suggest that individuals with elevated social anxiety may be vulnerable to using cannabis to manage negative affect (generally and social anxiety specifically) due to low perceived ability to tolerate psychological distress, which may lead to more cannabis problems. Keywords: cannabis; marijuana; distress tolerance; social anxiety; motives; coping motives.

Do anxiety symptoms and coping motives serially mediate the association between psychotic-like experiences and cannabis-related problems in undergraduate recent cannabis users?

Many Canadian emerging adults (ages 18-25 years) use cannabis, with 60 % of past-three-month users experiencing one or more cannabis-related problems (i.e., adverse consequences of use). While psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and cannabis problems overlap, little is known about the mechanisms explaining this link. One hypothesis is that PLEs are distressing and give rise to anxiety, with which emerging adults attempt to cope through increased cannabis use, in turn increasing their risk for cannabis-related problems. We tested a chained-mediational model to determine if anxiety and coping-with-anxiety motives for cannabis use sequentially mediated the link between PLEs and cannabis problems in emerging adult undergraduates; a conditional process model tested for moderation by sex. Emerging adult cannabis users (N = 413; mean [SD] age = 19.1 [1.5] years; 71.9 % female) from five Canadian universities provided cross-sectional, self-report survey data in fall 2021. Validated measures of PLEs, anxiety, cannabis coping-with-anxiety motives, and cannabis-related problems were administered. Path analyses supported the hypothesized chained mediational indirect effect (b = 0.027, 95 % bootstrap CI [0.012, 0.050]). No direct effect was found (p =.698), suggesting that the PLEs-to-cannabis problems association is fully explained by anxiety and cannabis coping-with-anxiety motives. Inconsistent with hypotheses, mediation did not depend on sex (95 % CIs crossed zero); therefore, anxiety and cannabis coping-with-anxiety motives explain the link between PLEs and cannabis problems in emerging adults regardless of their sex. Results highlight anxiety and cannabis coping-with-anxiety motives as potentially important intervention targets in cannabis-using emerging adults with PLEs, possibly preventing the development/worsening of cannabis-related problems.

Distress tolerance, coping motives, and alcohol craving and consumption: Two experiments testing momentary responses to a mood induction.

BACKGROUND: The current studies examined the relationship between state and trait distress tolerance (DT), drinking-related variables (alcohol craving and consumption), and the moderating role of drinking to cope with negative affect (i.e., coping motives). METHODS: Study 1 was a laboratory-based experiment. Participants (n=71) completed measures of trait DT, craving, coping motives, and affect valence prior to a negative mood induction task. Post-mood induction, participants completed measures of affect valence, alcohol craving, and state DT. Next, participants completed an alcohol taste task, measuring alcohol consumption. Study 2 was completed online. Participants (n=592) completed the same pre- and post-mood induction measures as study 1, but were randomized to a mood condition (neutral, negative, or positive). Study 2 did not include alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Negative mood induction lowered reported affect in both studies. In study 1, higher coping motives predicted increased craving in response to negative mood induction but state and trait DT did not predict craving change alone. Contrary to our hypothesis, individuals with higher coping motives showed a positive relationship between trait DT and craving. Analyses predicting alcohol consumption were not significant. In study 2, lower trait DT predicted post-mood induction craving prior to inclusion of interactions in the model. Higher coping motives were the strongest and most consistent predictor of craving. Other predictors (state DT, mood condition) and interaction terms were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Findings broadly align with previous research suggesting that coping motives are predictive of craving and indicate that trait DT may also impact craving.

Changes in Mental Health Symptoms as a Predictor of Cannabis Coping Motives and Consequences: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 Among College Students.

Objective: Cannabis use is common among college students and many students use cannabis to cope with negative affect. The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly stressful time for college students. Subsequently, the present study compared college students who reported increases in anxiety/depression symptoms since COVID-19 stay at home orders to those who reported no change in anxiety/depression symptoms on cannabis coping motives, use frequency, and negative consequences. Specifically, we examined whether self-reported changes (i.e., group that indicated increases) in poor mental health during COVID-19 were associated with problematic cannabis use via higher cannabis coping motives. Method: College students (analytic n = 291) completed an online survey for research credit regarding their personal mental health, COVID-19 stressors, and cannabis use behaviors. Results: Individuals who reported increased depressive symptoms (57.4% of the current sample) due to COVID-19 (as compared to individuals whose depressive symptoms remained the same) reported significantly higher cannabis coping motives (d = .79) as well as more cannabis consequences (d = .37). Further, students who reported increased (61.5% of the current sample) anxiety symptoms (as compared to those whose anxiety symptoms stayed the same) also reported significantly higher cannabis coping motives (d = .47). Moreover, we found that students who reported an increase in depressive/anxiety symptoms reported more cannabis consequences via higher endorsement of cannabis coping motives while controlling for gender, cannabis use frequency, and past-week anxiety/depressive symptoms. Discussion: Providing resources for substance-free coping strategies to manage the mental health impact of COVID-19 may be extremely useful for this population.

Corrigendum: What explains the link between romantic conflict with gambling problems? Testing a serial mediational model.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1018098.].

What explains the link between romantic conflict with gambling problems? Testing a serial mediational model.

Introduction: While individuals have many motives to gamble, one particularly risky motive for gambling is to cope with negative affect. Conflict with one's romantic partner is a strong predictor of negative affect, which may elicit coping motives for gambling and, in turn, gambling-related problems. Support for this mediational model was demonstrated in relation to drinking-related problems. We extended this model to gambling. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, we examined links between romantic conflict (Partner-Specific Rejecting Behaviors Scale), negative affect (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21), coping gambling motives (Gambling Motives Questionnaire, coping subscale), and gambling-related problems [Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)] in 206 regular gamblers (64% men; mean age = 44.7 years; mean PGSI = 8.7) who were in a romantic relationship and recruited through Qualtrics Panels in July 2021. Results: Results supported our hypothesis that the association between romantic conflict and gambling-related problems would be sequentially mediated through negative affect and coping gambling motives, ß = 0.38, 95% CI [0.27, 0.39], and also showed a strong single mediation pathway through negative affect alone, ß = 0.27, 95% CI [0.17, 0.38]. Discussion: Negative affect and coping gambling motives partially explain the link between romantic conflict and gambling-related problems. Interventions should target both negative affect and coping gambling motives in response to romantic conflict to reduce gambling-related problems in partnered gamblers.

Drinking to cope with COVID-19 anxiety predicts greater alcohol problems for undergraduate students.

Objective: Drinking more and drinking to cope increase undergraduates' likelihood of experiencing alcohol-related problems (ARP; e.g., driving intoxicated). In accordance with stress-coping models of addiction, anxiety about COVID-19 may motivate undergraduates to drink to cope, leading them to experience more ARP. However, this hypothesis has not been tested. Participants and methods: During fall 2020, 358 undergraduate drinkers (Mage = 21.18; 69.80% cis-women; 62.30% White) provided data regarding COVID-anxiety, alcohol consumption, drinking to cope, and ARP during an annual student survey. Results: Mediation analysis controlling for alcohol consumption revealed greater COVID-anxiety predicted higher levels of drinking to cope; in turn, higher levels of drinking to cope were associated with more ARP. Additionally, the positive relationship between greater COVID-anxiety and experiencing more ARP was explained entirely by higher levels of drinking to cope. Conclusion: During the pandemic and beyond, university prevention and intervention initiatives should target coping motives for alcohol use to help students avoid ARP.

Do Coping Motives and Perceived Impaired Control Mediate the Indirect Links from Childhood Trauma Facets to Alcohol-Related Problems?

INTRODUCTION: The Self-Medication Hypothesis suggests that individuals drink to alleviate undesirable affective states. Behavioral Economics Theory states that individuals deprived of resources (i.e., physically neglected) consume more reinforcing substances when they are available than others. Childhood trauma may indirectly increase impaired control over alcohol (IC; drinking beyond one's own intentions) and thereby increase alcohol use and problems through the employment of coping-motives. METHOD: A structural equation model that included sex as a covariate examined mediated paths with 612 university students. RESULTS: Men were less likely to be emotionally abused and were more likely to use greater amounts of alcohol than women did. Physical neglect was directly linked to both more IC and alcohol use. Emotional and sexual abuse were directly linked to more coping motives. Both emotional and sexual abuse were indirectly linked to more alcohol use and its related problems through increased coping motives and IC. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with Behavioral Economics Theory, there was a direct link between physical neglect and IC. We also found partial support for the Self-Medication Hypothesis regarding the emotional and sexual abuse trauma dimensions; they indirectly contributed to alcohol use and its related problems via the mediating mechanisms of more coping motives and IC. Our findings suggest coping motives could be a therapeutic target for intervention among those sexually or emotionally abused.

Self-compassion buffers the internalized alcohol stigma and depression link in women sexual assault survivors who drink to cope.

BACKGROUND: Depression is strongly implicated in drinking to cope and the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in women, particularly among women with a history of sexual assault victimization (SAV). Alcohol use in women is heavily stigmatized, and substance use stigma is associated with depression. This study examined the link between internalized alcohol stigma (AS) and depression and tested whether self-compassion buffered (i.e., moderated) this association in a sample of women with a history of SAV and unhealthy drinking to cope. METHOD: Women sexual assault survivors (N = 288; 82 % White, 91.2 % Non-Hispanic, 20.2 % sexual minority) reporting unhealthy drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Test-C ≥ 4) and drinking to cope (Drinking Coping Motives Questionnaire-Revised ≥ 2) completed online self-report surveys. Hierarchical regression analyses tested associations between internalized-AS and self-compassion with depression after controlling for covariates (age, income, education, AUD symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and then, whether self-compassion moderated the Internalized-AS and depression link. RESULTS: Internalized-AS accounted for 1.4 % of variance in depression (p < .01); self-compassion accounted for added variance when subsequently modeled (8.2 %, p < .001). Moderation analyses revealed self-compassion to buffer the internalized-AS and depression link. Among participants reporting high levels of self-compassion, there was no association between internalized-AS and depression (p = .894). DISCUSSION: While findings are modest, they align with the previously observed link between internalized-AS and depression and extend these findings to women with a history of SAV endorsing elevated coping motives and unhealthy drinking. Self-compassion may protect against this link, pending further research sampling greater diversity of participants and longitudinal and controlled designs.

Inhibited personality traits, internalizing symptoms, and drinking to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic among emerging adults.

Emerging adults with high levels of inhibited personality traits may be at-risk for drinking to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current research explored mediational pathways between two inhibited personality traits (anxiety sensitivity (AS) and hopelessness (HOP)), internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 distress), and coping drinking motives (drinking to cope with anxiety and drinking to cope with depression) during the pandemic. Cross-sectional data were collected from 879 undergraduate drinkers (79% female, 83% White, 18-25 years old) at five Canadian universities from January-April 2021. Participants self-reported on their personality, anxiety (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), COVID-19 distress, and coping drinking motives. Mediational path analyses provided evidence of both specific and non-specific pathways between personality and coping motives via internalizing symptoms. Depressive symptoms partially mediated the link between HOP and drinking to cope with depression motives. While anxiety symptoms did not significantly mediate links between AS and coping with anxiety motives in the full model, evidence of mediation was found in a post-hoc sensitivity analysis. COVID-19 distress served as a non-specific mediator. AS and HOP are critical transdiagnostic risk factors that increase vulnerability for internalizing psychopathology and, in turn, risky drinking motives, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.