Abstract
Theory and empirical findings have linked stress exposure to young adult alcohol misuse, but the processes underlying this association have not been fully investigated. This study examined gender differences in the indirect pathways linking stress in developmentally relevant domains to alcohol misuse in young adults, focusing on drinking motives as a possible mediator of the association. The longitudinal associations between adolescent heavy drinking and young adult stress were also explored. Participants were rural young adults who had been surveyed previously in adolescence (N = 442; 55.7% female; 96% White; Mage = 23.29, SD = 1.07). Chronic stress and drinking motives were concurrently associated with young adult alcohol misuse. For men, occupational stress was indirectly related to alcohol misuse through both social and coping motives for drinking, whereas for women relationship stress was indirectly related to alcohol misuse through social motives only. When investigating the longitudinal effects of adolescent drunkenness, more frequent drunkenness in adolescence was related to more adult occupational stress for men but to neither kind of stress for women. These findings indicate that stress in specific life domains is related to young adult alcohol misuse through drinking motives, that the link between stress and alcohol misuse may be bidirectional for men, and that different stressors and drinking motives are salient for young adult men and women.
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Authors’ Contributions
C.D.T. took the lead in conceiving and designing the present study, performed the statistical analysis, and participated in the interpretation of the data and drafting the manuscript; L.J.C. participated in the design of the larger longitudinal study from which the data came, helped conceptualize and design the present study and participated in the interpretation of the data and drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
This research was supported by the intramural research program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Data collection for this research was funded by APR 000933-01 and contract 282-90-0047 from the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs to J. Vicary and by 1R01AA009678 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to L. Crockett.
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Appendix. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Information for the Coping and Social Drinking Motives Subscales and the Occupational and Relationship Stress Subscales
Appendix. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Information for the Coping and Social Drinking Motives Subscales and the Occupational and Relationship Stress Subscales
Drinking motives subscales | β |
|---|---|
Coping motives | |
χ2 (2) = 11.14, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.95, SRMR = 0.03 | |
1. To get away from my problems and troubles | 0.67 |
2. To relax or relieve tension | 0.60 |
3. Because of boredom | 0.55 |
4. To help me get my work done | 0.44 |
Social motives | |
χ2 (2) = 12.46, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.04 | |
1. To have a good time with my friends | 0.81 |
2. To celebrate | 0.74 |
3. As a reward for working hard | 0.54 |
4. To feel more comfortable with the opposite sex | 0.35 |
Stress subscales | β |
|---|---|
Occupational stress | |
χ2 (1) = 0.04, p = 0.85, CFI = 1.00, SRMR < 0.01 | |
1. You don’t have enough money to buy the things you need | 0.40 |
2. You don’t have enough money to do the things you want to do or buy the things you want | 0.34 |
3. You want change jobs or career but don’t feel you can | 0.72 |
4. You are looking for a job and can’t find the one you want | 0.84 |
Relationship stress | |
χ2 (1) = 2.73, p = 0.10, CFI = 1.00, SRMR = 0.01 | |
1. You have a lot of conflict with your spouse/partner | 0.51 |
2. Your sexual needs are not being fulfilled | 0.77 |
3. You don’t have a relationship that meets your emotional needs | 0.77 |
4. Your partner seems dissatisfied with your relationship | 0.56 |
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Temmen, C.D., Crockett, L.J. Relations of Stress and Drinking Motives to Young Adult Alcohol Misuse: Variations by Gender. J Youth Adolescence 49, 907–920 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01144-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01144-6