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Stress-Related Problem Drinking and Alcohol Problems: A Longitudinal Study and Extension of Marlatt's Model

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S. W. SADAVA
S. W. SADAVA
S. W. SADAVA
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A. W. PAK
A. W. PAK
A. W. PAK
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Abstract

Tested and extended G. A. Marlatt's (1979) model of stress-related substance abuse within a longitudinal design, following 391 university students during the transitional year of their graduation from university. 348 of the Ss comprised the final sample. Greater consumption of alcohol and a greater frequency of intoxication, as well as changes toward higher scores on these measures were related to and predicted by higher levels of perceived stress and stressful life events, greater external locus of control, social supports and life satisfaction, more opportunities for heavy drinking in a supportive social context, and attributing greater importance to coping functions of drinking. Higher levels of alcohol-related problems amongst drinkers, after accounting for the effect of consumption levels on problems, were related to these variables as well, and particularly to depression and social supports. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Stress-related Problem Drinking and
Alcohol Problems: A Longitudinal Study
and Extension of Marlatt's Model
S.W. SADAVA and A.W. PAK, Brock University
Abstract
Single-variable tension-reduction models fail to account for much of the
variance in alcohol or other drug use in relation to stress. Marlatt's
multivariate model of stress-related substance abuse postulates that
stress-related problem drinking is a function of 1. the intensity of perceived
stress,
2. degree of perceived personal control, 3. availability of adequate
coping responses to the perceived stress, 4. availability of the substance, and 5.
the person's expectancies about the effects of the substance as a coping
strategy. This model was tested within a longitudinal design, following
university students during the transitional year of their graduation from
university. Greater consumption of alcohol (Q-F) and a greater frequency of
intoxication, as well as changes toward higher scores on these measures were
related to and predicted by higher levels of perceived stress and stressful life
events, greater external locus of control, social supports and life satisfaction,
more opportunities for heavy drinking in a supportive social context and
attributing greater importance to coping functions of drinking. Higher levels of
alcohol-related problems amongst drinkers, after accounting for the effect of
consumption levels on problems, were related to these variables as well, and
particularly to depression and social supports. The findings are interpreted as
supporting the model, and extending it to explain both stress-related drinking
behaviour and vulnerability to alcohol-related problems.
Resume
Les modules de reduction de la tension a une settle variable ne permettent pas
de justifier dans une large mesure l'ecart dans la consommation d'alcool ou de
drogues liee au stress. Selon le modWe multivaric d'abus de substances W au
stress,
elabor£ par Marlatt, la consommation d'alcool liee au stress est une
fonction de 1. l'intensite du stress perc,u, 2. le degr£ de controle personnel
penju, 3. la possibility de fournir des reponses d'adaptation adequates au stress
perc,u, 4. la disponibilit£ de la substance et 5. les attentes de
1'individu
a
regard des effets de la substance comme strat£gie d'adaptation. Ce modele a
6t6 mis a
1'essai
selon une approche longitudinale, aupres d'etudiants du
niveau universitaire, pendant l'annee de transition suivant l'obtention de leur
diplome. La consommation accrue d'alcool (Q-F) et la frequence accrue d'in-
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science,
1993,
25:3,
446-464
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... While alcohol use is frequently linked to relaxing and having a "good time," literature highlights the risks of stress-related alcohol consumption (Sadava & Pak, 1993). Studies have pointed to this type of behavior being a risk factor for the onset of depression and other anxiety-based disorders (Sadava & Pak, 1993). In a recent study of drinking behavior, motives, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, McPhee et al. (2020) found associations between coping drinking motives and symptoms of depression, as well as between coping drinking motives and alcohol consumption. ...
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... Bei Studierenden steht Stress im Zusammenhang mit schlechten Studienleistungen (z.B. Khan et al., 2013) und geringer Lebensqualität (Ribeiro et al., 2018) und kann Alkoholmissbrauch (Sadava & Pak, 1993) und depressive Symptome (Barker et al., 2018) verstärken. Während der Covid-19-Pandemie berichteten Studierende Stress durch Einschränkungen in sozialen Kontakten und bei Nebenbeschäftigungen (Ehrentreich et al., 2022) sowie Unsicher-heit in Bezug auf den zu erwartenden Verlauf der Pandemie und ihre persönliche Studiensituation (Hahn et al., 2021). ...
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... Based on corroborating evidence from previous research in accordance with the current study's findings, it may be as noted by Sadava and Pak (1993) that stress is not a sufficient predictor of substance use independent of other factors, and thus the Tension Reduction Theory may simply be too reductionistic a model to account for the relationship between stress and substance use. TRT fails to account for individual and contextual characteristics that may mediate the development of stress-induced substance use; as such, an alternative multivariate model may be more appropriate to describe the relationship between stress and substance use. ...
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... Stress is positively related to problematic drinking among college students independent from drinking behaviors concurrently (Ham & Hope, 2003;Sadava & Pak, 1993) and prospectively (Russell et al., 2017). Indeed, among Latinx adults, exposure to social adversity is associated with alcohol problems (Mulia & Zemore, 2012). ...
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Desarrollo psicosocial durante la tercera década de la vida y problemas alcohólicos: un estudio longitudinal. / Psychosocial development in the third decade of life and drinking problems: A longitudinal study.
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