Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Does Drinking To Cope Explain Links Between Emotion-Driven Impulse Control Difficulties And Hazardous Drinking? A Longitudinal Test, Laura E. Watkins, Molly R. Franz, David Dilillo, Kim L. Gratz, Terri L. Messman-Moore

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions is a prominent risk factor for hazardous alcohol use, and prior research suggests that drinking to cope may mediate this association. The present study examines this possibility prospectively in a sample of 490 young adult women between the ages of 18 and 25. Participants completed measures of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties, drinking to cope, and hazardous alcohol use at six time points over the course of approximately 20 months (i.e., one assessment every four months). Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that drinking to cope fully mediated the relationship between emotion-driven impulse control …