Alcohol problems among a community sample: longitudinal influences of stress, coping, and gender.

This study examined the relationships among stress, coping methods, and alcohol-use associated problems within a longitudinal, community sample of males and females who were followed from adolescence through young adulthood. While fewer females than males were categorized as "dependent users," these females were more debilitated in terms of the number of alcohol-related problems experienced from age 15 through age 25. Measures of both chronic and proximal levels of personal stress and negative coping styles were most helpful in explaining problems with alcohol use. Distal measures of stress and coping, while perhaps serving as mediators or moderators of other important constructs, did not appear to have a direct effect on the outcome measure.