Kyle R Anderson1, Tibor P Palfai2, Stephen A Maisto3, Jeffrey S Simons4. 1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. 2. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: palfai@bu.edu. 3. Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. 4. Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA.
Abstract
Urgency, the tendency to act rashly under extreme emotions, has been associated with higher rates of hazardous/harmful drinking. Moreover, previous work suggests that the association between urgency and hazardous/harmful drinking may be mediated by drinking motives. The current study sought to replicate and extend this research to men who have sex with men (MSM), a population that has shown increased alcohol-related health risk behavior. METHODS: Two-hundred-and-fifty-six moderate-to-heavy drinking MSM completed questionnaires assessing urgency, drinking motives, and hazardous/harmful drinking. Regression models were conducted to examine the direct effect of Urgency on heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences and its indirect effects on these outcomes through drinking motives. RESULTS: Urgency was significantly associated with heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Bootstrapping procedures indicated significant indirect effects through coping and enhancement motives for both outcomes and also conformity for consequences. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate urgency may be an important risk factor for hazardous/harmful drinking among adult MSM that may operate in part through its effects on coping and enhancement motives.
Urgency, the tendency to act rashly under extreme emotions, has been associated with higher rates of hazardous/harmful drinking. Moreover, previous work suggests that the association between urgency and hazardous/harmful drinking may be mediated by drinking motives. The current study sought to replicate and extend this research to men who have sex with men (MSM), a population that has shown increased alcohol-related health risk behavior. METHODS: Two-hundred-and-fifty-six moderate-to-heavy drinking MSM completed questionnaires assessing urgency, drinking motives, and hazardous/harmful drinking. Regression models were conducted to examine the direct effect of Urgency on heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences and its indirect effects on these outcomes through drinking motives. RESULTS: Urgency was significantly associated with heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Bootstrapping procedures indicated significant indirect effects through coping and enhancement motives for both outcomes and also conformity for consequences. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate urgency may be an important risk factor for hazardous/harmful drinking among adult MSM that may operate in part through its effects on coping and enhancement motives.
Authors: Maria Jose Bustamante; Tibor P Palfai; Peter Luehring-Jones; Stephen A Maisto; Jeffrey S Simons Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2022-01-10 Impact factor: 4.492