TY - JOUR
T1 - Alcohol Motivations and Behaviors During Months Young Adults Experience Social Role Transitions
T2 - Microtransitions in Early Adulthood
AU - Patrick, Megan E.
AU - Rhew, Isaac C.
AU - Lewis, Melissa A.
AU - Abdallah, Devon A.
AU - Larimer, Mary E.
AU - Schulenberg, John E.
AU - Lee, Christine M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Data collection and manuscript preparation were supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA022087, PI: Christine M. Lee). The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - The study examines how young adult transitions into and out of social roles (i.e., starting or ending a job, a romantic relationship, school) are associated with drinking motives (coping, enhancement, social, and conformity) and alcohol use in a given month. A community sample of young adult drinkers (N 767; 56.3% female; 59.3% White; Ages 18'23) completed 24 consecutive months of online surveys (N 15,333 months of data) about the previous month's experiences, social role transitions, and alcohol use. During the 2-year data collection window, participants reported starting/ending a job (10.0%/8.2%), a relationship (2.7%/4.3%), and school (9.2%/17.4%). Between persons, those who more often started jobs were more likely to drink and those who more often ended jobs had higher enhancement motives; those who more often ended relationships were more likely to drink, have a greater number of drinks when drinking, and have higher coping and enhancement motives; and those who more often started relationships had higher conformity motives. Within persons, during months when a relationship ended, participants reported stronger coping motives, and during months when a relationship started, they reported stronger social motives for drinking. During months when a relationship started or ended, participants also reported consuming a greater number of drinks when drinking. There were no differences based on starting or ending school. Young adult social role transitions are associated with concurrent changes in both alcohol use and motives for drinking. Understanding these contextual changes and their concomitant risks is key to providing salient interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm.
AB - The study examines how young adult transitions into and out of social roles (i.e., starting or ending a job, a romantic relationship, school) are associated with drinking motives (coping, enhancement, social, and conformity) and alcohol use in a given month. A community sample of young adult drinkers (N 767; 56.3% female; 59.3% White; Ages 18'23) completed 24 consecutive months of online surveys (N 15,333 months of data) about the previous month's experiences, social role transitions, and alcohol use. During the 2-year data collection window, participants reported starting/ending a job (10.0%/8.2%), a relationship (2.7%/4.3%), and school (9.2%/17.4%). Between persons, those who more often started jobs were more likely to drink and those who more often ended jobs had higher enhancement motives; those who more often ended relationships were more likely to drink, have a greater number of drinks when drinking, and have higher coping and enhancement motives; and those who more often started relationships had higher conformity motives. Within persons, during months when a relationship ended, participants reported stronger coping motives, and during months when a relationship started, they reported stronger social motives for drinking. During months when a relationship started or ended, participants also reported consuming a greater number of drinks when drinking. There were no differences based on starting or ending school. Young adult social role transitions are associated with concurrent changes in both alcohol use and motives for drinking. Understanding these contextual changes and their concomitant risks is key to providing salient interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm.
KW - Alcohol
KW - Motivations
KW - Social roles
KW - Young adulthood
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058751682&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/adb0000411
DO - 10.1037/adb0000411
M3 - Article
C2 - 30556714
AN - SCOPUS:85058751682
SN - 0893-164X
VL - 32
SP - 895
EP - 903
JO - Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
JF - Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
IS - 8
ER -