A Longitudinal Examination of the Associations Between Shyness, Drinking Motives, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-Related Problems

Chelsie M. Young, Angelo M. Dibello, Zachary K. Traylor, Michael J. Zvolensky, Clayton Neighbors

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: The current study evaluated the roles of drinking motives and shyness in predicting problem alcohol use over 2 years. Methods: First-year college student drinkers (n = 818) completed assessments of alcohol use and related problems, shyness, and drinking motives every 6 months over a 2-year period. Results: Generalized linear mixed models indicated that shyness was associated with less drinking, but more alcohol-related problems. Further, shyness was associated with coping, conformity, and enhancement drinking motives, but was not associated with social drinking motives. However, when examining coping motives, moderation analyses revealed that social drinking motives were more strongly associated with coping motives among individuals higher in shyness. In addition, coping, conformity, and enhancement motives, but not social motives, mediated associations between shyness and alcohol-related problems over time. Finally, coping motives mediated the association between the interaction of shyness and social motives and alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Together, the results suggest that shy individuals may drink to reduce negative affect, increase positive affect, and fit in with others in social situations, which may then contribute to greater risk for subsequent alcohol-related problems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1749-1755
Number of pages7
JournalAlcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume39
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Longitudinal Examination of the Associations Between Shyness, Drinking Motives, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-Related Problems'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this