Motivational Pathways to Unique Types of Alcohol Consequences

Individuals consume alcohol for a variety of reasons (motives), and these reasons may be differentially associated with the types of drinking outcomes that result. The present study examined whether specific affect-relevant motivations for alcohol use (i.e., coping, enhancement) are associated with distinct types of consequences, and whether such associations occur directly, or only as a function of increased alcohol use. It was hypothesized that enhancement motives would be associated with distinct problem types only through alcohol use, whereas coping motives would be linked directly to hypothesized problem types. Regularly drinking undergraduates (N = 192, 93 female) completed self-report measures of drinking motives and alcohol involvement. Using structural equation modeling, we tested direct associations between coping motives and indirect associations between enhancement motives and eight unique alcohol problem domains: risky behaviors, blackout drinking, physiological dependence, academic/occupational problems, poor self-care, diminished self-perception, social/interpersonal problems, and impaired control. We observed direct effects of coping motives on three unique problem domains (academic/occupational problems, risky behaviors, and poor self-care). Both coping and enhancement motives were indirectly associated (through use) with several problem types. Unhypothesized associations between conformity motives and unique consequence types also were observed. Findings suggest specificity in the consequences experienced by individuals who drink to cope with negative affect versus to enhance positive affect, and may have intervention implications. Findings depict the coping motivated student as one who is struggling across multiple domains, regardless of levels of drinking. Such students may need to be prioritized for interventions.