title: Fitting in and feeling fine: conformity and coping motives as mediators of the relationship between social anxiety and problematic drinking.
abstract: The present research was conducted to clarify the relationships among social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and negative-reinforcement drinking motives among college students. Heavy drinking students (N = 316, 53.80% female) completed self-report measures of social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and drinking motives. Findings indicated that students higher in social anxiety consumed less alcohol but experienced more negative consequences. Moreover, the relationship between social anxiety and negative consequences was mediated by coping and conformity drinking motives in addition to alcohol consumption. In the context of social anxiety, the current research demonstrates the importance of examining problematic drinking as distinct constructs: alcohol consumption and negative consequences. Findings are also discussed in terms of implications for interventions with socially anxious students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98105-6099, USA. lewisma@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: M Christina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hove
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Whiteside
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Benjamin S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kirkeby
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oster-Aaland
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neighbors
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Larimer
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D012925:Social Conformity; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data