title: The potential utility of drinking motive questions to screen at-risk drinking in socially anxious patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drinking motives are thought to be important mediators of the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol use. This project evaluates whether specific drinking motives accurately reflect alcohol dependence. If so, brief questions about drinking motives could serve as valuable alcohol screening tools with socially anxious patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This investigation was a secondary analysis of an existing data set of 83 subjects with social anxiety disorder and at-risk alcohol use. The relationship between Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ-R-5) subscales and alcohol dependence was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Coping-Depression was the only subscale that contributed to the unique prediction of a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Additionally, two items (i.e. "to cheer up when you're in a bad mood" and "to forget painful memories") predicted a diagnosis of alcohol dependence above and beyond their association with each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients with social anxiety, two specific questions on the DMQ-R-5 could provide a useful screen for health professionals to predict alcohol dependence. It may be fruitful to specifically target the motives of "to cheer up when you're in a bad mood" and "to forget painful memories" when providing advice during brief interventions.
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Peter M
authors: PM
authors: Miller
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Sarah W
authors: SW
authors: Book
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Suzanne
authors: S
authors: Thomas
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Joshua P
authors: JP
authors: Smith
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Patrick K
authors: PK
authors: Randall
authors: Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs Medical University of South Carolina 67 President Street P.O. Box 250861 Charleston, SC 29425.
authors: Carrie L
authors: CL
authors: Randall
keywords: Social anxiety; alcohol screening; drinking motives