title: Episode-specific drinking-to-cope motivation and next-day stress-reactivity.
abstract: Research consistently shows drinking-to-cope (DTC) motivation is uniquely associated with drinking-related problems. We furthered this line of research by examining whether DTC motivation is predictive of processes indicative of poor emotion regulation. Specifically, we tested whether nighttime levels of episode-specific DTC motivation, controlling for drinking level, were associated with intensified affective reactions to stress the following day (i.e. stress-reactivity).
  
  
  
  We used a micro-longitudinal design to test this hypothesis in two college student samples from demographically distinct institutions: a large, rural state university (N = 1421; 54% female) and an urban historically Black college/university (N = 452; 59% female).
  
  
  
  In both samples the within-person association between daily stress and negative affect on days following drinking episodes was stronger in the positive direction when previous night's drinking was characterized by relatively higher levels of DTC motivation. We also found evidence among students at the state university that average levels of DTC motivation moderated the daily stress-negative affect association.
  
  
  
  Findings are consistent with the notion that DTC motivation confers a unique vulnerability that affects processes associated with emotion regulation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Fairleigh Dickinson University , Teaneck , USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Armeli
authors.affiliation: b Department of Community Medicine and Health Care , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , USA.
authors.forename: Ross E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychiatry , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , USA.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Covault
authors.affiliation: d Department of Pediatrics and Human Genetics and Alcohol Research Center , Howard University College of Medicine , Washington , USA.
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: b Department of Community Medicine and Health Care , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , USA.
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tennen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000067292:Alcohol Drinking in College / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Drinking-to-cope motivation; alcohol use; stress-reactivity