title: Anxiety sensitivity and hazardous drinking among persons living with HIV/AIDS: An examination of the role of emotion dysregulation.
abstract: Hazardous drinking is prevalent among persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor that is highly associated with hazardous drinking among seronegatives, but has yet to be tested in PLWHA. Additionally, there is a need to examine potential mechanisms underlying associations of anxiety sensitivity and hazardous drinking. Emotion dysregulation is one potential construct that may explain the association between anxiety sensitivity and hazardous drinking. The current study examined emotion dysregulation as a potential explanatory variable between anxiety sensitivity and four, clinically significant alcohol-related outcomes among PLWHA: hazardous drinking, symptoms of alcohol dependence, number of days consuming alcohol within the past month, and degree of past heavy episodic drinking. The sample included 126 PLWHA (Mage=48.3; SD=7.5; 65.9% male). Results indicated significant indirect effects of anxiety sensitivity via emotion dysregulation in all models. Indirect effects (κ(2)) were of medium effect size. Alternative models were run reversing the predictor with mediator and, separately, reversing the mediator with the proposed outcome(s); alternative models yielded non-significant indirect effects in all but one case. Together, the current results indicate that anxiety sensitivity is associated emotion dysregulation, which, in turn, is associated with hazardous drinking outcomes. Overall, these findings may provide initial empirical evidence that emotion dysregulation may be a clinical intervention target for hazardous drinking.
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States. Electronic address: djpaulus@uh.edu.
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: Paulus
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Jardin
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Jafar
authors: J
authors: Bakhshaie
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Carla
authors: C
authors: Sharp
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Steven Paul
authors: SP
authors: Woods
authors: Legacy Community Health, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Chad
authors: C
authors: Lemaire
authors: Legacy Community Health, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Leonard
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Clayton
authors: C
authors: Neighbors
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States.
authors: Charles P
authors: CP
authors: Brandt
authors: University of Houston, Department of Psychology, Houston, TX, United States; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Behavioral Science, Houston, TX, United States. Electronic address: mjzvolen@central.uh.edu.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Zvolensky
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Alcohol; Anxiety sensitivity; Emotion dysregulation; Hazardous drinking; Vulnerabilities