The role of social context and anticipatory anxiety in social anxiety risk for pre-drinking.

Pre-drinking (drinking before going out) is prevalent among undergraduate students. Cognitive models of social anxiety and tension reduction theory propose that those high in social anxiety are at increased risk for pre-drinking to reduce anticipatory anxiety prior to social events. Pre-drinking occurs in various social contexts that differ in how anxiety-provoking they are for these individuals. Accordingly, those high in social anxiety may be at increased risk for pre-drinking to reduce anticipatory anxiety in specific contexts. The goal of this dissertation was to incorporate pre-drinking contexts and anticipatory anxiety into theoretically-based models of social anxiety and pre-drinking. In a daily diary study (Study 1), we tested the combined effect of in the moment social context and anxious mood on social anxiety-related pre-drinking. We hypothesized that elevated social anxiety would predict increased likelihood of pre-drinking and pre-drinking quantity when anxious mood was high in less familiar contexts. Partially supporting hypotheses, those high in social anxiety were more likely to be in less familiar contexts during pre-drinking when anxious mood was high, but did not pre-drink more heavily. Although not previously hypothesized, elevated social anxiety protected against pre-drinking when anxious mood was high in group contexts. In a laboratory experiment (Study 2), we examined the effect of social context on social anxiety-related increase in anticipatory anxiety and urge to drink prior to a social event. To provide the opportunity to pre-drink, participants completed a taste rating task in one of three social contexts and in an alcohol or no alcohol condition, following anticipatory anxious mood manipulation of an upcoming social interaction. We hypothesized that, compared to the no alcohol condition, those high in social anxiety would report increased anticipatory anxiety and urge to pre-drink when alone or with a stranger. Results indicated that those high in social anxiety reported increased anticipatory anxiety prior to the social interaction. Participants reported increased urge to pre-drink when alone and when with a stranger. Exploratory analyses suggested that social context may moderate social anxiety related increase in anticipatory anxiety and urge to pre-drink. The findings shed light on risk factors that could be targeted in clinical interventions aimed at reducing social anxiety-motivated problem drinking.

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