A Bibliographic Essay: The Relationship between Stress and Substance Use

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to outline and critique studies that have examined the link between stress and substance use. Studies are categorized according to the age of the sample and the type of substance use measure considered. The research is mostly limited to studies that operationalize stress as stressful life events, daily hassles, or subjective stress. This paper concludes that there is a robust relationship between stress and substance use. However, there is a clear need for general population studies to address age, gender, and cultural differences to better assess the specificity and complexity of the stress/substance use relationship.

Key Words:

• Stressful life events
• Substance use
• Review