Alcohol consumption as a maladaptive coping strategy to face low life satisfaction

Abstract

Drinking alcohol is a risk behaviour for individual health. Many studies have investigated the psychological factors influencing alcohol consumption among adolescent and university students, fewer investigated these variables on adult samples. The literature investigated the relation between life satisfaction and alcohol consumption. The results were not consistent. This study aimed to investigate whether drinking motives could mediate the relationship between life satisfaction and alcohol consumption, distinguishing between the general alcohol consumption and episodes of binge drinking. Data were collected by means of a self-report questionnaire in a sample of 285 adults (mean age: 34.4 years). The relations were examined empirically by means of a structural equations model. The results showed the role of drinking motives in fully mediating the relation between life satisfaction and the indicators of alcohol consumption. The coping drinking motive related to general alcohol consumption whereas the enhancement motive to increased binge drinking. Interventions should focus on the coping function of alcohol consumption, helping individuals to develop alternative coping strategies for managing negative moods resulting from unsatisfactory life conditions.

Keywords:

• Life satisfaction
• drinking motives
• alcohol consumption
• binge drinking
• structural equations modelling

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest.

Note

Notes

1 https://ec.europa.eu/health/alcohol/indicators