Positive Drinking Consequences Are Associated With Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Veterans Seeking Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

Background: Military service is associated with increased rates of heavy drinking. Widely used clinical practices (e.g., motivational interviewing) indicate that addressing both negative and positive drinking consequences is essential to effective treatment. However, research on effectively assessing positive drinking consequences in a clinical population is absent. Aims: The current study (1) evaluated the utility of the Positive Drinking Consequences Questionnaire (PDCQ), a measure previously validated in an undergraduate sample, for use with treatment-seeking veterans, and (2) evaluated relationships between positive drinking consequences and alcohol expectancies, pre-treatment alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. Method: Ninety-seven veterans seeking treatment for alcohol problems completed an anonymous survey (97.9% male; mean age = 49.76[11.40], 67.0% Caucasian). Results: The PDCQ evidenced a single factor latent structure and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .90). Positive drinking consequences and expectancies were related yet distinct constructs. After controlling for demographic factors, experiencing more positive drinking consequences at program intake was associated with heavier pretreatment drinking (η_p² = .10, p = .003) and alcohol-related problems (η_p² = .18, p < .001). Further, PDCQ scores evidenced incremental validity in accounting for pretreatment alcohol use (η_p² = .12, p = .002) and alcohol-related problems (η_p² = .11, p = .003) when expectancies also were included in the model. Conclusion: Positive drinking consequences are assessed reliably by the PDCQ in a clinical sample and appear to play an important role in the drinking behavior of veterans seeking alcohol treatment.

Keywords :

• veterans
• alcohol expectancies
• positive drinking consequences
• alcohol-related problems

THE AUTHORS

Meghan E. Morean, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Oberlin College and Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. She researches psychosocial and pharmacological factors that drive heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems, with foci on expectations, subjective experience, and prior drinking consequences. She also has developed novel measures of these constructs (Positive Drinking Consequences Questionnaire, Corbin et al. 2008; Anticipated Effects of Alcohol Scale, Morean et al. 2012; Subjective Effects of Alcohol Scale, Morean et al., 2013).

Judith L. Cooney, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and Director, Substance Abuse Day Program and Tobacco Control Program at VA Connecticut Healthcare System.  Her research interests include alcohol-tobacco interactions and the development of novel treatments for individuals with co-morbid alcohol and nicotine use disorders.  She serves on the VA Smoking and Tobacco Use Technical Advisory Group, which advises on nationwide VA tobacco policy issues. Her clinical programs are a home for professional training, treatment development/ evaluation, and research.

GLOSSARY

• Alcohol Expectancies: The beliefs that individuals have about the probable effects of drinking alcohol on their mood, emotions, and behavior. Expectancies are typically categorized as either positive (e.g., happy, talkative) or negative (e.g., depressed, aggressive).

• Positive Drinking Consequences: The actual experience of past positive consequences of alcohol use (e.g., I told a funny story that made others laugh), which is distinct from general beliefs about positive outcomes that are likely to happen as a result of drinking (i.e., alcohol expectancies).

• Veteran: An American who served in active military, naval, or air service, and who is eligible to receive services at the VA (i.e., he or she was discharged or released from active service under conditions other than dishonorable).