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Copeland, A, Jones, A, Acuff, S, Murphy, J and Field, M (2022) Meaning in life: Investigating protective and risk factors for harmful alcohol consumption. Addiction Research and Theory. ISSN 1476-7392
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Meaning in life investigating protective and risk factors for harmful alcohol consumption.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background: Individuals with greater meaning in life tend to consume less alcohol. However, research elucidating pathways through which meaning in life influences consumption is lacking. Behavioural economic theories posit that distortions in valuation processes, whilst negative reinforcement models posit that avoidance or regulation of negative internal states, are central in decisions to consume alcohol.
Method: Pre-registered, cross-sectional design. Five hundred forty-six regular alcohol consumers (≥ 18 years old) completed an online questionnaire which asked about alcohol use, meaning in life, alcohol-free reinforcement, alcohol value, depressive symptoms, and drinking to cope motives.
Results: Presence of meaning had a significant negative association with AUDIT scores (β = -.26, p < .001), but neither search for meaning nor total alcohol-free reinforcement were significant predictors (ps > .53). Subsequent path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of presence of meaning on AUDIT scores through lower alcohol value (95% CI = -.17 to -.08) and drinking to cope (95% CI = -.07 to -.00), and a serial mediation effect through both lower depressive symptoms and drinking to cope (95% CI = -.09 to -.04). Although search for meaning was not a direct predictor of AUDIT scores, there was a significant indirect effect through greater drinking to cope (95% CI = .01 to .06) and a serial mediation effect through both greater depressive symptoms and drinking to cope (95% CI = .01 to .04).
Conclusions: Meaning in life subscales predict alcohol consumption indirectly via individual differences in alcohol value, depressive symptoms, and drinking to cope.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | 1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1701 Psychology; Substance Abuse |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine |
| Divisions: | Psychology (from Sep 2019) |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis Group |
| SWORD Depositor: | A Symplectic |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Oct 2022 08:50 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Oct 2022 08:45 |
| DOI or ID number: | 10.1080/16066359.2022.2134991 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17786 |
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