Date of Award

8-1997

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Malcolm Robertson, Ph.D

Second Advisor

Kevin Armstrong, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Lester Wright Jr., Ph.D.

Keywords

alcohol use, stress, anxiety, despression

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

In clinical literature regarding the effects of regular alcohol use, psychological benefits of moderate consumption have been suggested (Neff & Husaini, 1982; Neff, 1984; Neff & Husaini, 1985; Neff, 1985; Neff, 1986; Neff, 1993, Lipton, 1994). Despite the diverse groups with which this theory has been examined, no published studies have lookeq specifically at the high-risk group of college undergraduates. Subjects were surveyed to assess their typical drinking behavior, the number of stressful events they had experienced within the past 12 months, their perceived social support, and depressive and anxiety symptoms they experienced within the seven days leading up to their completion of the survey.

Abstainers, moderate drinkers, heavy-occasional drinkers, and heavy drinkers experienced equivalent numbers of depressive symptoms and equivalent degrees of severity of anxiety symptoms. For all subjects, as stress increased, so did anxiety and depressive symptomatology. The results failed to support a stress-buffering effect of moderate alcohol use.

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