Relationship between empathic processing and drinking behavior in project MATCH

- Validated a model of Empathic Processing (EP) in an alcohol treatment sample.
- EP and family social support were negatively associated with drinking in males.
- Friend social support was negatively associated with drinking in females.
- EP may be a treatment-modifiable risk factor for drinking in males.

IntroductionFamily relationships, social connectedness and a greater network of supportive others each predict better drinking outcomes among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The association between social factors and drinking may be related to the ability of individuals to take the perspectives of others' mental and emotional states, defined as empathic processing (EP). As such, it may be the case that EP is associated with social support (SS) and drinking behavior among individuals with AUD, yet few prior studies have attempted to define EP in an AUD sample.MethodsThe current study was a secondary data analysis of Project MATCH (N = 1726) using structural equation modeling to model EP as a latent factor. The study also sought to test the baseline associations between EP, SS, and drinking behavior, as well as sex differences in the associations between EP, SS, and drinking. It was hypothesized that EP would be positively associated with SS and negatively associated with drinking behavior.ResultsResults suggested adequate model fit of the EP construct. Structural equation models indicated significant associations between EP, SS, and both drinking consequences and percent drinking days, but only for males. Males reported significantly lower EP and SS from friends, but more SS from family, compared to females. EP was not related to drinking among females.ConclusionsThe current study validated a model of EP in a treatment-seeking sample of individuals with alcohol use disorder. Future work may consider EP as a treatment-modifiable risk factor for drinking frequency and consequences in males.