The separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking outcomes

PurposeOur goal was to test the separate and interactive effects of drinking motives and social anxiety symptoms in predicting drinking-related consumption and problems.MethodsParticipants (N = 730; 59.7% female) were undergraduate college students who completed measures of social anxiety symptoms, drinking motives, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems.ResultsGreater social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with less alcohol consumption, and there was some evidence that greater social anxiety symptoms were also associated with greater alcohol-relevant problems. Significant interactions between social anxiety and motives indicated that a) alcohol use was most pronounced for individuals high in enhancement motives and low in social anxiety symptoms; and b) among participants low in coping motives, drinking problems were greater for individuals high (vs. low) in social anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsMore fully identifying the individual difference factors that link social anxiety symptoms with drinking outcomes is important for informing prevention and intervention approaches.

► The Anxiety x Motives interaction did not consistently predict drinking outcomes.
► Social anxiety was associated with greater coping and conformity motives.
► Social anxiety was associated with less endorsement of enhancement motives.
► Greater social anxiety symptoms were related to less alcohol consumption.