Negative mood induced
alcohol-seeking: What role
do depression and coping
motives play?
Lorna Hardy
University of Exeter
Negative affect and drinking
• Negative emotions contribute to a large proportion of relapses
in alcohol dependence (Marlatt, 1996; Hodgins, el-Gueblay, & Armstrong, 1995; Strowig, 2000;
Brown et al., 1990)
• In lab studies, induction of negative mood or stress increases
alcohol-seeking as measured by:
•
•
•
•
Craving
Economic demand (price willing to pay)
Consumption
Choice over an alternate pleasant reward (Magry & Olmstead, 2015; Mcgrath et al.,
2016; Owens et al., 2014)
• Sensitivity to mood induction in terms of alcoholseeking behaviour predicts relapse (Sinha et al., 2011; Cooney et al.,
1997).
Depression as a risk factor
• Depression is an excellent prospective predictor of:
• alcohol dependence
• poor treatment outcomes
• and relapse (Hasin et al., 2002; Greenfield et al., 1998).
• Depressed individuals may be particularly reactive to the negative
triggers that promote alcohol-seeking (Wise & Koob, 2014).
• This may be responsible for their poor outcomes/high relapse rate
There are a number of reasons why this might
be the case:
1. Individuals with depression experience more negative affect and
show greater mood reactivity (Bylsma et al., 2011)
2. Are more likely to suppress negative affect  more distress (Joorman
& Stanton, 2016)
3. Are more likely to endorse drinking to cope with emotions (Bravo et
al., 2016)
• Drinking to cope predicts the transition from recreational alcohol
use to dependence (Crum et al., 2013)
• And sensitivity to negative mood induced alcohol seeking (Rousseau et al.,
2011)
• May act as the proximal mediator through which depression
translates into maladaptive alcohol use (Yeater, Austin, Green, & Smith, 2010).
Predictions
(1) Negative mood induction should increase alcohol-seeking
behaviour
(2) Depression symptoms should be associated with greater sensitivity
to negative mood induced alcohol-seeking behaviour
(3) Negative coping motives should also be associated with greater
sensitivity to this effect of negative mood
Method: Participants & Measures
Participants: 177 drinkers – mixed student and community sample
• Key questionnaire measures:
• Alcohol dependence – measured by AUDIT (Babor et al., 2001)
• Depression – measured by Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1996)
• Drinking to cope – measured by Reasons for Drinking
Questionnaire (Westerberg et al., 1996)
Method: Choice task
• To measure baseline alcohol motivation:
• Two thumbnails presented (alcohol vs. food) – randomised side
• Key press to enlarge chosen image
• 32 trials
• Choice to view alcohol images predicts current and future
alcohol use (Hogarth & Chase, 2011)
• Advantage – none of the problems relating to actual alcohol
consumption
• And can introduce multiple cues which represent alcohol =
greater interest

Mood induction
• All Ps presented with negative mood statements (16 presented – 10 secs)
• “I feel worthless”
• “Life is such a heavy burden” (Seibert & Ellis, 1991)
• Sad music – Adagio for Strings (Morrison & O’Connor)
• Followed by block of choice trials (test phase – 64 trials) in which:
• Music continues playing and
• Sad statements are presented prior to choice
Mood is measure prior to the mood induction, immediately afterwards, and at
the end of the test phase
Expect negative mood induction to augment alcohol choice.
I feel worthless

Negative mood induction increased alcohol-seeking behaviour:
F(1,172) = 66.89, p < .001, ηp2 = .280.
There was also a significant worsening of mood following
induction: F(2,344) = 92.82, p < .001, ηp2 = .351
Depression predicted sensitivity to negative mood priming
As did negative coping motives
Ultimately a one-item
regression model with BDI
was the most efficient
predictor of mood induced
alcohol choice
Conclusions
Predictions were confirmed:
(1) Negative mood induction increased alcohol-seeking behaviour
(2) Depression symptoms were associated with greater
sensitivity to negative mood induced alcohol-seeking
behaviour
(3) As were coping motives.
Conclusions
• Depressed drinkers frequently hold beliefs that alcohol helps cope
with negative affect
• These traits enable acute spikes in negative mood to motivate
drinking
• Process may drive comorbidity between depression and alcohol
dependence
• Depression and drinking to cope should be screened to guide
prevention strategies, and undermined to improve treatment
outcomes.
Thank you for listening!
And thanks to my supervisory team:
- Prof Lee Hogarth
- Prof Celia Morgan
And the Economic and Social Research Council
for funding this work
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•
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