Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Psychology
Specialization
Behavioral Sciences
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Amy Stamates
Abstract
Alcohol use is associated with an increased risk of negative consequences such as poor physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., alcohol-related severe injury, depression, anxiety) in addition to financial and relational difficulties, particularly for young adults (i.e., individuals ages 18 to 25) due to their disproportionately high rates of alcohol use. Alcohol craving (i.e., the strong desire to consume alcohol) is a key factor related to increased use for clinical populations, but scant research has examined craving and its associated factors among young adults. Reward sensitivity (i.e., the desire to obtain appetitive stimuli) and impulsivity (i.e., rash action without consideration of the consequences) have been independently linked to alcohol craving, but few studies have examined how these factors interact and associate with alcohol craving among young adults. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between reward sensitivity, trait impulsivity, and alcohol craving in young adults. Participants included 291 college students from four-year universities and colleges in Rhode Island who reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past month. An online survey assessed trait impulsivity (positive and negative urgency, (lack of) perseverance (lack of) premeditation, and sensation seeking), reward sensitivity, and craving. To test study aims, five moderation analyses were conducted with reward sensitivity as the independent variable, alcohol craving as the dependent variable, and one of the five facets of impulsivity as the moderating variable. Findings revealed that there were significant interactions between levels of reward sensitivity and negative urgency (B = -0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.019) and sensation seeking (B = -0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.039). The negative associations between reward sensitivity and alcohol craving were significant at one SD above mean levels of negative urgency and sensation seeking. Thus, individuals who experienced lower levels of sensitivity to reward had increased craving when they also experienced greater levels of negative urgency and sensation seeking, respectively. Professionals who work with young adults who drink should screen for a combination of low sensitivity to reward and heightened sensation seeking or heightened negative urgency, as those may confer the greatest risk for experiencing alcohol craving.
Recommended Citation
Sherman, Anna, "THE MODERATING ROLE OF TRAIT IMPULSIVITY ON SENSITIVITY TO REWARD AND ALCOHOL CRAVING" (2024). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2585.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2585