A daily life examination of within-day rumination and negative affect as predictors of alcohol use in young adults
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[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2026] Though work suggests individuals drink alcohol to relieve negative affect (NA), findings are mixed with respect to the association between drinking and NA. This may suggest that other factors, independently and in conjunction with NA, precipitate alcohol use. Specifically, rumination may contribute to drinking through its exacerbating effect on NA (Heggeness et al., 2021; Wolitzky-Taylor et al., 2021) and may be a motive for drinking in its own right (Baumeister, 1992; Hull, 1981). Therefore, this study utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to understand the role of rumination as a predictor of whether and how much participants drank in daily life, both as a unique predictor and as a mediator between NA and drinking behaviors. 81 young adult community drinkers (21-29 years old) completed 7+ reports for two weeks via EMA. We hypothesized 1) that rumination experienced prior to drinking would be associated with greater likelihood and quantity of alcohol consumption via EMA, when adjusting for NA and 2) that it would mediate the association between NA prior to drinking and alcohol use. We utilized multilevel modelling to test our hypotheses. Neither hypothesis was supported in the present study. However, within-person total effects of our mediation models suggest associations between negative affect and drinking. Specifically, experiencing greater negative affect prior to drinking was associated with a reduced likelihood of drinking on a given day, but participants tended to consume a greater number of drinks on days characterized by greater negative affect. Though our hypotheses were not supported, this study provides mixed support for theory positing a positive association between negative affect and alcohol use and future directions for elucidating associations between within-person measures of rumination and alcoholrelated outcomes are discussed.
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Ph. D