Context and the relationship between social anxiety and urge to drink

The study investigated how the type of social context (i.e., a) social interaction and b) speech challenge) affected the strength of the relationship between state social anxiety (SSA) and urge to drink (i.e., the subjective desire to drink; UTD) in women. The sample included 74 women (78% Hispanic; Mage =20.63; SD = 2.21). The participants completed both a and b “social task challenges” (STC) using a within-subjects design. Participants reported SSA level (as indicated by the Subjective Units of Discomfort on a scale from 0 -100) and their UTD (subjective desire to drink on a scale of 0 -100) in anticipation of the STC, during the STC, and after the STC. In both conditions, SSA and UTD were positively correlated at all time points. Contrary to hypotheses, type of STC did not moderate the relationship between SSA and UTD. Implications for early prevention of hazardous alcohol use are discussed, as is this research study’s findings In regards to current literature