Affect and Craving: Examining the Differential Influences of Positive and Negative Affect on Inclinations to Approach and Avoid Alcohol Use

Most research examining the role of affect in the etiology of alcohol craving has been limited to associations between negative affect and the desire to consume alcohol. This narrow focus has not only ignored the potential influence of positive affect on the desire to use alcohol, but has led to a failure to consider both desires to avoid using alcohol and motivational conflicts often thought to be present in alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Additionally, research investigating the influence of affect on attentional bias in favor of alcohol cues in individuals who have an AUD has been limited. Using 60 individuals recruited from the community who met criteria for AUD, the current study sought to investigate the influence of both positive and negative affect on craving (approach and avoidance) and attentional biases using an experimental paradigm to manipulate affect and utilizing eye-tracking methodology. The negative affect induction was successful, however, our positive affect induction failed. Affect induction did not influence approach or avoidance ratings for alcohol or attentional bias; further, approach and avoidance did not predict any attentional bias indices. Future research would benefit from investigating treatment samples using larger sample sizes and the inclusion of potential moderators to help investigate associations among affect, attentional biases, and craving