PhD Student

I’m a final year psychology PhD student working in the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG) at the University of Bristol. I previously completed a BSc in psychology at the University of Southampton, a PGCE in psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University, an MSc in research methods in psychology at the University of Bristol, and I have worked as a secondary school teacher. My main areas of interest are mental health and substance use. Using epidemiological and experimental methods, I’m currently investigating the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use. My supervisors are Professor Marcus Munafò, Professor Matthew Hickman and Dr Jon Heron. I’m funded by the MRC Addiction Research Clinical Training Programme (MARC).

Aims: We examined associations between generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) at age 18 and frequent drinking, frequent bingeing, hazardous drinking, and harmful drinking at ages 18 (unadjusted n = 3964) and 21 (unadjusted n = 2634). We also examined whether drinking-to-cope (DTC) motives at age 18 moderated these associations.

Design, Participants and Setting: We used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based birth cohort study.

Measurements: Participants completed the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and a modified version of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire, which assessed GAD and DTC respectively. Alcohol use outcomes were assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Unadjusted results were compared to results adjusted for sociodemographic, parental and adolescent confounders.

Findings: GAD was positively associated with all alcohol outcomes at baseline (unadjusted OR, 95% CI: frequent drinking 1.54, 1.15 to 2.07; frequent bingeing 1.61, 1.14 to 2.29; hazardous drinking 1.52, 1.15 to 1.99; harmful drinking 2.18, 1.38 to 3.44). GAD increased the odds of harmful drinking at age 21 (unadjusted OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.43), but there was no clear evidence of a relationship between GAD and the other alcohol outcomes. Although GAD predicted DTC, and DTC predicted alcohol use, there was little evidence of a GAD x DTC interaction on alcohol use at either age.

Conclusions: Increased GAD symptoms are associated with greater alcohol use in adolescence, although associations appear to attenuate in young adulthood. DTC motives do not appear to moderate the relationship.

Co-Authors

Dr Jon Heron – Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol. Professor Matthew Hickman – Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol. Professor Marcus R. Munafò – School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol.

Conflicts of interest:

No conflict of interest