TY - JOUR
T1 - Alcohol-induced blackouts, subjective intoxication, and motivation to decrease drinking
T2 - Prospective examination of the transition out of college
AU - Marino, Elise N.
AU - Fromme, Kim
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Grants R01-AA013967 and R01-AA020637 . NIAAA had no role in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Objective: We prospectively examined whether subjective intoxication serves as a risk factor for experiencing alcohol-induced blackouts. We then examined whether subjective intoxication and/or blackouts predicted motivation to decrease their drinking, and whether this motivation to change would promote future changes in drinking behavior. Method: Participants (N = 1854, 62.1% female, 53.2% Caucasian, M age = 21.8) were recruited the summer prior to matriculating into a large, public university to complete a 6-year longitudinal study. Self-reported motivation to decrease their drinking behavior, their frequency of blackouts, quantity of alcohol consumption, and subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) were assessed annually during the transition out of college (Years 4–6). Results: In a cross-lagged model, subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) prospectively predicted experiencing blackouts (p < 0.001). Controlling for both objective (e.g., quantity) and subjective intoxication, blackouts at Year 4 predicted greater motivation to decrease drinking behavior at Year 5 (p < 0.01), but this motivation did not predict less quantity of alcohol use by Year 6 (p = 0.076). Conclusions: Subjective intoxication is a robust predictor of blackouts across time. Additionally, blackouts are modest, developmentally-limited predictors of motivation to change drinking behavior, but blackouts do not predict future behavior change.
AB - Objective: We prospectively examined whether subjective intoxication serves as a risk factor for experiencing alcohol-induced blackouts. We then examined whether subjective intoxication and/or blackouts predicted motivation to decrease their drinking, and whether this motivation to change would promote future changes in drinking behavior. Method: Participants (N = 1854, 62.1% female, 53.2% Caucasian, M age = 21.8) were recruited the summer prior to matriculating into a large, public university to complete a 6-year longitudinal study. Self-reported motivation to decrease their drinking behavior, their frequency of blackouts, quantity of alcohol consumption, and subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) were assessed annually during the transition out of college (Years 4–6). Results: In a cross-lagged model, subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) prospectively predicted experiencing blackouts (p < 0.001). Controlling for both objective (e.g., quantity) and subjective intoxication, blackouts at Year 4 predicted greater motivation to decrease drinking behavior at Year 5 (p < 0.01), but this motivation did not predict less quantity of alcohol use by Year 6 (p = 0.076). Conclusions: Subjective intoxication is a robust predictor of blackouts across time. Additionally, blackouts are modest, developmentally-limited predictors of motivation to change drinking behavior, but blackouts do not predict future behavior change.
KW - Alcohol
KW - Behavior change
KW - Blackouts
KW - Emerging adulthood
KW - Motivation to change
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U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.01.013
DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.01.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 29367115
AN - SCOPUS:85041457011
SN - 0306-4603
VL - 80
SP - 89
EP - 94
JO - Addictive Behaviors
JF - Addictive Behaviors
ER -