The Impact of Timing of Alcohol Consumption on Implicit Drinking Identity Among College Students with Heavy Episodic Drinking: The Role of Social Anxiety

<b><i>Background</i>:</b> College students with high trait social anxiety and heavy episodic drinking appear to consume greater quantity of alcohol, presumably because individuals with higher trait social anxiety may be more responsive to the stress-response dampening effects of alcohol in social contexts due to appraisal disruption. Yet little research has tested the impact of appraisal disruption on implicit social cognitions relevant to drinking behaviors among individuals with higher vs lower social anxiety. The current study tested whether the sequence of alcohol consumption and induction of an anticipatory social stressor interacts with trait social anxiety to predict changes in implicit drinking identity and implicit self-esteem. <b><i>Methods</i>:</b> Undergraduate students who endorsed past-month heavy episodic drinking (<i>N</i> = 51) received a dosage of alcohol and a social stressor. Participants were randomly assigned to receive alcohol prior to or after the social stressor. <b><i>Results</i>:</b> There was a significant interaction between condition and trait social anxiety on changes in implicit drinking identity, such that alcohol consumption before induction of anticipatory anxiety (versus after) was associated with greater increases in implicit drinking identity among those with higher (but not lower) trait social anxiety. <b><i>Conclusions</i>:</b> Findings shed light on the role of appraisal disruption on implicit drinking identity among college students with high social anxiety who endorse heavy episodic drinking, such that appraisal disruption is associated with greater increases in implicit drinking identity among students with high social anxiety. Counter to hypothesis, appraisal disruption did not impact implicit self-esteem, suggesting this effect may be specific to implicit drinking identity.