Social‐Emotional Adjustment and Patterns of Alcohol Use among Young Adults

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Abstract
Individual differences in social‐emotional adjustment, jointly defined by levels of distress and self‐restraint, were used to evaluate ( a ) patterns of alcohol use, ( b ) reasons for use, and (c) associated problems in two college samples of young adults ( N = 287 and N = 215). As hypothesized, low self‐restraint was associated with high levels of alcohol use, drinking to increase positive affect, and high levels of alcohol‐related problems. Subjective distress was not related to levels of use; however, it was associated with drinking to escape negative moods and social discomfort and with excessive alcohol‐related problems. Both high distress and low self‐restraint predicted problem drinking beyond what could be accounted for by quantity or frequency of alcohol use or by peers' use. Within Weinberger and Schwartz's (1990) six‐group typology, reactive individuals (high distress–low restraint) were especially likely to be problem drinkers, even when compared to groups with equivalent alcohol use. In a separate study, knowledgeable peers' reports validated the differences between reactive and repressive individuals, the two groups most likely to have inaccurate self‐reports.