Relationships between alcohol-related memory association and changes in mood: Systematic differences between high- and low-risk drinkers

Abstract

Heavy alcohol use is common in undergraduates and is associated with health-risk behaviors, negative consequences, and increased risk for future alcohol dependence. Alcohol-related memory associations (AMAs) and mood changes are independently related to student drinking, but more research on how these variables interact is needed. Aims: To examine (i) how AMAs predict drinking behavior after accounting for depression, and (ii) how changes in negative and positive mood predict AMAs among low- and high-risk drinkers. Methods: Positive and negative moods were manipulated using a musical mood induction procedure immediately prior to completion of memory association measures. A bootstrapped structural equation model was tested, permitting a sampling distribution free of the requirement of normality. Results: Negative mood changes predicted AMAs in high-risk drinkers but not in low-risk drinkers, and the opposite was found for positive mood changes. Conclusion: The negative mood-AMA association appeared relatedto risky drinking, and these subtle implicit cognitive processes may warrant a special focus in intervention programs for high-risk drinkers. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved.