State anxiety and alcohol choice: Evidence from experimental and online observational studies

Abstract

Background: Experimental studies have investigated the effects of physical, psychological and pharmacological stressors (that induce state anxiety) on alcohol outcomes. However, no study has investigated the effects of state anxiety on alcohol outcomes, and the moderating role of drinking to cope (DTC) motives, using the 7.5% carbon dioxide (CO2) challenge. Aims: We aimed to investigate the relationships between state anxiety and alcohol-related outcomes (primarily alcohol choice). We also explored whether DTC motives moderated these relationships. Methods: We conducted two experiments using the 7.5% CO2 challenge (Studies 1 and 2) and an observational study (Study 3) (ns = 42, 60 and 219, respectively), to triangulate findings. Results: In Study 1, experimentally induced state anxiety increased alcohol choice (p