ISSN: 2691-5731
Authors: Lucy da Silva*
Emotional regulation and alcohol expectancies is a phenomenon regularly investigated with findings supporting the notion that individuals’ emotional regulation strategies impact outcomes expected when consuming alcohol. Emotional regulating strategies are commonly subcategorized as cognitive reappraisal (CR) (thinking differently about a given situation) and expressive suppression (ES) (an emotionally suppressive nature). Theoretical framework supports this notion postulating that some use alcohol to self-medicate, namely The Self-Medication hypothesis (SMH). In addition to current literature this study measured these relationships to decipher the interplay between emotional regulation and alcohol expectancies (AE’s). A sample group (n=36) comprised of individuals whom were previous drinkers but were now abstinent, completed the Emotional Regulation questionnaire and the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire online. The main predicted hypothesis was that CR and ES abilities would have a direct link to AE’s, with predictions also being that some AE’s would interact with each other. Findings revealed no statistical links between CR, ES and AE’s; suggesting no interplay between emotional regulation strategies and alcohol expectancy outcomes. However, some AE’s did reveal significant positive correlations (i.e. sexual enhancement to relaxation/tension reduction) suggesting that some expectancies do indeed interact with each other. Results are discussed suggesting further exploration is required when understanding why individuals drink with consideration given to other contributory factors (i.e. psychological, biological, gender differences, drinking motives etc). Additionally, a proposal that theoretical framework (namely the SMH) could be expanded to be inclusive of these contributory factors is suggested; with practical implications and future research considered.
Keywords: Cognitive reappraisal; Expressive suppression; Alcohol expectancies
