Social Anxiety, Pregaming Motives/Behaviors, and Negative Alcohol Consequences Among a Multisite Sample of University Students

Abstract

Social anxiety symptoms may increase risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences during pregaming (drinking before a social event); efforts to identify malleable psychosocial risk factors are needed. This study examined cross-sectional relationships between social anxiety symptoms, pregaming behaviors, negative alcohol-related consequences, and pregaming-specific motives, moderated by gender. Undergraduates who endorsed current drinking ( N = 7528) completed a self-report survey on drinking behaviors as part of a large, multisite study. Social anxiety symptoms were not associated with lifetime history of pregaming. Among participants who engaged in past 30-day pregaming, social anxiety symptoms were related to more negative alcohol-related consequences, greater interpersonal enhancement motives, and lower situational control motives. Social anxiety symptoms were not associated with pregaming quantity. The associations between social anxiety symptoms and pregaming frequency, situational control, and intimate pursuit motives varied by gender. Findings highlight social anxiety symptoms and gender as important factors associated with pregaming-specific motives and behaviors.