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Type D personality is associated with increased desire for alcohol in response to acute stress
Author(s) -
Williams Lynn,
Bruce Gillian,
Knapton Cindy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.2800
Subject(s) - stressor , alcohol , negative affectivity , type d personality , psychology , personality , social inhibition , analysis of variance , social stress , clinical psychology , type a and type b personality theory , alcohol consumption , stress (linguistics) , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , anxiety , social anxiety , chemistry , biochemistry , linguistics , philosophy
Type D personality (the combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition) is associated with high levels of alcohol consumption. We examined if Type D was associated with higher levels of alcohol use, and if Type D was associated with desire for alcohol in response to a social stressor. In an experimental study, participants ( n = 138) completed measures of Type D, stress, and alcohol use. They also took part in a stress‐inducing public speaking task and provided measures of desire for alcohol at baseline, stressor, and recovery. Type D was associated with higher levels of alcohol use, stress, and desire for alcohol at stressor and recovery. Mixed measures analysis of variance demonstrated that there was a significant group effect of Type D ( F (1, 136) = 6.86, p < .05) and a significant time × Type D interaction ( F (1.50, 204.49) = 3.44, p < .05) on desire for alcohol. Type D individuals exhibited significantly higher levels of desire for alcohol during the stressor and recovery phases, compared to non‐Type D individuals suggesting that Type D individuals may be motivated to consume alcohol in order to cope with stressful situations.