University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A longitudinal examination of attachment, social reward, and alcohol consumption in young adults

Venerable, III, Walter James

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130085

Description

Title
A longitudinal examination of attachment, social reward, and alcohol consumption in young adults
Author(s)
Venerable, III, Walter James
Issue Date
2025-07-17
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Fairbairn, Catharine
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Fairbairn, Catharine
Committee Member(s)
  • Allen, Nicole
  • Berenbaum, Howard
  • Kwapil, Thomas
  • Smith, Douglas
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • attachment styles
  • alcohol
  • social-emotional reward
  • longitudinal
  • young adults.
Abstract
Research has posited that individuals with insecure attachment styles are at increased risk of developing problematic drinking behaviors. Research has also found evidence suggesting that the social-emotional rewards from alcohol consumption predict drinking behaviors over time. In this dissertation, I explore the relationship between insecure attachment style, the social-emotional rewards of alcohol, and longitudinal drinking outcomes in a sample of young adults. Two studies were performed to investigate this relationship. Study 1 employs a between-subjects design to determine if the social-emotional reward of alcohol mediates the relationship between attachment style and drinking behaviors over time. Study 2 utilizes a within-subjects design to investigate the mediated relationship between the social-emotional rewards of alcohol, attachment style, and drinking behaviors over time. The results did not support the hypothesis that social-emotional rewards of alcohol mediate risk for problem drinking among individuals with insecure attachment styles. These null findings could indicate the absence of an effect or suggest a small effect that these studies could not detect. Future research should employ a larger sample size to enhance statistical power and revised measures of overall attachment style to identify potential relationships between attachment styles, social-emotional reward, and drinking behavior.
Graduation Semester
2025-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130085
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Walter Venerable, III

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