Stress-induced craving in young binge drinkers: An experimental approach.

Details

Supervisors

Maurage, Pierre ; Carbia Sinde, Carina

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enBinge Drinking (BD) is the most prevalent form of alcohol misuse among adolescents and young adults in Western countries. It is associated with a wide range of negative consequences and poses significant risks to young people’s physical and mental health as well as safety. Of particular concern, BD can be particularly detrimental to the adolescent maturing brain and may predispose individuals to alcohol dependence. Stress has been identified as an important risk factor for alcohol misuse and is known to increase alcohol craving. While stress-induced craving is well understood in alcohol addiction, it has received less attention in BD. Therefore, to fill this research gap, the present thesis aimed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between stress, craving, and BD in young adults by investigating whether binge drinkers differ from non-binge drinkers in their alcohol craving, affective responses, and alcohol consumption following acute stress. 40 young adults aged 18-26 years (19 controls and 21 binge drinkers) from the Université Catholique de Louvain were subjected to both a stress condition, involving the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and a neutral condition. Contrary to expectations, binge drinkers did not differ from controls in their responses to acute stress. Instead, all participants exhibited greater alcohol craving, more negative affective responses, and higher consumption of non-alcoholic beer, regardless of whether they were binge drinkers or controls. Nevertheless, binge drinkers reported higher levels of craving and consumed more non-alcoholic beer than controls, irrespective of stress exposure. These findings therefore do not support the suggestion that binge drinkers are more sensitive than non-binge drinkers to the effects of stress on alcohol craving. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of the role of acute stress in alcohol craving among binge drinkers.