Work

Testing the robustness of daily associations of affect with alcohol and cannabis use.

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: < .001), with 20.6% of specifications reaching significance. This counterintuitive pattern was strongest for sadness and when examining maximum daily negative affect. Surprisingly, and contrary to theoretical predictions, this negative association was slightly more pronounced among those with higher coping motives and at lower levels of alcohol use disorder symptoms. Positive affect showed a complex pattern, with high-arousal states like joviality strongly predicting increased drinking likelihood, whereas low-arousal states showed weaker associations. Neither affect type consistently predicted drinking quantity. For cannabis use, neither positive nor negative affect predicted use likelihood or quantity across specifications. These associations remained consistent regardless of substance use disorder severity or social context. Our findings challenge core assumptions of affect regulation models and suggest that, at least in young adults, the affect-substance use relationship is more nuanced than previously theorized, with implications for refining etiological models. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science

DOI: 10.1037/abn0001097