Rumination, anxiety sensitivity, and negative reinforcement drinking

Objective: Prior research has established anxiety sensitivity (AS, essentially fear of anxiety) as an individual difference variable conveying risk for alcohol abuse and specifically negative reinforcement drinking (NRD). This study sought to replicate and extend that finding, examining the role of rumination (related to the cognitive dyscontrol aspect of anxiety sensitivity) in mediating this association.Method: Seventy-three women and 40 men collegiate drinkers completed several questionnaire measures assessing anxiety sensitivity and negative reinforcement drinking, including an adapted measure of anxiety rumination.Results: Findings indicated a moderate relationship (R2 = 0.21) between anxiety sensitivity components and NRD with regression analyses showing that cognitive dyscontrol and anxiety rumination were most strongly associated with NRD. As predicted, anxiety rumination fully statistically mediated (ß = 0.50) the relationship between AS and NRD.Conclusions: Rumination, conceptualized as a maladaptive coping response for emotional regulation, warrants further study in relation to NRD and in developing treatment interventions for high anxiety, at-risk drinkers.