Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
First Advisor
Sarah Bilsky
Second Advisor
Aaron Lee
Third Advisor
Laura Dixon
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Alcohol use among the college student population is associated with numerous negative outcomes, such as driving under the influence, assault, and overdose. Furthermore, college students represent a high-risk population for the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) as students near the legal drinking age. Therefore, it is important to determine key factors that influence alcohol use among this vulnerable population. Research demonstrates that difficulties within areas of sleep, such as sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and self-reported insomnia symptoms, are linked to alcohol use among young adults. In addition, impairment within these areas has also been linked to anxiety sensitivity (AS) while AS in turn has been associated with alcohol use. Despite previous research suggesting that there is a relationship between sleep disturbances, AS, and alcohol use, no empirical work to date has examined this association. The current study was designed to assess the associations between sleep (i.e., sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and self-reported insomnia symptoms), AS, and hazardous alcohol use within undergraduate drinkers. Results indicated that self-reported insomnia symptoms were positively associated with college student alcohol use while objective measures (i.e., sleep duration and sleep efficiency) were not associated with alcohol use. The associations between sleep difficulties (i.e., self-reported insomnia symptoms, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency) and undergraduate alcohol use were not significantly moderated by AS. These findings highlight the importance of self-reported sleep difficulties when examining alcohol use and provide potential implications for interventions aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with college student alcohol use.
Recommended Citation
Hopper, Kayce McClellan, "The Interaction Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Sleep in Relation to Alcohol Use Among College Students" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2942.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2942