Intensive Longitudinal Associations between Stress, Mindfulness, and Alcohol Use in Highly Stressed Mothers - Alcohol use is common in the United States and more frequent use is associated with individual and societal consequences. The use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches is useful in alcohol research to identify strategies that may reduce alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences in the moment they would otherwise occur. The role of stress in alcohol use has received considerable attention, and some EMA studies have found momentary associations between stress and alcohol craving and use. Parenting is one common source of stress for adults, and mothers in particular may be more likely to drink in response to stress. Both parent stress and parent alcohol use can impact children’s well-being and alcohol use. Therefore, it is important to understand these associations in mothers, in the moments they occur, as they have potential to impact the health and well-being of both mothers and their children. It is also important to understand moderators that might disrupt associations between stress and drinking to inform alcohol interventions. Mindfulness is broadly associated with stress reduction and less alcohol use. Therefore, mindfulness may be one useful target for alcohol interventions that seek to disrupt stress-related drinking. However, no studies to date have tested mindfulness buffering against stress-related drinking in EMA, and no studies have looked at this in mothers. The proposed study will address these gaps by investigating momentary associations between stress and alcohol craving and use in the daily lives of mothers and whether mindfulness moderates this association using EMA. This study will leverage an ongoing R01 study of highly stressed parents (R01DA052427) by recruiting a subsample of 75 mothers to complete an additional EMA component. EMA surveys will assess momentary stress and stressors, alcohol craving, alcohol use, and mindfulness in mothers’ daily lives across two weeks. Knowledge from the proposed F31 study will elucidate processes underlying stress-related drinking in mothers that can be used as targets for future interventions, including smartphone-based just-in-time interventions that are sensitive to sex and social context (e.g., parenting). The proposed study will be completed within a research training plan that provides training in design and implementation of EMA studies, analysis of intensive repeated longitudinal data, knowledge of stress and alcohol and alcohol measurement, intervention science, and research dissemination. This training will be supported by a mentorship team with expertise in EMA, stress and alcohol use, alcohol measurement, mindfulness-based intervention, and longitudinal statistical methods. Completion of the proposed research project will provide in-depth conceptual knowledge and hands-on training that would prepare me to independently conduct EMA studies of alcohol use after the completion of the F31 award. Altogether, the training and mentorship afforded through the proposed study would greatly support my development toward a career as an independent alcohol researcher, integrating cutting edge methods to contribute meaningful knowledge to the field that can inform future alcohol interventions.
