Drinking motives mediate the associations between urgency and hazardous/harmful alcohol use among moderate-to-heavy drinking men who have sex with men (MSM)

Urgency, the tendency to act rashly under extreme emotions, has been associated with higher rates of hazardous/harmful drinking. Moreover, previous work suggests that the association between urgency and hazardous/harmful drinking may be mediated by drinking motives. The current study sought to replicate and extend this research to men who have sex with men (MSM), a population that has shown increased alcohol-related health risk behavior. Methods: Two-hundred-and-fifty-six moderate-to-heavy drinking MSM completed questionnaires assessing urgency, drinking motives, and hazardous/harmful drinking. Regression models were conducted to examine the direct effect of Urgency on heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences and its indirect effects on these outcomes through drinking motives. Results: Urgency was significantly associated with heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Bootstrapping procedures indicated significant indirect effects through coping and enhancement motives for both outcomes and also conformity for consequences. Conclusions: These results indicate urgency may be an important risk factor for hazardous/harmful drinking among adult MSM that may operate in part through its effects on coping and enhancement motives.