Research & Resources

This study sought to determine whether the associations between shame- and guilt-proneness and alcohol outcomes vary as a function of interpersonal sensitivity. The study was conducted with 414 students at a large U.S. public university. Findings showed that shame-proneness, but not guilt-proneness, was directly associated with increased drinking and indirectly associated with increased problems. The indirect effects of shame on problems through drinking were stronger at higher levels of interpersonal sensitivity. The findings indicated that alcohol may be used as a means to withdraw from social threats that are amplified by interpersonal sensitivity.

This paper, “Shame-and-guilt-proneness, interpersonal sensitivity, and alcohol: Results from a moderated mediation,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and published in the journal Drug and alcohol dependence.