Gender differences in drinking motives, depression symptoms, and alcohol-related consequences - Drue Wood (2020)

High levels of alcohol consumption can lead to many health risks, like cardiovascular disease, liver damage and cancers. Individuals can also become dependent on alcohol use as a way of coping. Several factors influence the outcomes associated with alcohol use, in particular, an individual’s motives for drinking. Previous studies have examined the gender differences in drinking motives and found that men scored substantially higher than women on all drinking motives, except for coping motives, where no gender differences emerged. The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences in drinking motives and the positive and negative consequences of alcohol consumption, and how these are related to symptoms of depression. Participants will complete demographics, and measures of depression, drinking motives and drinking consequences to evaluate the gender differences in drinking motives, depression symptoms, and the positive and negative consequences of alcohol. Ninety people participated in this study. Gender was not statistically significant in any of the regression models. There was no evidence of gender differences in drinking motives or alcohol-related consequences. Gender also did not influence the association between depression symptoms and coping drinking motives, after controlling for drinking frequency. Positive and negative consequences of alcohol use were not associated with gender.