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. 2018 Apr:79:120-123.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.12.027. Epub 2017 Dec 22.

Guilt-proneness is associated with the use of protective behavioral strategies during episodes of alcohol use

Matt S Treeby  1 , Simon M Rice  2 , Fiona Cocker  3 , Amy Peacock  4 , Raimondo Bruno  3
Affiliations

Guilt-proneness is associated with the use of protective behavioral strategies during episodes of alcohol use

Matt S Treeby et al. Addict Behav. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Shame and guilt are closely related emotions with diverging implications for the development, and potential treatment, of substance use disorders. Accumulating research indicates that a guilt-prone affect style buffers individuals against the development of problematic alcohol use, while shame-proneness appears to offer no protective function. However, little is known about the manner in which guilt-prone individuals avoid the experience of alcohol use-related harms. The present study aimed to extend the shame, guilt, and substance use literature by examining whether these two self-conscious affect styles are differentially related to the use of protective behavioral strategies which reduce the risk of harms during drinking episodes.

Methods: Participants (N=281; female n=207) completed pen-and-paper measures of shame and guilt-proneness, level of alcohol use, and the habitual use of protective behavioral strategies during drinking episodes. Part-correlation analysis isolated shame-free guilt and guilt-free shame residuals in exploring relationships between self-conscious affect style and the use of protective behavioral strategies during drinking episodes.

Results: Guilt-proneness was consistently associated with the routine use of protective behavioral strategies during episodes of alcohol intake. In contrast, shame-proneness was unrelated to the use of such protective and harm avoidance strategies when drinking.

Conclusion: Findings provide additional support for the argument that guilt and shame need to be considered separately in both research and substance use treatment settings.

Keywords: Affect; Alcohol; Alcohol use disorder; Guilt; Harm; Shame.

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