Alcohol-Related Problems Among Black Adults: the Role of False Safety Behaviors

Background Black adults who consume alcohol experience negative alcohol-related outcomes, indicating a need for culturally sensitive research aimed at identifying malleable psychological factors that may play a role in drinking related problems to inform prevention and treatment. One such factor is false safety behavior (FSB), which reflects behaviors geared toward decreasing anxiety short term but that maintains or increases anxiety long term. Although emerging data indicate that FSBs are related to substance use in predominantly White samples, no known studies have tested whether these behaviors are related to drinking behaviors among Black individuals. Methods Participants were 163 Black undergraduate who endorsed current (past-month) alcohol use and completed an online survey. Results FSB use frequency was robustly positively related to alcohol-related problems, even after controlling for peak eBAC, anxiety, depression, and relevant demographic variables. Anxiety was indirectly related to alcohol-related problems via more frequent FSB use. Conclusions Nearly all Black individuals who consume alcohol report using FSB to manage anxiety. More frequent FSB use is robustly related to more alcohol-related problems and may play an important role in the relation of anxiety with alcohol-related problems among Black individuals who endorse current alcohol use.