Metacognitions, emotion and alcohol use

The present study explored the relationships between metacognitions, emotion, alcohol use and problem drinking. A convenience sample of 97 participants completed the following questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30), Quantity Frequency Scale (QFS) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). A cross-sectional design was adopted and data analysis consisted of correlational and multiple regression analyses. Metacognitions were found to be positively and significantly associated with alcohol use and with proneness to problem drinking. Positive and significant relationships were also observed between anxiety and depression on the one hand, and alcohol use and proneness to problem drinking on the other. Multiple regression analyses indicated that anxiety and beliefs about the need to control thoughts independently predicted alcohol use, and anxiety alone predicted proneness to problem drinking. These preliminary results would seem to suggest that metacognitive theory may be relevant to understanding alcohol use. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.