How Anxiety Sensitivity May Underlie the Link Between Parenting Styles and Uncontrolled Drinking

What is it about?

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) reflects a fear of anxious sensations that could contribute to individuals self-medicating with alcohol. Impaired control over drinking (IC) reflects an inability to adhere to self-imposed limits regarding alcohol. Social learning theory suggests children model the behavior of their same-sex parent and parenting styles are thought to be indirectly related to drinking behaviors. Our findings highlight that permissive fathering is associated with increased AS and, in turn, greater IC symptoms among men along the alcohol-related problems pathway.

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