Example of research on "drinking to cope with distress."
Charles J. Holahan, Rudolf H. Moos, Carole K. Holahan, Ruth C. Cronkite, Patrick K. Randall, "Drinking to cope and alcohol use and abuse in unipolar depression: a 10-year model," Journal of Abnormal Psychology 112, no. 1 (2003): 159-65
Abstract: This study examined drinking to cope with distress and drinking behavior in a baseline sample of 412 unipolar depressed patients assessed 4 times over a 10-year period. Baseline drinking to cope operated prospectively as a risk factor for more alcohol consumption at 1-, 4-, and 10-year follow-ups and for more drinking problems at 1- and 4-year follow-ups. Findings elucidate a key mechanism in this process by showing that drinking to cope strengthened the link between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior. Individuals who had a stronger propensity to drink to cope at baseline showed a stronger connection between depressive symptoms and both alcohol consumption and drinking problems.