ORCID

0000-0001-5037-9993

Keywords

Young Adults; Behavioral Economics; Alcohol Use; Ecological Momentary Assessment

Abstract

Background: Young adult (YA) alcohol use remains a prominent public health concern. Despite research efforts aimed at mitigating harms related to drinking, rates of alcohol use and adverse outcomes related to use, remain high among YAs. Previous research has identified alcohol demand, craving, and delay discounting as risk factors for problematic drinking among YAs. However, few studies have concurrently examined these constructs using methodologies that maximize ecological and contextual validity. Method: YA individuals (N=104) completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol assessing three demand indices (i.e., intensity, Omax, and breakpoint), delay discounting, craving, and alcohol use and problems. Participants received 5 prompts per day across a 21-day period. A three- level multilevel regression model (MLM) was conducted to assess the associations among the primary variables of interest at the moment-, day-, and between-subjects levels. Results: Findings revealed consistent associations between demand indices and greater alcohol craving across all three levels. Additionally, alcohol craving consistently predicted increased alcohol consumption and problems. In contrast, rather than serving as a reliable predictor of alcohol outcomes, delay discounting demonstrated variable moderation effects on the association between demand and craving. Conclusions: Among YAs, these findings support the utility of alcohol demand and craving as robust predictors of problematic drinking in the natural environment. Further research is needed to elucidate the role of delay discounting in real-world drinking contexts, particularly to clarify the conditions under which discounting meaningfully contributes to alcohol-related risk and whether its influence is more situational or context- dependent than previously assumed.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Meshesha, Lidia

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053155

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