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Abstract



In response to the need for research that incorporates multiple aspects of theory into a testable



framework, this study attempted to replicate and extend the results of Cooper, Russell, Skinner, Frone,



and Mudar (1992). A modified stressor vulnerability model of stress-related drinking was tested in a



homogeneous sample of 65 male and female undergraduate student drinkers. Total weekly consumption of



alcohol was used as the criterion measure, whereas family history of alcoholism (Adapted SMAST: Sher &



Descutner, 1986), alcohol outcome expectancies/valences (CEOA: Fromme, Stroot, & Kaplan, 1993),



perceived stress (PSS: Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), and coping dispositions (COPE: Carver,



Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989) were used as the predictor variables. The proposed modified model postulates



that expectancies play a proximal mediating role in stress-related drinking, whereas gender, family history



of alcoholism, and coping all play a distal moderating role. Hierarchical multiple regression procedures were



then performed to evaluate the model. The results failed to support the hypothesized model. Specifically,



expectancies emerged as a distal rather than proximal predictor of stress-related drinking, and family history



of alcoholism did not moderate stress-related drinking. In contrast, gender and coping styles emerged as the



most powerful predictors in the model. Despite the shortcomings of the proposed model, the present results



offer an alternative interpretation as to what constitutes the stressor...