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Objective—This study explored the relationship of experiential avoidance (e.g., the tendency to avoid, suppress, or otherwise control internal experiences even when doing so causes behavioral harm) to alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related problems. Participants—Cross-sectional data was collected from 240 undergraduate college students in their first year in college between December 2009 and April 2010.Methods—Participants completed a diagnostic interview and online self-report survey.
Results—Students with a history of alcohol abuse or dependence had significantly higher levels of experiential avoidance relative to students with no alcohol use disorder diagnosis. A hierarchical linear regression analysis found that experiential avoidance significantly predicted alcohol-related problems, even after controlling for gender and psychological distress. Furthermore, experiential avoidance mediated the relationship of psychological distress to alcoholrelated problems.
Conclusions—These findings suggest experiential avoidance may play a role in problematic alcohol use among college students.
A wave of new developments has occurred in the behavioral and cognitive therapies that focuses on processes such as acceptance, mindfulness, attention, or values. In this review, we describe some of these developments and the data regarding them, focusing on information about components, moderators, mediators, and processes of change. These “third wave” methods all emphasize the context and function of psychological events more so than their validity, frequency, or form, and for these reasons we use the term “contextual cognitive behavioral therapy” to describe their characteristics. Both putative processes, and component and process evidence, indicate that they are focused on establishing a more open, aware, and active approach to living, and that their positive effects occur because of changes in these processes.