The Relationship Between Coping Styles and Drinking Behaviors in Teenage Athletes

Alcohol is the most widely used drug among athletes and its misuse with this population is well documented (O’Brien & Lyons, 2000). However, underlying emotional causes for its misuse have not been identified, nor has the interaction of gender and athletic status been examined. We hypothesized that coping styles used by athletes would relate to their drinking behaviors and this pattern would differ based on gender and athletic status. Female non-athletes consumed the least amount of alcohol and male non-athletes were the least likely to become intoxicated, whereas male athletes drank the greatest amount and were the most likely to become intoxicated. Drinking to cope had the highest correlation to drinking behaviors, but there were differences in the relation between coping tactics and drinking behaviors dependent upon gender and athletic status.