Interaction of employment status and self-efficacy on alcohol consumption: A two-wave study on stressful life transitions

Abstract

Stress-related alcohol consumption was examined in a sample of 270 migrants and refugees who left East Germany before or immediately after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989. Many of them experienced unemployment as a very stressful life circumstance. At two points in time, alcohol consumption, employment status, and perceived self-efficacy were measured. It was expected that positive self-beliefs would be associated with less risk behavior and that these beliefs would moderate the relationship between stress and coping. This was found, however, for men (n=165) only. Their alcohol consumption was not only higher than that of women (n= 105), it also was interactively related to employment status and perceived self-efficacy. Confidence in one's coping competence turned out to be a buffer of stress-induced alcohol consumption.