esearch suggests that AOE (gender specific) directly predict alcohol consumption and, as such, are thought to play a mediational role (Brown, 1993). Intuitively, it makes sense that people who hold the expectancy that alcohol can alleviate their stress should drink more than people who do not hold this expectancy. However, little research has been conducted thus far to support this contention. Prior to Cooper et al. (1992), only one study (McKirnan & Peterson, 1988) investigated the role of expectancies in stress-induced drinking. The study tested a stress-vulnerability model among homosexual men, who show culturally specific stressors and vulnerability (i.e., homophobic iscrimination). It was found that tension reduction expectancies significantly predicted drinking among individuals who experienced "negative affectivity" stress (i.e., low self-esteem). Although the Mckirnan and Peterson (1988) study found that expectancies exacerbated stress, the utility of the findings is limited because of the use of a non-representative sample of gay males, and non-standard measures of stress (Cooper et al. , 1992). The Synthesis of Gender, Coping & Expectancies in Stress-Related DrinkingAs was discussed previously, gender, coping, and expectancies are thought to play a significant role in stress-related drinking. Nevertheless, the bulk of literature in this area has typically investigated these factors in isolation from each other (at best, only two of these factors have been combined simultaneously). Since stress-related drinking , however, is such a complex phenomenon (recall that the tension reduction hypothesis of drinking does not apply universally) it is necessary to integrate these factors in order to gain a complete, holistic picture. The only study which has combined all three factors simultaneously was the landmark study of Cooper et al. (1992). The study tested an interactional model of stress-related drinking which postulated that "ex...
