The relationship between rumination, depression and self-stigma in hazardous drinkers : an exploratory study

Background: Self-stigma may have an important impact on people living with alcohol use disorders, however, few studies have explored the relationship between rumination and depression on self-stigma for people with hazardous drinking. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between rumination, self-stigma and depressive symptomatology for those with hazardous drinking levels and the relationship between these and alcohol use severity. Method: Participants were recruited online between February and May of 2019 through paid advertising on a page created on Facebook by the researcher. Two hundred and one participants completed the online survey questionnaires, with 114 (56.7%) meeting the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) criteria with a score of 8 or above indicating hazardous drinking. Results: Step-wise regression analyses found that self-stigma and rumination were significant predictors of alcohol severity. Depression and rumination were found to be significant predictors of self-stigma. At Step 1 only rumination was significant, with this scale significantly predicting 26% of the variance of the internalised stigma. Conclusion: Although rumination was not a significant predictor of alcohol use severity in this study, it appeared to play an important part in the self-stigma for people engaged in hazardous drinking. More research is needed to determine the mediating factors in this relationship and the impact of these for people with hazardous drinking levels over time.