Objective: Previous research has found that a drinking-supportive social network has a strong influence on heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems over time. The objective of this work was to understand the individual difference and interpersonal factors that predict changes in the social network relevant to alcohol use.
Method: Data are from a large, ongoing prospective sample of 634 newly married couples in the United States. The current study examined the association between individual, relationship, and partner factors as they relate to changes in the number of drinking buddies in the social network during the first 7 years of marriage.
Results: After controlling for the number of drinking buddies before marriage, as well as the frequency of heavy drinking, several individual, relationship, and partner factors were associated with changes in the social network over time. For both husbands and wives, alcohol expectancies and a partner's social network related to changes in the number of drinking buddies over time. Additionally, husbands with higher levels of extroversion and agreeableness had a greater number of drinking buddies over time. Among wives, personality factors were not related to changes in the number of drinking buddies over time.
Conclusions: This work extends previous research by examining factors that predict changes in the social network that are most influential in alcohol use. Identifying these factors is important for informing prevention and treatment efforts.