Regret is what you get: The effects of manipulating anticipated affect andtime perspective on risky single-occasion drinking

This study tested anticipated affect as a potential strategy for reducing r isky single-occasion drinking (RSOD). The hypothesis was that asking respon dents to focus on their anticipated affect following RSOD would lead to hig her ratings of negative affect than those obtained when asking respondents to focus on their feelings towards RSOD. In turn, these negative affect rat ings were hypothesized as lending to safer behavioural estimates and reduct ions in RSOD. The study is based on a self-report questionnaire administere d at two time points. At Time 1, measures of past drinking and demographic information were collected, along with affect ratings of drinking within sa fer single-occasion limits and affect ratings of RSOD (within-subjects cond ition). Time perspective was manipulated whereby the experimental group was asked to focus on affective reactions after RSOD and the control group to focus on affective reactions rewards RSOD (between-subjects condition). Two weeks later, drinking behaviour was measured. The findings showed that the time perspective manipulation resulted in significantly higher negative af fect ratings in the feeling after condition than in the feeling rewards con dition. Further, females reported lower negative affect than males. No othe r main or interaction effects were found. The time perspective manipulation , however, failed to produce safer behavioural estimates and RSOD reduction at follow-up. No significant differences were found between ratings of neg ative affect when drinking within safe limits as compared with ratings of a ffect when drinking above such limits. Despite greater negative affect 'aft er' rather than 'toward' the target behaviour, anticipated affect following RSOD did net yield safer behavioural estimates and subsequent drinking red uction at follow-up. These findings are interpreted in the context of risk perception associated with RSOD. The implications of this study for design of interventions aimed at reducing RSOD are discussed. In particular, ways of intensifying negative affect for RSOD are considered.