The impact of minor stressful life events and social support on cravings: A study of inpatients receiving treatment for substance dependence

This study examined the incidence of cravings and minor stress events. whet her stress predicted cravings, and whether social support predicted craving s or moderated the relation between stress and cravings. Participants inclu ded 39 inpatients being treated for substance dependence. Minor stress was assessed with the Daily Stress Inventory, social support was measured using the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, and cravings were measured usin g the Daily Urge Record Sheet. Compared to normative data, participants rep orted a similar number of minor stressors and rated the impact of these eve nts as somewhat, bur not significantly, more stressful. A total of 64.10% o f the sample did not experience cravings. A logistic regression revealed th at number of minor stressors (b = 0.59, p < .05) and perceived impact of st ress (b = 0.49, p < .05) predicted cravings. Social support moderated the a ssociation between incidence of stressors and cravings (b = -0.10, p < .05) . These findings suggest that minor stress may contribute to cravings, and supports the social support buffering hypothesis. Implications for theory a nd future research about the role of minor stress and cravings in substance abuse are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.