When drinking the pain away
| PhD ceremony: | I.C. (Isabelle) Baltariu, MSc |
| When: | June 13, 2024 |
| Start: | 12:45 |
| Supervisors: | dr. M. (Marije) aan het Rot, prof. dr. V. Enea, prof. dr. P.J. (Peter) de Jong |
| Where: | Academy building RUG |
| Faculty: | Behavioural and Social Sciences |
While alcohol often enhances our social experience, we may - directly or indirectly - experience some unpleasant side effects of drinking as well, such as aggression. Where lies the line between enjoying alcohol’s positive effects and possibly developing a problematic drinking pattern? In her dissertation, Isabelle Baltariu examined whether our empathic abilities play a role in the direction of the effects of alcohol (positive or negative).
Isabelle’s dissertation involves four studies - a systematic review, a cross-sectional correlational study, an experimental study, and a clinical case-control study - conducted in different types of alcohol users: young social drinkers, individuals at risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD), and individuals diagnosed with AUD. The main aim was to test the influence of alcohol use on empathic abilities. The main finding was that acutely, alcohol can have a negative effect, but the impact depends on individual differences in drinking levels and motives. This might be relevant when deciding when and how to incorporate training empathic abilities into the treatment of AUD.