The buffering model hypothesizes that moderate alcohol use lessens the adverse psychological consequences of stress. This model is tested among a community sample of adult men (N = 356) interviewed twice over a four-month period. Log-linear models are presented to assess the predicted interaction of alcohol use on the relationship between persistent strain and depression. Both alcohol use and strain are found to be related to the odds of subsequent depression, but alcohol use does not appear to modify the effects of strain on depression.
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