Quantifying heterogeneity in mood-alcohol relationships with idiographic causal models.

Traditional group-level analyses and corresponding population-wide theories assume relative homogeneity within populations in mood-alcohol relationships, but this nomothetic approach failed to characterize accurately the relationship between mood and alcohol use in approximately half of the subjects in two samples that were demographically and clinically homogeneous. Given inconsistent findings in the mood-alcohol relationships to date, we conclude that idiographic causal analyses can provide a foundation for more accurate theories of mood and alcohol use. In addition, idiographic causal models may also help improve psychosocial treatments through direct use in clinical settings.