This cross-sectional study provided support for the relevance of two major propositions of MLT to the study of AUDs. Lower levels of social support may be an important intermediate outcome of alcohol stigma, which should be evaluated, along with the specific coping orientations described by MLT, as intermediate outcomes. Importantly, longitudinal research is needed to establish the temporal precedence of PAS and its hypothesized intermediate and distal outcomes. While we also found support for labeling as a moderator of the relationship between perceived stigma and negative outcomes, research is needed to establish direct measures of labeling that could replace proxy measures commonly employed in studies of the stigma of psychiatric disorders.
