NCJ Number
237212
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: September-October 2011 Pages: 387-405
Date Published
September 2011
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to identify cognitive pathways through which sensation-seeking characteristics may influence decisions to use alcohol.
Abstract
This study examines whether expectancies about the impact of not drinking or reducing alcohol use and perceptions of peer alcohol use partially mediated risk incurred by sensation seeking for adolescent alcohol involvement. High school drinkers (N = 3,153) completed a survey assessing substance use, sensation seeking, perceived peer alcohol use, and non-drinking expectancies. Single and multiple mediation models were used to estimate the size of the mediated effect. Participants' expectations about the consequences of not drinking explained a substantial portion of the relationship between sensation seeking and alcohol use for both males and females (43.9 percent and 22.7 percent, respectively). Perceived peer alcohol use was also relevant to this link for females (8.4 percent). The role of these potentially malleable cognitive processes in adolescent decisionmaking regarding alcohol use have direct prevention and intervention implications for helping to reduce risky alcohol use among high-risk adolescents. (Published Abstract)