|
1
|
Yunus FM, Standage C, Walsh C, Lockhart P, Thompson K, Keough M, Krank M, Hadwin A, Conrod PJ, Stewart SH. High peak drinking levels mediate the relation between impulsive personality and injury risk in emerging adults. Inj Epidemiol 2024; 11:5. [PMID: 38350989 PMCID: PMC10863178 DOI: 10.1186/s40621-024-00487-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol-induced injury is one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality. We investigated the relationship between impulsive personality and physical injury (e.g. falls, sports), and whether peak drinking quantity specifically, and/or risky behaviour more generally, mediates the relationship between impulsivity and injury in undergraduates. METHOD We used data from the winter 2021 UniVenture survey with 1316 first- and second-year undergraduate students aged 18-25 years (79.5% female) from five Canadian Universities. Students completed an online survey regarding their demographics, personality, alcohol use, risky behaviours, and injury experiences. Impulsivity was measured with the substance use risk profile scale, past 30-day peak alcohol use with the quantity-frequency-peak Alcohol Use Index, general risky behaviour with the risky behaviour questionnaire, and past 6-month injury experience with the World Health Organization's (2017) injury measurement questionnaire. RESULTS Of 1316 total participants, 12.9% (n = 170) reported having sustained a physical injury in the past 6 months. Mean impulsivity, peak drinking quantity, and risky behaviour scores were significantly higher among those who reported vs. did not report injury. Impulsivity and peak drinking quantity, but not general risky behaviour, predicted injury in a multi-level generalized mixed model. Mediation analyses supported impulsivity as both a direct predictor of physical injury and an indirect predictor through increased peak drinking (both p < .05), but not through general risky behaviour. CONCLUSION Results imply emerging adults with impulsive tendencies should be identified for selective injury prevention programs and suggest targeting their heavy drinking to decrease their risk for physical injury.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fakir Md Yunus
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Catherine Standage
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3, Canada
| | - Chantal Walsh
- Injury Free Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS, B3K 0E4, Canada
| | - Peri Lockhart
- Injury Free Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS, B3K 0E4, Canada
| | - Kara Thompson
- Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Matthew Keough
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Marvin Krank
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Allyson Hadwin
- Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Patricia J Conrod
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Sherry H Stewart
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 2E2, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|