Sensation seeking and alcohol use by college students: examining multiple pathways of effects

"… because I'm so drunk at the time, the last thing I'm going to think about is calories": Strengthening the argument for Drunkorexia as a food and alcohol disturbance, evidence from a qualitative study

Objectives

Drunkorexia are inappropriate compensatory behaviours in response to alcohol consumption (restricting food intake, excessive exercise, and purging). Past (predominantly quantitative) research shows that Drunkorexia is prevalent in 18–26‐year‐olds, and has significant negative health‐related consequences. There is a debate whether Drunkorexia constitutes an eating or substance disorder, or a Food and Alcohol Disturbance (FAD). To further explore this, and understand underlying motivators, this study utilized qualitative methods.

Design

Qualitative interviews with ten participants (aged 18–26).

Methods

Interviews were analysed with Thematic Analysis.

Results

Three themes were developed: (1) Appearance concerns as motivators, (2) Drunkorexia behaviours to get value for money, and (3) “It’s just a pattern… something I’ve always done”: Drunkorexia as a routine. Results show that Drunkorexia is driven by appearance‐related concerns, such as, wanting to look better/slimmer, engaged in, in relation to an event, such as going out drinking, and carried out despite negative health‐related consequences. However, disregard for compensatory behaviours once drunk was also described, culminating in the consumption of high‐calorie food. This suggests that Drunkorexia is not a persistent pattern of maladaptive behaviour as found in eating or substance use disorders. Wanting value for money (i.e., feeling the maximum intoxication) was described as another reason for Drunkorexia engagement; thus showing that participants consider compensatory behaviours part of their routine of going out drinking.

Conclusions

These result support the view of Drunkorexia as a FAD, rather than an eating or substance use disorder, and show that 18–26‐year‐olds are an at‐risk group for Drunkorexia and its negative health‐related consequences.

Drunkorexia: is it really "just" a university lifestyle choice?

PURPOSE

The current study investigated the prevalence of compensatory behaviours (caloric restriction, increased exercise and bulimic tendencies) in response to alcohol consumption (also known as Drunkorexia) in students, non-students and previous students, as well as beginning to understand the presence of possible predictors of these behaviours (body esteem, sensation seeking).

METHODS

A volunteer sample of students, non-students and previous students (n = 95) completed the Compensatory Eating and Behaviours in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale, a questionnaire which measures overall Drunkorexia engagement. The participants also completed the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults Scale (BESAA) and the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) to investigate predictors of Drunkorexia.

RESULTS

The results indicated that there was no significant difference in Drunkorexia engagement and behaviours between students, non-students and previous students. It was also found that both low body esteem and high sensation seeking tendencies were significant predictors of Drunkorexia; specifically, the appearance esteem factor of the BESAA and the disinhibition factor of the BSSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that Drunkorexia is also present outside of student populations, and therefore, future interventions and research should include non-students in samples. In addition, findings support the idea that Drunkorexia cannot be classified solely as an eating disorder or a substance abuse disorder. As a result of this, further research should be conducted to fully understand why this complex behaviour exists.

EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE LEVEL

III (Evidence obtained from case-control analytic study).

The Mediating Effects of Protective Behavioral Strategies on the Relationship between Addiction-Prone Personality Traits and Alcohol-Related Problems among Emerging Adults

Alcohol consumption and associated harms are an issue among emerging adults, and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are actions with potential to minimize these harms. We conducted two studies aimed at determining whether the associations of at-risk personality traits (sensation-seeking [SS], impulsivity [IMP], hopelessness [HOP], and anxiety-sensitivity [AS]) with increased problematic alcohol use could be explained through these variables' associations with decreased PBS use. We tested two mediation models in which the relationship between at-risk personality traits and increased problematic alcohol use outcomes (Study 1: Alcohol volume; Study 2: Heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related harms) was partially mediated through decreased PBS use. Two samples of college students participated (N₁ = 922, Mage₁ = 20.11, 70.3% female; N₂ = 1625, Mage₂ = 18.78, 70.3% female). Results partially supported our hypotheses, providing new data on a mechanism that helps to explain the relationships between certain at-risk personality traits and problematic alcohol use, as these personalities are less likely to use PBS. In contrast, results showed that AS was positively related to alcohol-related harms and positively related to PBS, with the mediational path through PBS use being protective against problematic alcohol use. This pattern suggests that there are other factors/mediators working against the protective PBS pathway such that, overall, AS still presents risks for alcohol-related harms.

Expectations of Social Consequences Impact Anticipated Involvement in Health-Risk Behavior During Adolescence

This study examined how individual differences in expectations of social consequences relate to individuals' expected involvement in health-risk behaviors (HRBs). A total of 122 adolescents (aged 11-17) reported their expected involvement in a number of risk behaviors and whether or not they expect to be liked more or less by engaging in the behavior: the expected social benefit. Higher perceived social benefit was associated with higher anticipated involvement in said behavior. This relationship was stronger for adolescents who reported a higher degree of peer victimization, supporting the hypothesis that experiencing victimization increases the social value of peer interactions. Findings suggest that adolescents incorporate expectations of social consequences when making decisions regarding their involvement in HRBs.

Causes and Consequences of Drug Abuse: A Comparison Between Synthetic Drug and Heroin Users in Urban China

This article examined the differences in causes and health consequences between synthetic drug and heroin abuse in urban China. Two-group comparisons were conducted to quantify differences in individual characteristics, causes of drug use, and HIV/STI risky sexual behavior between synthetic drug and heroin users; logistic regressions were employed to assess the net effect of synthetic drug use on risky sexual behavior. Results revealed that causes of synthetic drug use differed from those of heroin use; a combination of the knowledge gap concerning the harmful impact of synthetic drugs and the lesser punishment for their use appeared a main reason behind the shift from heroin to synthetic drugs; and synthetic drug use was a significant and powerful risk factor for HIV/STI risky sexual behavior. Educational and behavioral interventions are urgently needed to prevent the initiation of synthetic drug use among users to reduce their HIV/STI risky sexual behavior.

Bidirectional Relations of Impulsive Personality and Alcohol Use Across Three Waves of Data Collection

OBJECTIVE

To explore the bidirectional relations between alcohol use and three impulsive personality traits, to advance understanding of risk processes.

PARTICIPANTS

525 college students (mean age = 18.95 years) recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up annually for three years.

METHODS

Personality and past/current substance use were assessed.

RESULTS

T2 sensation seeking mediated the predictive relationship between T1 and T3 alcohol use, and T2 alcohol use mediated the predictive relationship between T1 and T3 sensation seeking. In addition, T2 alcohol problems mediated the predictive relationship between T1 alcohol use and T3 negative urgency.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support a bidirectional relationship between sensation seeking and alcohol use, and drinking anticipates drinking problems, which predict increases in negative urgency. For some individuals, there appears to be an ongoing process of increased risk in the form of increases in both drinking and high-risk personality traits.

Interplay between sensation seeking and risky alcohol drinking in Mexican adolescents: An structural modeling equation approach

Alcohol drinking represents one of the most important public health problems in adolescents. One axis of analysis of the correlates that affect alcohol consumption in adolescents is personality traits. In particular, sensation seeking maintains a consistent relationship with consumer behaviors. The objective of this research was tested in a structural equation model to show the structural effect of sensation seeking on risky alcohol drinking. The sensation seeking inventory (Palacios, 2015a) was used and alcohol drinking was measured with a survey of a sample of 550 Mexico City youth between 14 and 23 (𝑀 = 16.88; 𝑆𝐷 = 1.3) years old The results indicated the factorial validity of alcohol drinking in this sample. The structural equation modeling analyses suggested sensation seeking is a significant predictor for alcohol drinking behavior. The discussion analyzes the influence of sensation seeking on alcohol drinking and suggests implications for interventions.

College Students' Drinking and Posting About Alcohol: Forwarding a Model of Motivations, Behaviors, and Consequences

College drinking continues to remain a public health problem that has been exacerbated by alcohol-related posts on social networking sites (SNSs). Although existing research has linked alcohol consumption, alcohol posts, and adverse consequences to one another, comprehensive explanations for these associations have been largely unexplored. Thus, we reasoned that students' personal motivations (i.e., espousing an alcohol identity, needing entertainment, and adhering to social norms) influence their behaviors (i.e., alcohol consumption and alcohol-related posting on SNSs), which can lead to alcohol problems. Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 364 undergraduate students and found general support for our model. In particular, espousing an alcohol identity predicted alcohol consumption and alcohol-related SNS posting, needing entertainment predicted alcohol consumption but not alcohol-related SNS posting, and adhering to social norms predicted alcohol-related SNS posting but not alcohol consumption. In turn, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related SNS posting predicted alcohol problems. It is surprising that alcohol-related SNS posting was a stronger predictor of alcohol problems than alcohol consumption. We discuss the findings within their applied applications for college student health.

The influence of sensation-seeking and parental and peer influences in early adolescence on risk involvement through middle adolescence: A structural equation modeling analysis

This study examined the relationships between youth and parental sensation-seeking, peer influence, parental monitoring and youth risk involvement in adolescence using structural equation modeling. Beginning in grade-six, longitudinal data were collected from 543 students over three years. Youth sensation-seeking in grade six contributed to risk involvement in early adolescence (grades six and seven) indirectly through increased peer risk influence and decreased parental monitoring but did not have a direct contribution. It contributed directly and indirectly to risk involvement in middle adolescence (grades eight and nine). Parent sensation-seeking at baseline was positively associated with peer risk influence and negatively associated with parental monitoring; it had no direct effect on adolescent risk involvement. Parental monitoring buffers negative peer influence on adolescent risk involvement. Results highlight the need for intervention efforts to provide normative feedback about adolescent risky behaviors and to vary among families in which parents and/or youth have high sensation-seeking propensities.

College students' behavioral reactions upon witnessing relational peer aggression

With a sample of 228 college students (82.5% females) from the Midwestern United States, individual factors that contribute to emerging adults' behavioral responses when witnessing relational aggression among their peers were explored. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was found to be systematically associated with college students' behavioral responses to relational aggression through two social cognitive processes: normative beliefs about relational aggression and susceptibility to peer influence. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was associated with defending behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression and both assisting and reinforcing behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression and susceptibility to peer influence. The experience of witnessing relational aggression was also associated with onlooking behavior through normative beliefs about relational aggression. The findings indicate that exposure to relational aggression as a witness may influence witness responses because of the way such exposure may shape specific social cognitions. The potential for using the study findings for promoting effective witness interventions among college students is discussed.

Personality Risk Factors and Readiness to Change in Mandated and Voluntary College Students Enrolled in an Alcohol Intervention Program

This study compared personality risk factors and readiness to change drinking behavior among mandated and volunteer college students. The sample (N = 583) completed three measures of motivation to change and personality risk factors at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months between 2011 and 2012. Linear mixed models were used to determine an association of continuous outcome variable(s) with covariates over time. Participants in the action stage had lower impulsivity scores. Gender was significant, with females showing the highest anxiety and lowest sensation seeking. The findings indicate a number of future directions to advance innovative alcohol intervention and treatment programs on college campuses.

The implications of genotype-environment correlation for establishing causal processes in psychopathology

The significance of genotype-environment interplay is its focus on how causal factors, whether environmental or genetic, have their effects. It is difficult to establish causality in observational research because of the potential for reverse causation and confounding. Most environmental measures are heritable, which means that their effects on the risk for psychopathology are potentially confounded by genotype. In contrast, genetic influences on psychopathology may be mediated by their effect on environmental exposures. The existence of genetic influences on putative environmental risk factors offers both possibilities and pitfalls for research into environmental epidemiology. We use the example of parenting and its influence on childhood externalizing problems to review how genotype-environment correlations can be exploited to demonstrate causal processes in pyschopathology.

Impulsive sensation seeking, parental history of alcohol problems, and current alcohol and tobacco use in adolescents

OBJECTIVES

This study attempted to evaluate whether impulsive sensation seeking mediated the relationship between parental alcohol problems and offspring alcohol and tobacco use.

METHODS

Participants were Connecticut high school students (n = 2733) completing a survey of high-risk behaviors. Variables of interest included past month alcohol use, past month binge alcohol use, frequency of past month alcohol use, past month tobacco use, having a biological parent with an alcohol problem, and score on the impulsive sensation seeking (ImpSS) scale from the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire - Form III.

RESULTS

ImpSS scores were elevated in past month users of alcohol, binge users of alcohol, users of both tobacco and alcohol, and they increased with increasing frequency of past month alcohol use. Also, parental history of alcohol use increased the likelihood of past month alcohol use, binge use, use of both tobacco and alcohol, and higher levels of past month alcohol use. Mediational analyses did not appear to support the hypothesis that impulsive sensation seeking mediates the relationship between parental history of alcohol problems and alcohol and tobacco use in offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

Impulsive sensation seeking and parental history of alcohol problems appear to be independent factors that contribute to the co-occurrence of alcohol and tobacco use in adolescents. These findings can inform prevention and treatment efforts.

Predicting and understanding undergraduate students' intentions to gamble in a casino using an extended model of the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior

Given that current television programming contains numerous gambling portrayals, it is imperative to understand whether and to what extent these gambling behaviors in media influence individuals' beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. This study explores an extended model of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) by including gambling media exposure as a distal, mediating and mediated factor in predicting undergraduate students' intentions to gamble in a casino. Findings show that the extended model of TRA clearly indicates that the constructs of gambling media exposure, prior gambling experience, and level of gambling addiction contribute to the prediction of undergraduate students' casino gambling intentions. Theoretical implications of gambling media effects and practical implications for public policy are discussed, and future research directions are outlined.

Affective and personality risk and cognitive mediators of initial adolescent alcohol use

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the role of cognitive factors--such as expectancies regarding the consequences of not drinking and perceptions of peer drinking--in mediating affective and personality-based risk associated with adolescents' decisions to initiate alcohol use.

METHOD

Nondrinking high school students (N = 1,268) completed confidential surveys on adolescent attitudes and behaviors related to substance use in 2 consecutive years. Self-reported alcohol use was assessed in both years, and social anxiety, depression, sensation seeking, expectancies for not drinking, and perceived peer alcohol use were assessed in the second year.

RESULTS

The odds of initiation were considerably lower for students with higher expectancies for not drinking, compared with those with lower expectancies. Odds of initiation rose significantly with each additional perceived peer drink reported. Both cognitive factors mediated the relationships between social anxiety, depression, sensation seeking, and alcohol-use initiation.

CONCLUSIONS

Beliefs regarding the consequences of not drinking and perceived peer drinking play key roles in the relationship between affective and personality styles on adolescent drinking. These cognitive differences may explain varying affective risk profiles for alcohol initiation and use during adolescence, and they can provide tools for prevention efforts.

The effects of sensation seeking, misperceptions of peer consumption, and believability of social norms messages on alcohol consumption

The social norms marketing approach is one method used to reduce extreme alcohol consumption. The current study implemented a web-based survey (N = 891) to assess whether sensation-seeking, perceived moderate drinking norms, and social norm message believability impacted alcohol consumption on a college campus. Sensation seeking was not directly related to normative perceptions of others' moderate alcohol consumption. Sensation seeking, perceived norms, and message believability all had direct effects on alcohol consumption, and the interaction of sensation seeking and message believability impacted alcohol consumption, while the interaction of sensation seeking and perceived norms on alcohol consumption was marginally significant. Implications of these findings for the social norms marketing approach are discussed.

Causes and consequences of increasing club drug use in China: a descriptive assessment

Club drugs have quickly become the most widespread "drugs of abuse" in China. Using data from a convenience sample of 730 club drug users in Shanghai in 2006 , we explored the causes and consequences of club drug use. Descriptive analyses suggest that club drug use is typically polydrug use. Polydrug use is strongly associated with weakened social control, drug use social influences, and a sensation-seeking personality; in addition, it is associated with more negative health and social consequences. Both polydrug and single-club-drug users are at high risk of sexually acquiring and/or transmitting HIV. The study's limitations are noted, and future research is suggested.

The genetic basis of individual differences in reward processing and the link to addictive behavior and social cognition

Dopaminergic neurotransmission is widely recognized to be critical to the neurobiology of reward, motivation and addiction. Interestingly, social interactions and related behavior also activate the same neuronal system. Consequently, genetic variations of dopamine neurotransmission are thought influence reward processing that in turn may affect distinctive social behavior and susceptibility to addiction. This review focuses on advances made to date in an effort to link genetic individual variations and reward processing as a possible basis for addictive behaviors.

Alcohol-impaired driving behavior and sensation-seeking disposition in a college population receiving routine care at campus health services centers

Accidents stemming from alcohol-impaired driving are the leading cause of injury and death among college students. Research has implicated certain driver personality characteristics in the majority of these motor vehicle crashes. Sensation seeking in particular has been linked to risky driving, alcohol consumption, and driving while intoxicated. This study investigated the effect of sensation seeking on self-reported alcohol-impaired driving behavior in a college student population while adjusting for demographics, residence and drinking locations. A total of 1587 college students over the age of 18 completed a health screening survey while presenting for routine, non-urgent care at campus heath services centers. Student demographics, living situation, most common drinking location, heavy episodic drinking, sensation-seeking disposition and alcohol-impaired driving behavior were assessed. Using a full-form logistic regression model to isolate sensation seeking after adjusting for covariates, sensation seeking remains a statistically significant independent predictor of alcohol-impaired driving behavior (OR=1.52; CI=1.19-1.94; p<0.001). Older, white, sensation-seeking college students who engage in heavy episodic drinking, live off-campus, and go to bars are at highest risk for alcohol-impaired driving behaviors. Interventions should target sensation seekers and environmental factors that mediate the link between sensation seeking and alcohol-impaired driving behaviors.

Risk for excessive alcohol use and drinking-related problems in college student athletes

There is compelling evidence that college student athletes engage in frequent episodes of heavy drinking and are prone to negative consequences resulting from such use. This study sought to identify risk and protective factors associated with student-athlete drinking and determine if student-athlete risk factors differed from those of non-athletes. Athletes compared to non-athletes reported more exaggerated perceptions of peer heavy drinking and lower sensation seeking and coping and enhancement motives for drinking, suggesting a risk profile distinct from non-athletes. In the overall sample, higher sensation seeking, overestimation of peer heavy drinking, non-use of protective behaviors while drinking, and higher enhancement and coping drinking motives were associated with greater frequency of heavy episodic drinking and more negative drinking consequences. In athletes compared to non-athletes, sensation seeking was more strongly associated with heavy episodic drinking and drinking to cope was more strongly associated with negative alcohol-related consequences. Overall, the results suggest that already proven brief intervention strategies, with minor adaptations related to the roles of sensation seeking and drinking to cope, may be helpful for student athletes.

Genotype–environment correlations: implications for determining the relationship between environmental exposures and psychiatric illness

Psychosocial risk factors for psychiatric illness are moderately heritable. This has two implications: first, that individuals actively shape their environments through heritable behaviour; second, that the relationship between environmental exposure and psychopathology may be confounded by genotype. We define three types of genotype-environment correlation (passive, evocative, and active), describe the evidence from quantitative and molecular genetic studies for their existence, and discuss the implications of genotype-environment correlations for the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorder. Research designs are needed that can test which exposures have truly causal effects on mental illness and which are confounded by genotype, so that clinicians can make informed decisions about when modifying exposures will be likely to result in reductions in mental illness. By considering bi-directional and reciprocal relations between risk exposures and patients' behaviour, clinicians may develop a fuller picture of the causes of disorder and develop more effective treatment methods.

Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and nicotine dependence among adolescents: findings from a prospective, longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

To examine prospectively the comorbidity of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders and nicotine dependence in adolescence.

METHOD

A multiethnic sample (N = 1,039) of adolescents from grades 6 to 10 in the Chicago public schools (mean age 14.1 years) was interviewed at home five times, and mothers were interviewed three times over a 2-year period (2003-2005). Completion rates at each wave were 96% of the initial sample. Selected DSM-IV psychiatric disorders were ascertained from youths and mothers about youths at two annual waves with the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version IV-Y and IV-P; DSM-IV symptoms of nicotine dependence were ascertained from youths at every wave using a measure developed for adolescents.

RESULTS

Psychiatric disorders most often preceded the onset of the first criterion of nicotine dependence. Prospective associations between psychiatric disorders and nicotine dependence were examined through logistic regressions. After controlling for comorbid disorders, it was found that lifetime disruptive disorder significantly predicted the onset of a nicotine dependence criterion (adjusted odds ratio 2.1). Early onset of any psychiatric disorder increased this risk. Other predictors included novelty seeking and extensiveness of smoking. By contrast, nicotine dependence did not predict the onset of a psychiatric disorder; significant predictors included the youths' prior other psychiatric disorders, novelty seeking, and parental depression and antisocial behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Nicotine dependence does not seem to contribute to the onset of psychiatric disorders, whereas disruptive disorder is an important etiologic factor for nicotine dependence in adolescence.

Personality, alcohol use, and drinking motives: a comparison of independent and combined internal drinking motives groups

It is well-established that coping and enhancement drinking motives predict college student drinking and that personality traits predict drinking motives. Little is known, however, about personality and drinking patterns among individuals who drink for both enhancement and coping reasons. University students in the current study completed questionnaires assessing personality, alcohol use, and drinking motives. Past year drinkers (N=138) were categorized into one of four groups: coping, enhancement, coping + enhancement, and noninternally motivated drinkers. Drinking was lower among noninternally motivated drinkers and higher among coping motivated drinkers; coping + enhancement motivated drinkers reported drinking at levels most consistent with the coping group. Coping motivated drinkers reported higher levels of neuroticism, negative affect, and anxiety sensitivity, and lower levels of positive affect; coping + enhancement motivated drinkers were not significantly different from the other groups on personality traits. Although coping + enhancement motivated drinkers may be at risk for problem drinking, they may be difficult to identify via personality measures.

Adolescent ecstasy and other drug use in the National Survey of Parents and Youth: the role of sensation-seeking, parental monitoring and peer's drug use

The association between high sensation-seeking, close friends' drug use and low parental monitoring with ecstasy (MDMA) use in adolescence was examined in a sample of US household-dwelling adolescents aged 12-18 years (N=5049). We also tested whether associations were of stronger magnitude than associations between these correlates and marijuana or alcohol/tobacco use in adolescence. Data from Round 2 of the National Survey of Parents and Youth (NSPY) Restricted Use Files (RUF) was analyzed via Jackknife weighted multinomial logistic regression models. High sensation-seekers were more likely to be ecstasy, marijuana, and alcohol/tobacco users, respectively, as compared to low sensation-seekers. High sensation-seeking and close friends' drug use were more strongly associated with ecstasy as compared to marijuana and alcohol/tobacco use. Low parental monitoring was associated with marijuana use and alcohol/tobacco use and there was a trend for it to be associated with ecstasy use. Ecstasy use is strongly associated with peer drug use and more modestly associated with high sensation-seeking. School prevention programs should target high-sensation-seeking adolescents and also encourage them to affiliate with non-drug using peers.

Personal values and involvement in problem behaviors among Bahamian early adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Few studies, particularly in developing countries, have explored the relationship between adolescents and parental values with adolescent problem behaviors. The objectives of the study are to (1) describe adolescents' personal values, their problem behaviors, and the relationships thereof according to gender and (2) examine the relationship between parental values, adolescent values, and adolescents' problem behaviors among sixth-grade students and one of their parents.

METHODS

The data used in these analyses were from the baseline assessment of a school-based HIV risk reduction intervention being conducted and evaluated among sixth grade students and one of their parents across 9 elementary schools in The Bahamas. Personal values were measured by the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ). Seven reported problem behaviors were queried from the students, which included physical fight with a friend, drank alcohol, beer, or wine, smoked a cigarette, pushed or carried any drugs, carried a gun, knife, screwdriver or cutlass to use as a weapon, had sex and used marijuana or other illicit drugs over the past 6 months. Multilevel modeling for binary data was performed to estimate the associations between adolescent and parental values and adolescent problem behaviors.

RESULTS

Among 785 students, 47% of the students reported at least one problem behavior. More boys (54%) reported having one or more problem behaviors than girls (41%, p < 0.01). Boys compared to girls expressed a higher level of self-enhancement (means score: 36.5 vs. 35.1; p = 0.03), while girls expressed a higher level of self-transcendence (42.3 vs. 40.7; p = 0.03). The results of multilevel modeling indicates that boys with a higher level of self-enhancement and girls with a higher level of openness to change and a lower level of conservation were more likely to report engagement in problem behaviors. Only two parental values (self-transcendence and conservation) were low or modestly correlated with youth' values (openness to change and self-enhancement). Parental-reported values documented limited association on adolescents' reported values and behaviors.

CONCLUSION

In designing interventions for reducing adolescents' problem behaviors, it may be important to understand the values associated with specific problem behaviors. Further exploration regarding lack of association between adolescent and parental values and problem behaviors is needed.

A biosocial-affect model of adolescent sensation seeking: the role of affect evaluation and peer-group influence in adolescent drug use

Adolescence is a period of heightened experimentation with risky behavior. Models of brain development suggest that this phenomenon is partly the result of increased adolescent sensation seeking unaccompanied by maturation in ability to evaluate risks. We test an alternative biosocial-affect model in which favorable affect attached to behavior leads to discounting of risks. Although the model applies to both adolescents and adults, it predicts that the surge in sensation seeking during adolescence increases affective attraction to risky behavior, reduces perceived risk of the behavior, and results in peer-group reinforcement of these effects. We estimated models that included these influences for three drugs (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) in a national sample of youth ages 14 to 22. Consistent with brain maturation models, sensation seeking rose during the age period under study with girls peaking earlier than boys. Nevertheless, independent of age or gender, the biosocial-affect model explained the relation between sensation seeking and drug use. The findings indicate that although adolescents recognize the risks of drug use, they are subject to both biological and social influences that encourage risk taking. Implications for the prevention of risky adolescent behavior are discussed.