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How are Personality, Implicit Behavioral Factors and Binge Drinking among Adolescents Related?

Friedel, L.K. (2011) How are Personality, Implicit Behavioral Factors and Binge Drinking among Adolescents Related?

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Abstract:Binge drinking among adolescents is a major issue in today‟s society. The short- and long-term effects of excessive alcohol use are extensive and hazardous. The present study tries to verify the Twente Model of Binge Drinking (TMBD), designed to explain the origin of binge drinking. This survey was conducted to examine the predictive role of personality and the impulsive pathway, analog with the social reaction path of the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM,) in binge drinking using a cross-sectional sample of 212 adolescents (67.5% women) aged 16 to 21 years (M=18.00, SD=1.43). The concept personality contained the 4 dimensions impulsiveness, sensation seeking, anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness/introversion, measured with the Substance Use Risk Scale (SURPS). The impulsive pathway was measured by questions about prototype favorability, similarity and willingness. Binge drinking was operationalized by how often the participants consumed 6 or more units of alcohol during the past four weeks. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to examine the associations of the constructs and the predictive value of personality and the social reaction path towards binge drinking. Multiple regression analyses were carried out with SPSS and verified with the Sobel test in order to examine whether willingness serves as a mediator between personality and binge drinking. The personality dimensions impulsiveness and sensation seeking were positively correlated with binge drinking, whereas anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness/introversion were negatively correlated with the alcohol measure. Willingness served as a partial mediator between the relationships of impulsiveness and binge drinking and sensation seeking and binge drinking. Anxiety sensitivity was fully mediated in its association with binge drinking. For hopelessness/introversion no mediation was found. Testing of the social reaction path showed that prototype similarity predicted willingness, but not prototype favorability. Additionally the latter was not correlated with binge drinking (r= .071). The results verified the TMBD in most of its assumptions, which provides a good framework for further investigations.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/60967
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