Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Negative Affectivity and Drinking in Adolescents: An Examination of Moderators Predicted by Affect Regulation Theory

  • Published:
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This investigation examined potential moderators of the longitudinal relation between negative affectivity and drinking. Specifically tested was the degree to which alcohol expectancies and coping styles moderate the relation between negative affectivity in early adolescence and drinking in middle and late adolescence. Four hundred ninety nine early adolescents completed inventories of negative affectivity, coping style, and tension reduction expectancies, and were followed up with inventories of drinking in middle and late adolescence. Constructive coping moderated the relation between negative affectivity and drinking in middle adolescence, such that only those with poor coping skills exhibited this positive relation. Although early negative affectivity was directly related to drinking in late adolescence, no interactions between negative affectivity and expectancies or coping were detected for drinking at that age. This absence of consistent moderating effects indicates significant limitations in the ability of the traditionally-conceived affect regulation model to reliably predict adolescent drinking.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA.: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Annis, H. M., Graham, J. M., & Davis, C. S. (1987). Inventory of drinking situations (IDS): User’s guide. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Heatherington, T. F. (1996). Self-regulation failure: An overview. Psychological Inquiry, 7, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caprara, G. V. (1983). La misura dell’aggressivita: Contributoo di ricerca per la costruzione e la validazione di due scale per la misura dell’ irritabilita e della suscettibilita emotive. Genital. Psicologia., 9, 91–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Pastorelli, C., & Perugini, M. (1994). Individual differences in the study of human aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 20, 291–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caprara, G. V., Cinanni, V., D’Imperio, G., Passerini, S., Renzi, P., & Travaglia, G. (1985). Indicators of impulsive aggression: Present status of research on irritability and emotional susceptibility scales. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 665–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chassin, L., Curran, P. J., Hussong, A. M., & Colder, C. R. (1996). The relation of parent alcoholism to adolescent substance use: a longitudinal follow-up study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 70–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christiansen, B. A., Goldman, M. S., & Inn, A. (1982). Development of alcohol-related expectancies in adolescents: Separating pharmacological from social-learning influences. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 336–344.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christiansen, B. A., Smith, G. T., Roehling, P. V., & Goldman, M. S. (1989). Using expectancies to predict adolescent drinking behavior after one year. Journal of Consulting andt Clinical Psychology, 57, 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colder, C. R. (2001). Life stress, physiological and subjective indexes of negative emotionality, and coping reasons for drinking: is there evidence for a self-medication model of alcohol use? Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 237–245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Colder, C. R., & Chassin, L. (1993). The stress and negative affect model of adolescent alcohol use and the moderating effects of behavioral undercontrol. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 54, 326–333.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, J. J. (1956). Reinforcement theory and the dynamics of alcoholism. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 13, 296–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, M. L., Frone, M. R., Russell, M., & Mudar, P. (1995). Drinking to regulate positive and negative emotions: A motivational model of alcohol use. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 990–1005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, W. M., & Klinger, E. (1988). A motivational model of alcohol use. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 168–180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dakof, G. A. (2000). Understanding gender differences in adolescent drug abuse: Issues of comorbidity and family functioning. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 32, 25–32.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. New Haven, CN: Department of Sociology, Yale University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussong, A. M., & Chassin, L. (1994). The stress-negative affect model of adolescent alcohol use: Disaggregating negative affect. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 55, 707–718.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hussong, A. M., Curran, P. J., & Chassin, L. (1998). Pathways of risk for accelerated heavy alcohol use among adolescent children of alcoholic parents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 453–466.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (2003). Monitoring the future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2002 (NIH Publication No. 03-5374). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, R. F., Schmutte, P. S., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Campbell, K., & Silva, P. A. (1994). Personality traits are linked to crime among men and women: Evidence from a birth cohort. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 328–338.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Labouvie, E. W., Pandina, R. J., White, H. R., & Johnson, V. (1990). Risk factors of adolescent drug use: An affect-based interpretation. Journal of Substance Abuse, 2, 265–285.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laurent, J., Catanzaro, S. J., & Callan, M. K. (1997). Stress, alcohol-related expectancies and coping preferences: A replication with adolescents of the Cooper et al. (1992) model. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 644–651.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacLean, M. J., Paradise, M. J., & Cause, A. M. (1999). Substance use and psychological adjustment in homeless adolescents: A test of three models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 405–427.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, C. S., Lynch, K. G., Pollack, N. K., & Clark, D. B. (2000). Gender differences and similarities in the personality correlates of adolescent alcohol problems. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 14, 121–133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, M. D., Chou, C., Bentler, P. M., & Huba, G. J. (1988). Cognitive motivations for drug use among adolescents: Longitudinal tests of gender differences and predictors of change in drug use. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35, 426–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raimo, E. B., & Schuckit, M. A. (1998). Alcohol dependence and mood disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 23, 933–946.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, J. A., & Mehrabian, A. (1975). The mediating role of emotions in alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 36, 1508–1536.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shen, S., Locke-Wellman, J., & Hill, S. Y. (2001). Adolescent alcohol expectancies in offspring from families at high risk for developing alcoholism. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 763–772.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sher, K. (1994). Individual-level risk factors. In R. Zucker, G. Boyd & J. Howard (Eds.), The development of alcohol problems: exploring the biopsychosocial matrix of risk. NIAAA Research Monograph 26. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1994.

  • Sher, K. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1982). Risk for alcoholism and individual differences in the stress-response-dampening effect of alcohol. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 350–367.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shoal, G. D., & Giancola, P. R. (2001). Cognition, negative affectivity, and substance use in adolescent boys with and without a family history of a substance use disorder. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 675–686.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shoal, G. D., & Giancola, P. R. (2003). Negative affectivity and drug use in adolescent boys, moderating and mediating mechanisms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 221–233.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1970). Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarter, R. E. (1990). Evaluation and treatment of adolescent substance abuse: A decision tree method. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 61, 1–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tice, D. M., Bratslavsky, E., & Baumeister, R. F. (2001). Emotional distress takes precedence over impulse control: If you feel bad, do it! Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 53–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, coping and tobacco and alcohol use in early adolescence. In S. Shiffman & T. A. Wills (Eds.), Coping and substance use (pp. 67–94). New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Windle, M., & Barnes, G. M. (1988). Similarities and differences in correlates of alcohol consumption and problem behaviors among male and female adolescents. International Journal of Addictions, 23, 707–728.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506-0044, USA

    Gavin D. Shoal, Lauren C. Gudonis & Peter R. Giancola

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Ralph E. Tarter

Authors
  1. Gavin D. Shoal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lauren C. Gudonis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter R. Giancola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ralph E. Tarter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter R. Giancola.

Additional information

This research was conducted at the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research (CEDAR) which is located in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and is supported by grant P50-DA-05605 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shoal, G.D., Gudonis, L.C., Giancola, P.R. et al. Negative Affectivity and Drinking in Adolescents: An Examination of Moderators Predicted by Affect Regulation Theory. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 30, 61–70 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-007-9051-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-007-9051-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation