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

Raquel Nogueira-Arjona, Kara Thompson, Athena Milios, Alyssa Maloney, Terry Krupa, Keith S. Dobson, Shu-Ping Chen and Sherry H. Stewart
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Raquel Nogueira-Arjona: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Kara Thompson: Department of Psychology, Saint Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
Athena Milios: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, Canada
Alyssa Maloney: Department of Psychology, Saint Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
Terry Krupa: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Keith S. Dobson: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Shu-Ping Chen: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada
Sherry H. Stewart: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: 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 (N 1 = 922, Mage 1 = 20.11, 70.3% female; N 2 = 1625, Mage 2 = 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.

Keywords: alcohol-related problems; protective behavioral strategies; personality; risk factors; harm-reduction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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