Abstract
Specific personality dimensions may increase susceptibility to alcohol misuse by encouraging motives for drinking that are associated with risky alcohol use. In the current study, we examined associations between personality risk factors (hopelessness (HOP), anxiety sensitivity (AS), sensation seeking (SS), and impulsivity (IMP)) and drinking motives (coping, conformity, enhancement, and social motives) in a sample of high-risk youth receiving child protection services. These personality factors were assessed using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) and drinking motives were assessed using the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R). The structural validity of the DMQ-R was first explored in this novel sample of high-risk adolescents using principal components analysis. Correlational analyses showed that HOP and IMP were associated with drinking to cope with negative emotions, and AS was associated with drinking to conform. Unexpectedly, enhancement motives were not related to any of the personality dimensions. This suggests that youth receiving child welfare services who are high in the described personality risk factors drink primarily for negative reinforcement.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 84-89 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Personality and Individual Differences |
| Volume | 81 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 1 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank the MAP (Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways) Longitudinal Study Research Team (Principal Investigator: Christine Wekerle; Co-investigators (in alphabetical order) Michael Boyle, McMaster University; Deborah Goodman, University of Toronto/Children’s Aid; Bruce Leslie/Children’s Aid; Eman Leung, University of Toronto, Harriet MacMillan, McMaster University; Brenda Moody/Children’s Aid; Lil Tonmyr, Public Health Agency of Canada; Nico Trocmé, McGill University; Randall Waechter, St. George’s University, Anne- Marie Wall, York University (deceased). We thank our collaborators at the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, Child Welfare League of Canada, and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. We thank the youth participants, MAP advisory board and community agencies, and the MAP research support staff, especially Maria Chen and Ronald Chung. The MAP Longitudinal Study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; No. VGH63212 ; No. 74547 ), Institute of Gender and Health (IGH), the Provincial Centre of Excellence in Child and Youth Mental Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (No. 341), and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (No. 124). Dr. Wekerle’s work was supported by a mid-career award from CIHR IGH and the Ontario Women’s Health Council (No. 100079), and an Interchange Canada Assignment to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- General Psychology
