Expected Problem Drinker Possible Self: Predictor of Alcohol Problems and Tobacco use in Adolescents

Abstract

Background Alcohol and tobacco use commonly co-occur in adolescents. According to the cross-substance facilitation of information processing hypothesis, cognitive structures related to one substance increase use of another related substance through enhanced cognitive processing. In this study, we test this hypothesis by determining whether a problem drinker “possible self” in 8th grade predicts alcohol and tobacco use in 9th grade. Methods A secondary data analysis of a 12-month longitudinal dataset was conducted. The outcome variables were alcohol consumption, alcohol problems, and tobacco use in 9th grade. The main predictor of interest was presence of an expected problem drinker possible self in 8th grade. Zero-inflated gamma regression, zero-inflated negative binomial regression, and logistic regression were used. Results Among 137 adolescents, controlling for known family, parent, and peer determinants, and corresponding 8th grade behavior, having an expected problem drinker possible self in 8th grade predicted alcohol problems, but not level of alcohol consumption in 9th grade. Moreover, the expected problem drinker possible self in 8th grade predicted tobacco use in 9th grade controlling for known determinants and concurrent alcohol problems. Conclusions Findings provide support for the cross-substance facilitation hypothesis, suggesting that interventions designed to modify the expected problem drinker possible self may reduce not only adolescent alcohol use, but also tobacco use. Further studies are needed to determine whether smoking content is embedded in a drinking cognition or two separate but related drinking and smoking cognitions account for the association between alcohol and tobacco use.

Drinker Identity: Key Risk Factor for Adolescent Alcohol Use

“…These findings suggest that even the slightest acknowledgment that drinking will become an important part of oneself in the future is associated with early experimentation with alcohol. Using the same measure in a sample of eighth graders, a future‐oriented drinker identity predicted not only alcohol problems 1 year later but also tobacco use 1 year later …”

“…Whereas the developmental trajectory of a drinker identity has not been examined, we believe that having a future‐oriented drinker identity motivates early alcohol use, and over time, alcohol use itself leads to development of a well‐developed current drinker identity that leads to a sustained pattern of high levels of alcohol use and alcohol problems. Using the same dataset from an adolescent study reported earlier in this paper, we were able to take a preliminary look at this. As shown in Table , of the 137 adolescents in the sample, only 18 defined themselves in terms of drinking.…”

“…Defining oneself as a “drinker” plays a critical role in determining the pattern of alcohol use across the life span and some evidence suggests that adolescent alcohol‐related experiences contribute to development of a drinking‐related identity . In this paper, we focus on the drinker identity as an enduring memory structure that is formed through experiences with alcohol and contributes to alcohol use/misuse in adolescent and young adult populations.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8] In addition, adolescent alcohol use can lead to significant academic, social, and legal problems. 9 Defining oneself as a ''drinker'' plays a critical role in determining the pattern of alcohol use across the life span [10][11][12][13][14] and some evidence suggests that adolescent alcohol-related experiences contribute to development of a drinking-related identity. 15,16 In this paper, we focus on the drinker identity as an the drinker identity in adolescents.…”

Prospective Effects of Possible Selves on Alcohol Consumption in Adolescents

“…Some investigators have focused on properties of the total collection of possible selves, e.g., the number of hoped-for (Black, Stein, & Loveland-Cherry, 2001), number of feared (Oyserman & Markus, 1990a), number of expected (Aloise-Young et al, 2001), and number of balanced pairs (a hoped-for and feared possible self in the same domain, e.g., a hoped-for possible self to graduate from high school and a feared possible self of not graduating from high school; Aloise-Young et al, 2001; Oyserman & Markus, 1990a, 1990b). Other investigators have focused on a single possible self, e.g., presence or absence of a possible self in a specific content domain including alcohol use, e.g., “problem drinker” (Corte & Szalacha, 2010; Lee et al, in press), binge drinker (Quinlan, Jaccard, & Blanton, 2006), or the content domain of the most important possible self (Hooker & Kaus, 1992). …”