The Adolescent's Competency for Interacting with Alcohol as a Determinant of Intake: The Role of Self-Regulation

Abstract

The competency for interacting with alcohol is a highly useful Educational Psychology model for preventing and for understanding the different behavioral levels of this interaction. Knowledge of facts, concepts and principles about alcohol use, self-regulated behavior, and attitudes toward alcohol are predictive of adequate interaction with alcohol. The objective of this study was to empirically evaluate this postulated relationship. A total of 328 Spanish adolescents participated, between the ages of 12 and 17. All were enrolled in 1st–4th year of compulsory secondary education, in the context of the ALADO Program for prevention of alcohol intake in adolescents. An ex post facto design was used, with inferential analyses and SEM analyses. Results show an interdependence relationship, with significant structural prediction between the behavioral levels defined and the level of alcohol intake, with principles, self-regulating control and attitudes carrying more weight. Analyses are presented, as are implications for psychoeducational intervention using preventive programs based on this competency model.

Characteristics, Structure, and Effects of an On-Line Tool for Improvement in Adolescents’ Competency for Interaction With Alcohol: The e-ALADOTM Utility

“…The competency model for interacting with alcohol (de la Fuente et al, 2017a) is the foundation of this utility and its associated program, and is consistent with the SRL vs. ERL Theory (de la Fuente, 2017). Its three constituent types of learning (subcompetencies) have been defined theoretically.…”

“…All instruments were validated with Spanish teenagers. The data and validation procedure of these instruments have already been presented in a previous research report (de la Fuente et al, 2017a).…”

“…However, utilities oriented to adolescent populations are much fewer in number (Arnaud et al, 2016; Caudwell et al, 2016). Moreover, many such online tools are based on psychosocial or clinical models of prevention, applied to the sphere of educational psychology—despite the recent development of theoretical and research models using the Competency Approach of Educational Psychology itself, and the evidence that has upheld the value of this approach (de la Fuente et al, 2017a). This Competency Approach assumes the importance of the acquisition of three levels of learning: knowledge, skills, and attitudes, in a manner consistent with the Gagné Educational Psychologist model (Gagné, 2013).…”

“…The e- Alado is a technological online utility 1 , based on the ALADO program (de la Fuente et al, 2012), designed for adolescents The program provides assessment and intervention in different matters of learning. It can be used by students, teachers, and parents, but in this case it was applied only to students.…”

“…Its three constituent types of learning (subcompetencies) have been defined theoretically. Prior research has shown the importance of each type of learning (de la Fuente et al, 2017a):…”