Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Saint Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 12;18(4):1814. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041814.
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 = 922, Mage = 20.11, 70.3% female; N = 1625, Mage = 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.
饮酒及相关危害是青年群体面临的问题，而保护性行为策略（PBS）则是潜在的减少这些危害的措施。我们进行了两项研究，旨在确定高风险人格特质（寻求刺激[SS]、冲动[IMP]、绝望[HOP]和焦虑敏感性[AS]）与增加的问题性饮酒之间的关联，是否可以通过这些变量与减少 PBS 使用的关联来解释。我们测试了两个中介模型，其中高风险人格特质与增加的问题性饮酒结果（研究 1：酒精量；研究 2：重度饮酒和与酒精相关的危害）之间的关系部分通过减少 PBS 使用来解释。两个大学生样本参与了研究（N=922，Mage=20.11，70.3%为女性；N=1625，Mage=18.78，70.3%为女性）。结果部分支持了我们的假设，为解释某些高风险人格特质与问题性饮酒之间关系的机制提供了新数据，因为这些人格特质不太可能使用 PBS。相比之下，结果表明，AS 与与酒精相关的危害呈正相关，与 PBS 呈正相关，通过 PBS 使用的中介路径对问题性饮酒具有保护作用。这种模式表明，存在其他因素/中介因素阻碍了 PBS 的保护途径，因此，总体而言，AS 仍然会带来与酒精相关的危害风险。
