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. 2009 May;70(3):373-82.
doi: 10.15288/jsad.2009.70.373.

Self-regulation, alcohol consumption, and consequences in college student heavy drinkers: a simultaneous latent growth analysis

John T P Hustad  1 , Kate B Carey, Michael P Carey, Stephen A Maisto
Affiliations

Self-regulation, alcohol consumption, and consequences in college student heavy drinkers: a simultaneous latent growth analysis

John T P Hustad et al. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2009 May.

Abstract

Objective: Lower levels of self-regulation have been associated with higher rates of alcohol-related consequences. Self-regulation refers to the effortful ability to plan and achieve delayed adaptive outcomes through goal-directed behavior, and this skill may play a role in adaptive behavioral change. The purpose of this prospective, longitudinal study was to test predictions from self-regulation theory about the relationship among self-regulation and weekly alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences over 12 months.

Method: Participants were 170 heavy drinking college students who provided data on alcohol use and consequences at baseline and at 1-, 6-, and 12-month assessments.

Results: Using a simultaneous latent growth model, self-regulation ability predicted the amount of initial alcohol-related consequences, the rate of change for alcohol-related consequences, and the rate of change for drinks per week. In contrast, self-regulation was not related to the initial level of alcohol use.

Conclusions: Collectively, these results suggest that lower self-regulation ability functions as a risk factor for experiencing alcohol-related consequences and attenuates naturally occurring reductions in alcohol use and consequences over time for heavier drinking college students.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The alcohol-use and alcohol-related consequences latent growth model. All values are standardized beta coefficients, except for factor loadings, and means for the latent variables. Only significant relationships are presented. Significant covariation between the error terms is not presented in this path diagram. M = mean. *p < .05; † p < .01; ‡ p < .001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated typical drinks per week (Panel A) and alcohol consequences (Panel B) latent growth curves for individuals with self-regulation (SR) scores one standard deviation above (higher) and one standard deviation below (lower) the sample mean SR score. Ln = natural log; Sqrt = square root.
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