Alcohol drinking in young adults: the predictive value of personality when peers come around.
This study examined whether personality traits and peer drinking affect alcohol consumption in young adults. Data were analyzed from a study that was conducted in a 'bar laboratory' in which ad-lib drinking of peer groups was observed. The findings indicate that extroversion is moderately associated with self-reported daily drinking, while low emotional stability is modestly associated with alcohol-related problems. With regard to drinking in the observational drinking setting, personality is not associated with young adults' actual alcohol consumption. Further, peer drinking levels were strongly related to young adults' drinking. Besides, agreeableness interacted with the effects of peer drinking on young adults' drinking in such a way that agreeable individuals adapted their actual alcohol consumption more easily than others when socializing in a high- or a low-drinking peer group. We concluded that drinking in a peer context, irrespective of personality, played a major role in forming young adults' drinking. However, personality (i.e. agreeableness) definitely played a role to the extent of the individuals' adaptation to peer drinking norms.
van Schoor
Guido
G
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Bot
Sander M
SM
Engels
Rutger C M E
RC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010379:Peer Group; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires