title: [The significance of the relationship between external/internal locus of control and adolescent substance use in behavioral medicine].
abstract: Prevention and treatment of the addictions are key public health priorities in modern society. In medical practice, in relation to the biochemical processes, mapping the addiction-prone personality traits, like external/internal locus of control are getting more and more attention. Individuals with high level on internal locus of control, for example, tend to take care of their health behavior; the lack of it, on the other hand, may worsen the effectiveness of stress release which may increase the likelihood of turning to substance use.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between adolescent substance use (both lifetime prevalence and the actual substance user status) and external/internal locus of control).
  
  
  METHODS
  The data collection of the questionnaire survey was going on among 656 high school students in Szeged (age range between 14-21 years, mean = 16.5 years, S.D. = 1.5 years of age, 49.1% of the sample was female). Associations between indicators of substance use (as dependent variables) and scale points of external/internal locus of control (as independent variables) were assessed using odds ratios calculated by logistic regression analyses, whereas gender was used as a controlling variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among boys, scale points of external, among girls, those of internal locus of control showed higher values. External locus of control increased, whereas internal locus of control decreased the risk of substance use, however, the relative role of external/internal locus of control was different according to the type of substance use and the prevalence values. In terms of smoking, lifetime prevalence, whereas in terms of marijuana use, the actual user status was influenced. In addition, while the latter one was also affected by gender, it did not play a role at all in the previous one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All these findings suggest that behavioral control may play a particularly important role in prevention of adolescent substance use. For developing this, methods of cognitive therapy would be effective to be completed with autogenic relaxation training as well.
authors.affiliation: Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Magatartástudományi Intézet Szeged Szentháromság u. 5. 6722. pikobettina@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pikó
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Pálma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kriston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007389:Internal-External Control; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires