title: Self-regulation as a buffer of the relationship between parental alcohol misuse and alcohol-related outcomes in first-year college students.
abstract: Alcohol misuse among college students is a large public health concern, thus, it is imperative to identify factors that reduce this risk. One risk factor associated with developing alcohol-related problems is meeting criteria for being an adult child of an alcoholic (ACOA). Conversely, self-regulation has been identified as a protective factor that is inversely associated with drinking-related outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether self-regulation buffers the risk associated with ACOA status on alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. In a sample of 195 first-year college students, we found that ACOA status had a unique effect on both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. Self-regulation was unrelated to alcohol use but inversely associated with alcohol-related consequences. Notably, self-regulation moderated the effect of ACOA status on alcohol-related problems (but not alcohol consumption) such that self-regulation was most strongly related to alcohol-related problems among ACOAs. Our results suggest that self-regulation helps explain the resilience of many ACOAs.
authors.affiliation: Old Dominion University, 250 Mills Godwin Building, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Gabrielle M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: D'Lima
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kelley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult