title: Negative affect variability and adolescent self-medication: The role of the peer context.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Findings in the literature show mixed support for adolescent self-medication. Following recent reformulations of the self-medication hypothesis, we tested within-person effects of daily fluctuations in sadness and worry on daily substance use, and explored the moderating role of the peer context on self-medication. We hypothesized that greater daily fluctuations in mood would predict greater daily substance use, and lower levels of peer social support and higher levels of peer drug use would further increase this risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experience sampling methods captured within-person daily variations in mood and substance use over 21 days among 73 adolescents. An observational coding system was employed to characterize enacted peer social support. Multilevel modeling was used to parse between- versus within-person differences in risk for daily substance use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater within-person daily fluctuations in feelings of worry (but not sadness) significantly predicted increased daily substance use, consistent with self-medication. Moreover, greater daily fluctuations in negative affect were a stronger predictor of daily use than total level of daily negative affect. Peer social support moderated this relationship such that those with more supportive friendships were less likely to engage in self-medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first reported study to examine within-person processes of adolescent self-medication related to daily variability in mood and the peer context. Adolescent self-medication processes appear to differ depending on the type of negative affect and whether daily affective experiences are chronic or fluctuating, suggesting that the affective processes that cue adolescents to engage in substance use are quite nuanced.
authors: Department of Psychology, Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research, The University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, USA.
authors: Julia M
authors: JM
authors: Shadur
authors: Department of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors: Andrea M
authors: AM
authors: Hussong
authors: Department of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors: Maleeha
authors: M
authors: Haroon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011581:Psychological Tests; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012651:Self Medication / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: drug use; negative affect; peers; self-medication; social support