1. The Review of Alcohol Use in Relation to Biopsychosocial Factors Miika Gurr Psych 4900: Adolescent Risk Taking Weber State University

2. Introduction Alcohol and substance use among adolescent males and females is gradually increasing.  What Biopsychosocial factors contribute to this phenomenon?  A variety of factors are interrelated and linking adolescence to “risk” taking behaviors which may result in alcohol or substance use or “abuse.” There are 3 research papers that examine the Biopsychosocial aspect in regards to Alcohol and Substance Use among Adolescence.

3. Wiesner & Ittel (Germany 1993-1994)  Early maturation is related significantly to more frequent alcohol & cigarette use. Methods  Methods 3 Hypotheses: Maturation Deviance, Mediation Hypothesis, and Termination Hypothesis 2 Waves Personal Interviews & Parent Surveys Assessed Relations of Pubertal Timing to Early Substance Use in Adolescents  Results Only the Termination Hypothesis was supported through research; this concludes that only early maturing boys & girls present higher levels of substance abuse

4. Addiction Research Center Study (Italy 2001)   High sensation seeking, high social attributes, direct aggressiveness, and lower parental care are all factors of alcohol use or “abuse.”  Methods 1,076 Caucasian students 14 to 19 years old Questionnaires using a variety of tests such as Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale, etc. Results  Results Temperamental traits & personality changes = early alcohol use & reduced perception of parental care Assessed Temperament, Personality traits, and Parental Care Perception resulting in alcohol use

5. Scheier & Botvin (U.S. 1987-1991)   There is an INVERSE relation between Self- esteem and alcohol use Alcohol Use Self-esteem Time High Low The adolescents who increased their levels of alcohol later reported lower levels of self-esteem  Methods Four year period Latent Growth Modeling 740 Students Questionnaires  Results Self-esteem is part of a dynamic set of etiological forces that instigate early-stage alcohol use Levels

6. Conclusion  Overall, pubertal timing, temperament, personality traits, parental care, and self- esteem are all interrelated and correlated with alcohol use among adolescence. Limits: Future Directions  Research Study based on Peer Relationships & alcohol use  Future study should examine the effects of Peers for initial alcohol use and continued use by using the Latent Growth Modeling technique.  Each of the 3 studies relied on Self-report.  The studies did not examine the adolescents’ peer relationships in regards to alcohol use.

7. References Gerra, G., Zaimovic, A. (2004). Substance Abuse Among High- school Students: Relationship with Social Coping and Temperament. Substance Use and Misuse, 39, 345-367. Scheier, L.M., Botvin, G.J. (2000). Dynamic Growth Models of Self-Esteem and Adolescent Alcohol Use. Journal of Adolescence, 20, 178-209. Wiesner, Margit, Ittel, Angela (2002). Relations of Pubertal Timing and Depressive Symptoms to Substance Use in Early Adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 5-23.