The moderating role of risk-taking tendency and refusal assertiveness on social influences in alcohol use among inner-city adolescents.

Overview

OBJECTIVE: Many etiological models of adolescent alcohol use concentrate on the main effects of risk and protective factors. This study examined the moderating influence of risk-taking tendency and refusal assertiveness on perceived friends' drinking as associated with alcohol use among inner-city adolescents. METHOD: Participants (N = 2,400; 54% female) completed questionnaires that included measures of risk-taking tendency, refusal assertiveness, perceived friends' drinking and alcohol use (drinking frequency, drinking amount and drunkenness). RESULTS: Main effects for perceived friends' drinking, risk-taking tendency and refusal assertiveness were found for all three drinking measures, consistent with prior work. Furthermore, significant interactions were found between (1) risk-taking tendency and perceived friends' drinking and (2) refusal assertiveness and perceived friends' drinking. CONCLUSIONS: High risk-taking tendency and low refusal assertiveness increased the impact of perceived friends' drinking on alcohol use among inner-city adolescents. This suggests that these factors are important components in preventing alcohol use.