Abstract:
The goal of the present study was to identify different drinking groups in a non-clinical sample of emerging adults, based on different indexes of alcohol use, and to examine the impact of several self-regulation and contextual indicators on group membership. The study sample consisted of 18-25-year-old emerging adults (n = 701) who had consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime. Three drinking groups were empirically derived. Regular moderate drinkers were the largest cluster (45%), followed by infrequent light drinkers (38.9%), and heavy drinkers (15.5%). Higher sensation seeking, lower self-control, and having a psychiatric diagnosis distinguished primarily between heavy drinkers and the other two clusters at the lower end of the alcohol involvement continuum. As an unanticipated finding, lower negative emotionality was also a significant predictor of heavy drinking. Specifically, living with family members predicted infrequent light drinkers. These findings suggest that in prevention projects targeting alcohol abuse in emerging adulthood, in addition to personality traits, young person's mental health, living situation and the context of drinking should also be considered. This study also lends support for examining subpopulations of drinkers and implementing a multidimensional perspective of both personality and alcohol use, in order to better understand emerging adult drinking.|Keywords : Emerging adulthood, drinking patterns, self-regulation, impulsivity, distress tolerance, negative emotionality
