The mediating role of self-regulation in cigarette smoking and alcohol use among young people

This research explores the role of self-regulation in substance-use behaviours from a developmental perspective. We explore the influence of the peer group and parental competencies on self-regulation, in relation to substance use in young people, by means of two convenience samples, the first comprising 478 participants aged 10 to 20, the majority of whom were female, and the second made up of 311 youngsters aged 10 to 17, the majority being male. The instruments used were a Socio-demographic Questionnaire (ad hoc), a Smoking and Alcohol Use Questionnaire (ad hoc), the Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory - brief version (ASRI-2r), the Parental Competencies Scale and the Peer Relations Questionnaire. The results confirm a relationship between gender and long-term self-regulation, whose level is higher among girls and young women. Those youngsters with friends who smoke or regularly drink alcohol score lower on the short-term self-regulation subscales. A moderate positive relationship is confirmed between long-term self-regulation and positive competencies in parents.