| The present dissertation project examined social self-control in the context of adolescent substance use behavior. Social self-control is a relatively understudied dispositional variable that measures individuals' self-control in social situations or interpersonal interactions. One of the primary aims of the present project was to examine whether the lack of social self-control predisposed adolescents for higher substance use (cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drug use). A lack of social self-control may adversely affect adolescents' ability to form prosocial bonds, engage in prosocial activities, and build an adaptive social support network. In addition, adolescents lacking in social self-control may experience higher interpersonal conflicts and negative life events. Thus, lacking social self-control may make adolescents vulnerable to a number of proximal risk factors of substance use such as deviant peer affiliation and stressful life events. We collected two sets of 1-year prospective data from adolescents representing Regular and Continuation (alternative) high school students in Southern California. In addition to examining the relation between social self-control and substance use, we examined the construct validity of social self-control and examined the relationships of social self-control with sensation seeking and sense of coherence. Across both datasets, we found that higher social self-control was a unique predictor of lower substance use 1 year later. For regular high school students, a higher social self-control at baseline predicted higher sense of coherence 1 year later. Hence, it appears that social self-control is an important predictor of adolescent health and well-being. |
