@article{ref1,
title="Drinking like everyone else: trait self-control moderates the association between peer and personal heavy episodic drinking",
journal="Substance use and misuse",
year="2014",
author="Robinson, Eric and Jones, Andrew and Christiansen, Paul and Field, Matt",
volume="50",
number="5",
pages="590-597",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption often appears to be under social influence. However, we know relatively little about whether some people are particularly likely to exhibit similar drinking patterns to their peers. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: Here we tested the extent to which trait social approval concerns and trait self-control are associated with the likelihood that individuals display similar heavy episodic drinking patterns to their peers. <br><br>METHOD: One thousand and fifty-six young adults participated in an online study. We measured trait social approval concerns (the Need to Belong scale) and trait self-control (the Self-Control scale) alongside personal heavy episodic drinking and perceptions of peer heavy episodic drinking. <br><br>RESULTS: Beliefs that one's peers (other students) drank heavily were associated with heavier personal episodic drinking. This relationship was moderated by trait self-control: The correlation between personal heavy episodic drinking and perceived peer drinking was much stronger in those with low self-control compared with those with high self-control. Contrary to hypotheses, trait social approval concerns did not moderate the relationship between perceived peer drinking and personal heavy episodic drinking. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Social norms about drinking could act as a form of informational cue for one's own alcohol consumption, but the extent to which individuals follow or override this cue may depend on individual differences in self-control.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1082-6084",
doi="10.3109/10826084.2014.991407",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2014.991407"
}