Latent growth models of drug refusal skills and adolescent alcohol use

Vulnerability to adolescent alcohol use is often predicated on low social c ompetence and poor social resistance skills. As a result, many prevention p rograms focus on improving assertiveness and drug-specific refusal skills t o build resilience. However, individual differences in the rate at which yo uth acquire these skills may regulate their degree of alcohol use. The curr ent study used longitudinal growth curve modeling with four-year panel data to examine the dynamic relations between refusal skills and alcohol use. A dditional variables of theoretical interest that were controlled for includ ed gender, risk-taking, grades, social competence, and self-control. The es timated means for alcohol use indicated that on average these adolescents i ncreased their alcohol use by a factor of 140% over a four-year period. Ref usal skill efficacy declined by a factor of 13% over the same time frame. H igher initial skill level predicted a slower rate of alcohol usage, convers ely higher initial alcohol use predicted a slower acquisition of refusal sk ills. Grades enhanced the rate of refusal skill acquisition and females acq uired refusal skills faster than males. Socially competent youth declined m ore rapidly in their refusal ability and increased their alcohol use more r apidly than youth with low social competence. Self-control was associated w ith lower initial levels of alcohol use and higher initial level of refusal skills. These findings support a dual focus on social resistance skills an d personal self-control strategies to reduce motivations for alcohol use.