Association between elementary school personality and high school smoking and drinking

Abstract

Background and aims Among U.S. high school students, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are associated with numerous concurrent and future harms. We tested whether multiple elementary school personality dispositions to behave impulsively can predict these addictive behaviors invariably across gender and race. Design and Setting This longitudinal design involved testing whether individual differences on impulsigenic traits in elementary school predicted drinking and smoking four years later in high school in 23 public schools in Kentucky, USA. Participants 1,897 youth ages 11 to 15, drawn from urban, rural, and suburban backgrounds. Measurements Drinking and smoking frequency were assessed by single item questions. The key predictors were impulsigenic traits measured with the UPPS-P Child Version impulsive behavior scale. Important covariates included were pubertal status, depression, negative affect, and positive affect; each was assessed by self-report. Findings Three personality traits measured in 5th grade, each representing different dispositions to engage in impulsive behavior, predicted drinking and smoking in 9th grade above and beyond other risk factors and 5th grade drinking and smoking. Specifically, urgency (b = .10, .13), sensation seeking (b = .13, .07), and low conscientiousness (b = .14, .11) each uniquely predicted both high school drinking and smoking, respectively. There was no evidence that any trait predicted either outcome more strongly than the other traits, nor was there evidence that predictive results varied by gender or race. Conclusions Three personality traits (urgency, sensation seeking, and low conscientiousness), when measured in 11-year-old children, individually predict those children’s drinking and smoking behavior at age 15. The effects are invariant across gender and race.

A risk model for addictive behaviors in adolescents: interactions between personality and learning

“…Multiple meta-analyses document the high association between negative urgency and addictive behavior, even in relation to other impulsigenic traits [17][18][19][20]. Prospectively, negative urgency predicts both the onset of alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking among adolescents [21][22][23] and heavy drinking and smoking among emerging adults [24,25]. It is thought to operate through negative reinforcement: Those elevated in the trait act in rash or impulsive ways to reduce or distract from distress [26].…”

Association of Personality Traits with Life and Work of Medical Students: An Integrative Review

“…Personality traits can affect health outcomes via health risk perception or indirectly affect health outcomes through life performance (e.g., physical activity, sleep, diet, smoking, and drinking). Personality traits have been proven to be significant predictors of poor sleep [3], future drinking, and future smoking [4]. Personality traits are also related to different levels of physical activity, and the relationship between them does not change with age or sex [5].…”

Stability of and change in substance use risk personality: Gender differences and smoking cigarettes among early adolescents

“…Indeed, lifelong health behaviors and habits often begin in adolescence ( Alberga et al, 2012 , Degenhardt et al, 2008 ). A significant body of evidence shows that smoking cigarettes among adolescents is related to personality ( Ali et al, 2016 , Brook et al, 2008 , Burt et al, 2000 , Krank et al, 2011 ; Malmberg et al, 2013 , Peterson and Smith, 2017 , Pokhrel et al, 2014 , Quinn and Harden, 2013 , Wellman et al, 2016 , Woicik et al, 2009 ), supposing that personality is predictive for smoking behavior. Since especially persistent personality traits seemed to be related to future behavior, it is assumed that personality traits that remain stable over time would be more predictive for smoking behavior.…”