Social Anxiety, Negative Affectivity, and Substance Use Among High School Students.

Abstract

The literature regarding the relationship between adolescent social anxiety and substance use is sparse, and available studies have produced discrepant results. Similarly, negative affectivity is a mood-dispositional dimension that is infrequently considered in studies of substance use. The authors used dispositional structural equation modeling to examine the concurrent relationships of social anxiety and negative affectivity with adolescent substance involvement among 724 students in 1 southern California high school. The final model indicated that increased substance use was associated with having lower grade-point average, being male, being White, having higher levels of negative affectivity, and having lower levels of social anxiety. The findings confirm that negative affectivity is positively related to adolescent substance use, whereas social anxiety appears to be protective against substance involvement.

Affective and Personality Risk and Cognitive Mediators of Initial Adolescent Alcohol Use

“…We hypothesized that expectancies for not drinking would strongly differentiate individuals who initiate alcohol use from youth who maintain abstinence. Because of differences found in the literature regarding types of negative affect (e.g., Crum et al, 2008;Myers et al, 2003), we hypothesized that depression would be associated with increased risk for alcohol initiation, whereas social anxiety would be associated with decreased risk for alcohol-use initiation. Additionally, we hypothesized that expectancies for not drinking and perceptions of peer drinking would partially mediate the relationships between sensation seeking, negative affect, and the initiation of alcohol use.…”

“…Multiple studies have identified a relationship between negative affect and increased substance use during adolescence (Colder and Chassin, 1997;Myers et al, 2003;Shoal and Giancola, 2003;Stice et al, 1998), suggesting that individuals use substances to alleviate or cope with negative affect (Sher and Trull, 1994). Several researchers, however, have found this relationship to be negative or inconclusive (Brook et al, 1986;McGue et al, 2001;Stice et al, 1998;White et al, 1986).…”

“…Kaplow and colleagues (2001) found that generalized anxiety disorder was a risk factor for early alcohol-use initiation, whereas separation anxiety was negatively related to alcohol-use onset. In addition, social anxiety has been shown to have a somewhat protective role with regard to initiation of alcohol and other substance use (Myers et al, 2003).…”

“…Some individuals may worry about and focus on potential negative effects of alcohol use or have less exposure to alcohol in social contexts because of isolative tendencies, thus decreasing their alcohol-initiation risk. Conversely, others may be motivated by the desire to affi liate with peers or experience positive alcohol effects, especially if their own positive experiences have been limited by their affective style (Myers et al, 2003). These divergent motivations may lead to contrasting cognitions about peer behavior and the consequences of drinking versus abstaining from alcohol use.…”

Early Adolescent Symptoms of Social Phobia Prospectively Predict Alcohol Use

“…Regarding support for SP symptoms as a protective factor, Tomlinson and Brown (2012) found that among a sample of eighth-grade students, SP symptoms were signifi cantly associated with less frequent drinking at parties. Similarly, Myers et al (2003) found that among a sample of high school students, those with higher SP symptoms were less likely to report substance use, including alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. In contrast, recent studies demonstrate more complex relationships between SP symptoms and alcohol use.…”