Motives for smoking and drinking: Country and gender differences in samples of Hungarian and US high school students

Abstract

We examined the relation of four motive dimensions to tobacco and alcohol use in samples of high school students in Hungary ( N = 602) and the United States ( N = 1225). Rates of cigarette smoking were higher in Hungary than the US, and rates of alcohol use were comparable; boys showed higher rates of smoking in Hungary and higher rates of alcohol use in both countries. For smoking, social motives were predictive only in Hungary, while boredom relief and affect regulation were more predictive in the US. For alcohol use, social motives was the only dimension related to drinking in Hungary, whereas in the US all motive dimensions were predictive for girls' drinking, and social and affect regulation motives were predictive for boys' drinking. Gender differences in smoking and alcohol use were partially mediated through motives for use, with the specific mediators depending on the cultural context.