Negative Affect and Alcohol Use Among Non-Hispanic White and Mexican American Adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The general and specific effects of negative affect on adolescent alcohol use were examined among 742 male and 1005 female non-Hispanic White and 862 male and 1232 female Mexican American 9–12th grade students. Standard models indicated that negative affect was significantly related to alcohol use among female, but not male, groups. With the effects of general negative affect controlled, specific components of negative affect and alcohol use were related to alcohol use, but general negative affect was no longer related, and the amount of variance in alcohol use accounted for by negative affect variables was small. The most consistent pattern of specific effects occurred between anger and alcohol use. The results indicate that unique components of negative affect relate to adolescent alcohol use in different patterns across different groups of youth. However, the small magnitude of these effects calls into question the benefit of targeting these variables for alcohol use prevention among a general population of high school youth.