Substance abuse -- Prevention

Research identifying the relationship between inhibition and binge drinking in
young adults is limited. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify which subcomponent(s)
of inhibitory performance is most sensitive at discerning binge-drinking behavior among
young adults through a longitudinal design. The sample consisted of 182 alcohol
consuming college students (48.3% male) with a mean age of 21.04±1.83 years.
Inhibitory processing and alcohol behavior were assessed at baseline and six months
later at follow-up. Alcohol behavior was also evaluated throughout participation via 13
biweekly alcohol logs. Multiple regression analysis revealed that interference inhibition
(Simon task) contributed to the prediction of the number of drinks consumed during
binge drinking occasion among males. These findings suggest that specific
subcomponents of response inhibition, and not others, are more suitable for predicting
alcohol consumption habits.

Adolescent alcohol abuse increases across the adolescent years. If left unchecked,
alcohol abuse can give rise to delinquency, poor grades, and risky sexual behavior
(Stueve & O’Donnell, 2005; Ellickson, Tucker, & Klein, 2003). Past research suggests
that minimal parental oversight increases the risk for adolescent alcohol abuse. There is
also evidence, however, that parents withdraw from oversight in the face of adolescent
problem behaviors (Barber & Olsen, 1997; Hafen & Laursen, 2009). Each may vary
according to the child’s physical development. Parents may respond to pubertal
maturation with reduced supervision and early maturing girls may be sensitive to parent
supervision because of the additional pressures and attention they receive from older,
possibly deviant, peers (Stattin, Kerr, & Skoog, 2011).