Abbott, Catalano and Hawkins conducted a study to examine
social behavior and how it predicted the symptoms of alcohol use disorder from
age 21 to 30. Participants first started
this study when they were 21 years old, but when they reached the age of 27
they were to give self report about their social behavior. Participants also
used the Diagnostic Interview Schedule to assess the symptoms that they may
have of alcohol use disorder. It was thought that poor social development could
lead to more reoccurring symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Social development
was defined as having skills for interaction, how often a person is around others
who consume alcohol, and if the person has pro-alcohol values. When the
participants were measured for their alcohol use disorder symptoms at age 21,
48% had one or more alcohol use disorder symptoms and at age 30, 30% had one or
more symptoms. Results show that alcohol use disorder symptoms were present in
individuals who were 27 and used alcohol as a way to socialize and had pro-alcohol
values at a level of significance. However, when these participants were tested
again at age 30, the number of people with symptoms of alcohol use disorder
decreased. This findings lead the reader to believe that even if a person has
alcohol use disorder symptoms in early adulthood, their social environment can
help decrease those symptoms by late adulthood. The results of this study show
that prosocial nature had little to no role in predicting alcohol use disorder
symptoms, but it did predict positive functioning at age 30. Some limitations
of this study are that the sample was taken from students in urban areas that
consist of high crime neighborhoods. Another limitation is that all data was
collected through self-report measures, which lead to the internal consistency
to decrease. Overall, prosocial environments did not effect the amount of
alcohol use disorder symptoms shown in a participant.
Kosterman,
R., Hill, G., Lee, O., Meacham, C., Abbot, D., Catalano, F., & Hawkins, D.
(2014). Young adult social development as a mediator of alcohol use disorder symptoms
from age 21 to 30. Psychology of
Addictive Behaviors, 28(2), 348-358. Doi: 10.1037/a0034970
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