Abstract

FERREIRA, Manuela; VALENTE, Gonçalo; CABRAL, Lidia  and  DUARTE, João. Expectations regarding alcohol and self-regulation skills of adolescents. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2016, n.spe3, pp.27-32. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.0113.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption during adolescence is associated with risky behaviors, low academic performance, learning disabilities, low level of social and emotional skills development. May cause changes in personality development and impair functions such as memory and attention. The development of self-regulated behavior allows adolescents to control their most immediate needs (impulse control) as well as to mobilize thoughts, feelings and behaviors for long-term health goals. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationshipbetween expectations towards alcohol consumption and self-regulatory skills in adolescents. METHODS: We resorted to a quantitative, cross-sectional, analytical, descriptive and correlational research model. 971 high school students from public and cooperative schools participated in the study. The evaluation protocol includes the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Scale Teens’ Involvement with Alcohol of Mayer & Filstead (1979) adapted by Fonte & Alves (1999), the Reduced Questionnaire of Self-regulation (Carey, Neal & Collins, 2004 adapted by Castillo & Dias, 2009) and the Questionnaire about expectations towards Alcohol to Adolescents (Pilatti, Godoy & Brussino, 2010). RESULTS: Students aged 14 - 21 years, mostly boys (50.80%), aged under 16 (43.40%), living in rural areas (66.40%) cohabiting with parents (77.30%) and inserted in households with an average-high or high monthly income (56.70%). They proved to be habitual drinkers without problems (75.30%) and with high expectations regarding alcohol (45.10%). Self-regulation was influenced by the involvement with alcohol and the expectations regarding alcohol. CONCLUSION: The development of self-regulatory skills proves to be a health investment. Teenagers with self-regulating behaviors assume healthier lifestyles revealing less involvement with alcohol.

Keywords : Adolescence; Alcohol; Self-regulation; Expectations towards alcohol.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )