The influence of disinhibition and self-control on alcohol use in young adults

Both self-control and disinhibition (an aspect of sensation seeking) are associated with alcohol use. Self-control is negatively related to alcohol use while disinhibition is positively related to alcohol use. However it is unknown whether disinhibition and self-control each predict unique variance in alcohol use. Objective: The objective was to test for independent and joint effects of disinhibition and self-control on alcohol use. Methods: College-enrolled young adults (n = 259; 198 = female) participated in a longitudinal study where questionnaires were administered at each of 2 time points, separated by 3 weeks. Questionnaires assessed disinhibition, self-control, heavy episodic drinking (HED), social weekend drinking (SWD) and demographic information. Results: Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed the presence of a statistically significant interaction between self-control and disinhibition predicting both HED (β = -.14, p < .01, sr = -.13) and SWD (β = -.10, p < .05, sr = -.09). The nature of the interaction was such that disinhibition was a positive predictor of alcohol use when self-control was low, but not when self-control was high. Conclusions: Results suggest that when both disinhibition and self-control are considered simultaneously, self-control moderates the relationship between disinhibition and alcohol use