Adolescence is a stage when individuals are especially vulnerable to the influence of their peer group, which could lead to the development of problematic behavior, such as drinking alcohol, due to perceived pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of self-esteem, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use under perceived pressure to drink alcohol among young people.
Methods: The sample was made up of 1287 high school students aged 14 to 18, with a mean age of 15.11. The Bayes factor and mediation models were estimated to evaluate the data.
Results: The results showed the existence of a positive relationship of impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use with perceived pressure. However, this relationship was negative with self-esteem and perception of pressure to drink alcohol. Furthermore, the model results showed that self-esteem mediates the relationship between physical, cognitive and social anxiety sensitivity and positive expectations with perceived pressure to drink alcohol in adolescence.
Conclusions: Given the strong need for affiliation during youth, it is hard to control grouping and peer influence on drinking behavior. However, knowledge of the role of individual variables, such as those described here, in perceived pressure could improve the prevention and intervention of such behaviors.
Keywords: adolescence; alcohol use; anxiety sensitivity; expectations; impulsivity; perceived pressure; self-esteem.