“SEX, DRUGS AND FAST CARS:

USING PERSONALITY TRAITS

AND USING MOTIVES

TO PREDICT HIGH RISK BEHAVIOUR

IN TEENS”














Dean Nicholson, M.A.
Administrator
East Kootenay Addiction Services Society


“SEX, DRUGS AND FAST CARS:
USING PERSONALITY TRAITS AND USING MOTIVES TO PREDICT HIGH RISK BEHAVIOUR IN TEENS”

INTRODUCTION:

The popular media sometimes presents the issue of youth substance use as an all-or-nothing problem. The reality is that different youth use different substances in different ways, for different reasons, and engage in different risk behaviours or have different consequences as a result. The purpose of this study was to use established tools that assess adolescent personality types associated with substance use, and adolescent motives for using certain substances, to determine how they are related to specific substance use related risky behaviours. This, in turn, would hopefully identify specific screening, assessment, education or treatment strategies that can be used with adolescents.

METHOD:

The data for the current study was obtained as part of the information collected in the East Kootenay Adolescent Drug Survey. The Adolescent Drug Use Survey is distributed every two years to all Grade 7 – 12 students in the catchment area. The Survey was created in 2002 and was modelled in part on pre-existing provincial and national adolescent drug surveys.

The survey area has a total population of approximately 80,000 people. In 2009, 5263 students were registered in Grades 7 – 12 in the three school districts within the area. 4031 returned surveys, or 76.6% of the student population, were used in the 2009 survey.

The Survey assesses substance use patterns, attitudes and related risk behaviours and consequences. The 2009 Survey also included the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Drinking Motives Questionnaire - Adolescent Version (DMQ) and the Marijuana Motives Questionnaire (MMQ). The SURPS assesses four personality factors that have been associated with substance use and abuse. The factors are Introversion/Hopelessness (HOPE), Anxiety (ANX), Impulsivity (IMP) and Sensation Seeking (SS).

The DMQ assesses four identified motives for adolescent alcohol use. These motives are Alcohol Enhancement (AlcEnh): using for the physical and emotional effects; Alcohol Coping (AlcCop): using to deal with unpleasant or negative emotions; Alcohol Conformity (AlcCon): using to avoid being ostracized by one’s peer group and Alcohol Social (AlcSoc): using to enhance social gatherings.


The MMQ assesses five identified motives for adolescent marijuana use which include Marijuana Enhancement (MarEnh): using for the physical and emotional effects; Marijuana Coping (MarCop): using to deal with unpleasant or negative emotions; Marijuana Conformity (MarCon): using to avoid being ostracized by one’s peer group; Marijuana Social (MarSoc): using to enhance social gatherings and Marijuana Expansion (MarExp): using to enhance one’s awareness or creativity.

Two additional independent variables were created from the obtained data. These variables were Connectedness (CONN) and Total Year Substances (TOT). In the survey youth were asked six questions that assessed on a 4-point Likert scale how close they felt to family and friends, how much they like school, and how involved they were in sports, clubs and community groups. The Connectedness variable is the sum of the scores for the six questions and ranges from a low of 6 to a high of 24. The Total Year Substances variable is the total number of different identified substances that students report having used in the past year. Scores can range from 0 to 10.

ANALYSIS:

Analysis of the data was done using SPSS 16.0 software. Analysis consisted of calculating means and standard deviations for the SURPS, DMQ and MMQ scores; calculating correlations with a two tailed test of significance between the independent variables, and running linear regressions with the risk behaviours as dependent variables.

The means and standard deviations for the SURPS scores were calculated and were very similar to those reported by from a large sample of school children in the United Kingdom.

Correlations were calculated for the independent variables. See Appendix 1.

Linear regressions were calculated for a variety of independent variables representing various risk behaviours associated with substance use. The risk behaviours that were targeted were frequency of alcohol and marijuana use, frequency of binge drinking, using marijuana during school hours, using alcohol or marijuana alone, sexual behaviour related to substance use, conflict with parents or school as a result of substance use, and being a passenger with an alcohol impaired driver and being a driver after using alcohol. See Appendix 2.


RESULTS:

Gender:
There are clear gender differences on some of the independent variables. Girls report higher levels of Connectedness, are more likely to identify with the Anxiety Personality Trait, and score higher on Alcohol Coping and Alcohol Social. Boys are more likely to identify with the Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking Personality Traits.

Connectedness is negatively correlated with all of the alcohol and marijuana using motives and with Impulsivity and Hopelessness. Connectedness is positively correlated with Anxiety. Conversely, Total Substances Used is positively correlated with all using motives and with all personality traits except Anxiety.

Hopelessness is positively correlated with Impulsivity, and negatively correlated with Anxiety and Sensation Seeking. It is positively correlated with nearly all using motives.

Anxiety is negatively correlated with Sensation Seeking and Hopelessness and with Alcohol and Marijuana Enhancement and Marijuana Social. It is positively correlated with Alcohol and Marijuana Conformity and Alcohol Coping.

Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking are generally positively correlated with all using motives.

Alcohol Use:
Frequency is positively correlated with Alcohol Enhancement, Alcohol Coping and Alcohol Social and negatively correlated with Marijuana Coping and Anxiety.

Drinking Alone is positively correlated with Alcohol Coping and Sensation Seeking.

Binge Drinking is positively correlated with Alcohol Enhancement, Alcohol Coping, Alcohol Social and Impulsivity and negatively correlated with Alcohol Conformity and Anxiety.

Marijuana Use:
Frequency is positively correlated with Marijuana Enhancement, Marijuana Coping, Marijuana Social, Marijuana Expansion and Anxiety, and is negatively correlated with Marijuana Conformity, Alcohol Coping and Impulsivity. Boys are more likely to use regularly than girls.

Smoking Alone is positively correlated with Marijuana Enhancement, Marijuana Coping, Marijuana Expansion and negatively correlated with Marijuana Conformity and Impulsivity. Boys are more likely to smoke alone than girls.

Using During School Hours is positively associated with Marijuana Enhancement and Marijuana Expansion.


Conflict:
Conflict with Parents is positively correlated with Alcohol Coping and Impulsivity. Girls are more likely to report conflict with parents than boys.

Problems at School is positively correlated with Marijuana Coping, Impulsivity and Hopelessness.

Driving:
Girls are more likely to report being a Passenger with an Alcohol Impaired Driver than boys.

Driving after Using Alcohol is positively correlated with Alcohol Social and Sensation Seeking.

Sexual Behaviour:
Unwanted or unplanned sexual activity is positively correlated with Alcohol Coping, Alcohol Social and Impulsivity. Girls are more likely to report unwanted or unplanned sex than boys.

Sexual Activity in Exchange for Drugs is positively correlated with Marijuana Conformity and Impulsivity.

DISCUSSION:

This study attempted to show whether simple screening tools could be useful in identifying teens which may be at greater risk for negative behaviours associated with substance use. The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Drinking Motives Questionnaire - Adolescent Version (DMQ) and the Marijuana Motives Questionnaire (MMQ), along with two created measures, Connectedness (CONN) and the Total Number of Substances Used in the Past Year (TOT) where included in a population based adolescent drug survey.

Gender is strongly correlated with certain risk behaviours. Girls are more likely to report unwanted or unplanned sexual behaviour, being a passenger in a vehicle with an impaired driver and having conflict with their parents over substance use. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to report greater frequency of marijuana use and using marijuana alone.

Connectedness is strongly correlated with risk behaviour. In general, the higher the CONN score the less likely youth are to report risk behaviour. The one exception to this was exchanging sex for drugs which had a moderate positive correlation with connectedness.

The number of substances used in the previous year was strongly correlated with all of the risk behaviours except conflict with parents and school. In this respect, the TOT could be used as a quick screening tool to identify high risk youth.

Personality traits identified from the SURPS where generally shown to have strong correlations with the various using motives identified by the DMQ and MMQ, however personality traits and using motives were more selectively related to specific risk behaviours.

Impulsivity is positively correlated with a number of the risk behaviours, including sexual behaviours, conflicts and binge drinking. It is negatively correlated with frequency of marijuana use and using at school. Impulsivity unfortunately is one of the hallmarks of teenage behaviour, often due to the developmental changes taking place in the teenage brain, and often a symptom of various mental health concerns such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive Control Disorders. Brief cognitive behavioural interventions focussing on impulse control and decision making may help minimize risk for identified youth.

Using Alcohol or Marijuana to Cope is positively correlated with a number of risk behaviours. Interventions to assist youth with underlying emotional concerns may reduce risk behaviour in youth who score high on these variables. More specifically, using Alcohol or Marijuana Alone is positively correlated with Using Alcohol or Marijuana to Cope. Boys are more likely than girls to use marijuana alone to cope. Using substances alone is generally considered to be a risk factor for developing a Substance Abuse or Dependence Disorder. This finding lends support to this by suggesting that for youth using alone is connected with using to cope with problems. When youth identify using alone further exploration of underlying emotional distress or conflict is warranted.

Using Alcohol to Socialize is positively correlated with a number of risk behaviours, including unwanted or unplanned sex, drinking and driving, and increased frequency of drinking and binge drinking. Whereas using alcohol in social situations is the norm for youth and adults, youth often have very little practical experience or training on the responsible use of alcohol. Programs that help to separate socializing and alcohol use and/or education in responsible social alcohol use may reduce risk behaviours.

CONCLUSION:

The study demonstrated that subscales of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Drinking Motives Questionnaire - Adolescent Version (DMQ) and the Marijuana Motives Questionnaire (MMQ) are correlated with different aspects of adolescent substance use behaviour. For example, youth who score higher on the Impulsivity subscale of the SURPS are more likely to score higher on substance use related sexual behaviours, conflict with parents or school and binge drinking. Similarly, youth who score higher on the Alcohol Coping subscale of the MMQ are more likely to report having unwanted or unplanned sex, to drink more frequently and to drink alone, and to have conflicts with their parents. Further, it demonstrated that the Connectedness variable and the Total Substance Used in Past Year variable can be used to quickly screen the potential for a youth being at higher risk for substance use problems. These instruments could be used as part of a brief adolescent substance use assessment in order to better identify youth who may be at risk.


APPENDIX 1: CORRELATIONS
Gender CONN TOT HOPE ANX IMP SS AlcEn AlcCop AlcCon AlcSoc MarEn MarCop MarCon MarSoc MarExp
Gender 1
Connectedness (CONN) .076'' 1
Total Year Substances (TOT) 0.01 (.346)'' 1
Hopelessness (HOP) -0.007 (.514)'' .241'' 1
Anxiety (ANX) .255'' .17'' (.13)'' (.069)'' 1
Impulsivity (IMP) (.053)'' (.212)'' .278'' .244'' 0.08 1
Sensation Seeking (SS) (.176)'' -0.01 .272'' (.097)'' (.157)'' .314'' 1
Alcohol Enhancement (AlcEn) .049' (.15)'' .442'' 0.032 (.056)'' .202'' .265'' 1
Alcohol Coping (AlcCop) .14'' (.218)'' .36'' .324'' .074'' .266'' .092'' .578'' 1
Alcohol Conformity (AlcCon) -0.022 (.064)'' .158'' .151'' .121'' .203'' .043' .346'' .563'' 1
Alcohol Social (AlcSoc) .042' (.103)'' .374'' (.045)' -0.016 .138'' .206'' .801'' .523'' .422'' 1
Marijuana Enhancement (MarEn) -0.002 (.144)'' .305'' 0.055 (.116)'' .092'' .229'' .45'' .173'' .078'' .327'' 1
Marijuana Coping (MarCop) 0.012 (.205)'' .308'' .286'' 0.031 .215'' .094'' .243'' .484'' .325'' .186'' .531'' 1
Marijuana Conformity (MarCon) -0.043 (.062)' .073' .145'' .107'' .160'' -0.016 .135'' .323'' .563'' .151'' .181'' .514'' 1
Marijuana Social (MarSoc) -0.057 (.125)'' .302'' .075' (.069)' .121'' .179'' .384'' .245'' .211'' .383'' .736'' .657'' .387'' 1
Marijuana Expansion (MarExp) -0.059 (.154)'' .290'' .115'' -0.035 .163'' .177'' .277'' .298'' .265'' .246'' .570'' .683'' .497'' .665'' 1

( ) = negative correlation
'' = significance at .01 level
' = significance at .05 level


APPENDIX 2: LINEAR REGRESSIONS
R Square Gender CONN TOT HOPE ANX IMP SS AlcEn AlcCop AlcCon AlcSoc MarEn MarCop MarCon MarSoc MarExp
SEXUALITY
Unwanted/unplanned sex 0.205 .101'' .239'' .043' .148'' .153''
Sex in exchange for alcohol or drugs 0.108 .08' .286'' .093'' .093''

DRIVING
Passenger with alcohol impaired driver 0.134 .06'' (.12)'' .301''
Driver after using alcohol 0.123 .214'' .08'' .176''

CONFLICT
Conflict with parents 0.149 .087'' (.093)'' .089'' .297''
Problems at school 0.119 (.125)'' .079' .139'' .177''

ALCOHOL USE
Frequency 0.311 .277'' (.066)' .256'' .169'' .109'' (.156)''
Using alone 0.125 .146'' .086'' .26''
Binge drinking 0.382 .223'' (.04)' .041' .307'' .069'' (.09)'' .173''

MARIJUANA USE
Frequency 0.447 (.72)'' (.10)'' .334'' .55' (.63)' (.105)'' .186'' .212'' (.156)'' .129'' .88'
Using alone 0.323 (.101)'' (.065)' .291'' (.96)'' .126'' .137'' (.154)'' .226''
Using during school hours 0.207 (.09)'' .209'' .21'' .094'

( ) = negative correlation
'' = significance at .01 level
' = significance at .05 level