Citation

Topper LR, Castellanos-Ryan N, Mackie C, Conrod PJ. Addict. Behav. 2011; 36(1-2): 6-13.

Affiliation

MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, The Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2010.08.016

PMID

20869813

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the adverse externalizing risks associated with bullying victimization, no study has investigated the underlying mechanisms of adolescent victims' engagement with alcohol. This current study investigated the development of risky coping drinking motives as a mediator in the relationship between adolescent school victimization and alcohol-related problem behavior using a longitudinal design over 12months. METHOD: We recruited 324 participants, aged 13 to 15 from schools across London, England. Participants were surveyed during class time at 2 time points: baseline and 12months. At both time points participants answered questions related to bullying victimization, alcohol-related problem behavior, drinking motives and the quantity by frequency of alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The relationships between victimization, drinking and drinking motives were investigated using Pearson correlations. Path analysis showed that victimization leads both directly and indirectly, through coping motives to alcohol-related problems, rather than to the quantity and frequency of alcohol use. Significance of mediation was tested using 5000 bias corrected and accelerated bootstrapped intervals. Baseline victimization was significantly correlated with baseline alcohol-related problem behavior and predictive of future problems at 12months. Drinking to cope at 12months partially mediated the relationship between baseline victimization and alcohol-related problems at 12months. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that victims of bullying are drinking alcohol in a risky style, partly due to the development of self medicating drinking behavior. Victims of bullying could therefore benefit from coping skills interventions targeting negative affect regulation in order to reduce the risk for future alcohol misuse.

Language: en