Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation

Background Adolescence is a period marked by significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes as youngsters transition into adulthood. During this time, many adolescents consume alcohol, and in some cases, this leads to binge drinking, a behavior associated with various health risks and ot...

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Main Authors: Adrián Diaz-Moreno, Iván Bonilla, Andrés Chamarro, Queralt Ballabrera, María José Gómez-Romero, Mark D. Griffiths, Joaquín T. Limonero
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2024-11-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/18479.pdf
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author Adrián Diaz-Moreno
Iván Bonilla
Andrés Chamarro
Queralt Ballabrera
María José Gómez-Romero
Mark D. Griffiths
Joaquín T. Limonero
author_facet Adrián Diaz-Moreno
Iván Bonilla
Andrés Chamarro
Queralt Ballabrera
María José Gómez-Romero
Mark D. Griffiths
Joaquín T. Limonero
author_sort Adrián Diaz-Moreno
collection DOAJ
description Background Adolescence is a period marked by significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes as youngsters transition into adulthood. During this time, many adolescents consume alcohol, and in some cases, this leads to binge drinking, a behavior associated with various health risks and other problematic behaviors. However, knowledge about binge drinking in this population remains limited. Additionally, many adolescents engage in intensive technology use, which has been linked to mental health issues and substance abuse. Stress is often considered a precursor to both alcohol consumption and problematic internet use. In this context, emotional regulation could serve as a protective factor. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between stress, problematic internet use, emotional regulation, and binge drinking among adolescents using structural equation modeling. Methods A cross-sectional survey was completed by a sample of 876 high school adolescents (63.57% female, mean age 16.86 years). Data were collected using an online survey, which included sociodemographic information and measures of perceived stress, emotional regulation, excessive alcohol consumption, and problematic internet use. Problematic alcohol use was assessed using several questions adapted from the ‘Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain’. Results Problematic internet use emerged as a mediator between stress and binge drinking, suggesting that stress contributes to the development of problematic internet use, which in turn increases the likelihood of binge drinking. Furthermore, stress was negatively correlated with emotional regulation, indicating that inadequate emotional management may predispose adolescents to problematic internet use and binge drinking. The complex interplay between stress, emotional regulation, problematic internet use, and binge drinking underscores the need for comprehensive interventions targeting these factors among adolescents. Conclusions The results provide insights into potential pathways linking stress and binge drinking via problematic internet use and highlight the importance of emotional regulation as a protective mechanism against maladaptive behaviors.
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spelling doaj-art-efdb2f16dcef4d04ba2aff008f6ff5ea2024-11-29T15:05:23ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592024-11-0112e1847910.7717/peerj.18479Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulationAdrián Diaz-Moreno0Iván Bonilla1Andrés Chamarro2Queralt Ballabrera3María José Gómez-Romero4Mark D. Griffiths5Joaquín T. Limonero6Stress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainStress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainStress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainStress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainStress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainInternational Gaming Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United KingdomStress and Health Research Group-GIES-. School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, SpainBackground Adolescence is a period marked by significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes as youngsters transition into adulthood. During this time, many adolescents consume alcohol, and in some cases, this leads to binge drinking, a behavior associated with various health risks and other problematic behaviors. However, knowledge about binge drinking in this population remains limited. Additionally, many adolescents engage in intensive technology use, which has been linked to mental health issues and substance abuse. Stress is often considered a precursor to both alcohol consumption and problematic internet use. In this context, emotional regulation could serve as a protective factor. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between stress, problematic internet use, emotional regulation, and binge drinking among adolescents using structural equation modeling. Methods A cross-sectional survey was completed by a sample of 876 high school adolescents (63.57% female, mean age 16.86 years). Data were collected using an online survey, which included sociodemographic information and measures of perceived stress, emotional regulation, excessive alcohol consumption, and problematic internet use. Problematic alcohol use was assessed using several questions adapted from the ‘Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain’. Results Problematic internet use emerged as a mediator between stress and binge drinking, suggesting that stress contributes to the development of problematic internet use, which in turn increases the likelihood of binge drinking. Furthermore, stress was negatively correlated with emotional regulation, indicating that inadequate emotional management may predispose adolescents to problematic internet use and binge drinking. The complex interplay between stress, emotional regulation, problematic internet use, and binge drinking underscores the need for comprehensive interventions targeting these factors among adolescents. Conclusions The results provide insights into potential pathways linking stress and binge drinking via problematic internet use and highlight the importance of emotional regulation as a protective mechanism against maladaptive behaviors.https://peerj.com/articles/18479.pdfAdolescenceBinge drinkingStressProblematic internet useEmotional regulationAlcohol consumption
spellingShingle Adrián Diaz-Moreno
Iván Bonilla
Andrés Chamarro
Queralt Ballabrera
María José Gómez-Romero
Mark D. Griffiths
Joaquín T. Limonero
Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
PeerJ
Adolescence
Binge drinking
Stress
Problematic internet use
Emotional regulation
Alcohol consumption
title Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
title_full Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
title_fullStr Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
title_full_unstemmed Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
title_short Binge drinking among adolescents: the role of stress, problematic internet use, and emotional regulation
title_sort binge drinking among adolescents the role of stress problematic internet use and emotional regulation
topic Adolescence
Binge drinking
Stress
Problematic internet use
Emotional regulation
Alcohol consumption
url https://peerj.com/articles/18479.pdf
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