Alcohol Use and Dissatisfaction with Self and Life: A Longitudinal Analysis of Young Adults

Abstract

This study examined whether alcohol use is a significant antecedent (causal factor) and/or consequence (result) of feelings of dissatisfaction toward self (self-derogation) and toward one's peer relationships, life opportunities, and global-perceived environment. Six hundred-forty subjects were assessed as adolescents and four years later as young adults on identical sets of alcohol use and dissatisfaction measures. Consumption of alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor) increased significantly over this four-year period. Self-derogation and dissatisfaction with parents decreased, whereas dissatisfaction with school or work and “chances to be what you want” increased over the same period of time. A series of cross-lagged latent variable structural models were used to evaluate the longitudinal antecedents and consequences of alcohol use on the dissatisfaction measures. Although Alcohol Use and Self-Derogation (as latent factors) were positively correlated at the first time point, adolescent Alcohol Use significantly decreased Self-Derogation as a young adult. Adolescent Alcohol Use significantly increased Dissatisfaction with Peer Relations and Dissatisfaction with Perceived Environment as young adults, even after controlling for initial levels of dissatisfaction. Finally, adolescent Dissatisfaction with Opportunity significantly increased young adult Alcohol Use when initial levels of alcohol consumption were controlled.