Personality dimensions and social variables – predictors of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in adolescence

. The aim of the study was to examine the contribution of personal traits and social variables to the prediction of the frequency of cigarette and alcohol use in adolescents. Methods. Two questionnaires: Big Five Inventory (BFI) and Role of Parents and Friends questionnaire were used in the pertinent sample of fourth-grade elementary school students (N = 268), 18 ± 1.76 years of age. The calculated Cronbach’s alpha coefficient indicated a satisfactory internal consistency of the applied measuring instruments. Results. Approximately 70% of adolescents did not smoke cigarettes, and 64% of them did not consume alcohol. Correlation analysis showed statistically significant connection between several variables. The results of hierarchical regression analysis, with the p < 0.01, showed that predictors explained 26% of total criterion variance (the frequency of cigarette smoking), and 27% of total criterion variance (the frequency of alcohol consumption), respectively. Thereat the following variables had statistically significant independent contribution to cigarette smoking: gender, neurosis, openness to experiences, cigarette smoking – parents and friends’ reaction to cigarettes, while the best predictors of alcohol consumption among adolescents were agreeableness, alcohol consumption – friends, and friends’ reaction to alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The obtained data provided an important insight into the significance of insufficiently explored relations between social factors and personality traits and cigarette and alcohol use among adolescents.