The relationship between consumption of tobacco and alcohol and self-concept in Spanish adolescents

Abstract

The adolescent stage is an essential phase in the development of the individual; at this age social relations and the acquisition of personality are key elements, therefore the following study was proposed with the objectives of determining the self-concept of adolescents and each of its dimensions, as well as describing the habitual consumption of alcohol and tobacco in the adolescent population and to analyze the relationships between self-concept and harmful substances (alcohol and tobacco). A total of 2,134 adolescents from the province of Granada (Spain) participated in the study, which allowed the registration and evaluation of variables such as self-concept (AF5), tobacco consumption (FTND) and alcohol consumption (AUDIT). The results showed that global self-concept was high in those adolescents who in their majority were non-smokers, and alcohol consumption was only perceptible in three out of ten young people. Among the highest ranked dimensions were the family and social ones. An association was found between the dimensions of familial, academic and social self-concept and alcohol consumption; however it should be noted that the number of adolescents who drank alcohol was quite short so we must be cautious with this statement.