The Mediating Role of Resilience between Sensation-Seeking and Alcohol Consumption in 24-40 Year-Old Youth in Tehran: A Descriptive Study

Alcohol addiction imposes heavy costs on health systems. Resilience is considered as a protective factor in the rate of alcohol consumption in sensation-seeking people. The purpose of this study was to determine how resilience mediates the relationship between sensation-seeking and alcohol consumption among people aged 24-40 years old in Tehran, Iran.

This descriptive study was conducted using a two-step cluster sampling in Tehran in 2017. 410 people aged 24 to 40 years old were selected through convenience sampling according to the entrance and exit criteria. The study assessments included Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Zuckerman’s Sensation- Seeking Scale (SSS), and Conner and Davidson’s Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), which were completed by the participants. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and structural equation modeling.

The findings showed that there was a significant positive correlation between alcohol use and sensation-seeking and there was a significant negative correlation between resiliency and alcohol use. Also a significant negative association was found between sensation-seeking and resiliency and all its components.

The results of this study showed that sensation-seeking and resilience affect the amount of alcohol use by people. Therefore, it is possible to control high sensation- seeking through increasing resilience, thereby prevent alcohol use among youth.