Self-control, parental monitoring and risky behavior among Slovak pupils

Abstract

Background: Substantial evidence exists for the protective effect that both self-control (SC) and parental monitoring (PM) have on risky behavior. However, it is less known which of these two types of control is more important. Objective The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between SC and PM on smoking (SM) and alcohol use (AU) and the moderation effect of gender in these relationships. Methods: The sample consisted of 821 pupils (M=13.09; 56.5% females). SM and AU were measured by single item measures assessing whether pupils had smoked or used alcohol during the last 30 days. The PM scale and a short version of the SC scale were used to measure PM and SC, respectively. Logistic regression with multiple steps was applied, controlling for gender and town size, to identify the factors influencing SM and AU, separately. Results: SM was reported by 5.7% of pupils. A higher level of SC (OR=0.913) and PM (OR=0.862) decreased the probability of smoking. The final model explained about 16% of the variance. AU was reported by 14.6% of pupils. A higher level of SC (OR=0.937) decreased the probability of drinking. However, a higher level of PM decreased the probability of drinking but only among females. The final model explained about 13.5% of variance. Conclusions: The results show that SC decreases the probability of SM and AU regardless of gender. PM decrease the probability of SM among all, while in case of AU it plays a role only among girls.