Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We tested whether conduct problems moderate the relation between negative mood and drinking in adolescents as consistent with either a self-medication or a drinking consequences model. METHOD: The sample included 75 rising ninth graders (i.e., in the summer before starting ninth grade) who completed a two-stage, multimethod, multireporter study. We used experience sampling to assess negative mood and drinking across 21 days and hierarchical linear modeling to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Counter to predictions, both self-medication and drinking consequence mechanisms were evident only in youth with fewer conduct problems. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide support for the importance of considering multiple mechanisms as underlying the relation between negative mood and drinking as pertaining to subpopulations of vulnerable youth. Implications for prevention and understanding negative mood-drinking relations in adolescents are discussed.