Social Mobility as a predictor of Alcohol and Tobacco use among Dutch Adolescents

Abstract

This longitudinal study evaluates if alcohol and tobacco use of the adolescent are predicted by social mobility, and if effortful control influences this relationship. Social mobility refers to acquisition of adolescents’ own socioeconomic status based on education level and in relation to the socioeconomic status level of their parents. Six groups, representing upward, downward and equal social mobility, were identified. This study uses the TRacking Adolescents Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) dataset, which is a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 2.230 adolescents from The Netherlands. The predictive effect of social mobility on smoking and drinking was evaluated by separate hierarchic linear regression analyses. The main finding was that social mobility predicts tobacco, but not alcohol use. This finding might be interesting for future research and policies because alcohol and smoking are mostly seen as similar risk behaviours. However, the impact of socioeconomic status on these behaviours might be differently.