The indirect effects of self-regulation on the association of social support with increased protective drinking behavior and decreased alcohol problems in a predominantly Hispanic college student sample.

The results of the current cross-sectional study suggest that a viable hypothesis in future longitudinal studies is that self-regulation is a mechanism by which social support increases PBS and reduces alcohol problems. Future research should assess longitudinally both the mediating effects of self-regulation between social support and drinking outcomes and potential moderators, such as ethnicity.