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 results suggest that a viable hypothesis in future longitudinal studies is that self-regulation may be a mechanism by which social support increases protective behavioral strategies and reduces alcohol problems. Future research should assess both the mediating effects of self-regulation between social support and drinking outcomes as well as potential moderators, such as ethnicity, in a longitudinal study.