Positive Emotions as a Moderator of the Associations Between Self-Control and Social Support Among Adolescents with Risk Behaviors

The present study investigated the moderating role of positive emotions on the associations between self-control and social support with gambling and water-pipe smoking. One hundred fifty-five adolescents aged 12–19 (M = 16.19) were contacted in 2011 at five centers for at-risk youth in Israel. Self-report findings indicated that positive emotions moderated the associations between peer social support and gambling and between self-control and water-pipe smoking. Among adolescents with higher rates of positive emotions, higher rates of self-control skills contributed to lower frequencies of water-pipe smoking. In addition, among adolescents with higher rates of positive emotions, higher levels of social support contributed to non-involvement in gambling behavior. The discussion centers on the mechanisms that can enable positive emotions to activate personality-related and environmental resources to curb adolescent risk behaviors.