Relación entre impulsividad, autoestima y el consumo de alcohol en adultos emergentes en la ciudad de Cuenca- Ecuador 2025-2026.

Abstract

A significant issue, due to its high prevalence and the associated consequences, is alcohol consumption during emerging adulthood. Numerous studies have suggested that factors such as impulsivity and self-esteem may influence this type of risky behavior. Therefore, this research aims to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between levels of impulsivity, self-esteem, and alcohol consumption in this population, specifically in Cuenca, Ecuador, during 2025–2026. This field research was correlational, in which 200 emerging adults aged 19 to 29 were selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. They were administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The results showed that 73.1% of participants were at low risk for alcohol consumption, 92% showed impulsivity levels within normal parameters, and, regarding self-esteem, the moderate level predominated, at 52.2% of emerging adults. In the correlational analysis, a non-significant relationship was identified between impulsivity and alcohol consumption (r = 0.099; p = 0.163). Furthermore, self-esteem showed a weak positive but statistically significant relationship with impulsivity (r = 0.192; p = 0.006) and with alcohol consumption (r = 0.164; p = 0.020). However, the low magnitude of the coefficients indicates that the associations found were weak, suggesting that the variations between the variables were not consistent or proportional to each other.