It is important to note the limitations of the current study. As this study contained only one assessment point, true mediation could not be assessed. Also, many adolescents did not complete the survey, which left missing data for these analyses. Male participants, younger adolescents and those of non-Caucasian and non-Asian descent were less likely to have complete data, which could have influenced the results. This missing data could have introduced some degree of selection bias, which must be considered when interpreting the results. Much of the data in this report were categorical in nature, which limits the variability by collapsing continuous data. This was particularly true for the variables on any past 30-day cigarette use and any past 30-day binge alcohol use.
