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Adolescent risk factors for excessive alcohol use at age 32 years. A 16-year prospective follow-up study

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Abstract

Aims

To examine which socioeconomic, family, personal and lifestyle risk factors in adolescence were the strongest independent predictors of excessive alcohol use in adulthood.

Methods

In a prospective longitudinal study, all 16-year-olds of one Finnish city completed questionnaires at school, and were followed up by postal questionnaires at 32 years of age [n = 1,471, (females n = 805, males n = 666); response rate 70.3%). The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) was used to assess alcohol use in adulthood. AUDIT scores of 8 or more for females and 10 or more for males were classified as excessive alcohol use. Adolescent risk factors examined were parental social class, school performance, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, impulsiveness, parental divorce, relationships with parents, parental trust, health behaviour, leisure-time spent with friends, dating, and problems with the law.

Results

All the socioeconomic, family, personal, and lifestyle variables in adolescence, except parental social class in both genders and self-esteem among females, showed significant univariate associations with excessive alcohol use at age 32 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that among adolescent males, parental divorce, moderate and high level of depressive symptoms, leisure-time spent daily among friends and moderate and drunkenness-orientated drinking were the strongest predictors of excessive alcohol use in adulthood. Among females, the strongest adolescent predictors of excessive alcohol use in adulthood were drunkenness-orientated drinking and frequent smoking.

Conclusions

Early interventions for adolescent substance use and a set of specific psychosocial risk factors should be tailored and evaluated as methods for identifying those at high risk of and preventing excessive alcohol use in adulthood.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Juho Vainio Foundation. Jaakko Kaprio is supported by the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Complex Disease Genetics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland

    Taina Huurre, Jaakko Kaprio, Mirjami Pelkonen, Mauri Marttunen & Hillevi Aro

  2. Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    Tomi Lintonen & Mirjami Pelkonen

  3. Police College of Finland, Tampere, Finland

    Tomi Lintonen

  4. Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Jaakko Kaprio

  5. Department of Adolescent Psychiatry and Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Mauri Marttunen

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  1. Taina Huurre
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  2. Tomi Lintonen
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Correspondence to Taina Huurre.

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Huurre, T., Lintonen, T., Kaprio, J. et al. Adolescent risk factors for excessive alcohol use at age 32 years. A 16-year prospective follow-up study. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 45, 125–134 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0048-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0048-y

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