The influence of behavioural and health problems on alcohol and drug use in late adolescence - a follow up study of 2 399 young Norwegians

2011

Influence of Behavioral and Health Problems on Substance Use in Adolescents

Sample size: 2399 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Arve Strandheim, Grete H Bratberg, Turid L Holmen, Lindsey Coombes, Niels Bentzen

Primary Institution: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

This study investigates the influence of behavioral and health problems on adolescents' alcohol and drug use.

Conduct problems in high school significantly increase the risk for both frequent alcohol use and initiation of drug use later in adolescence.

19% of students drank alcohol once a week or more at follow-up.
Conduct problems at baseline increased the risk for frequent alcohol use (OR 2.2).
14% of students had tried cannabis or other drugs at follow-up.
Conduct problems at baseline increased the odds for drug use (OR 2.6).
Early alcohol intoxication predicted both frequent alcohol use and illegal drug use.

If kids have problems like being sad or getting into trouble, they might drink alcohol or use drugs more when they get older.

A prospective population-based cohort study with self-reported questionnaires on health and behavior.

Possible socioeconomic bias capturing a higher percentage of students than those in vocational training.

The study may have socioeconomic bias and low power in fully stratified models.

2399 adolescents, aged 13-15 at baseline, with a follow-up at 17-19 years.

p<0.05

CI 1.7-3.0

p<0.05

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