Neighbourhood Variation in the Link between Alcohol Use and Violence among Canadian Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the combined impact of neighbourhood context and alcohol use on violent offending among a representative sample of Toronto area high school students. Our primary aim is to determine whether the alcohol/violence nexus is sustained in different social contexts. Given the enormous cultural diversity of Toronto and related norms for under-age drinking, this is an ideal site to test the alcohol/violence relationship across neighbourhoods. The protective effects of family and school in mitigating violent events may also vary by neighbourhood and were considered. The results indicate that there is significant variation in the strength of the link between alcohol use and violent offending across neighbourhood context. In particular, established middle- to upper-class immigrant neighbourhoods appeared to have the strongest link between alcohol and violence. In economically disadvantaged contexts, the link between alcohol use and violence is stronger in immigrant neighbourhoods where whites are still the dominant racial group. Contrasts between these results and those found in American samples are discussed, as are recommendations for further research.