Abstract
AimTo examine the relationship between different patterns of alcohol use and internalising symptoms in a large contemporary cohort of 13-year-olds. MethodsData came from a large cohort of Australian youth, participating in the CLIMATE Schools Combined study. This study included 6386 students (mean age = 13.5, SD = 0.6) from 71 secondary schools across three Australian states. Associations between different patterns of alcohol use and internalising symptoms related to depression (revised version of the PHQ-A), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD-7), social phobia (MINI-SPIN), psychological distress (K6) and the emotion subscale of the SDQ were investigated. ResultsCompared with non-drinkers, low levels of drinking (consumed a full serve of alcohol but never reported risky drinking) and risky drinking (5 or more standard drinks on one occasion) during early adolescence were strongly associated with a range of internalising symptoms in both males and females. These relationships were largely explained by externalising symptoms in males but not females. ConclusionsBoth low and risky levels of alcohol use in early adolescence are associated with internalising symptoms. The findings have implications for the timing of school-based prevention programs, and suggest future preventive efforts should adopt a combined approach to reducing alcohol use and mental health disorders in tandem.
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