The validity of the concept of 'self-perceived drunkenness' in adolescent health surveys

Abstract

The aim was to explore the validity of self-perceived state of drunkenness as an indicator of heavy drinking among adolescents. The data from a cross-sectional mailed survey, The Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, in Finland in 1999, were used in analysis. The participants formed representative samples of 12, 14, 16 and 18 year-olds ( n = 7751, age/gender adjusted response rate 77%). An estimate of the Maximum Theoretical Blood Alcohol Concentration (MTBAC) was calculated using self-reported beverage quality/quantity data and analysed for relatedness with subjective perceptions of drunkenness. Among 12 year-olds drinking was rare. For the adolescents aged 14 to 18, the mean estimated MTBACs for the perceived drunkenness categories were similar: 0.05 - 0.07% among the completely sober, 0.17 - 0.10% among the slightly drunk and 0.29 - 0.12% among the really drunk. Correlation between MTBAC and perceived drunkenness among 14 to 18 year-olds was 0.69. No age or gender differences were evident. It seems that, as a group, the adolescents from age 14 understood well the concept of drunkenness and their perception was highly correlated with their estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). In this respect, validity was established for the measure of self-perceived drunkenness used widely in adolescent health surveys.