Adolescent Drinking Behavior Research Articles

Drink like a man? Modified Poisson analysis of adolescent binge drinking in the US, 1976–2022

This study estimates temporal trajectories and sociodemographic disparities in underage adolescent binge drinking in the United States over the past four decades. By compiling 47 waves of national representative data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study between 1976 and 2022, we analyzed two types of adolescent binge drinking behaviors, past-two-week excessive drinking and drunkenness in the past 30 days, using the innovative modified Poisson (mixture) approach to grouped and right-censored counts (GRC). The overall decrease in incidence rates was attributable to substantial reductions in the risks of excessive drinking (45.77% in 1980 and 12.62% in 2022) and drunkenness (35.12% in 1998 and 14.81% in 2022). However, at-risk adolescents only showed mild reductions in incidence rates over time. While males consistently drank more often and were at a higher risk of binge drinking and drunkenness than females, the sex disparities tended to converge over time. The modified Poisson approach is a useful tool to estimate incidence, risk, and at-risk incidence in epidemiological studies with GRC counts. The alarming high incidence rates of at-risk adolescents, especially males, warrant further investigation.

Links between adolescent binge drinking and midlife alcohol use behaviors by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Alcohol use is increasing among adults in midlife (i.e., ages 35-60), but few studies examine specific alcohol use behaviors in this age group. We examined measures of typical drinks, maximum drinks, binge drinking, and high-intensity drinking by age, sex, and race/ethnicity among midlife adults, as well as the prospective association between age 18 binge drinking and midlife behaviors. Data from 5180 respondents participating in the national Monitoring the Future Panel study who were aged 35-60 in 2022 (followed since they were in 12th grade in 1980-2005) were used to estimate past 30-day midlife drinking behaviors (i.e., typical drinks, maximum drinks, binge, and high-intensity drinking) by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity. Associations between age 18 binge drinking status and midlife drinking outcomes were examined, as well as moderation by sociodemographic characteristics. Across ages 35-60, the mean typical number of drinks on drinking days within the past month ranged from 1.4 to 1.8; the mean maximum drinks ranged from 2.3 to 3.2. Past-month binge and high-intensity drinking prevalence ranged from 19.1% to 31.2% and 3.6% to 8.1%, respectively. Estimates of drinking behaviors were generally higher among respondents aged 35-40 (vs. older age groups), males (vs. females), those identifying as White (vs. other racial/ethnic groups), and those who reported age 18 binge drinking (vs. not). Adolescent binge drinking was a stronger predictor of high-intensity drinking among females than males and of typical and maximum drinks among older (age 60) than younger (age 35) respondents. Binge and high-intensity drinking were reported by a meaningful percentage of the US midlife adults. Binge drinking in adolescence was a predictor of subsequent alcohol-related risks. These long-term connections were especially strong among females. Age 18 binge drinking was a stronger predictor of high-intensity drinking at age 60 than earlier in midlife, underscoring that adolescent binge drinking is a key indicator of risk across the lifespan.

Influence factors of adolescent drinking behavior

Adolescent drinking as a long-standing social issue that has been exacerbated with economic development, has always been a matter of keen interest to research fields such as public health, education, and mental health. Many scholars have conducted extensive theoretical and empirical studies on the influence factors of adolescent drinking behavior, from aspects such as adolescents' own characteristics and social environmental factors. Therefore, this article attempts to review the influence factors of adolescent drinking behavior.

The role of parental maladaptive emotion socialization in the risk process for negative urgency and drinking behavior in adolescence.

Negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when experiencing negative emotions) is a robust risk factor for a number of problem behaviors, including early adolescent drinking. Little is known about the factors that precede the development of negative urgency, and hence the full etiology of this component of risk. The current study aimed to investigate the possibility that facets of childhood maladaptive emotion socialization (the tendency for children's expressions of emotions to be met with punishment, minimized, or invoke a reaction of distress from their parents/caretakers) increases risk for the development of negative urgency and drinking behavior. Self-report measures of negative urgency, subfacets of maladaptive emotion socialization, and drinking behavior were collected during the 2021-2022 academic year from a sample of 428 high school students (mean age = 14.7, SD = 0.09, 44% female), assessed twice over the course of a semester, reflecting a 4-month longitudinal window. Distress emotion socialization predicted increases in negative urgency, minimizing predicted decreases in negative urgency, and punitive did not provide significant prediction. Additionally, results found that higher levels of both negative urgency and distress emotion socialization increased adolescents'likelihood of having tried alcohol. These processes were invariant across race and gender. The present study may inform the future creation of prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing maladaptive emotion socialization and increasing adaptive emotion socialization. Successful reductions in negative urgency as a consequence of increased adaptive emotion socialization may then lead to decreases in adolescent drinking and other impulsigenic behaviors.

The impact of the peer effect on adolescent drinking behavior: instrumental-variable evidence from China.

Governments around the world have taken measures to limit adolescent drinking, however, rates are still alarmingly high. However, most of these measures ignore the peer effect of drinking among adolescents. Previous studies have not sufficiently considered the reciprocal relationship between adolescent alcohol consumption and peer alcohol consumption, which may lead to an overestimation of the peer effect and mask underlying issues. Good instrumental variables are powerful but rare tools to address these issues. This paper aims to correctly estimate the peer effect of drinking on adolescent drinking behavior in China. Owing to the detailed information of household background in the dataset of our survey, we were able to use the drinking behaviors of peers' fathers and their beliefs about the health risks of alcohol as instrumental variables, which are more powerful than school-average instrumental variables. We collected data from the 2017 Health and Nutrition Panel survey, which surveyed 10,772 primary school students from 59 urban migrant and 60 rural public schools. The instrumental variable method estimation revealed that peer drinking significantly influences adolescent drinking behavior, with adolescents who have peers who drink alcohol being 10.5% points (2 stage least square, i.e., 2SLS, full sample estimation) more likely to engage in drinking compared to those without such peers. Furthermore, the effect differs significantly between migrant and rural adolescents. The study found that parental care plays a significant role in the degree of peer effect, with the absence of parental care being a key factor in the presence of the peer effect.

Feasibility, usability, and acceptability of MobileCoach-Teen: A smartphone app-based preventative intervention for risky adolescent drinking behavior

Background: Older adolescence (ages 15–18) is a critical period for experimentation with substance use, especially alcohol. Adolescent drinking poses hazards to physical and mental health, amplifies risk associated with other activities typically initiated during this life stage (e.g., driving, sexual activity), and is associated with adverse outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Existing preventative interventions are expensive and have questionable long-term efficacy. Digital interventions may represent an accessible and personalized approach to providing preventative intervention content to youth. Methods: This study recruited 29 adolescents aged 16–18 (M = 17.24, SD = 0.74) for a pilot feasibility trial of the MobileCoach-Teen (MC-Teen) smartphone app-based intervention. The study team randomized participants to receive either the alcohol intervention (MC-Teen) or attention control pseudo-intervention (MC-Fit). MC-Teen participants received 12 weeks of content adapted from a prior Swiss-based trial of a preventative alcohol intervention. Participants provided qualitative and quantitative feedback at baseline, via six biweekly surveys during and post-intervention. Results: Both groups rated the application as easy to download (M = 4.31, SD = 0.93; 5-point Likert). All participants completed the baseline survey in less than the estimated time of 10 min (M = 7:42, SD = 2:15) and rated the survey as easy to complete (M = 4.69, SD = 0.60; 5-point Likert). MC-Teen participants favorably assessed application user experience, message user experience, and digital working alliance with application. Qualitative themes included a desire for increased rate/amount and diversity of content, greater representation via coach options, user interface/user experience improvements, and additional features. Conclusion: The MC-Teen intervention is feasible and acceptable based on a pilot feasibility trial with a sample of U.S. adolescents.

Dimensions of alcohol consumption among adolescents: a field study

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used legal substances. Adolescent drinking behaviors cover a spectrum ranging from total abstinence to dependence. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of consumption of different alcoholic beverages among Romanian adolescents. Another objective was to investigate the context (e.g., places where consumption occurs or the people with whom adolescents use this substance) as well as the pattern of consumption (e.g., reasons for drinking or frequency of ethanol intoxication). The sample included 688 adolescents (321 girls and 367 boys). Comparative data are presented.

The Influence of Family and Peer on Adolescent Alcohol Addiction

Substance abuse among adolescents is a significant concern today. Alcohol, as the most accessible addictive substance, is also the most likely to lead to adolescent alcohol consumption and eventually to the development of alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction in adolescents can have harmful, even long-lasting effects on their psychology and physiology. Previous literatures have examined factors contributing to adolescent alcohol addiction from multiple perspectives. However, there are relatively fewer systematic reviews of family and peer influences on adolescent alcohol abuse. Therefore, this article aims to integrate the findings of previous literatures and address the impact of family and peers on adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol addiction. Parents’ and peers’ open attitudes toward alcohol, negative peer and parent-child relationship, unhappy marital status, as well as peers’ problematic behaviors could assumably increase the likelihood of adolescent alcohol use. By discussing and analyzing two kinds of intimate relationships of adolescents, family and peers, this paper calls for social institutions to devote more attention to adolescent drinking behavior and their social relationships to prevent adolescent alcohol addiction and the harm caused by alcohol abuse. In addition, previous studies were mostly correlational cross-sectional studies, which had some limitations. Future studies could focus on longitudinal experiments and consider excluding confounding factors to obtain causal results.

Associations between parental and adolescent alcohol use: The role of gender and familism support.

This study examined the role of gender and familism support in the associations between parental and adolescent drinking behaviors in a sample of Mexican adolescents. Mexican adolescents (49% girls; N = 724) aged 12-19 completed measures assessing familism support, self-reported drinking behaviors, and perceptions of parental drinking behaviors. Findings suggest that both gender and familism support moderate the relationship between parental drinking behaviors and adolescent drinking behaviors. For instance, the association between mothers' alcohol use frequency and adolescent binge drinking was stronger for girls. In contrast, the association between fathers' amount per drinking day and adolescent binge drinking was stronger for boys. Mother's amount per drinking day was associated with less alcohol use per drinking day among adolescents reporting high familism support. The current study expands our understanding of parental modeling on Mexican adolescent drinking behavior.

Associations of Content Domain-Specific Possible Selves with Adolescent Drinking Behaviors.

Alcohol use ranks as one of the most prevalent health-risk behaviors among Taiwanese adolescents. Possible selves-personalized future-oriented cognitions about the self-are significant motivators of one's actions, which may potentially influence adolescent drinking behavior. This study aimed to estimate the content domain-specific possible selves and their associations with drinking behaviors among Taiwanese adolescents. A total of 225 Taiwanese seventh and eighth graders from a public junior high school were recruited. An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data during two time-points at six-month intervals. Results showed that having a "physical appearance" related hoped-for possible self and a "friendship" related feared possible self was associated with adolescent alcohol use after six months. Whereas, having the "physical appearance" related hoped-for and feared possible selves were associated with alcohol problems, at both, baseline and six months later. Future studies could clarify the meaning behind "physical appearance" related possible selves.

Adolescent Substance Use Behavior Change Through School Intervention Is Improved by Teacher and School Implementation Support Together, Especially for Girls.

An earlier trial of a school-based, preventative intervention, HealthWise South Africa, demonstrated some efficacy in preventing adolescent drinking and smoking in the Western Cape, South Africa. This was followed by the current implementation trial, which examined how implementation support conditions influenced adolescent drinking and smoking behavior change in the HealthWise intervention. The hybridized implementation-effectiveness trial included 34 schools (n = 2175 students) that provided student data at four waves through Grades 8 to 10. Implementation support conditions included a combination of two components (enhanced school environment and teacher consultation), resulting in four conditions: enhanced school environment, teacher consultation, both components, and standard delivery. Using configural frequency analysis, we examined how drinking and smoking behavior change differed across four configurations of intervention support longitudinally and by gender. For baseline non-smokers, results indicated sustained differences in abstention from smoking and smoking initiation between schools that received both support components and schools in the standard delivery condition. These results were primarily driven by girls. For baseline drinkers and smokers in the both components condition, changes in drinking were delayed until Grade 9 and smoking decayed by Grade 10. Results suggest that providing both school and teacher implementation support synergistically facilitates improved intervention outcomes both immediately following intervention and 2years later across schools with diverse resource levels. Future iterations of HealthWise, and other interventions, may benefit from a multilevel implementation support strategy to improve student outcomes. More research is needed to understand how to improve HealthWise effectiveness among boys.

The Association Between Family Environment and Adolescent Alcohol Drinking Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study of Six Chinese Cities.

ObjectiveAdolescents' alcohol consumption has lifetime adverse physical and mental health effects. Family environment factors have a significant influence in shaping adolescents' beliefs and habits. We conducted the multicenter cross-sectional study aiming to investigate the association between family environment factors and adolescent drinking behavior in China.MethodsThe study investigated 27,762 middle school students from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jinan, Chengdu, and Harbin. A logistic regression model was used to explore the association between family environmental factors and adolescent drinking behavior. Participants were asked to self-report previous experiences of drinking and getting drunk to access their drinking status. Factors of family environment related to alcohol consumption included: parents' educational level, family economic status, family composition, the number of times parents drank alcohol in the past 30 days, and parents' attitudes toward their drinking behavior. The logistic regression model was used to adjust the demographic confounders, including gender, age, city, location, and smoking status, and to explore the association between family environmental factors and adolescent alcohol drinking behaviors.ResultsCompared with students whose parents prohibited drinking, students who were approved drinking were more likely to drink in this year (OR = 16.544, 95%CI:15.265–17.929, P < 0.001; Full adjustment: OR = 13.111, 95% CI: 12.031–14.288, P < 0.001), drink in this month (OR = 7.791, 95% CI: 7.077–8.565, P < 0.001; Full adjustment: OR = 6.010, 95% CI: 5.439–6.641, P < 0.001). In addition, Low family economic status, not living with the mother, parents' ambivalent attitudes toward their children's drinking and parental drinking were risk factors for drinking among middle school students.ConclusionThe family environment, especially parents' attitudes, is associated with students' drinking and drunken behavior. Mobilizing the power of parents may play a positive role in the effective prevention and control of adolescent drinking.

First Drinking Experiences during Adolescence in South Korea: A Qualitative Study Focusing on the Internal and External Factors.

This study explored the internal and external factors affecting the first drinking experience during Korean adolescence. To achieve this, we collected 34 cases revealing specific drinking experiences during adolescence in Alcoholic Anonymous (A.A.), Korea. The collected data were analyzed using a qualitative case study method, and the analysis focused on the internal and external factors influencing drinking in adolescence. As per the results, internal factors that influenced drinking in adolescence were “curiosity” and “elevated mood and stress relief”, and external factors were “family”, “friends”, “older friends at school”, “neighbors”, “Korean tradition of alcohol making”, “workplaces that encourage alcohol consumption”, and “a generous drinking culture.” Based on these findings, we suggested several practical alternatives, such as a stringent alcohol punishment system, government-led campaigns to overcome the generous alcohol culture, monitoring the drinking status of working and intern youths, and using local crime prevention guards to curb youth drinking. In future research, it is necessary to quantitatively verify the results of this study to develop theories related to adolescent drinking behavior.

Association between adverse childhood experiences and adolescent alcohol use

Objective To explore the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adolescent alcohol use and to provide evidence for prevention and intervention. Methods A total of 1 550 students from grades 6 to 8 in three public middle schools in a district of Shanghai were selected by stratified cluster sampling method. The baseline and follow-up investigation were conducted by anonymous electronic questionnaire in mobile tablet from November to December in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The latent class analysis (LCA) was applied for the classification of ACEs, while the multivariate generalized estimating Equations (GEE) model was adopted to examine the association between ACEs and adolescent alcohol use. Results The ACEs was divided into 3 classes by LCA: high exposure (8.97%), abuse and neglect (38.97%), low exposure (52.06%). The multivariate GEE model indicates the risk of alcohol drinking among adolescents in high exposure and abuse and neglect classes were significantly higher than their counterparts in low exposure class ( OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.72-4.07; OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.14-1.96, respectively). Conclusion The effect of ACEs on alcohol use may vary across different latent classes. Supportive childhood environment may contribute to decrease the risk of adolescent drinking behavior. 【摘要】 目的 探究儿童期不良经历(adverse childhood experiences, ACEs)与青少年饮酒的关联, 为青少年饮酒行为的防 控提供指导。 方法 采用分层整群抽样的方法选取上海市某区3所公立初中六至八年级的1 550名学生, 于2017年和 2018年11—12月开展2次匿名电子问卷调査。米用潜类别分析(latent class analysis, LCA)对ACEs进行分类, 利用多因 素广义估计方程(generalized estimating equations, GEE)模型分析ACEs与青少年饮酒的关联。 结果 LCA拟合结果表明, ACEs可分为3个潜类别, 分别定义为髙暴露组(139名, 8.97%)、虐待忽视组(604名, 38.97%) 和低暴露组(807名, 52.06%)。多因素GEE模型结果显示, 相较于低暴露组, 髙暴露组( OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.72~4.07)和虐待忽视组( OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.14~1.96)研究对象的饮酒风险显著增加( P 值均<0.01)。 结论 不同潜类别的ACEs对饮酒的影响可能存 在差异, 良好的儿童期成长环境可能有助于降低青少年饮酒风险。

South African Fathers Involvement and Their Adolescents' Sexual Risk Behavior and Alcohol Consumption.

Although considerable research has examined the influence of parent-adolescent relationships on the sexual health of adolescents, there is a great need for research to understand the influence of fathers on their children's HIV sexual risk behavior, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined how the residence and the involvement of fathers are related to their children's HIV sexual risk and alcohol consumption behaviors. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 175 sixth-grade adolescents in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Analyses showed that adolescents living with their fathers had fewer sexual partners (B = -0.606, SE = 0.299, p = .043) and consumed alcohol less frequently (B = -0.642, SE = 0.294, p = .029). Adolescents who spent more quality days with their fathers in the past 30days had fewer sexual partners (B = -0.103, SE = 0.039, p = .008) and had condomless sex less frequently (B = -0.097, SE = 0.047, p = 0.041). It was also found that there were significant father-residence × child-gender interactions on sexual debut (B = 1.132, SE = 0.564, p = .045) and on frequency of condomless sex (B = -2.140, SE = 0.924, p = .021). These interactions indicate that boys living with their fathers were less likely to have had vaginal intercourse than girls and that girls living with their fathers were less likely to have unprotected sex than boys. This study highlights the importance of South African fathers' roles in their adolescent children's HIV sexual risk and alcohol drinking behaviors and the need to promote father-child relationships for adolescent health. The results suggest that health programs aiming to reduce South African adolescents' HIV sexual risk behaviors and alcohol consumption consider strategies that target their fathers.

Peer influence in adolescent drinking behavior: A meta-analysis of stochastic actor-based modeling studies.

ObjectivesTo measure the effects of peer influence and peer selection on drinking behavior in adolescence through a rigorous statistical approach designed to unravel these interrelated processes.MethodsWe conducted systematic searches of electronic databases, thesis collections and conference proceedings to identify studies that used longitudinal network design and stochastic actor-oriented modeling to analyze drinking behavior in adolescents. Parameter estimates collected from individual studies were analyzed using multilevel random-effects models.ResultsWe identified 26 articles eligible for meta-analysis. Meta-analyses for different specifications of the peer influence effect were conducted separately. The peer influence effect was positive for every specification: for average similarity (avSim) mean log odds ratio was 1.27 with 95% confidence interval [0.04; 2.49]; for total similarity (totSim) 0.46 (95% CI = [0.44; 0.48]), and for average alter (avAlt) 0.70 (95% CI = [-0.01; 1.41]). The peer selection effect (simX) was also positive: 0.46 (95% CI = [0.28; 0.63]). Conversion log odds ratio values to Cohen’s d gives estimates from 0.25 to 0.70, which is considered as medium to large effect.ConclusionsAdvances in methodology for social network analysis have made it possible to accurately estimate peer influence effects free from peer selection effects. More research is necessary to clarify the roles of age, gender, and individual susceptibility on the changing behavior of adolescents under the influence of their peers. Understanding the effects of peer influence should inform practitioners and policy makers to design and deliver more effective prevention programs.

Exposure to Television Alcohol Brand Appearances as Predictor of Adolescent Brand Affiliation and Drinking Behaviors.

Adolescence and the transition to adulthood is an important developmental stage in the emergence of health risk behaviors, specifically underage alcohol use. Adolescents consume a tremendous amount of screened media (primarily streamed television), and media depictions of behaviors is prospectively linked to youth initiation of behaviors. With the arrival of streamed media technology, alcohol advertising can be nested within television content. This study describes alcohol brand depictions in television and evaluates impact of exposure to such depictions on adolescent drinking outcomes. A national sample of 2012 adolescents (Mage = 17.07; SD = 1.60 years, range 15-20; 50.70% female) reported on television viewership, alcohol brand affiliation, and drinking behavior, with follow-up one year later. Ten series (that remain relevant to youth today) across television ratings from a single television season were content coded for presence/salience of alcohol brand appearances. Adjusting for covariates (e.g., peer/parent drinking, youth sensation seeking, movie alcohol brand exposure), higher exposure to brand appearances in the television shows was associated with youth drinking. Aspirational and usual brand to drink corresponded to television alcohol brand prominence, and television brand exposure was independently associated with drinking initiation and hazardous drinking.

Cyberbullying Victimization and Adolescent Drinking Behavior: Deviant Peer Affiliation as a Mediator and Personal Growth Initiative as a Moderator

Research has demonstrated a robust positive association between cyberbullying victimization and adolescent drinking behavior; however, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship remain largely unexplored. Grounded in the social development model and person-environment interactions model, our study explored whether deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and adolescent drinking behavior and whether this mediating effect was moderated by personal growth initiative. A sample of 1,006 adolescents (Mage = 13.16 years; SD = 0.67) anonymously completed self-report questionnaires. Structural equation modeling indicated that the positive association between cyberbullying victimization and drinking behavior was partly mediated by deviant peer affiliation for both girls and boys. Further, this mediating process was stronger for adolescents with low personal growth initiative than for those with high personal growth initiative. There were no significant gender differences for this moderating effect. These findings underline the importance of deviant peer affiliation and personal growth initiative in understanding how and when cyberbullying victimization impacts adolescent drinking behavior.

CCL2/CCR2 system in neuroepithelial radial glia progenitor cells: involvement in stimulatory, sexually dimorphic effects of maternal ethanol on embryonic development of hypothalamic peptide neurons

BackgroundClinical and animal studies show that alcohol consumption during pregnancy produces lasting behavioral disturbances in offspring, including increased alcohol drinking, which are linked to inflammation in the brain and disturbances in neurochemical systems that promote these behaviors. These include the neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which is mostly expressed in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Maternal ethanol administration at low-to-moderate doses, while stimulating MCH neurons without affecting apoptosis or gliogenesis, increases in LH the density of neurons expressing the inflammatory chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and its receptor CCR2 and their colocalization with MCH. These neural effects associated with behavioral changes are reproduced by maternal CCL2 administration, reversed by a CCR2 antagonist, and consistently stronger in females than males. The present study investigates in the embryo the developmental origins of this CCL2/CCR2-mediated stimulatory effect of maternal ethanol exposure on MCH neurons.MethodsPregnant rats from embryonic day 10 (E10) to E15 during peak neurogenesis were orally administered ethanol at a moderate dose (2 g/kg/day) or peripherally injected with CCL2 or CCR2 antagonist to test this neuroimmune system’s role in ethanol’s actions. Using real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence histochemistry, in situ hybridization, and confocal microscopy, we examined in embryos at E19 the CCL2/CCR2 system and MCH neurons in relation to radial glia progenitor cells in the hypothalamic neuroepithelium where neurons are born and radial glia processes projecting laterally through the medial hypothalamus that provide scaffolds for neuronal migration into LH.ResultsWe demonstrate that maternal ethanol increases radial glia cell density and their processes while stimulating the CCL2/CCR2 system and these effects are mimicked by maternal administration of CCL2 and blocked by a CCR2 antagonist. While stimulating CCL2 colocalization with radial glia and neurons but not microglia, ethanol increases MCH neuronal number near radial glia cells and making contact along their processes projecting into LH. Further tests identify the CCL2/CCR2 system in NEP as a primary source of ethanol’s sexually dimorphic actions.ConclusionsThese findings provide new evidence for how an inflammatory chemokine pathway functions within neuroprogenitor cells to mediate ethanol’s long-lasting, stimulatory effects on peptide neurons linked to adolescent drinking behavior.

Exposición a contenidos relacionados con el alcohol en Facebook y consumo de alcohol en adolescentes

Introduction: exponential and excessive use of social networks like Facebook could lead to greater exposure of alcohol-related content and influence adolescent drinking behavior. Objective: to determine the influence of the exposure of alcohol-related content on the pattern of alcohol consumption, in addition to knowing the differences in frequency and exposure of alcohol-related content on Facebook in consumers and non-consumers of alcohol. Method: a predictive correlational study was carried out, with 672 adolescents from technical high schools, a data card, the Facebook use questionnaire (CUF) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used. Results: significant differences in exposure to alcohol-related content on Facebook were found, with higher means and medians among adolescents who reported alcohol consumption compared to those who did not (U = 40875.0, p =.001). In addition, regression analysis revealed that hours per day on Facebook and exposure to alcohol-related content on Facebook predict alcohol consumption in adolescents. Discussion and conclusions: alcohol consumers presented greater exposure to alcohol-related content, in addition it was found that the current alcohol consumption behavior was explained through the number of hours per day of Facebook use and exposure.