Adolescent Alcohol Dependence Research Articles

How the NCAA Is Solving Alcohol Abuse on College Campuses Through Marketing Strategies

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an American college sports league that is popular in the United States and even around the world. It includes many different kinds of sports, and almost all have a high level. Basketball is one of the representative sports in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There is an annual sports championship that is the most popular in America and is held in March of each year. National Collegiate Athletic Association sports events have a very high degree of attention and a very strong mass base. Not only the basketball is a popular sport in National Collegiate Athletic Association, track and field are also popular. In addition to basketball and track and field, the National Collegiate Athletic Association also includes other sports such as football, baseball and others and they are all concerned and loved by people. Alcohol abuse among college students is a serious public health problem that plagues many American college students. This situation also leads to serious illnesses associated with alcohol for adolescents. More than just disease, the act of drinking alcohol is likely to lead to future alcohol dependence in adolescents. Student athletes have an even more serious alcohol abuse problem. This article mainly studies the National Collegiate Athletic Association's use of different marketing methods to solve the long-standing problem of alcohol abuse by college athletes. Furthermore, through marketing to eliminate the negative impact and make college students pay more attention to the problem of alcohol abuse, so that they can get better athletic performance, academic performance and physical health, and also enable them to effectively avoid criminal problems that may be caused by drinking.

Ставлення підлітків та їхніх матерів до проблеми раннього вживання алкоголю

In recent decades, in many countries of Europe and the world, there has been a tendency for an earlier onset of alcohol consumption among adolescents, unfortunately, in this aspect, Ukraine is no exception. Aim. To study various aspects of alcohol use by adolescents and the level of awareness of their mothers to determine measures to prevent adolescent alcoholism in Ukraine. Materials and Methods. As part of the longitudinal study "Family and Children of Ukraine", the personal data of 989 adolescents aged 15-18 years (499 boys and 490 girls) and 1075 mothers were analyzed. Bibliosemantic, sociological and medical-statistical research methods are used. Results and Discussion. During 2014-2019, the share of children and adolescents hospitalized with acute poisoning in the intensive care unit of the National Children's Specialized Hospital "OKHMATDIT" of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine increased from 20.6 to 36.7 %. Research has shown that the vast majority of Ukrainian adolescents (75 %) consume alcohol during their lifetime; 31.0 % of adolescents have done so more than 10 times, and their first attempt to drink alcohol occurs at the age of 9 years and younger among both boys and girls. The survey found that 50.6% of adolescents confirmed that they had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, of which 7.5% of adolescents admitted that they did so more than once a week. The survey allowed to determine the peculiarities of the use of various alcoholic beverages by adolescents in Ukraine: teenagers first "get acquainted" with beer, wine or champagne at the age of 14-15; alcoholic cocktail teenage girls consume for the first time 2 times more often at the age of 15; strong alcoholic beverages are most often consumed for the first time by adolescents aged 15–16 years. It was found that only half of the surveyed mothers (48.4 %) were aware of the fact of alcohol consumption by their adolescent children, while 40.7 % of mothers categorically forbid their children to drink alcohol, 46.5 % of mothers consider it undesirable, 8.7 % mothers do not prohibit alcohol in small quantities. Conclusions. The results of the study prove that the problem of alcohol consumption by children and adolescents in Ukraine remains relevant and requires immediate development of preventive measures for implementation in both school and family environments. Given the insufficient level of awareness of mothers about the fact of alcohol consumption by their children and the insufficient level of understanding of mothers of the dangers of this phenomenon, the need for further research on the prevention of alcohol dependence in adolescence is justified. Key Words: adolescents, alcoholic beverages, mothers of adolescents.

ПОЛОВОЗРАСТНЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ВОЗНИКНОВЕНИЯ АЛКОГОЛЬНОЙ ЗАВИСИМОСТИ У ПОДРОСТКОВ

Statement of the problem. The article provides an overview of the theoretical provisions and research on the formation of alcohol dependence in adolescence. At the same time, alcohol dependence is presented as a complex phenomenon, which includes the following components: addictive liability, dependent behavior, motives of alcohol consumption. There is a contradiction between the continuous growth of adolescent alcoholism, decrease in the age of persons who consume alcoholic beverages, the increasing number of adolescent girls who consume alcoholic beverages, and the insufficient number of psychological and pedagogical studies in the field of alcohol addiction development among elder adolescents. As a research task, the authors identified an attempt to identify and describe the indicators of alcohol dependence among elder adolescents. It has been shown that there is a connection between addictive behavior, alcohol dependence and the motives of alcohol consumption in adolescence. The purpose of the article is to reveal the features of alcohol dependence development in adolescence. Research methodology. In the study, we rely on the scientific ideas of age-related development in the context of studying addictive behavior among adolescents in the works by L.S. Vygotsky, A.V. Petrovsky, E. Erickson, and others; research on the problems of addictive behavior and its prevention (A.A. Aleksandrova, A.V. Gogoleva, M.V. Romannikova, N.A.Sirota, T.A.Shilova, V.M. Yaltonsky, etc.). The total sample size was 162 adolescents in the 9th grade: 80 boys and 82 girls studying in educational institutions of Krasnoyarsk. The diagnostic package is represented by the following methods: questionnaire survey “Attitude of adolescents to alcoholic beverages”, test questionnaire “Addictive liability” by V.V. Yusupov and V.A. Korzunina, test questionnaire “Liability to addictive behavior” (on the example of alcohol dependence) by V.D. Mendelevich, V.Yu. Zavyalov’s questionnaire “The motives for consuming alcohol”. To compare the samples, the Mann-Whitney U-test and calculation of the Spearman correlation coefficient were used. Results. The study showed that adolescents are characterized by low psychological resistance to an unfavorable social environment and poor adaptation in the educational space. The risk of alcohol dependence development was revealed under certain social conditions, and the girls were more strongly oriented towards the use of alcoholic beverages. The first acquaintance with alcohol of adolescents took place before the age of 10, adolescents tried alcohol, and half of them prefer beer, but at the same time drink strong drinks. Internal psychological reasons allow adolescents to use alcohol more often to raise their spirits, to liberate themselves in communication, to become ‘cronies’ in the group. The latter is especially true for girls. The leading motives for alcohol consumption are mainly the motives of the traditional and hedonic subtypes among girls and the pseudo-cultural and ataractic subtypes among boys, which may indicate the absence of alcoholic illness as such, but this is an alarming symptom for adolescents. There is a relationship between the severity of addiction, alcohol dependence and motivation for alcohol consumption (moderately pronounced addictive risk, signs of a tendency, addiction to alcohol, traditional motives, signs of increased addiction, submissive motives, pronounced signs of addiction, signs of increased liability, alcohol consumption for the company, pseudo-cultural type of motives, hedonistic motives, ataractic motives). Conclusion. The study made it possible to identify adolescents with varying degrees of risk of alcohol dependence, who require preventive work to be carried out with them. It is concluded that the study of adolescents’ attitudes to alcohol will expand the understanding of the phenomenon of alcohol dependence, and, no doubt, will be useful for purposeful planning and implementation of psychological and pedagogical prevention in an educational institution. Based on the data obtained, a prevention program can be developed using modern interactive technologies.

Genetic variation within GRIN2B in adolescents with alcohol use disorder may be associated with larger left posterior cingulate cortex volume.

Brain structure differences and adolescent alcohol dependence both show substantial heritability. However, exactly which genes are responsible for brain volume variation in adolescents with substance abuse disorders are currently unknown. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether genetic variants previously implicated in psychiatric disorders are associated with variation in brain volume in adolescents with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The cohort consisted of 58 adolescents with DSM-IV AUD and 58 age and gender-matched controls of mixed ancestry ethnicity. An Illumina Infinium iSelect custom 6000 bead chip was used to genotype 5348 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 378 candidate genes. Magnetic resonance images were acquired and volumes of global and regional structures were estimated using voxel-based morphometry. To determine whether any of the genetic variants were associated with brain volume, association analysis was conducted using linear regression in Plink. From the exploratory analysis, the GRIN2B SNP rs219927 was associated with brain volume in the left posterior cingulate cortex (p<0.05), whereby having a G-allele was associated with a bigger volume. The GRIN2B gene is involved in glutamatergic signalling and may be associated with developmental differences in AUD in brain regions such as the posterior cingulate cortex. Such differences may play a role in risk for AUD, and deserve more detailed investigation.

Examination of Genetic Variation in GABRA2 with Conduct Disorder and Alcohol Abuse and Dependence in a Longitudinal Study

Previous studies have shown associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in gamma aminobutyric acid receptor alpha 2 (GABRA2) and adolescent conduct disorder (CD) and alcohol dependence in adulthood, but not adolescent alcohol dependence. The present study was intended as a replication and extension of this work, focusing on adolescent CD, adolescent alcohol abuse and dependence (AAD), and adult AAD. Family based association tests were run using Hispanics and non-Hispanic European American subjects from two independent longitudinal samples. Although the analysis provided nominal support for an association with rs9291283 and AAD in adulthood and CD in adolescence, the current study failed to replicate previous associations between two well replicated GABRA2 SNPs and CD and alcohol dependence. Overall, these results emphasize the utility of including an independent replication sample in the study design, so that the results from an individual sample can be weighted in the context of its reproducibility.

Associations Between Heavy Drinking and Changes in Impulsive Behavior Among Adolescent Boys

Impulsive behavior in humans predicts the onset of drinking during adolescence and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood. It is also possible, however, that heavy drinking may increase impulsive behavior by affecting the development of brain areas that support behavioral control or through other associated mechanisms. This study examined whether drinking heavily during adolescence is related to changes in impulsive behavior with a specific focus on how the association differs across individuals, contingent on the developmental course of their impulsiveness. Data came from a sample of boys (N = 503) who were followed annually from approximate age 8 to age 18 and again at approximate age 24/25. Heavy drinking was defined as experiencing a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08% or higher. At each assessment, the parent and child each reported whether the child was impulsive. First, group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify 4 groups differing in the level and slopes of their trajectories of impulsive behavior from age 9 to age 17: low (13.9%), early adolescence-limited (18.7%), moderate (60.8%), and high (6.6%). These trajectory groups differed in their prevalence of any heavy drinking, peak BACs, and rates of alcohol dependence in adolescence and AUD in early adulthood, with the less impulsive groups being lower on these measures than the more impulsive groups. Heavy drinking was then entered into the model as a time-varying covariate; this measure was lagged so that the results represent change in impulsive behavior the year following heavy drinking. Among boys on the moderate trajectory, those who drank heavily were rated as significantly more impulsive the following year compared to those who did not drink heavily. The association between heavy drinking and impulsive behavior may depend on earlier levels of impulsive behavior with those who are moderately impulsive appearing to be at greatest risk for increased impulsive behavior following heavy drinking. Further research is needed to clarify this association.

Cumulative lifetime adversities and alcohol dependence in adolescence and young adulthood

Objective Negative life events have been implicated in the development of alcohol dependence. This paper tests whether cumulative exposure to such stressors significantly predicts risk of DSM-IV alcohol dependence disorder in young adults. We also provide descriptive data that characterizes the patterns of cumulative exposure to such events and rates of alcohol dependence across gender, race/ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Method Members of a representative urban community sample of 1786 young adults in South Florida were interviewed retrospectively using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and a lifetime checklist of 41 major adverse life events. The conditional risk of first onset of alcohol dependence disorder was estimated in relationship to a measure of lifetime cumulative adversity using discrete-time event history analysis. Results Event history analysis suggested that lifetime stress exposure exhibits a pattern of association with alcohol dependence that is consistent with a cumulative impact interpretation. Both recent events and events more distant in time were significantly and independently associated with such risk. Although these results contribute toward an understanding of variations in alcohol dependence across individuals, they do not assist in the understanding of observed ethnic group differences in such dependence.

Diagnosis of alcohol dependence in epidemiological surveys: an epidemic of youthful alcohol dependence or a case of measurement error?

To review the literature on the prevalence of alcohol dependence according to age, presenting data suggesting that the increased prevalence of alcohol dependence among young adults may be inflated because of measurement error. Household surveys with random selection of respondents. General population. Survey respondents 12 years of age and older. Alcohol dependence. Data for male current drinkers show that 4.6% of adolescents (aged 12-17 years) meet criteria for past year dependence, and the rate increases to 8.5% in the 18-23 age group, decreasing thereafter. Symptom level prevalence estimates indicate that younger age groups report higher rates of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms than older age groups. Young adults may be reporting tolerance and withdrawal symptoms partly because the wording of structured interview schedules leads to confusion of binge drinking and its sequelae with physical symptoms of alcohol dependence. There is a need to examine whether young adults are confusing the sequelae of acute intoxication with alcohol withdrawal, and rapid initial tolerance with the classical tolerance reported by alcoholics. Epidemiologists and clinicians need to be cautious of the tendency of structured psychiatric interviews to classify young adults as being alcohol-dependent. It may be useful to characterize individuals who meet alcohol dependence criteria at a young age (e.g. prior to age 25 years) as manifesting a form of 'adolescent alcohol dependence', which may represent a less severe form of alcohol use disorder than that observed in adults.

The Relationship Between Parental Psychopathology and Adolescent Psychopathology

The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between parental psychopathology (specifically, alcohol dependence and depression) and adolescent psychopathology, by the gender of the adolescent and the gender of the parent.The sample included 426 13- to 17-year-old adolescents and their parents. All participants were administered the SemiStructured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism to obtain clinical psychiatric diagnoses. Paternal psychopathology (depression and alcohol dependence) significantly predicted adolescent alcohol dependence, whereas maternal psychopathology did not. Maternal alcohol dependence did not predict any of the adolescent psychiatric diagnoses. In contrast, both paternal depression and maternal depression significantly predicted adolescent conduct disorder and depression. In addition, maternal depression significantly predicted adolescent anxiety.No significant interactions between parental psychopathology and adolescent gender were observed. Nevertheless, results from this study underscore the importance of considering the gender of the parent when examining the relationship between parental psychopathology and psychopathology in the offspring.

SECRETS AND LIES: COMMENTS ON DAWSON ET AL. (2005)

AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL The good news is that if I had to point a student to a single large epidemiological study that was representative of the course of alcoholism in the United States, I could not point to a paper superior to that of Dawson et al. (2005). The bad news is that the authors are correct to warn us that their ‘cross-sectional data do not necessarily reflect the course of recovery across time for any individual’. This acknowledgement makes many of their findings suspect. What comes out of computers, even if you add decimals, is only as good as what goes in. At the heart of the difficulties raised by their paper is a paradox. If you wish to predict an election, a large representative sample of the population, interviewed by a trained staff, is a necessity. If you wish to study secrets of which the owner does not wish to be aware, for example incest or not being in control of one's drinking over the past year, a small intensively studied, but often unrepresentative, sample whom the investigator has actually met, is a necessity. In some facets of alcohol abuse the first strategy is preferable [e.g. point prevalence of alcohol abuse based on the Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire or Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), presence or absence of treatment, or cirrhosis mortality]; but if one wishes to study return to controlled drinking one needs to include other informants and to conduct observations over time until the ‘secret’ emerges or can be ruled out on a case-by-case basis. A study reported by two reputable investigators, the Sobells, of treated alcoholics returning ‘successfully’ to controlled drinking illustrates my point. At the 2-year mark Sobell & Sobell (1976) claimed success, but at the 10-year mark Pendery et al. (1982), using time and a less gullible approach to their subjects’ assertions, revealed that the Sobells’ earlier reports of asymptomatic drinking were an illusion. In my own longitudinal studies, when men in my study assert for 5 years of continuous follow-up that that they have been out of control in their use of alcohol or that they have been abstinent, their relatives and the next decade uphold their story. However, when alcoholics tell me, even over a couple of years, that they have been regularly using alcohol without problems, continued follow-up often reveals self-deception. Again, large epidemiological studies sometimes falter when it comes to diagnosis. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version IV (DSM-IV) symptom-based diagnosis of alcohol dependence is a big step forward from the old quantity/frequency measures of the past, but such criteria greatly overestimate alcohol dependence in adolescents who plan and cherish such symptoms rather than feel humiliated and out of control. At a homecoming party the sophomore who quaffs eight planned martinis, proudly punches a stranger and then vomits, is far more likely after graduation to resume ‘social drinking’ than the father who, against better judgement at his daughter's wedding, sneaks eight martinis, punches a stranger and then vomits. Yet both might meet Dawson's diagnosis of dependence. To increase risk of error, after 20 years the number of symptoms in the fraternity brother's war story might grow while after a few years the symptoms in the humiliated father's confessional might shrink. References Dawson, D. A., Grant, B. F., Stinson, F. S., Chou, P. S., Huang, B. & Ruan, W. J. (2005) Recovery from DSM-IV alcohol dependence: United States, 2001–2002. Addiction, 100, 281– 292. Pendery, M. L., I. M. Maltzman & L. J. West (1982) Controlled drinking by alcoholics? New findings and a reevaluation of a major affirmative study. Science, 217, 169– 175. Sobell, M. B. & L. C. Sobell (1976) Second year treatment outcome of alcoholics treated by individualized behavior therapy: results. Behavior Research and Therapy, 14, 195– 215. Citing Literature Volume100, Issue3March 2005Pages 294-294 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Parental substance use consequences and adolescent psychopathology.

This study examines the relationship between parental substance use consequences and adolescent psychological problems by gender of the adolescent and gender of the parent. The data in this study were collected between 1989 and 1994 from 173 (116 proband and 57 control) families participating in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) project. All 173 adolescents (89 [51%] boys) completed the Structured Assessment Record of Alcoholic Homes (SARAH) to assess parental substance use consequences. In addition, the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism for Adolescents (C-SSAGA-A) was administered to all adolescents to obtain clinical psychiatric diagnoses. Concern about mother's substance use was significantly associated with adolescent alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder. In addition, concern about father's substance use was significantly related to adolescent alcohol dependence. Avoidance of mother when she was drinking or using drugs and maternal anger when drinking or using drugs also was significantly associated with adolescent alcohol dependence, conduct disorder and major depressive disorder. In contrast, avoidance of father and paternal anger when drinking or using drugs was not related to any of the adolescent diagnoses. These results suggest that maternal substance use consequences may be more closely linked to adolescent psychological adjustment than are paternal substance use consequences.

Comparison of Naltrexone and Placebo in Treatment of Alcohol Dependence of Adolescents

This study assesses the efficacy and safety of long-term naltrexone treatment in alcohol dependence of adolescents. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, thirty patients, age 15 to 19 years, with chronic or episodic alcohol dependence were randomly allocated to treatment with naltrexone (50mg daily) or placebo for 90 days. Patients were assessed on the day treatment started and on days 30 and 90 by interview, self-report, questionnaire, and laboratory screening. At the end of treatment, 20 naltrexone treated and 10 placebo treated patients had been continuously abstinent (p = 0.0069). Naltrexone is an effective and well-tolerated pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial and behavioral treatment programs for the treatment of adolescent alcohol-dependent patients.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Acamprosate and its efficacy in treating alcohol dependent adolescents

About 50 % of adult alcoholic patients relapse within 3 months of treatment. Previous studies have suggested that acamprosate may help to prevent such relapse. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of long-term acamprosate treatment in alcohol dependence of adolescents. In this, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we recruited 26 patients, aged 16-19 years, with chronic or episodic alcohol dependence. Patients were randomly allocated treatment with acamprosate (1332 mg daily) or placebo for 90 days. Patients were assessed on the day treatment started and on days 30, and 90 by interview, self report, questionnaire, and laboratory screening. 13 acamprosate-treated and 13 placebo-treated patients completed the treatment phase: of those withdrawn, 11 (1 vs 6) relapsed, 5 (3 vs 2) refused to continue treatment, 3 (1 vs 2) had concurrent illness, and 2 (1 vs 1) had adverse side-effects. At the end of treatment, 7 acamprosate treated and 2 placebo-treated patients had been continuously abstinent (p = 0.0076). Mean cumulative abstinence duration was significantly greater in the acamprosate group than in the placebo group (79.8 [SD 37.5] vs 32.8 [19.0] days; p = 0.012). Acamprosate is an effective and well-tolerated pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial treatment programmes.

Childhood ADHD and Later Antisocial Behavior and Drug Use

ADHD children, especially those with the Combined or Hyperactive Types, frequently demonstrate high levels of conduct problems or social aggression in their childhood years (Barkley, 1998; Hinshaw, 1987). Followed into adolescence, these children, particularly those with comorbid social aggression, have a significantly elevated risk for oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder (CD), and delinquent or antisocial activities (August, Stewart, & Holmes, 1983; Barkley et al., 1990; Klein & Mannuzza, 1991; Weiss & Hechtman, 1993). Along with those risks, there occurs a greater likelihood of being arrested (Satterfield, Swanson, Schell, & Lee, 1994) and a greater propensity for substance experimentation, use, and eventual abuse (Biederman, Wilens, et al., 1997; Lambert & Hartsough, 1998), particularly among that subset of ADHD children having CD by adolescence (Molina, Smith, & Pelham, 1999).

The validity of DSM-IV alcohol dependence: what do we know and what do we need to know?

This article presents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2002 RSA Meeting in San Francisco, California. Deborah S. Hasin organized the symposium and co-chaired it with Marc Schuckit. The purpose of the symposium was to provide an overview of what is known about the validity of DSM-IV and ICD-10 alcohol dependence and abuse, with a focus on work done since 1994. Presentations included: (1) Validity of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence in adolescents, by Christopher S. Martin; (2) Reliability and validity of DSM and ICD formulations of alcohol use disorders: findings from epidemiology, by Bridget F. Grant; (3) Validity and reliability of the alcohol-dependence phenotype in the context of genetic studies, by Kathleen K. Bucholz; and (4) DSM-IV and beyond: uniting the clinical utility of categories with the precision of dimensions, by John E. Helzer. The findings supported the validity of DSM-IV alcohol dependence across numerous study designs and samples, suggested some value in a dimensional dependence measure, and raised questions about the validity of the diagnosis of alcohol abuse as currently defined. Marc Schuckit, as discussant for the symposium, placed the issues in perspective for the upcoming DSM-V.

Tianeptine May Be a Useful Adjunct in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence of Adolescents

Tianeptine May Be a Useful Adjunct in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence of Adolescents

Tianeptine May Be a Useful Adjunct in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence of Adolescents

Tianeptine May Be a Useful Adjunct in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence of Adolescents

Developmental sequence from disruptive behavior diagnosis to adolescent alcohol dependence.

The authors sought to clinically describe the relationship of disruptive behavior disorders with both alcohol dependence and the use of a variety of substances. The Child Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism was used to collect data on 54 adolescents with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. The frequency and age at onset of the disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses were examined as well as age at first use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other street drugs. Nearly three-quarters of the alcohol-dependent adolescents had at least one disruptive behavior disorder diagnosis. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) typically occurred first, followed by conduct disorder. Substance use began with alcohol or tobacco, followed by marijuana and then other street drugs. Alcohol dependence began significantly later than the onset of either ADHD or conduct disorder and significantly later than the first use of tobacco. Disruptive behavior diagnoses, particularly conduct disorder, typically precede the initiation of use of a variety of substances that, in turn, precede the diagnosis of alcohol dependence in adolescents.

Risk domains associated with an adolescent alcohol dependence diagnosis.

To determine the contribution of familial, interpersonal, academic and early substance use factors to relative risk for an alcohol dependence (AD) diagnosis in adolescents. Information on 619 adolescents and their 390 sets of biological parents was obtained using the adolescent version of the Child Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (C-SSAGA) and the adult counterpart of this instrument, the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA). The C-SSAGA elicits a wide range of environmental, social, and psychiatric diagnostic information. Specific domain scale scores associated with an adolescent AD were computed, and generalized estimating equations (GEE) modeling was used to determine the odds ratio (relative risk) of the specified risk domains for an alcohol dependence diagnosis. Risk factors for a DSM-III-R AD diagnosis included being at least 16 years of age, as well as negative parent-child interactions, school and personal-related difficulties (including the presence of an externalizing or internalizing DSM-III-R non-alcohol-related diagnosis), and early experimentations with a variety of substances. An array of familial, interpersonal, academic and early substance use factors were strongly associated with adolescent AD. Given the findings of this study, further research to determine temporal relationships that might influence the onset of adolescent alcohol dependence is warranted.