Association Between Adolescent Drinking and Adult Violence: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study of Urban African Americans

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: This study examined the relationship between adolescent alcohol use and adult violence from a developmental perspective, specifi cally whether frequent adolescent drinking predicts adult violence once shared risk factors are taken into account through propensity score matching. The research considered multiple types of violence, including assault, robbery, and suicidal behavior, as well as other types of offending. It tested whether educational attainment and adult alcohol use and problems contribute to the adolescent drinking-adult violence relationship. Method: Data came from a longitudinal epidemiological study of a community cohort of urban African Americans followed from age 6 to 42 (N = 702; 51% female). Frequent adolescent drinking was operationalized as 20 times or more by age 16. Data on violent arrests and offenses were collected throughout adulthood from self-reports and offi cial criminal records. Matching variables came from childhood and adolescence and included such shared risk factors as childhood externalizing behaviors, school achievement, and family functioning. Results: Adjusted logistic regression analyses on the sample matched on childhood and adolescent risk factors showed that frequent adolescent drinking was associated with an increased risk of violence in young adulthood (in particular assault) but not with other types of crime, self-directed violence, or violence in midlife. Findings varied by gender. Heavy episodic drinking in adulthood seemed to account for some of the association between frequent adolescent drinking and adult assault. Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that preventing frequent adolescent drinking could potentially decrease adult assault. This study adds to the growing body of literature suggesting long-term negative consequences of adolescent alcohol use. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 701-710, 2011)

Heavy drinking ensnares adolescents into crime in early adulthood

“…While our heavy drinking variable is not a perfect measure of a snare, it does resonate with the spirit of what Moffitt was referring to when she discussed events or addictions that can catapult people into further crime. Moreover as others have noted in the literature (Green, Doherty, Zebrak, & Ensminger, 2011;Laub & Sampson, 2003;Sampson & Laub, 1993;Schroeder, Giordano, & Cernkovich, 2007), heavy drinking is a highly complicating factor that may discourage or at least hinder desistance. Similarly, while the CSDD did not measure heavy drinking prior to age 18, the data did contain responses to items querying the males at both ages 14 and 16 if they had previously drank in a pub.…”

Interrelationship of substance use and psychological distress over the life course among a cohort of urban African Americans

“…Adolescent substance use, therefore, may set boys on a long-term course of psychological distress. Previous research with the Woodlawn population found unemployment to be a consequence of heavy adolescent substance use (Green and Ensminger, 2006; Green et al, 2011), which may be the mechanism driving the long-term association between adolescent substance use and adult psychological distress. Previously, unemployment was found to be particularly relevant in the interrelationship between psychological distress and substance use for African American men (Brunswick et al, 1992).…”

Consumo de álcool e violência física entre adolescentes: quem é o preditor?

“…Nos estudos longitudinais (n = 8), o tempo de acompanhamento dos sujeitos envolvidos, no geral, variou de 1 a 14 anos, exceto o estudo de Green et al 24 , que acompanhou indivíduos por 36 anos. A vitimização como variável independente foi adotada por 05 autores 9,11,[25][26][27] (Tabela 3).…”

“…Isso pode influenciar nos resultados encontrados. Por exemplo, Rudatsikira et al 29 agruparam as variáveis consumo de álcool, tabaco e maconha numa única variável (uso de substâncias), o que impossibilita fazer conclusões sobre a influência do consumo de álcool isoladamente 24 . Já o estudo de Cisler et al 11 agrupou a violência física com a violência sexual e o testemunho de episódios violentos.…”