Trajectories of emotional symptoms in adolescence: impact on alcohol use

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how different trajectories of emotional symptoms relate to alcohol use in adolescence.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 431 participants (majority female), aged approximately 13 years at baseline were followed over three years and reported on their emotional symptoms and alcohol use. Latent class growth analyses explored different trajectories of emotional symptoms and regression models were run to relate these trajectories to alcohol use (full standard drink, and binge drinking) at 36-month follow-up (age 16 years).

Findings

While the majority of adolescents were best characterised by low-stable emotional symptoms, those with high-stable symptoms were more likely to be have consumed a full standard drink of alcohol and binge drunk when aged 16 years.

Research limitations/implications

Findings highlight the importance of prevention and early intervention, particularly targeting adolescents with elevated stable emotional symptoms who were more likely to be using alcohol at 16 years of age.

Originality/value

The present study is one of the first longitudinal investigations into the use of alcohol by community adolescents with different emotional symptom trajectories.

Citation

Birrell, L.E., Newton, N.C., Stapinski, L., Prior, K., Champion, K.E., Mackie, C.J., Teesson, M. and Slade, T. (2017), "Trajectories of emotional symptoms in adolescence: impact on alcohol use", Advances in Dual Diagnosis, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 130-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/ADD-08-2017-0014