San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Subst Use Misuse. 2021;56(6):861-870. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1899231. Epub 2021 Mar 23.
The present longitudinal study examines how age of alcohol initiation and regular use (weekly drinking for ≥6 months) relates to adolescent physiological development, social behaviors, psychological functioning, and substance use patterns. : Data are drawn from a prospective sample of 295 youth (42% female) who completed a 15-year longitudinal study. The current investigation uses data collected at 4 timepoints from ages 12-19. : Latent growth modeling revealed earlier age of alcohol initiation is associated with (1) a more advanced stage of pubertal development, more self-reported dating experience, and greater externalizing behaviors at ages 12-13 (study entry); (2) a slower rate of change in pubertal development; and (3) greater rate of increase in externalizing and internalizing symptoms from ages 12 to 19. These relationships were not moderated by gender. : Early alcohol initiation appears to be associated with early onset pubertal development and dating behaviors. Over time, early alcohol use behaviors may delay pubertal development while exacerbating psychological risk behaviors (i.e. externalizing and internalizing behaviors). These findings suggest the importance of delaying alcohol initiation and may be beneficial for improving existing adolescent substance use prevention efforts.
本纵向研究考察了饮酒起始年龄和规律饮酒（每周饮酒≥6 个月）与青少年生理发育、社交行为、心理功能和物质使用模式的关系。数据来自于一项前瞻性的 295 名青少年（42%为女性）的样本，他们完成了一项为期 15 年的纵向研究。目前的调查使用了从 12 岁到 19 岁 4 个时间点收集的数据。潜在增长模型显示，饮酒起始年龄较早与以下方面有关：（1）12-13 岁（研究开始时）时青春期发育阶段更早、自我报告的约会经历更多、以及更多的外化行为；（2）青春期发育变化的速度较慢；（3）12 岁至 19 岁期间，外化和内化症状的增长速度更快。这些关系不受性别调节。早期饮酒似乎与早期青春期发育和约会行为有关。随着时间的推移，早期饮酒行为可能会延迟青春期发育，同时加剧心理风险行为（即外化和内化行为）。这些发现表明延迟饮酒起始年龄的重要性，可能有助于改善现有的青少年物质使用预防工作。
