Alcohol consumption can have adverse effects on an individual, especially an adolescent. According to researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), teens who drink heavily are more likely to have behavioral and attention problems than their peers. They are also more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Science Daily recently posted a release that examined this study, based on a survey of nearly 9,000 Norwegian teenagers aged 13-19 years of age. A full 80 percent of teens in the study reported that they had tried alcohol and 29 percent said they had been drunk more than 10 times in their lives.
The impact of the drinking varied according to the gender of the teen. For boys who drank frequently, they were more likely to report conduct problems. At the same time, girls who were frequent drinkers reported attention and conduct problems, in addition to depression and anxiety.
For those students who reported behavioral or other problems, 43 percent also reported being drunk more than 10 times in their lives, while only 27 percent indicated few or no conduct problems despite having been drunk more than 10 times. Boys were only slightly more likely than girls to indicate heavy drinking.
Arve Strandheim from the NTNU Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Public Health and General Practice led the team and used data from a comprehensive, population-based cross-sectional survey, the Young HUNT. A full 91 percent of the youth population in one Norwegian county answered the drinking and behavioral questionnaire as part of a larger comprehensive health survey.
The overall study suggests that adolescents with attention and conduct problems are at a higher risk for developing alcohol problems. In addition, teenage girls with depression or anxiety problems should be considered at high risk of developing alcohol abuse, especially those aged 13-16.
Comments on this entry are closed.