Alcohol-related harms and risk behaviours among adolescents: Does drinking style matter

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine to what extent reported harms and risk behaviours related to alcohol use were associated with 15–16-year-old adolescents' frequency of alcohol drinking, subjective state of intoxication, self-control, and family factors such as parental control, family composition, and family's financial situation.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey data from Finnish Self-Reported Delinquency Study were collected in 2008 (n = 5826).

Results: The multivariate analyses indicate that drunkenness oriented drinking style was strongly associated with variety of alcohol-related harms. While physiological and social harms were especially connected with situational heavy drunkenness, delinquency and sexual risk-taking behaviour were associated with both drunkenness and frequency of alcohol drinking. Low self-control was associated most strongly with delinquency and sexual risk behaviour; whereas low parental control was related to social harms and delinquency.

Conclusions: These findings should be taken into account when planning more comprehensive policies to reduce both alcohol drinking and related harms.

Keywords:

• Adolescence
• drinking style
• risk behaviour

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to the Finnish Foundation of Alcohol Studies, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, and Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation [5454 to HL] for funding this study. HL is also supported by the Doctoral Programs in Public Health (DPPH). We kindly thank Niina Honko for language editing.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.