Longitudinal Associations Between Problem Alcohol Use and Violent Victimization in a National Sample of Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 221636
• Journal: Journal of Adolescent Health Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 21-27
• Author(s): Martie P. Thompson Ph.D.; Laney Sims M.S.; J.B. Kingree Ph.D.; Michael Windle Ph.D.
• Date Published: January 2008
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between problem alcohol use and victimization, and whether these associations varied by gender.

Abstract

Findings indicate that alcohol use is both a risk factor for and a consequence of violent victimization. Both males and females had increased problematic alcohol use as they got older; males reported higher levels of problem alcohol use than did females. Victimization was more prevalent among males than females; probably alcohol was a risk factor for victimization among males. Both males and females were victimized less as they got older. Male and females who reported high levels of violent victimization tended to have less steep rate of decrease than others, indicating that participants who had been victims of violent acts were more likely to sustain that high risk level for victimization in later years. However, the findings did not support the hypothesis that being victimized would lead to increased drinking in subsequent years for females. Rather, violent victimization and problem alcohol use were associated with lower problem alcohol use later on. These findings suggest that the increased risk for alcohol problems posed by victimization are in the short-term only and that over the long term, victimization experiences might have resulted in females drinking less, possibly to protect themselves from further trauma. Alcohol use and victimization are each problematic for adolescents as they often co-occur. Evidence indicates that early alcohol use may best be conceptualized as a risk factor for violent victimization as well as long-term alcohol use problems. Findings across the two statistical approaches suggest that interventions that reduce the likelihood of problem alcohol use among adolescents can minimize the short-term risk of victimization and the long-term risk of problem alcohol use in young adulthood. Data from the national longitudinal study on adolescent health were used to investigate the prospective associations between alcohol use victimization over three time points spanning 7 years. Table, figures, references