Abstract
In this thesis, predictors of early onset of drinking and excessive drinking, and the prospective relationship between early and excessive drinking and important life outcomes in young adulthood were examined. Data were drawn from three population-based studies, following children from early childhood to young adulthood. Result showed that low levels of shyness, own conduct problems and having friends with deviant behaviour prospectively predicted early onset of intoxication, but not onset of drinking. Moreover, we found that early drinking behaviours, regardless of level, indicate risk of later alcohol-related problems, a risk that persists at least to young adulthood. Finally, we found that early excessive drinking is a marker of risk of adult disadvantage in work and education, while alcohol intoxication in young adulthood indicated no such risk. The findings demonstrate the importance of addressing multiple individual, familial and peer risk factors in early adolescence, not only in prevention of young adult drinking patterns, but also as an effort to prevent detrimental outcomes in other important adult life outcomes, such as education and risk of unemployment and disability
List of papers
Paper 1: Enstad, F., Pedersen, W., Nilsen, W., von Soest, T. (2017). Predicting early onset of intoxication versus drinking - A population-based prospective study of Norwegian adolescents. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 6, 1-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2017.04.002. The article is included in the thesis. Also available in DUO: http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-58223 |
Paper 2: Enstad, F., Evans-Whipp, T., Kjeldsen, A., Toumbourou, J. W., von Soest, T. (2019). Predicting hazardous drinking in late adolescence/young adulthood from adolescent drinking and excessive drinking - A longitudinal cross-national study of Norwegian and Australian adolescents. BMC Public Health. 2019 Jun 21;19(1):790., DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7099-0. The article is included in the thesis. Also available in DUO: http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-71652 |
Paper 3: Enstad F., Pedersen W., von Soest, T. (2019). Alcohol intoxication across adolescence and educational and labour market outcomes in adulthood: A population-based longitudinal study. Submitted to Alcohol and Alcoholism. To be published. The paper is not available in DUO awaiting publishing. |