Effects of exposure to mother's and father's alcohol use on young children's normative perceptions of alcohol

Associations between child maltreatment and hospital admissions for alcohol and other substance use-related disorders up to 40 years of age: Results from the Childhood Adversity and Lifetime Morbidity study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Evidence on the associations between child maltreatment (CM), alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) comes largely from retrospective studies. These rely on self-reported data, which may be impacted by recall bias. Using prospective CM reports to statutory agencies, we measured associations between CM notifications and inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs up to 40 years of age.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Observational study linking administrative health data from Queensland, Australia to prospective birth cohort data comprising both agency-reported and substantiated notifications of CM.

MEASUREMENTS

Outcomes were inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs based on ICD-10-Australian modification (AM)-coded primary diagnoses. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were undertaken.

FINDINGS

Ten per cent (n = 609) of the cohort had a history of agency-reported or substantiated CM notifications before age 15. These individuals had higher adjusted odds of being admitted for AUDs and SUDs. For AUDs, the adjusted odds of inpatient admission were 2.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.73-4.74] greater where there was any previous agency-reported CM and 3.38 (95% CI = 1.94-5.89) greater where there was any previous substantiated CM. For SUDs, the adjusted odds of inpatient admission were 3.34 (95% CI = 2.42-4.61) greater where there was any previous agency-reported CM and 2.98 (95% CI = 2.04-4.36) greater where there was any previous substantiated CM.

CONCLUSIONS

People with a history of child maltreatment appear to have significantly higher odds of inpatient admissions for alcohol use disorders and other substance use disorders up to 40 years of age compared to people with no history of child maltreatment.

The potential adverse effects of minors' exposure to alcohol-related stimuli via licenced venues: A narrative review

ISSUES

Young people are particularly impressionable when it comes to forming expectations and attitudes around alcohol consumption. Any stimuli that normalise and foster positive expectations around alcohol use may increase the risk of underage alcohol consumption. Alcohol venues that market themselves as being appropriate 'family friendly' establishments for children risk exposing minors to environments that are saturated with alcohol-related stimuli. However, research examining how exposure to licenced venues affects underage people is very limited. The aim of this narrative review was to identify and synthesise relevant evidence to better understand how attending these venues might affect minors.

APPROACH

A narrative review of research published between January 2016 and November 2022 was conducted to investigate the potential effects on underage people of exposure to licenced venues and stimuli encountered in/around these venues. Examined stimuli included alcohol advertising, people consuming alcohol and alcohol outlets.

KEY FINDINGS

The reviewed literature indicates that the risk of alcohol-related harm among minors is likely to increase with greater exposure to alcohol venues due to the associated exposure to alcohol advertising, exposure to others consuming alcohol and higher outlet density. In combination, these factors are likely to normalise alcohol consumption for minors and create positive alcohol expectancies.

IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION

Venues serving alcohol should be discouraged from targeting families and parents should be warned about the risks associated with taking minors to venues where alcohol is sold and consumed.

Prevalence of alcohol consumption among high school students: A cross-sectional study

AIM

This study addresses the risk and protective factors for alcohol consumption among medical-technology high school students. The specific objectives of the study were to analyse standard influences on excessive alcohol consumption (influence of parents and upbringing) and possible modern influences, represented by social networks and internet use.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional analysis.

METHODS

The sample included the entire cohort of third-year students attending high school in Varaždin (n = 1,352). Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire. The bivariate analysis used an independent t test and a Chi-squared test. The multivariate analysis used logistic regression. The study was conducted from September 2018 to February 2019.

RESULTS

Alcohol consumption was most prevalent among vocational students, followed by college-preparatory students and medical-technology students. Style of parenting and maternal authority have a positive influence on less alcohol use among students. The results showed that smartphone ownership and internet use do not correlate with alcohol use among high school students.