HOW CHILDHOOD FACTORS AMPLIFY RISKS OF HEAVY ALCOHOL USE

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的主要目标是研究青少年酗酒的纵向影响，并确定儿童和青少年的危险因素，这些因素可以放大或减小酗酒对成人地位获得、家庭角色和健康的影响。基于对酒精使用的病因和后果的终生发展观点，这项提案寻求资金，对正在进行的两项全国性纵向研究进行二级数据分析，这些研究对从出生到中年的英国人进行了跟踪。具体目标是：(1)确定可预测青春期大量饮酒的儿童和青少年风险因素(例如，社会劣势、家庭关系、学习成绩)，以及从青春期到成年中期大量饮酒的轨迹；(2)研究青春期大量饮酒的早期和中期后果，重点是在教育和就业、家庭角色及身心健康方面获得成年地位；以及(3)确定儿童和青少年因素，放大或减轻(中等)青春期酗酒对地位获得、家庭角色和成年后健康的影响。国家儿童发展研究和英国队列研究代表了无与伦比的科学资源，结合了主要的方法优势：具有全国代表性的样本，包括各种社会经济背景；从出生到中年具有很强保留力的纵向设计；以及多信息和多方法的数据，包括来自父母、教师和参与者的报告，以及认知测试、医学评估和国家考试数据。早期风险被假设为在地位获得、家庭角色以及身心健康等领域增加与酒精相关的伤害的可能性。特别是，社会人口、家庭和个人风险较大的儿童预计更容易受到青少年酗酒风险的影响，因为他们在发育过程中用作心理社会资源的人力、社会和个人资本将较少。主要的分析策略将是多元回归、纵向多水平模型和使用倾向分数的因果分析。这项研究通过确定在向成年过渡期间最有可能受益于预防性援助和其他援助的个人的特征，与酒精使用病因学和社会政策直接相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The major goals of the proposed study are to study longitudinal effects of heavy alcohol use in adolescence, and to identify childhood and adolescent risk factors that amplify or minimize the impact of heavy drinking on adult status attainment, family roles, and health. Based on a life span developmental perspective on the etiology and consequences of alcohol use, this proposal seeks funds to conduct secondary data analyses on two ongoing national longitudinal studies of British individuals who have been followed from birth through midlife. Specific aims are: (1) to identify child and adolescent risk factors (e.g., social disadvantage, family relations, academic performance) that predict heavy alcohol use in adolescence and trajectories of alcohol use from adolescence through middle adulthood; (2) to examine early and middle adult consequences of heavy alcohol use during adolescence, focusing on adult status attainment in education and employment, family roles, and physical and psychological health; and (3) to identify childhood and adolescent factors that amplify or minimize (moderate) the impact of adolescent heavy drinking on status attainment, family roles, and health in adulthood. The National Child Development Study and the British Cohort Study represent unparalleled scientific resources combining major methodological strengths: nationally representative samples including a full range of socio-economic backgrounds; longitudinal designs with strong retention from birth through midlife; and multi-informant and multi-method data, including reports from parents, teachers, and participants, as well as cognitive tests, medical assessments, and national exam data. Early risk is hypothesized to increase the likelihood of experiencing alcohol-related harm in the domains of status attainment, family roles, and physical and psychological health. In particular, children with greater sociodemographic, family, and individual risk are expected to be more vulnerable to the risks of adolescent heavy drinking as they will have less human, social, and personal capital to serve as psychosocial resources during development. Primary analytic strategies will be multiple regression, longitudinal multi-level models, and causal analyses using propensity scores. The research has direct relevance for alcohol use etiology and for social policy, by identifying characteristics of individuals most likely to benefit from preventive and other assistance during the transition to adulthood.