McCambridge, J., McAlaney, J. and Rowe, R. (2011) Adult Consequences of Late Adolescent Alcohol Consumption: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies. PLoS Medicine, 8 (2). ISSN 1549-1277
Abstract
Background
Although important to public policy, there have been no rigorous evidence syntheses of the long-term consequences of late adolescent drinking.
Methods and Findings
This systematic review summarises evidence from general population cohort studies of drinking between 15–19 years old and any subsequent outcomes aged 20 or greater, with at least 3 years of follow-up study. Fifty-four studies were included, of which 35 were assessed to be vulnerable to bias and/or confounding. The principal findings are: (1) There is consistent evidence that higher alcohol consumption in late adolescence continues into adulthood and is also associated with alcohol problems including dependence; (2) Although a number of studies suggest links to adult physical and mental health and social consequences, existing evidence is of insufficient quality to warrant causal inferences at this stage.
Conclusions
There is an urgent need for high quality long-term prospective cohort studies in order to better understand the public health burden that is consequent on late adolescent drinking, both in relation to adult drinking and more broadly. Reducing drinking during late adolescence is likely to be important for preventing long-term adverse consequences as well as protecting against more immediate harms.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2011 McCambridge et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | CIRRHOSIS MORTALITY-RATES; NATIONAL BIRTH COHORT; YOUNG SWEDISH MEN; SUBSTANCE-USE; USE DISORDERS; BINGE DRINKING; MIDDLE ADULTHOOD; CANNABIS USE; EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT; PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Feb 2015 15:46 |
Last Modified: | 18 Feb 2015 15:46 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000413 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000413 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:83593 |