Citation

Hamilton KR, Felton JW, Risco CM, Lejuez CW, Macpherson L. J. Adolesc. 2014; 37(8): 1253-1256.

Affiliation

Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.08.013

PMID

25278465

Abstract

Early alcohol use initiation is a well-established risk factor for the subsequent development of alcohol abuse and dependence. Separate lines of research indicate that impulsivity and risk-taking each are associated with early alcohol use. In this research, the association of the interaction of risk-taking and impulsivity with early alcohol initiation was examined.

RESULTS suggest the interaction between impulsivity and risk-taking was related to early alcohol initiation. Among children with lower levels of risk-taking, level of impulsivity was associated with beginning to drink. By contrast, among children with higher levels of risk-taking, level of impulsivity was not associated with the likelihood of initiating alcohol use. These findings suggest that early adolescence is a critical developmental period in which implementing an intervention to reduce impulsivity and risk-taking may be particularly effective to prevent the early initiation of alcohol use.

Language: en