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Copyright
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(Copyright © 2023, Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: Most young people start to drink alcohol in adolescence and increase their consumption until their early 20s. The present study meta-analyzed results of longitudinal studies across the age-range of 10 to 25 years.
METHODS: A systematic search in the PsycInfo, PSYNDEX and Web of Science data bases resulted in 513 studies that were included in multi level meta-analysis.
RESULTS: On average, alcohol consumption increased by.21 standard deviation units per year with the strongest increase at the age of 12 to 13 years. Regarding cumulative change, drinking peaked around 22 years. Drinking started to decline at the age of 24 years with minor changes being observed in 24- and 25-year-olds. Female participants increased their consumption less than their male peers, but gender differences were very small. Weaker increases inof drinking were found in countries with higher minimum legal age of buying alcohol. Passing the minimum legal age of 16 years was associated with a stronger immediate increase in drinking compared to countries with higher minimum legal age while passing higher minimum legal ages had no effect on alcohol consumption. In US samples, smaller increases inof drinking were observed in more recent studies.
CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that prevention must has to start before the age of 12. Only passing a low minimum legal age of drinking seems have a short-term effect on alcohol consumption.
Language: en |