TY - JOUR PY - 2022// TI - Associations of adolescent alcohol use and self-reported alcohol tolerance with risk of self-harm and suicide in early adulthood: a birth-cohort study JO - Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs A1 - Levola, Jonna A1 - Denisoff, Alexander A1 - Mustonen, Antti A1 - Alakokkare, Anni-Emilia A1 - Miettunen, Jouko A1 - Bramness, Jørgen G. A1 - Niemela, Solja SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the predictive associations of age at first drink (AFD), age at first intoxication (AFI), frequency of intoxication, and self-reported alcohol tolerance at age 15-16 to self-harm requiring medical attention or suicide death by age 33.

METHOD: In an ongoing follow-up study, the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, a total of 7,735 individuals were included at age 15-16. Information on alcohol and other substance use was assessed via questionnaires. Information on self-harm or suicide was collected from national registers until the participants were 33 years of age. Baseline psychiatric symptomatology measured with the Youth Self-Report questionnaire and socio-demographic background variables were controlled for in multivariable analyses using Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS: Male gender and psychiatric symptoms at age 15-16 were consistently associated with greater risk of self-harm and suicide death. When baseline psychiatric symptomatology and other background variables were adjusted for, younger AFI (Hazard Ratio, HR, 2.28. 95% CI 1.16-4.47) and high inherent alcohol tolerance (HR 3.76, 95% CI 1.55-9.08) were associated with self-harm. Furthermore, frequent alcohol intoxication (HR 5.39, 95% CI 1.44-20.23) and high inherent alcohol tolerance (HR 6.20, 95% CI 1.18-32.45) were associated with suicide death by age 33.

CONCLUSIONS: High alcohol tolerance, age of onset and frequency of alcohol intoxication in adolescence, appear to be significant predictors of self-harm and suicide in early adulthood. Self-reported alcohol tolerance in adolescence is a novel empirical approach to assess adolescent alcohol use associating with subsequent harms.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1937-1888 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00055 ID - ref1 ER -