Alcohol use in late adolescence and early adulthood: The role of generalized anxiety disorder and drinking to cope motives.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The relationship between anxiety and alcohol use is unclear, and moderating factors, such as drinking to cope (DTC) motives, may explain mixed findings.

Methods

Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we examined associations between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) at age 18 and frequent drinking, frequent bingeing, hazardous drinking, and harmful drinking at ages 18 (unadjusted n = 3462) and 21 (unadjusted n = 2076), in a sample of late adolescent drinkers. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic, parental, and adolescent confounders. We also examined whether DTC motives influenced the strength and direction of associations between GAD and alcohol use.

Results

GAD was positively associated with all alcohol outcomes at bas

SUBMITTER: Dyer ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6891250 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature