EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF AGE OF ALCOHOL-USE INITIATION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK-FACTORS ON SUBSEQUENT ALCOHOL MISUSE

Objective: This study examines whether the age of initiation of alcoho l use mediates the effects of other variables that predict alcohol mis use among adolescents and also whether the age of initiation of alcoho l use accounts for known gender differences in the severity of alcohol misuse. Method: Data were taken from an ethnically diverse sample of 808 (412 male) students who were recruited in grade 5 at age 10-11 and followed prospectively on an annual basis for the next 7 years to age 17-18. State-of-the-art missing data methodology was used to address nonresponse due to noninitiation of alcohol use. Structural equation m odeling was used to examine hypotheses for the prediction of alcohol m isuse. Results: A younger age of alcohol initiation was strongly relat ed to a higher level of alcohol misuse at age 17-18 and fully mediated the effects of parent drinking, proactive parenting, school bonding, peer alcohol initiation and ethnicity, all measured at age 10-11, and perceived harmfulness of alcohol use, measured at age 10-11 and age 11 -12. However, age of alcohol initiation did not fully account for gend er differences in the level of alcohol misuse at age 17-18. To further examine the role of gender, interactions between gender and school bo nding, and gender and friend's alcohol initiation, were evaluated. How ever, neither of the interaction terms had direct effects on either ag e of initiation or level of alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Mos t measured risk factors for alcohol misuse were mediated through age o f alcohol initiation. Only gender differences in alcohol misuse at age 17-18 were not mediated by age of alcohol initiation. Variables assoc iated with these differences require further study. The results of thi s study indicate the importance of prevention strategies to delay the age of initiation of alcohol use.