Indicators of Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Composite Risk Factor Approach

A self-reported alcohol inventory measured prevalence and frequency of lifetime, recent, and current alcohol use by an opportunity sample of 3226 young people aged 11–18 in Welsh secondary schools in 2005 comparing findings to extant U.K. and European levels. A risk factor-based questionnaire enabled comprehensive, sensitive sample profiling by gender and age, combining factor analysis with logistic regression to identify composite risk factors influential upon alcohol use by young people in Wales and salient to policy makers and practitioners, notably the endogenous factors: anti-social behaviour/attitudes, inadequate relationships/activities in school, negative experiences in school, lack of commitment to school, and impulsivity. Overlap with composite risk factors for youth offending was identified, but not with drug use, suggesting that the commonly cited “gateway” relationship between elements of “substance use” requires further examination. The study's limitations and implications are discussed.