Skip to main content

Drinking during adolescence and young adulthood: Taboo, tolerated, and treasured


The underlying causes of a behavior, such as alcohol drinking, can change during adolescence and young adulthood. Prior alcohol research has shown that, in general: shared/common environment influences are strongest in early adolescence, declining in strength until young adulthood; unique environmental influences are moderate, but stable, during adolescence and young adulthood; and genetic influences are weakest during early adolescence, steadily increasing in strength until young adulthood. This study examined the relations between genetic and environmental etiologies of alcohol use and the influence of peer use, parental autonomy granting, and maternal closeness on this behavior.


Researchers analyzed the first three waves of data collected during the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health for 2,447 twin and sibling pairs (30% male pairs, 32% female pairs, 38% opposite sex pairs) ranging in age from 13 to 27 years. Wave 1was collected from 1994 to 1995, Wave 2 from 1995 to 1996, and Wave 3 from 2001 to 2002.


Results supported previous findings showing that genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use change during adolescence and young adulthood. In addition to genetic and environmental influences that were common to these age groups, there were genetic and environmental influences that were important only during adolescence. Friends' drinking behavior was a more pervasive influence on adolescents' drinking than parenting practices. The authors suggested that interventions and prevention programs geared toward reducing alcohol use in younger populations could benefit from a focus on peer influence.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Prices of Maize, Rice and other food commodities to rise in December, 2022 – Survey

One of Nigeria’s commodities market players, AFEX has forecasted a surge in prices of six food commodities, namely maize, paddy rice, sorghum, soybean, cocoa and sesame by the end of December 2022 to the first half of 2023. AFEX’s forecast is contained in its 2022 Wet Season Crop Production Report unveiled at a hybrid event hosted at the firm’s head office in Abuja on Wednesday. The report said maize which faces a projected decline in production levels of up to 14% will reach a higher average price point ranging between N214, 980/metric ton ($486.72) and N220,000/metric ton ($498.09) by the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) 2022. According to the report, this is compared to an average price of ($475.97) N210, 229/metric ton in Q4 2021, and projected that soybean price will rise by 6% by May 2023. David Ibidapo, AFEX head of market data and research who presented the report said annual crop production research seeks to provide robust market intelligence for agriculture value chain player...

Tech Boot Camp: Cadbury Nigeria Empowers over 9000 Kids

#FeatureByCNP: Encourages children to acquire skills for technological relevance in the 21st century. Cadbury Nigeria Plc , a subsidiary of Mondelez International and producers of the iconic cocoa beverage, Bournvita unveiled outstanding participants of the yearly Tech Boot Camp since inception at a media parley held at the company’s head office in Lagos, On October 5th 2022. Bournvita has trained over 1,200 children since inception of the boot camp in 2019 in line with our social mission of improving literacy by preparing kids to lead with digital skills. The initiative is consistent with the brand's efforts in collaborating with parents to help their children pursue their dreams. L-R: Mr Frederick Mordi, Head of Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Mr Tolulope Olaoye, Category Manager, Cocoa Beverages, Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Mrs Oyeyimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Mr Motsamai Pule, Marketing Manager, Cadbury Nigeria Plc at the...

The Federal Government of Nigeria is eager to stop the migration of its people

The Nigerian Federal Government intends to stop the mass migration going on in the country. The Minister of State for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Henry Ikoh made the announcement.    Nigeria in the past few years has developed a migration problem. Nigeria's Federal Government announced on Thursday it is trying to find ways that to prevent the near-parasitic level of migrations. The spokesperson for the Nigerian government also disclosed that the government has plans to procure employment opportunities for its people, seeing as that’s the number one reason people are leaving the country. The Minister of State for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Henry Ikoh, made the announcement in Abuja while receiving the Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organisation, Ms. Deemah Yahya, who paid him a courtesy visit in connection with the upcoming Digital Nigeria Day Conference. He noted that the government is doing all it can to make sure to remedy the self-inflicted ...