Prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol diagnoses and symptoms in adolescent community and clinical samples

Summary prevalence data are critical to determining the utility of DSM-IV criteria for alcohol use disorders among adolescents. This study examined cross-study consistency in the relative prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol symptoms, the ratio of alcohol abuse to dependence diagnoses, the prevalence of the physiological dependence subtype, and the proportion of subthreshold cases of dependence.

DSM-IV alcohol diagnosis and symptom prevalence data were obtained from five community and four clinical adolescent samples.

There was a moderate level of cross-study agreement on the relative prevalence of alcohol symptoms (mean Spearman p = 0.47). The most common symptoms were dependence criteria: tolerance and drinking more or longer than intended. A relatively high degree of variability in the ratio of abuse to dependence diagnoses and the proportion with physiological dependence was observed. All samples included a significant proportion of subthreshold cases of dependence: up to 12% in community and up to 34% in clinical samples.

Alcohol dependence symptoms of tolerance and drinking more or longer than intended have relatively high prevalence among adolescents. These high prevalence symptoms affect the ratio of abuse to dependence diagnoses in some studies, the prevalence of the physiological dependence subtype, and the proportion of subthreshold cases of dependence.