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Really underage drinkers: alcohol use among elementary students
John E Donovan1, Sharon L Leech, Robert A Zucker
1Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. donovanje@upmc.edu
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|April 29, 2004
Summary
Preadolescent alcohol use is a growing concern. Research indicates children
Area of Science:
- Investigates the under-researched area of preadolescent alcohol consumption, focusing on elementary school children.
Background:
- Addresses the societal concern regarding underage drinking, highlighting the lack of research on alcohol use in preadolescents.
- Presents findings from a 2003 Research Society on Alcoholism symposium dedicated to childhood alcohol use.
Framework:
- Reviews existing knowledge on childhood drinking patterns and risk factors.
- Examines the epidemiology of children's alcohol use and the validity of their self-reports.
Implementation:
- Discusses predictors of early drinking onset, including child expectancies and parental alcohol involvement at age three.
- Analyzes parent, peer, and child risk factors associated with alcohol use in elementary school cohorts.
Implications:
- Highlights the need for improved nationwide surveillance of children's alcohol exposure.
- Suggests that children's self-reports on alcohol use are reliable and valid.
- Identifies early drinking onset, peer influence, and parental factors as key predictors of elementary student alcohol misuse.