Early developmental processes and the continuity of risk for underage drinking and problem drinking

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Public health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Underage drinking often stems from developmental pathways established before adolescence.
• Focus on immediate adolescent influences overlooks crucial early childhood predictors.
• Accumulating evidence highlights early risk and protective factors for alcohol use and abuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on early developmental pathways toward and away from underage drinking.
• To identify risk and protective factors evident in preschool and early school years.
• To examine biological, psychological, and social processes influencing underage drinking.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of research on early childhood predictors of alcohol use.
• Analysis of risk and protective factors, mediators, and moderators.
• Developmental perspective on the aggregation of risk and protection.

Main Results:

• Early childhood factors significantly predict adolescent and adult alcohol use disorders.
• Both non-alcohol-specific and drug-related learning/expectancies are shaped by early social experiences.
• Biological, psychological, and social processes interact within normal development to influence risk.

Conclusions:

• Early identification of risk and protective factors is key for intervention.
• A developmental approach is essential for understanding and preventing underage drinking.
• Implications for policy, intervention, and future research are discussed.