An internalizing pathway to alcohol use and disorder.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD) can emerge in early childhood.
• A known pathway to AUD involves early externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression).
• Internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression) in childhood are less understood as AUD predictors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate a developmental pathway linking childhood internalizing symptoms to adolescent and adult alcohol involvement.
• To propose a risk model for the internalizing pathway using a developmental psychopathology framework.
• To explore the relationship between internalizing and externalizing pathways to alcohol problems.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a developmental psychopathology framework.
• Reviewing existing studies on childhood internalizing symptoms and later alcohol involvement.
• Tracing potential developmental markers within the internalizing pathway.

Main Results:

• Childhood internalizing symptoms predict alcohol involvement in adolescence and young adulthood.
• A distinct developmental pathway to alcohol involvement via internalizing symptoms is identified.
• The internalizing pathway's markers and relation to the externalizing pathway are described.

Conclusions:

• Internalizing symptoms represent a significant, previously underemphasized risk factor for alcohol use disorder.
• Understanding this pathway offers new targets for early prevention and intervention strategies.
• Further research is needed to refine the model and its translational applications for AUD prevention.