A retrospective analysis of psychosocial risk factors modulating adolescent alcohol binge drinking

Adolescent alcohol binge-induced hospital admissions (BIHAs) are an increasing problem in Europe. We investigated whether psychosocial factors (e.g., drinking situations, drinking occasions and neighborhood unemployment) are associated with particularly risky patterns of alcohol or substance use.

We performed a systematic retrospective chart review of all the respective cases in 2003-2008 (n = 586; age range: 12-17 years) from both pediatric hospitals in the city of Dresden, Germany.

The vast majority of adolescent BIHAs were associated with drinking together with peers at weekend parties. Compared to this 'typical' drinking pattern, adolescents drinking 'atypically' (i.e., drinking either alone, to cope or despite the fact that the next day was a school/work day) more often had already used alcohol and illegal substances before and were more often diagnosed with substance use disorders and other mental disorders prior to BIHA. The unemployment rate in the patients' neighborhood was positively related to the incidence proportion of adolescent BIHAs in the respective subdistricts (r(s) = 0.61).

Adolescent atypical drinking may indicate an increased risk for the development of alcohol and substance use disorders. This information is quickly accessible and can alert clinicians to initiate psychosocial aftercare; their infrastructure should address the strong relation between BIHA probability and neighborhood unemployment rates.