Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development
Published on: July 13, 2014
Drinking During Adolescence
Laurie Chassin1, Christian DeLucia1
1Laurie Chassin, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and Christian DeLucia is a graduate research assistant in the Psychology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
Abstract:
For many people, experience with drinking alcohol begins in adolescence. Yet for some youth, such early experimentation can spiral into problematic drinking patterns. Research has associated a variety of serious health risks with adolescent drinking, including the three leading causes of death among this age group (i.e., unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide) as well as unsafe sexual behavior. Although alcohol abuse and dependence are not often clinically diagnosed among youth of high school age and younger, it is possible that applying adult diagnostic criteria does not fully capture the extent of adolescent problem drinking. Risk factors for adolescent drinking encompass sociocultural factors, such as regulation of alcohol availability; parental behavior and drinking patterns; the influence and drinking habits of siblings and peers; personality traits, particularly those indicating low self-regulation; and positive beliefs about alcohol's effects. More research is necessary, however, to distinguish the factors that can predict adolescent problem drinking from those that predict consumption in general.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

