How alike are young non-drinkers, former-drinkers, low-risk drinkers, and hazardous drinkers?

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine whether – in terms of personality characteristics and beliefs – former-drinkers and people who have never consumed alcohol exist on a continuum that includes low-risk drinkers and hazardous drinkers, or are distinct groups. An online questionnaire hosted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Addictive behaviors 2014-08, Vol.39 (8), p.1258-1264
Main Authors: de Visser, Richard O, Hart, Angie, Abraham, Charles, Graber, Rebecca, Scanlon, Tom, Memon, Anjum
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Alcohol
Alcohol Abstinence - psychology
Alcohol Abstinence - statistics & numerical data
Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcoholism
Attitude
AUDIT
Correlation analysis
Cross-Sectional Studies
England - epidemiology
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Intervention
Logistic Models
Male
Multivariate analysis
Personality
Personality traits
Psychiatry
Regression analysis
Surveys and Questionnaires
Temperance - psychology
Temperance - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
Young adults
Youth
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Summary:Abstract The aim of this study was to examine whether – in terms of personality characteristics and beliefs – former-drinkers and people who have never consumed alcohol exist on a continuum that includes low-risk drinkers and hazardous drinkers, or are distinct groups. An online questionnaire hosted on a secure server was completed by 1418 young people (642 men and 776 women) aged 16–21 living in South-East England. Participants' scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to classify them as non-drinkers, former-drinkers, low-risk drinkers or hazardous drinkers. Multinomial logistic regression identified eight significant multivariate correlates that explained 39% of the variance in men's AUDIT category membership ( χ2(24) = 263.32, p < .01), and seven significant multivariate correlates that explained 41% of the variance in women's AUDIT category membership ( χ2(21) = 332.91, p < .01). The results suggest that non-drinkers and former-drinkers are more similar to each other than they are to both low risk and hazardous drinkers. We should not, therefore, treat these groups of young people as representing a drinking continuum. In particular, interventions for high risk young drinkers may be more effective if distinguished from general campaigns intended for all young people.
ISSN:0306-4603
1873-6327
DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.04.008