Adolescent alcohol misuse linked to poor physical health, lower satisfaction later in life

Alcohol misuse during adolescence was associated with midlife alcohol misuse and poorer physical health, as well as less satisfaction with life, researchers reported in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Angela Pascale, a PhD student in the department of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and colleagues sought to clarify the impact of adolescent alcohol misuse on adult physical health and wellbeing.

Pascale and colleagues assessed the direct associations between adolescent alcohol misuse and early midlife physical health and life satisfaction, as well as the indirect effects on these outcomes from subsequent alcohol use.

“Understanding these long-term effects will further our understanding of early targeted interventions in adolescence that may prevent or mitigate long-term negative health consequences and improve quality of life across the lifespan,” Pascale said in an article about the study on the Virginia Commonwealth University website.

The researchers included 2,733 twin pairs from the FinnTwin16 study, a population-based longitudinal study of Finnish-born twins from 1975 to 1979. Adolescent alcohol misuse was assessed by a composite of frequency of drunkenness, frequency of alcohol use and alcohol problems for those aged 16, 17 and 18.5 years. Early midlife outcomes included somatic symptoms, self-rated health, as well as life satisfaction for those aged 34 years.

Pascale and colleagues reported weak direct associations between adolescent alcohol misuse and early midlife physical health and life satisfaction. However, they did report stronger evidence for indirect effects.

Young adult and early midlife alcohol problems consecutively mediated the relationship between adolescent alcohol misuse and midlife somatic symptoms (0.03; 95% CI, 0.03-0.04), self-rated health (–0.02; 95% CI, –0.03 to –0.01) and life satisfaction (–0.03; 95% CI, –0.04 to –0.02).

“Even though we observed these effects, they were somewhat modest, suggesting adolescent alcohol misuse is not the only driver of later poor physical health and life dissatisfaction,” Pascale said.

Reference:

Adults who misused alcohol as teens report dissatisfaction and poor health in midlife, study says. https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/09/adults-who-misused-alcohol-as-teens-report-poor-health-in-midlife. Published Sept. 27, 2022. Accessed Sept. 27, 2022.