Risk and protective factors for alcohol use among school-going adolescents in Montevideo (Uruguay)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore risk and protective factors for alcohol use among school-going adolescents in Montevideo (Uruguay).
Design/methodology/approach
A self-report survey was administered to 331 school-going adolescents in Montevideo (Uruguay) (Mage=13; SD=0.05), using the alcohol screening instrument of the Uruguayan National Drug Board to assess adolescents’ alcohol use (yes/no), a screening instrument for psychopathology and resilience (the adolescent self-report) and a socio-demographic questionnaire.
Findings
Logistic regression analyses identified antisocial behaviour, substance use and negative emotionality (F2), disruptive and dysregulated behaviour (F8), higher age and recent death of a close relative as risk factors, while the number of close friends was identified as a protective factor for past year alcohol use (yes/no). No straightforward relationship was found between schools and the risk for the past year alcohol use. In addition, age, F2, F8 and recent death of a close relative appeared to be the most robust predictors.
Research limitations/implications
The study was the first in Uruguay to relate adolescents’ alcohol use to risk and protective factors. Given the cross-sectional nature of the study, causal relationships could not be determined.
Originality/value
The study provides preliminary recommendations for policy makers and other stakeholders involved in youth affairs on core elements to focus on school-, community- and family-based alcohol prevention programmes for adolescents.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the study participants and school institutions and the research assistants who contributed to the data collection and data input: Leandro Castelluccio, Nina Peirano, Cecilia Lariau, Ana Lopez, Maria Benedetti and Eugenia Diaz.
Citation
Fernandez, M.E., Daset, L., Vanderplasschen, W., Costa Ball, C.D., Van Damme, L. and Vindevogel, S. (2017), "Risk and protective factors for alcohol use among school-going adolescents in Montevideo (Uruguay)", Drugs and Alcohol Today, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 12-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/DAT-01-2016-0002
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited