Fulltext

Disentangling gender and age effects on risky single occasion drinking during adolescence

Kuntsche, Emmanuel ; Gmel, Gerhard ; Wicki, Matthias ; Rehm, Jürgen ; Grichting, Esther

In: The European Journal of Public Health, 2006, vol. 16, no. 6, p. 670-675

Add to personal list
    Title
    • Disentangling gender and age effects on risky single occasion drinking during adolescence
    Author
    • Kuntsche, Emmanuel. Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems (SIPA), Research Department, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • Gmel, Gerhard. Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems (SIPA), Research Department, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • Wicki, Matthias. Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
    • Rehm, Jürgen. Addiction Research Institute, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Grichting, Esther. Addiction Research Institute, Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • The European Journal of Public Health, 2006, vol. 16, no. 6, p. 670-675. Oxford University Press
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:290981
    Summary
    Objectives: To determine the association between adolescent risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) and gender, age, and the relative age position of students within their class. Method: A cross-sectional national representative sample of 7088 from 8th to 10th graders in Switzerland (mean age 14.6; SD = 0.94) as part of the ESPAD international study was analysed using hierarchical linear modelling. Results: Being male, older than the class average and a member of older classes (on average) was associated with a higher RSOD frequency. Additionally, interactions between student and class level were found. The higher the mean class age the greater the difference in RSOD between boys and girls, and the lower the impact on RSOD of the relative age position in a class. Conclusions: In early and mid-adolescence, prevention efforts should try to impede the modelling of alcohol use of older classmates, whereas in late adolescence gender-specific motives for RSOD should be taken into account