Risk factors for alcohol abuse during adolescence and their summative effect

Literature suggests that the highest risks factors for adolescent alcohol abuse can be grouped into four group: a) parent-child relationships, b) deviant peers, 3) psychological functioning (antisocial behaviour), and 4) negative life events. The aim of this study is to verify the collective importance of these risk factors on problems of binge drinking on a sample of Italian adolescents. Data were collected from 405 adolescents (152, 37.4% males; 253, 62.6% females), ages 16 to 20 in school (M = 18.2, S. D. = .69). Results confirmed that alcohol abuse during adolescence is the result of an accumulation of risk factors that are interconnected. In particular results shows that antisocial peers were the strongest predictors of alcohol abuse. Implications for preventive interventions are discussed.