Alcohol consumption among adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its interaction with socio-emotional competences at age 18: data from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort.

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol consumption is becoming increasingly early and frequent among adolescents, and some psychiatric conditions are associated with alcohol-related problems and alcohol use disorder. This study described alcohol consumption frequencies and alcohol use disorder among Brazilian adolescents and investigated the moderating role of socio-emotional competences in the association between alcohol use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 3,093 18-year-old participants of the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil). We used logistic regression models to evaluate the association between ADHD and alcohol consumption. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine whether socio-emotional variables modified the association between ADHD and alcohol consumption outcomes.

RESULTS

ADHD had no significant effects on any alcohol consumption outcome. Adolescents with ADHD had significantly lower levels of self-control, self-esteem, and emotional control. Unexpectedly, higher emotional control may have been associated with an increased likelihood of alcohol use disorder. No significant interaction effects were found between self-control, self-esteem, and the association between ADHD and regular/excessive alcohol use or alcohol use disorder in the adjusted analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed to elucidate the inconsistencies observed in the literature regarding the associations between ADHD and alcohol use, as well as its interaction with socioemotional factors during adolescence.