Prevalence of alcohol and drug consumption and knowledge of drug / alcohol-related sexual assaults among Italian adolescents (original) (raw)
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Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1995
A self-report questionnaire on alcohol and tobacco use was administered anonymously to 5221 high-school students in grade 9 (aged 14-15) and to 4154 students in grade 13 (aged 18-19) in 10 Italian towns. Alcohol consumption was greater among males than females and among 13th graders with respect to 9th graders. Students who drank alcoholic beverages every day were, in males and females, respectively, 22.5% and 9.0% among 9th grade and 31.3% and 10.0% among 13th grade students; those who drank 7 or more alcohol units a week were 26.8% and 11.1% among 9th grade and 42.7% and 13.9% among 13th grade students; finally, those who felt drunk at least once in the last 12 months were 19.8% and 13.9% among 9th grade and 41.4% and 19.0% among 13th grade students. Both alcohol consumption and frequency of drunkenness were found to be associated with both experimental and regular cigarette smoking and with psychoactive drug consumption, but not with socio-economic, cultural and demographic factors. Two main distinct drinking patterns were found among Italian adolescents: on the one hand, the daily drinking of moderate amount of wine with meals, together with parents, which was more common among males than females, as in other 'Latin' countries; and on the other hand, the occasional intake of alcoholic beverages' in excess, especially beer and spirits, out of the family but together with peers.
Alcohol use in early adolescence: Findings from a survey among middle school students in Italy
Pediatric Research
BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to measure the extent of alcohol use among a sample of early adolescents and to provide information on the factors influencing the consumption. METHODS: Data were collected via self-administered anonymous questionnaires from 1,520 middle school students (mean age of 13.1 years (range 12-15 years)), who were recruited from a random sample of public schools in Calabria Region, Italy. RESULTS: A total of 1,032 participants completed the survey for a response rate of 68%. Nearly 70% of the respondents had drunk at least once during their lifetime, and 16.7% reported consuming alcohol during 30 days before the survey. Multivariate analysis showed that the factors associated with the consumption of alcohol were being male (odds ratio (OR) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.80), being older (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.37-2.56), living in an urban area (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.21-0.40), reporting a sad self-perceived mood (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.87-4.48), reporting parental drinking habits (OR 7.11, 95% CI 5.02-10.08), and not considering alcohol use as an unhealthy behavior (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.11-5.31). CONCLUSION: Alcohol use among early adolescents is widespread. Multicomponent interventions are required in order to reduce the average levels of alcohol drinking among early adolescents.
Alcohol consumption, above all wine drinking, is deeply rooted in the Italian culture. However, national and European statistics (ISTISAN, 2010; ESPAD, 2011) emphasize that beer is the preferred and most widespread alcoholic beverage of 16-20 year-old Italian adolescents. This is consistent with a progressive change in young drinking models, from the traditional “Mediterranean” style (prevalent consumption of wine during meals or on special occasions) to the “Northern” style, (occasional and heavy consumption of beer and spirits) (Bonino, Cattelino, 2012). Starting from the Problem Behavior Theory proposed by Jessor (Jessor, Donovan, Costa 1991), the present study analyzes young beer consumption in the context of adolescents’ risk behaviors and in relation to a complex system that includes variables related to individual values, opinions and feelings and to the peer and family contexts (distinguishing both individual and contextual proximal and distal factors). The aims of the study...
PubMed, 2016
Background: This study aims to estimate the alcohol consumption in a large student population in Veneto (North Italy) and to identify possible psychosocial factors associated, with particular attention to the relationship between alcohol consumption and psychopathological vulnerability. Methods: Two semi-structured questionnaires were administered: the Questionnaire for Adolescents' Saturday evening, ad hoc designed for the study, which investigates the habits and alcohol consumption patterns, and the Youth Self Report which assesses the possible presence of psychic and behavioral problems. We recruited 10,465 students attending secondary and high schools in two Venetian provinces (age range 11-19 years). Frequency and amount of alcohol consumption were analyzed in relation to socio-demographic characteristics, habits, and vulnerability to psycho-behavioral problems. Results: Data confirmed the high occurrence of alcohol consumption among young people (36.5%), with a higher prevalence among males (58,0%); the frequency of consumption and the amount of alcohol in taking increase with age, in greater measure after the transition to higher education level (10.4% in secondary school, 36,% in first year till 50% in third year of high school). Alcohol misuse was associated with: pubs and clubs attendance, coming back home late, a greater availability of money and externalizing behavioral problems. Conclusions: Results from this study confirmed the worrying data about the prevalence of alcohol misuse among young people, pointing out some protective and risk factors to be taken into account in planning of preventive interventions.
Alcohol drinking among adolescents from town and mountainous areas in North Italy
European Journal of Epidemiology, 1993
Alcohol consumption was investigated among 9th and 13th grade high school students in the town of Brescia (an urban area) and in the Local Health Unit ofBreno, a mountainous area in the province of Brescia. A total of 1364 students from Brescia and 1373 from Breno completed an anonymous questionnaire during school time. In both groups alcohol consumption was greater among 13th graders (modal age: 18 years) and males than 9th graders (modal age: 14 years) and females. Beer was the favourite alcoholic beverage, but wine was the most widely consumed daily beverage: among males, about 8% in grade 9 and 15% in grade 13 drank at least one glass of wine every day. The majority of both 9th and 13th graders had more than one type of alcoholic beverage a week, although many females drank beer only. Total alcohol consumption was higher among the mountainous area students than urban students, especially 9th graders, and greater differences were observed in the consumption of beer with respect to wine. The proportion of male students from Brescia and Breno who consumed more than 6 alcohol units a week were, respectively, 17% and 25% in grade 9 and 36% and 420/0 in grade 13. A higher prevalence of drunkenness was found among the students from the mountainous area with respect to the urban students, especially males. Among 13th grade males, 420/0 of students from Brescia and 60% from Breno claimed one or more episodes of drunkenness during the year prior to the interview.
Alcohol use and abuse in adolescence: proposal of an alternative analysis
Child: Care, Health and Development, 2008
Background A national, representative, school-based sample of Portuguese youths was used to examine the prevalence of alcohol use in this population and to analyse differences between demographic variables such as gender and age, as well as to propose a statistical procedure that optimally quantifies categorical variables. Methods Data on 6109 state school students from Portugal, in the 6th, 8th and 10th grades, aged 11-18, who participated in the 2002 (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children/WHO) survey of adolescent health, were analysed. Adolescents aged between 11 and 14 were placed in the younger group, and those 15-18 years old were placed in the older group. Optimal scaling was used to optimize the computation of factor scores, which were subsequently submitted to multiple regression analysis in order to analyse the impact of gender and age on alcohol use.
Gender convergence in adolescent drunkenness in different Italian regions
International Journal of Public Health, 2013
Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate time trend changes in frequency of drunkenness among Italian adolescents. Gender convergence in adolescent drunkenness was evaluated in different geographical regions. Methods The survey reported here is part of the larger cross-sectional (2002/2006/2010) ''Health Behaviour in School-aged Children'' (HBSC) trans-national study. The sample comprised 13,174 Italian middle and secondary school students (50.3 % girls). Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire. Data on drunkenness and demographic characteristics were used for this study. Trends were determined using the Gamma statistics. Results Prevalence of drunkenness decreased from 2002 to 2010 in both boys (from 26.9 to 21.8 %) and girls (from 18.7 to 15.0 %). Consistent with the hypothesis of gender convergence, the difference in the prevalence of drunkenness between boys and girls declined from 2002 to 2010 in the south of Italy and in the islands. Conclusions Future researches and prevention programs on drunkenness should give more consideration to geographical-cultural differences not only by comparing or taking in consideration different countries but also by comparing different regions in the same country.
Preventive Medicine Reports, 2015
The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence by gender of substance use and misuse in late childhood and early adolescence. A survey was conducted in 2013-2014 at primary and secondary schools of Padova, Veneto region, NorthEast Italy, on a sample of 171 pupils in 5th grade and 1325 in 6th to 8th grade. Among the 8th graders, more than one in three males and one in four females had experimented with smoking, and more than half the boys and nearly half the girls had experience of alcohol. In this same age group, almost two in three males and one in three females had used energy drinks, and nearly 5% of the boys had experience of marijuana and/or stimulant drugs. In addition, almost one in four of the male students in 8th grade had experimented with three of these substances. The middle school years should be identified as the first period at risk concerning the use of these drugs. Prevention programs should begin in early adolescence, focusing on delaying the use or abuse of any of the "gateway drugs."
Substance abuse and behavioral correlates of sexual assault among South African adolescents
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2004
Objective: The aim of this article is twofold: first, to examine the prevalence of being the victim of actual and attempted rape among a large representative sample of Cape Town high school students; and second, to identify the correlates of sexual assault for both boys and girls, including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, behavioral problems, and suicidality.Method: Data for this study were derived from the 1997 South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SACENDU) school survey. A stratified sampling procedure was used to select students in Grades 8 and 11 at non-private high schools in Cape Town. A total of 2,946 students completed a survey consisting of socio-demographic questions and items about substance abuse, sexual activity, and other adolescent health risk behaviors. A subsample of 939 was randomly selected to complete items about sexual violence.Results: The results revealed that 8.4% of respondents were victims of attempted rape, while 5.8% were victims of actual rape. Ordinal logistic regression showed that girls were 3.9 times more likely than boys to have been victims of sexual abuse. Family structure was also significantly related to rape as persons who lived with a single parent (OR = 1.74, CI = 1.00–3.04) and those who resided with one biological parent and one step parent (OR = 2.59, CI = 1.34–5.01) were more likely to have been have been victims of sexual abuse than those living with both biological parents. Alcohol use (OR = 2.0, CI = 1.10–3.62), anti-social behavior (stolen property, caused physical damage to property, bullied others, or been in physical fights) (OR = 1.44, CI = 1.12–1.86), suicidal dialogue (OR = 2.48, CI = 1.19–5.19), and suicidal attempts (OR = 3.2, CI = 1.65–6.30) were also significant predictors of sexual abuse victimization. Racially classified social groups (RCSG), age, drug use, and cigarette smoking were not significant predictors of sexual abuse victimization, while socioeconomic status was found to be marginally significant.Conclusion: This study reinforces the importance of multiple factors including alcohol use, anti-social behavior, suicidal thoughts and actions, and family structure with respect to sexual assault of adolescents in South Africa. Establishing and strengthening intervention programs, school based child protective protocols, professional education of teachers and school personnel, community prevention programs, and initiatives could help prevent adolescent sexual violence and reduce the sequelae associated with this problem.French-language abstract not available at time of publication.Objetivo: Este artı́culo tiene dos objetivos. El primero es el examinar la prevalencia de haber sido vı́ctima de violación real o intento de violación en una amplia muestra representativa de estudiantes de bachiller de Ciudad del Cabo. El segundo es identificar los correlatos de la agresión sexual para varones y mujeres, tales como el consumo de alcohol, tabaco y otras drogas, los problemas de comportamiento y la tendencia al suicidio.Método: Los datos de este estudio se derivan de la una encuesta escolar realizada por el Grupo de Trabajo Comunitario Sudafricano Epidemiológico sobre el abuso de drogas (1997). Se utilizó un procedimiento de muestreo estratificado para seleccionar estudiantes entre el nivel octavo y undécimo en institutos no privados de Ciudad del Cabo. Un total de 2,946 estudiantes completaron una encuesta que consistı́a en preguntas sociodemográficas e ı́tems sobre el consumo de drogas, la actividad sexual y otras conductas con riesgo para la salud en adolescentes. Una submuestra de 939 participantes fue seleccionada al azar para completar los ı́tems sobre violencia sexual.Resultados: Los resultados revelaron que el 8.4% de los que respondieron fueron vı́ctimas de un intento de violación, mientras que un 5.8% fueron vı́ctimas de una violación consumada. Los análisis de regresión logı́stica ordinal mostraron que las mujeres tuvieron 3.9 veces más posibilidades que los varones de haber sido vı́ctimas de abuso sexual. La estructura familiar estaba relacionada con las posibilidades de sufrir violación de manera que las personas que vivı́an con un único padre (OR = 1.74, CI = 1–3.04) y aquellos que residı́an con un padre biológico y un padre no biológico (OR = 2.59, CI = 1.34–5.01) tenı́an más posibilidades de ser vı́ctimas de abuso sexual que quienes vivı́an con los dos padres biológicos. El abuso del alcohol (OR = 2.0, CI = 1.10–3.62), la conducta anti-social (robos contra la propiedad, daños fı́sicos causados a la propiedad, agresión a otros o participación en peleas fı́sicas) (OR = 3.2, CI = 1.65–3.60) fueron también predictores significativos de ser vı́ctimas de agresión sexual. La clasificación por razas, la edad, el uso de drogas y el consumo de tabaco no fueron predoctores significativos de la victimización por abuso sexual, mientras se observó que el nivel socioeconómico era marginalmente significativo.Conclusión: Este estudio refuerza la importancia de múltiples factores como el abuso de alcohol, la conducta anti-social, las acciones y pensamientos suicidas y la estructura familiar con respecto a las agresiones sexuales que sufren los adolescentes en Sudáfrica. El establecimiento y fortalecimiento de programas de intervención, de protocolos de protección infantil de ámbito escolar, de educación profesional de profesores/as y personal escolar, de programas de prevención comunitarios y de otras iniciativas puede ayudar a prevenir la violencia sexual contra adolescentes y reducir las secuelas asociadas con este problema.