Exploring Patterns of Alcohol Consumption in Adolescence: the Role of Health Complaints and Psychosocial Determinants in an Italian Sample

Adolescents are particularly prone to engage in health-risk behaviors such as alcohol and substance use, which can significantly impact their present and future lives. Our study explores the factors contributing to (1) regular alcohol use (i.e., at least 3 to 5 times in the last 30 days) and (2) binge drinking (i.e., drinking at least five glasses of alcohol in a single sitting in the last 12 months) in adolescents, in the 2014 and 2018 waves of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey conducted in the Lombardy region, Italy. Data collection used a stratified cluster sampling method to obtain a representative sample of adolescents (N = 6506) aged 11, 13, and 15 years (49.7% females). We used structural equation models (SEM) to explore the association of individual-related factors, including health complaints (i.e., somatic problems and psychological problems) and psychosocial variables (i.e., perceived support from family, peers, and teachers), on regular alcohol consumption and binge drinking. Overall, 9.9% of adolescents reported regular alcohol drinking and 18.3% binge drinking. The findings highlighted that higher somatic problems are associated with increased regular alcohol use (OR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.46), and higher psychological problems are associated with increased binge drinking (OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.15-1.55). Moreover, lower perceived support from teachers is significantly associated with both regular (OR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.25-1.59) and binge drinking (OR=1.42, 95% CI: 1.28-1.57), and lower perceived student support is associated with a reduced risk of both usual drinking (OR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.77-0.98) and binge drinking (OR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.78-0.96). The study findings emphasize the importance of tackling somatic and psychological health and psychosocial support, particularly in the school environment, through interventions aimed at controlling adolescent drinking habits.