Exposure, Drinking Motives, and Onset of Adolescent Alcohol Use in the Netherlands

Abstract

Background. Alcohol use during early adolescence is a serious public health concern, both in the Netherlands and globally. This study aims to examine the associations between exposure to alcohol using peers, best friends and older siblings, alcohol initiation, and decisional frameworks related to alcohol use known as drinking motives during the adolescent years. Methods. Longitudinal multi-informant family assessments were conducted in the Netherlands among 755 early adolescents between 2015 and 2018. Data was collected every 6 months using online questionnaires (7 total). A subset of this data consisting of the responses of 210 adolescents who consumed their first alcoholic drink within the three years of data collection was utilised for analysis. Results. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) indicated that exposure to peer and best friend drinking was associated with later alcohol initiation. Exposure to alcohol using peers and best friends was found to be associated with social and enhancement drinking motives. No significant associations were found between exposure to older sibling alcohol use, age of onset, or drinking motives. Conclusion. These findings indicate that exposure to the alcohol use of close friends and peers is related to initiation of alcohol use in later adolescence. This exposure was also found to be associated with reporting social and enhancement drinking motives in the older adolescent group (>14.9). It is hoped that these insights can be used to validate and inform