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Developmental Relations Between Alcohol and Aggressive Behavior Among Adolescents: Neighborhood and Sociodemographic Correlates

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Abstract

Throughout adolescence, alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviors are associated with multiple problematic outcomes. Few studies have examined neighborhood-level predictors and individual and family-level sociodemographic variables to describe longitudinal trajectories of these problem behaviors. Therefore, this study investigated the unique contributions of neighborhood and sociodemographic factors in the shared development of aggressive behaviors and drinking in adolescents. We analyzed alcohol consumption frequency and frequency of aggressive behaviors using parallel process latent growth curve models with demographic indicators and neighborhood constructs as predictors. At all ages, alcohol use and aggression positively covaried. Male gender was associated with both aggressive episodes and alcohol use at age 12. African American ethnicity was associated with higher levels of early aggression. Higher neighborhood income was associated with lower levels of early aggression. Findings lend support to current efforts to curb early initiation of alcohol use and aggression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 525 West Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Paul Sacco, Charlotte Lyn Bright & Hyun-Jin Jun

  2. Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Laura M. Stapleton

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  1. Paul Sacco
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  2. Charlotte Lyn Bright
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  4. Laura M. Stapleton
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Correspondence to Paul Sacco.

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Sacco, P., Bright, C.L., Jun, HJ. et al. Developmental Relations Between Alcohol and Aggressive Behavior Among Adolescents: Neighborhood and Sociodemographic Correlates. Int J Ment Health Addiction 13, 603–617 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9546-1

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