Download this article now for $15.00.
Early-Onset Alcohol-Use Behaviors and Subsequent Alcohol-Related Driving Risks in Young Women: A Twin Study
Michael T. Lynskey, Kathleen K. Bucholz, Pamela A. F. Madden, Andrew C. Heath
Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate associations between early-onset alcohol use/intoxication and subsequent risks of alcohol-related driving risks in young women after control for familial liability for these behaviors. Method: Self-reported data on alcohol use and associated risks were collected from a representative sample of 3,786 Missouri-born adolescent female twins. Results: After statistical control for familial liability to alcohol-related driving risks, alcohol dependence, and length of exposure to risk (i.e., time between the earlier of age at onset of drinking or age 16 [the minimum legal driving age in Missouri]), young women who reported early-onset alcohol use/intoxication had odds of alcohol-related driving risks that were from 1.6 to 2.2 times higher than those with a later onset of alcohol use or intoxication. Conclusions: Young women who commence drinking at an early age are at heightened risks for subsequent alcohol-related driving risks, and these associations cannot be explained entirely by familial liability for these behaviors. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 68: 798-804, 2007)
