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Friday, January 9, 2009

Alcohol Use and Patterns of Delinquent Behaviour in Male and Female Adolescents
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on January 8, 2009

The overall aim was to study patterns of delinquent behaviour in relation to adolescent alcohol use. The more specific aims were to examine whether alcohol use varied between groups of adolescents with different patterns of delinquent behaviour, and to explore whether the association between delinquent behaviour patterns and alcohol use was similar for males and females.

The results revealed that the occurrence of excessive alcohol use and drunkenness varied between groups of adolescents with different delinquency patterns, and that the associations between alcohol use and patterns of delinquent behaviours were relatively similar for males and females.

Adolescents with patterns characterized by more serious non-violent delinquency or by violent delinquency reported the highest occurrence of alcohol use and frequency of drunkenness. Adolescents with well-adjusted behaviour or occasional minor delinquency were less likely to report drinking large amounts of alcohol or to the point of feeling drunk.

The present results further emphasize the importance of distinguishing between different offender groups when examining the relationship between delinquent behaviour and associated problems, such as excessive alcohol use.

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