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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Cumulative lifetime adversities and alcohol dependence in adolescence and young adulthood
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 93, Issue 3, 1 March 2008, Pages 217-226

Negative life events have been implicated in the development of alcohol dependence. This paper tests whether cumulative exposure to such stressors significantly predicts risk of DSM-IV alcohol dependence disorder in young adults. We also provide descriptive data that characterizes the patterns of cumulative exposure to such events and rates of alcohol dependence across gender, race/ethnic, and socioeconomic group.

Event history analysis suggested that lifetime stress exposure exhibits a pattern of association with alcohol dependence that is consistent with a cumulative impact interpretation. Both recent events and events more distant in time were significantly and independently associated with such risk. Although these results contribute toward an understanding of variations in alcohol dependence across individuals, they do not assist in the understanding of observed ethnic group differences in such dependence.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: dlloyd@fsu.edu

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