Self-reported drunkenness among adolescents in four sub-Saharan African countries:
Date
2010
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
Abstract
Description
Consumption of alcohol is associated with acute and chronic adverse health outcomes. Given the paucity of studies that explore the determinants of alcohol use among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and, in particular, that examine the effects of adverse childhood experiences on alcohol use, the authors objective was to see if indeed there was an association between experience of adverse childhood events and drunkenness among adolescents. Nationally-representative data from 9,819 adolescents aged 12-19 years from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda were studied. Logistic regression models were employed to identify correlates of self-reported past-year drunkenness. Exposure to four adverse childhood experiences comprised the primary independent variables: living in a food-insecure household, living with a problem drinker, having been physically abused, and having been coerced into having sex. Controls for age, religiosity, current schooling status, the household head's sex, living arrangements, place of residence, marital status, and country of survey were utilized. All analyses were conducted separately for males and females. Overall, 9% of adolescents reported that they had been drunk in the 12 months preceding the survey, and respondents who had experienced an adverse event during childhood were more likely to report drunkenness.
item.page.type
Text
item.page.format
pdf
Keywords
Africa, Child welfare -- statistics, Effects -- Adverse childhood, Statistics, Substance abuse