Risks associated with alcohol-positive status among adolescents in the emergency department: a matched case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, other risk-taking behaviors, and parental monitoring in adolescents who tested positive for alcohol in an emergency department.


METHODS
A matched case-control design was implemented for adolescents presenting to a pediatric emergency department who were screened for alcohol use. An alcohol-positive sample (N = 150) was compared with a matched alcohol-negative sample (N = 150) for alcohol use, alcohol problems, depression, smoking, risk-taking behavior, and parental monitoring.


RESULTS
The alcohol-positive group reported significantly higher drinking frequency, drinking problems, prior alcohol-related injuries, and episodes of driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver than the alcohol-negative adolescents. The same pattern was true for depressed mood, reckless behaviors, poor grades in school, and daily smoking. The parents of alcohol-positive teens reported their teens had come home intoxicated more often than parents of alcohol-negative teens. There were no differences between parent groups in monitoring of teens.


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents who test positive for alcohol in an emergency department are a high-risk group who meet the criteria for indicated prevention. Screening for alcohol abuse is recommended.
Spirito
A
A
Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Barnett
N P
NP
Lewander
W
W
Colby
S M
SM
Rohsenow
D J
DJ
Eaton
C A
CA
Monti
P M
PM
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012309:Risk-Taking