Emergency department detection of adolescents with a history of alcohol abuse and alcohol problems.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the characteristics of adolescents with and without a history of problematic alcohol use, who are treated in the emergency department (ED) for an alcohol-related problem.


METHODS
Three hundred seventeen adolescents presenting to the ED after an alcohol-related incident were divided into 2 groups based on whether their score on the Adolescent Drinking Inventory reached the clinical cutoff on problematic drinking, and compared regarding current drinking, depression, and risk-taking behaviors.


RESULTS
Adolescents who reached the clinical cutoff on the Adolescent Drinking Inventory were older and reported more frequent drinking, greater depressed mood, and more risk-taking behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Of the adolescents presenting to the ED with an alcohol-related incident, those with a positive history of problematic drinking represent a particularly high-risk subgroup.
Sindelar-Manning
Holly
H
Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
Lewander
William
W
Chun
Thomas
T
Barnett
Nancy
N
Spirito
Anthony
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*
D000431:Ethanol