title: Internalizing and externalizing disorders as predictors of alcohol use disorder onset during three developmental periods.
abstract: The developmental pathways associated with an enhanced risk for future alcohol use disorders (AUDs) continue to be a topic of both interest and debate. In this research, internalizing and externalizing disorders were evaluated as prospective predictors of the index AUD episode onset, separately within three developmental periods: early-to-middle adolescence (age 13.0-17.9), late adolescence (18.0-20.9), and early adulthood (21.0-30.0).
  
  
  
  Participants (N=816) were initially randomly selected from nine high schools in western Oregon and subsequently interviewed on four separate occasions between ages 16 and 30, during which current and past AUDs were assessed as well as a full range of psychiatric disorders associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology domains.
  
  
  
  In adjusted analyses for each of the three developmental periods investigated, externalizing domain psychopathology from the most proximal adjoining developmental period predicted AUD onset. Distal externalizing psychopathology also predicted AUD onset among early adult onset cases. Proximal or distal internalizing psychopathology, in comparison, was not found to be a significant predictor of AUD onset in adjusted analyses for any of the developmental periods examined.
  
  
  
  Findings overall suggest that externalizing developmental histories are robust predictors of AUD onset within the age range during which index episodes are most likely to occur, and that gender does not moderate this association.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States. Electronic address: rfarmer@ori.org.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States. Electronic address: jeffg@ori.org.
authors.forename: Jeff M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gau
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States; University of Oregon, College of Education, Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States. Electronic address: jseeley@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Seeley
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States. Electronic address: dkosty@ori.org.
authors.forename: Derek B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kosty
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri - Columbia, Department of Psychological Sciences, 200 South Seventh Street, Columbia, MO, 65211, United States. Electronic address: SherK@missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sher
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR, 97403, United States. Electronic address: pete@ori.org.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lewinsohn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009922:Oregon; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011599:Psychopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs); Externalizing; Gender; Internalizing; Predictors; Psychopathology