Impulsiveness as a Risk Factor for Teenagers’ Alcohol Misuse.

Introduction This study aimed to analyze the growing phenomenon of adolescent alcohol consumption, and particularly its association with behavioral disorders, focusing specifically on the “Impulsiveness” trait, and seeking any gender-related differences. Method The sample consisted of 273 pupils attending secondary schools (9 th to 13 th graders), including 140 males and 133 females, with a mean age of 15,4 years ± 1,1 SD. The following tests were administered: the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11 [Fossati, 2001]) to measure their impulsiveness; the Youth Self Report 11-18 (YSR) (Achenbach, 2001) to identify any psychobehavioral problems; the Adolescents’ Saturday Nights Questionnaire ( Questionario Adolescenti Sabato Sera [QASS]) (Gallimberti 2011) to obtain information on the modality and quantity of their alcohol consumption. Results While a greater degree of impulsiveness was clearly associated with a greater alcohol consumption, an increase in alcohol consumption was not associated with a further increase in impulsiveness. Moreover, our data indicates a higher prevalence of behavioral disorders in heavy drinkers than in more moderate drinkers. The ‘gender’ variable does not influence the relationship between alcohol consumption and impulsiveness, but the two genders seem to differ in their susceptibility to different subdomains of impulsiveness and behavioral disorders, i.e. "non-planning impulsiveness" with conduct disorder in males, and “motor impulsiveness” with oppositional defiant disorder in females. Conclusions The results confirm the hypothesis that a tendency to be more impulsive predisposes people to drink alcohol. This finding enables us to link the effects of alcohol in adolescence with certain psychopathologies and to identify a possibly alcohol-related tendency of one or other gender to develop a given disorder.