Adolescents who first drank alcohol before 13 years of age were significantly more likely to exhibit suicidal behavior than their peers who didn't drink alcohol, based on results from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 13,639 U.S. students in grades 9–12.
About a quarter (25%) of the survey respondents reported drinking alcohol when they were younger than 13 years. Adolescents who reported preteen alcohol use were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide and nearly twice as likely to report suicidal thoughts, compared with nondrinking peers, reported Monica H. Swahn, Ph.D., and Robert M. Bossarte, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.
Alcohol use is a known risk factor for suicidal behavior in adolescents, but the researchers sought specific links between suicidal behavior and preteen alcohol use after controlling for multiple factors such as age, gender, race, history of sadness, history of physical abuse, and history of carrying a weapon, they said (J. Adolesc. Health 2007;41:175–81).
Further analysis showed that, among girls, preteen alcohol use initiation was significantly associated with increased risk of suicidal thoughts–but not suicide attempts–relative to first consuming alcohol after age 13. Among boys, preteen alcohol use initiation was significantly associated with an increased risk of both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, compared with nondrinking teens, but not when compared with boys who first consumed alcohol at age 13 years or older.
The findings support results from previous studies that link alcohol use to suicidal behavior in teens, but the data differ from previous studies by not supporting gender differences in the increased risk of suicidal behavior in preteen drinkers. Future research should address risk factors, protective factors, and motivation for alcohol use in younger adolescents to develop prevention and intervention plans, Dr. Swahn and Dr. Bossarte said.