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Alcohol use and Depression During Adolescence and Young Adulthood: a Summary and Interpretation of Mixed Findings

  • Alcohol (RF Leeman, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol misuse are common among adolescents and young adults and are associated with significant personal and societal problems. Similarly, major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive symptoms are prevalent in this population and when they co-occur with alcohol misuse leads to even more severe consequences. Numerous studies have investigated the association between depressive symptoms, AUD, and various drinking behaviors presenting an unclear picture. In this review, we summarize studies among adolescents and young adults that have examined these relationships. From this review, it emerges that several factors affect results, including study design (cross-sectional vs longitudinal), participants’ age (adolescents vs young adults), severity of problems considered (AUD vs heavy drinking; MDD vs depressive symptoms), and gender. Adolescents with AUD are at higher risk for MDD in particular at a younger age. During adolescence, several drinking behaviors, including weekly alcohol use and heavy drinking, increase the risk for depressive symptoms and MDD, while during young adulthood primarily AUD, but not other drinking behaviors, is associated with increased risk for MDD. Gender may have an effect on the association between depression and drinking behaviors but its role is still unclear. Some evidence suggests that the association between AUD and MDD is bidirectional such that mood problems contribute to the onset of alcohol problems and vice versa. More longitudinal studies are needed to examine these associations in young adults and to clarify the effect of gender on these associations. To date, findings suggest the critical need to reduce any alcohol use at a young age and to treat both depressive symptoms and AUD to prevent the occurrence of comorbid disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, One Bowdoin Square 6th Floor, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Paola Pedrelli, Ben Shapero, A. Archibald & Chelsea Dale

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Paola Pedrelli & Ben Shapero

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  1. Paola Pedrelli
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  2. Ben Shapero
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  3. A. Archibald
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  4. Chelsea Dale
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Correspondence to Paola Pedrelli.

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This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K23AA020064) to P. Pedrelli.

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Paola Pedrelli, Ben Shapero, Abigail Archibald, and Chelsea Dale declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Alcohol

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Pedrelli, P., Shapero, B., Archibald, A. et al. Alcohol use and Depression During Adolescence and Young Adulthood: a Summary and Interpretation of Mixed Findings. Curr Addict Rep 3, 91–97 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-016-0084-0

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