Does Alcohol Use Predict Violent Behaviors? The Relationship Between Alcohol Use and Violence in a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Sample.

The current study examined the relationship between alcohol and violence using a longitudinal survey of adolescents ages 11-26. Data were derived from 10,828 adolescents in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Waves I-III. Survey logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between alcohol use and violence. Even after adjustment for baseline, consistent alcohol use predicted violence in young adulthood (OR =1.41; 95% CI [1.03, 1.91]); however, violence was not predictive of problematic alcohol use. Overall, consistent alcohol use appears to be a predictor of serious physical violence, whereas physical violence does not predict problematic alcohol use.